Assassin Bug

Information
Common name	Assassin bug
Scientific name	Acanthaspis petax
Environment	Savannah
Forms	Nymph
Traits	Invulnerable Heal Underground

Assassin bugs (Acanthaspis petax) are challenge mode enemies in savannah documentary missions.

Abilities

Assassin bugs use basic attack by stabbing.

They can execute any ants and equip them to become invulnerable. They can only use this ability when they are already invulnerable. The effect can stack in length up to 10 times. Dead ants fall off 20 seconds after being equipped.

Assassin bugs can execute termites but can't equip them.

They initially spawn with several ants already equipped, allowing them to begin executing ants immediately

Strategies

Due to them spawning with ants equipped, they can't be killed for a short time after spawning, and if a raiding column is close by, they can instantly begin eliminating your ants. Once they spawn, they should be left alone until all dead ants fall off their backs. They can only execute ants when they are invulnerable, but their basic attack is extremely weak, so allowing a group of soldiers/medics to group up before rushing them can eliminate them easily.

Be cautious with any low health units when attacking, and avoid attacking with workers. If an ant dies to its basic attack, it will equip it and become invulnerable. Either try to avoid groups that have a large number of low health soldiers, or collect a large enough swarm to kill it before it can react,

Appearances

You can encounter assassin bugs in:

• Triage

• Drive Them Back

Notable stats

Assassin bug
Common stats	Health: 380 Movement speed: 140 Food amount: 30 [3] Score: 200 Vision radius: 600
Damage modifications	None
Immunities	Slow resistance: 40% Immune to stun/ confusion/ fleeing Immune to pickup (weak)/ knockback (weak) Immune to execution
Basic attack	Damage (physical): 2 Attack speed: 1.5
Drain	Trigger: User is invulnerable. Pickup (strong) Cooldown: 10	Execution
		Invulnerability (self) Duration: 20

Trivia

• Only Nymph Assassin Bugs use camouflage, Adults do not use this tactic after maturing.
• Nymphs will play dead if their disguise fails. In game, they are not able to do this.
• The corpse collection has a secondary defense effect, where the corpses can be released if attacked, covering any predator in distractions and blocking its mouth, giving the Bug time to escape.
• It is not currently confirmed how the corpse collection of Assassin bugs disguises them from their prey, but there are several theories.
  • A theory is that they collect so many bodies that they become unrecognizable to other creatures. This would result in prey not registering it as a predator to be cautious of, and predators not registering it as a preferred meal, overlooking it in favor of their preferred prey.
  • It is theorized that the disguise is olfactory in nature, resulting in the Assassin Bug smelling like, and being mistaken as, ants.
  • Experiments that focused on visual predators such as Jumping Spiders and Geckos suggest the disguise is partially visual as well, resulting in the Bug being mistaken as a swarm of ants.
    • This visual mistake of ant-eating predators would protect Assassin Bugs due to appearing as a dangerous swarm rather than a few individuals