Soldier ant - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: adjust advice re: ant buffers

2026-05-14T20:28:35Z

adjust advice re: ant buffers

Umbire the Phantom: note about color confusion

2026-05-14T17:39:59Z

note about color confusion

Umbire the Phantom: dnh command chain

2026-05-14T17:11:44Z

dnh command chain

Umbire the Phantom: reflink

2026-05-14T16:52:02Z

reflink

Umbire the Phantom: so naturally I miss this

2026-05-14T16:23:32Z

so naturally I miss this

Umbire the Phantom: /* Variants */ ditto the variant stuff as part #2: all at once, adjust phrasing accordingly per variant

2026-05-14T16:23:08Z

‎Variants: ditto the variant stuff as part #2: all at once, adjust phrasing accordingly per variant

Umbire the Phantom: /* History */ some minor adjustments

2026-05-14T16:10:38Z

‎History: some minor adjustments

Umbire the Phantom: nh5 update #1 - same as killer bee, but knock out more at once up to variants

2026-05-14T16:09:09Z

nh5 update #1 - same as killer bee, but knock out more at once up to variants

Ray Chason: Update difficulty

2026-05-14T02:47:41Z

Update difficulty

Ray Chason: Include the female tile

2026-05-10T15:39:27Z

Include the female tile

@@ Line 42: / Line 42: @@
 For heroes capable of fighting soldier ant swarms, use your best [[ranged weapon]]s, offensive spells and/or [[wand]]s where possible. Wands of {{wand of|sleep|and=1|slow monster}} can work in a cautious fighter's favor and can also work as a means of escaping, and [[wands of magic missile]] are also somewhat effective. Even if you can contain a group of soldier ants to a corridor, their damage and speed makes it wisest to bring them all down quickly as possible: for casting heroes, {{+ of|chain lightning}} with sufficient [[energy]] can make short work of them. Once killed, soldier ant corpses can be used as a source of poison resistance for heroes who lack the intrinsic, but possess an external source of the property and/or a [[tinning kit]] to make them safe to eat.
-Soldier ants created by the summon insects spell are usually encountered at a point where they are of no real trouble to most heroes, and can even serve as a limited form of buffer, e.g. against monsters in [[Moloch's Sanctum]] or the [[Astral Plane]]&mdash;due to slower [[HP regeneration]] at higher [[experience level]]s it may be best not to idle (even with the [[Regeneration (property)|regeneration]] property), unless you have a method of healing yourself thoroughly and need the time and space to apply it reliably. Similarly, they can also provide a vector for chain lightning spells, although the amount of hostiles a hero will be facing in late-game situations where insects are summoned means that significant power drain will usually occur&mdash;heroes conserving their energy for other spells should utilize this as a form of last resort.
+Soldier ants created by the summon insects spell are usually encountered at a point where they are of no real trouble to most heroes, and can even serve as a limited form of buffer, e.g. against monsters in [[Moloch's Sanctum]] or the [[Astral Plane]]&mdash;still, it may be best not to idle around them even with the [[Regeneration (property)|regeneration]] property, unless you have a method of reliably healing yourself and need the space to apply it reliably. Similarly, they can provide a vector for chain lightning spells, although the amount of hostiles a hero will be facing in late-game situations where insects are summoned means that significant power drain will usually occur&mdash;heroes conserving their energy for other spells should utilize this as a form of last resort.
 ==History==

@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 ==Strategy==
-As with giant ants, soldier ants are very fast at 18 [[speed]], and their poisonous sting makes them even deadlier to the point of possible [[instadeath]]. They also have the same [[AC]] of 3 as a giant ant, making them hard for early [[heroes]] to hit without trained-up or enchanted weapons. Even for heroes with poison resistance, their stronger attacks can also chew through health, especially against low-speed or poorly-armored heroes. Though they may appear late enough that a hero can find and identify a source of poison resistance in time to [[wear]] it, their strength drain will be somewhat difficult to cure unless the hero has access to [[prayer]] or can identify a [[potion of restore ability]].
+As with giant ants, soldier ants are very fast at 18 [[speed]], and their poisonous sting makes them even deadlier to the point of possible [[instadeath]]. They also have the same [[AC]] of 3 as a giant ant, making them hard for early [[heroes]] to hit without trained-up or enchanted weapons. Even for heroes with poison resistance, their stronger attacks can also chew through health, especially against low-speed or poorly-armored heroes. Though they may appear late enough that a hero can find and identify a source of poison resistance in time to [[wear]] it, their strength drain will be somewhat difficult to cure unless the hero has access to [[prayer]] or can identify a [[potion of restore ability]]. Note that on some systems, dark gray items and creatures will be shown as blue instead, which makes it easy to confuse soldier ants with the much less dangerous [[giant beetle]]s unless using [[far look]] or similar [[command]]s.
 The same techniques for escaping or fighting [[Giant ant#Strategy|giant ant swarms]] can work for soldier ants: avoid being surrounded at all costs, and try to lead them through a nearby [[corridor]] or close [[door]]s to block them off. Keep an eye on where any [[stairs]] are located and be prepared to retreat there if possible&mdash;avoid being [[burdened]] if at all possible in order to maximize your movement speed. [[Elbereth]] reliably works on soldier ants, and any form of magic can work as well since they also have no [[Magic resistance (monster)|MR score]]. Have whatever [[escape item]]s you can, e.g. [[scrolls of teleportation]] and [[wands of teleportation]], ready to go if a group of ants threatens to overwhelm you, and once you escape them steer clear as long as possible until you can properly deal with them.

@@ Line 75: / Line 75: @@
 ===dNetHack===
-In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]], soldier ants are a lawful and always-female species of monster, and only 250 total can be encountered in a game. They are also [[acidic]] rather than poisonous: they have [[acid resistance]] instead of poison resistance, and their sting deals acid damage rather than poison damage.
+In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]], soldier ants are a lawful and always-female species of monster, and only 250 total can be encountered in a game. They are also [[acidic]] rather than poisonous: they have [[acid resistance]] instead of poison resistance, and their sting deals acid damage rather than poison damage. Soldier ants can be commanded by [[formian taskmaster]]s.
 Soldier ants make up {{frac|5}} of the monsters randomly generated on the Arcadian Roads of [[Law Quest (dNetHack)|the Law Quest]], and may appear among the random insects that are placed during level creation for those floors.

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
   |resistances conveyed=[[Poison resistance]] (20%)
   |attributes={{attributes|A soldier ant|sgroup=1|animal=1|nohands=1|oviparous=1|pois=1|carnivore=1|hostile=1}}
-  |reference=[https://github.com/NetHack/NetHack/blob/NetHack-3.6.7_Released/src/monst.c#L120 NetHack 3.6.7 - src/monst.c, line 120]
+  |reference=[https://github.com/NetHack/NetHack/blob/NetHack-5.0.0_Released/include/monsters.h#L103 NetHack 5.0.0 - include/monsters.h, line 103]
 }}
 A '''soldier ant''', {{monsym|soldier ant}}, is a type of [[monster]] that appears in ''[[NetHack]]''. The soldier ant is an [[oviparous]] and [[carnivorous]] [[insect]] that is a stronger cousin of the [[giant ant]]. Soldier ants are among the most common source of early-game deaths, and as of May 2026 they occupy the #3 position on [[NAO]]'s [https://alt.org/nethack/topdeaths.html list of most frequent deaths].

@@ Line 111: / Line 111: @@
 ==References==
 <references/>
-{{nethack-367}}
+{{nethack-500}}
 [[Category:Monsters]]

@@ Line 59: / Line 59: @@
 ==Variants==
 In the original [[Convict Role]] patch, the soldier ant is the second [[quest]] monster for Convicts, and makes up {{frac|24|175}} of the monsters randomly generated on the [[Convict quest]].
 ===UnNetHack===
-[[UnNetHack]] implements [[Convict/UnNetHack|the Convict role]], and the soldier ant is the second quest monster for Convicts as in the patch, making up {{frac|24|175}} of the monsters randomly generated on the Convict quest.
+In [[UnNetHack]], soldier ants can cause toxic poisoning rather than instant death with their stings, and strength drain cannot be cured with a unicorn horn.
 ===dNetHack===
 In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]], soldier ants are a lawful and always-female species of monster, and only 250 total can be encountered in a game. They are also [[acidic]] rather than poisonous: they have [[acid resistance]] instead of poison resistance, and their sting deals acid damage rather than poison damage.
-Several soldier ants are encountered on [[Law quest (dNetHack)|the Lawful Quest]], and can be [[generated with]] [[worn]] armor made to fit their body shape (done as a [[pun]] on their nickname). A soldier ant generated on the Lawful Quest has a {{frac|3|5}} chance of generating with armor: a {{frac|10}} chance of generating with [[plate mail]], a {{frac|2|9}} chance of generating with [[chain mail]] if plate is not given, and a {{frac|3|7}} chance of generating with [[scale mail]] if chain mail is not given. Soldier ants that receive any body armor this way will also generate with a [[helmet]] thta fits their head shape.
+Soldier ants make up {{frac|5}} of the monsters randomly generated on the Arcadian Roads of [[Law Quest (dNetHack)|the Law Quest]], and may appear among the random insects that are placed during level creation for those floors.
 dNetHack and its offshoot variants also implement [[Convict/dNetHack|the Convict role]], but unlike in the original patch and other variants, the soldier ant is the first quest monster for Convicts and makes up {{frac|96|175}} of the monsters randomly generated on [[Convict quest/dNetHack|the Convict quest]].
@@ Line 74: / Line 86: @@
 ===DynaHack===
-[[DynaHack]] implements [[Convict/DynaHack|the Convict role]], and the soldier ant is the second quest monster for Convicts as in the patch, making up {{frac|24|175}} of the monsters randomly generated on the Convict quest.
+In [[DynaHack]], soldier ants can cause instant death with their stings as in NetHack 3.4.3, and strength drain cannot be cured with a unicorn horn.
 ===SpliceHack===
@@ Line 80: / Line 94: @@
 ===EvilHack===
-[[EvilHack]] implements [[Convict/EvilHack|the Convict role]], and the soldier ant is the second quest monster for Convicts as in the patch, making up {{frac|24|175}} of the monsters randomly generated on [[Convict quest/EvilHack|the Convict quest]].
+In [[EvilHack]], soldier ants can cause instant death with their sting as in NetHack 3.6.7, and strength drain cannot be cured with a unicorn horn. Poison resistance is also a [[partial intrinsic]], and a hero needs 35% intrinsic poison resistance to prevent instant deaths from soldier ant stings unless they obtain the intrinsic by gaining experience levels. Conversely, a hero with extrinsic poison resistance can eat several soldier ants to increase their intrinsic levels of poison resistance.
 ===SlashTHEM===
-[[SlashTHEM]] implements [[Convict/SlashTHEM|the Convict role]], and the soldier ant is the second quest monster for Convicts as in the patch, making up {{frac|24|175}} of the monsters randomly generated on the Convict quest.
+In addition to SLASH'EM details, [[SlashTHEM]] implements [[Convict/SlashTHEM|the Convict role]]: the soldier ant is the second quest monster for Convicts as in the patch, making up {{frac|24|175}} of the monsters randomly generated on the Convict quest.
 ===Hack'EM===
-[[Hack'EM]] implements [[Convict/Hack'EM|the Convict role]], and the soldier ant is the second quest monster for Convicts as in the patch, making up {{frac|24|175}} of the monsters randomly generated on the Convict quest.
+In [[Hack'EM]], soldier ants can cause instant death with their sting as in NetHack 3.6.7, and strength drain cannot be cured with a unicorn horn. Partial intrinsics function as in EvilHack, although a hero only requires 25% intrinsic poison resistance to avoid instant death from soldier ant stings and other poison attacks.
 ==Encyclopedia entry==

@@ Line 47: / Line 47: @@
 The soldier ant first appears in [[NetHack 3.0.0]]. In Hack 1.21 and Hack for PDP-11, which are based on [[Jay Fenlason's Hack]], and from [[Hack 1.0]] to [[NetHack 2.3e]], the giant ant behaves much like the modern soldier ant does, attacking with a poisonous sting and leaving a poisonous corpse.
-From NetHack 3.0.0 to [[NetHack 3.6.7]], including some variants based on those versions, the soldier ant has a [[Monster difficulty|difficulty]] of 6 and its poisonous stings can cause [[instant death]]&mdash;applying a [[unicorn horn]] can cure strength drain from the soldier ant's stings or their poisonous corpses. [[NetHack 5.0.0]] increases their difficulty to its current value via {{commit|47724f01374300151a4900939407259c79b14c62}}, removes the ability of poison attacks to cause instant death via {{commit|d0b11fd2c05dae5ebc7a3ff6425257e6ed372894}}, and additionally removes the unicorn horn's ability to restore attributes via {{commit|43d331c4ebe7bcd30a7cab7d4228957e283584c2}}. Furthermore, homemade [[tin]]s of soldier ant meat grant 40 nutrition rather than the standard 5&mdash;this is changed in NetHack 5.0.0 via {{commit|39bd259bd3ce35662dfc6b9996aa268a28289056}}.
+From NetHack 3.0.0 to [[NetHack 3.6.7]], including some variants based on those versions, the soldier ant shares the same tile for between genders, has a [[Monster difficulty|difficulty]] of 6 and its poison stings can cause [[instant death]]&mdash;applying a [[unicorn horn]] can cure strength drain from the soldier ant's stings or their poisonous corpses. [[NetHack 5.0.0]] increases their difficulty to its current value via {{commit|47724f01374300151a4900939407259c79b14c62}}, removes the ability of poison attacks to cause instant death via {{commit|d0b11fd2c05dae5ebc7a3ff6425257e6ed372894}}, and additionally removes the unicorn horn's ability to restore attributes via {{commit|43d331c4ebe7bcd30a7cab7d4228957e283584c2}}. Furthermore, homemade [[tin]]s of soldier ant meat grant 40 nutrition rather than the standard 5&mdash;this is changed in NetHack 5.0.0 via {{commit|39bd259bd3ce35662dfc6b9996aa268a28289056}}.
 ==Origin==

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
   |reference=[https://github.com/NetHack/NetHack/blob/NetHack-3.6.7_Released/src/monst.c#L120 NetHack 3.6.7 - src/monst.c, line 120]
 }}
-A '''soldier ant''', {{monsym|soldier ant}}, is a type of [[monster]] that appears in ''[[NetHack]]''. The soldier ant is an [[oviparous]] and [[carnivorous]] [[insect]] that is a stronger, [[poisonous]] cousin of the [[giant ant]]. Soldier ants are among the most common source of early-game deaths, and as of December 2025 they occupy the #3 position on [[NAO]]'s [https://alt.org/nethack/topdeaths.html list of most frequent deaths].
+A '''soldier ant''', {{monsym|soldier ant}}, is a type of [[monster]] that appears in ''[[NetHack]]''. The soldier ant is an [[oviparous]] and [[carnivorous]] [[insect]] that is a stronger cousin of the [[giant ant]]. Soldier ants are among the most common source of early-game deaths, and as of May 2026 they occupy the #3 position on [[NAO]]'s [https://alt.org/nethack/topdeaths.html list of most frequent deaths].
-A soldier ants has a normal [[bite attack]] and a poisonous [[sting]] that can drain [[strength]], and possess [[poison resistance]].
+A soldier ants has a normal [[bite attack]] and a [[sting attack]] that can inflict [[strength]]-draining [[poison]], and possess [[poison resistance]].
 A soldier ant [[corpse]] is poisonous to [[eat]], and eating a soldier ant corpse or [[tin]] has a {{frac|5}} chance of granting poison resistance.
 ==Generation==
 Randomly generated soldier ants are always created hostile, and may appear in small [[group]]s of 2-4.
 Soldier ants can appear among the {{white|a}} that are part of the first [[quest]] monster class for [[Valkyrie]]s and make up {{frac|24|175}} of the monsters randomly generated on the [[Valkyrie quest]].
-An [[anthole]] may be populated entirely by soldier ants.{{refsrc|src/mkroom.c|494|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
+An [[anthole]] has a {{frac|3}} chance of being populated entirely by soldier ants.{{refsrc|src/mkroom.c|512-L514|nethack=5.0.0}}
 ==Strategy==
-As with giant ants, soldier ants are very fast at 18 [[speed]], and their poisonous sting makes them even deadlier to the point of possible [[instadeath]]. They also have the same [[AC]] of 3 as a giant ant, making them hard for early [[heroes]] to hit without trained-up or enchanted weapons. Even for heroes with poison resistance, their stronger attacks can also chew through health, especially against the slow or poorly-armored.
+As with giant ants, soldier ants are very fast at 18 [[speed]], and their poisonous sting makes them even deadlier to the point of possible [[instadeath]]. They also have the same [[AC]] of 3 as a giant ant, making them hard for early [[heroes]] to hit without trained-up or enchanted weapons. Even for heroes with poison resistance, their stronger attacks can also chew through health, especially against low-speed or poorly-armored heroes. Though they may appear late enough that a hero can find and identify a source of poison resistance in time to [[wear]] it, their strength drain will be somewhat difficult to cure unless the hero has access to [[prayer]] or can identify a [[potion of restore ability]].
 The same techniques for escaping or fighting [[Giant ant#Strategy|giant ant swarms]] can work for soldier ants: avoid being surrounded at all costs, and try to lead them through a nearby [[corridor]] or close [[door]]s to block them off. Keep an eye on where any [[stairs]] are located and be prepared to retreat there if possible&mdash;avoid being [[burdened]] if at all possible in order to maximize your movement speed. [[Elbereth]] reliably works on soldier ants, and any form of magic can work as well since they also have no [[Magic resistance (monster)|MR score]]. Have whatever [[escape item]]s you can, e.g. [[scrolls of teleportation]] and [[wands of teleportation]], ready to go if a group of ants threatens to overwhelm you, and once you escape them steer clear as long as possible until you can properly deal with them.
-For heroes capable of fighting soldier ant swarms, use your best [[ranged weapon]]s, offensive spells and/or [[wand]]s where possible. Wands of {{wand of|sleep|and=1|slow monster}} can work in a cautious fighter's favor and can also work as a means of escaping, and wands of {{wand of|magic missile}} are also somewhat effective. Even if you can contain a group of soldier ants to a corridor, their damage and speed makes it wisest to bring them all down quickly as possible.
+For heroes capable of fighting soldier ant swarms, use your best [[ranged weapon]]s, offensive spells and/or [[wand]]s where possible. Wands of {{wand of|sleep|and=1|slow monster}} can work in a cautious fighter's favor and can also work as a means of escaping, and [[wands of magic missile]] are also somewhat effective. Even if you can contain a group of soldier ants to a corridor, their damage and speed makes it wisest to bring them all down quickly as possible: for casting heroes, {{+ of|chain lightning}} with sufficient [[energy]] can make short work of them. Once killed, soldier ant corpses can be used as a source of poison resistance for heroes who lack the intrinsic, but possess an external source of the property and/or a [[tinning kit]] to make them safe to eat.
-Once killed, soldier ant corpses can be used as a source of poison resistance for heroes who lack the intrinsic, but possess an external source of the property and/or a [[tinning kit]] to make them safe to eat. Soldier ants created by the summon insects spell are usually encountered at a point where they are of no real trouble to most heroes, and can even serve as a useful physical buffer, e.g. against [[aligned priest]]s.
+Soldier ants created by the summon insects spell are usually encountered at a point where they are of no real trouble to most heroes, and can even serve as a limited form of buffer, e.g. against monsters in [[Moloch's Sanctum]] or the [[Astral Plane]]&mdash;due to slower [[HP regeneration]] at higher [[experience level]]s it may be best not to idle (even with the [[Regeneration (property)|regeneration]] property), unless you have a method of healing yourself thoroughly and need the time and space to apply it reliably. Similarly, they can also provide a vector for chain lightning spells, although the amount of hostiles a hero will be facing in late-game situations where insects are summoned means that significant power drain will usually occur&mdash;heroes conserving their energy for other spells should utilize this as a form of last resort.
 ==History==
 The soldier ant first appears in [[NetHack 3.0.0]]. In Hack 1.21 and Hack for PDP-11, which are based on [[Jay Fenlason's Hack]], and from [[Hack 1.0]] to [[NetHack 2.3e]], the giant ant behaves much like the modern soldier ant does, attacking with a poisonous sting and leaving a poisonous corpse.
 ==Origin==

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
   |name=soldier ant
   |tile=[[File:Soldier_ant.png]] [[File:Soldier_ant_female.png]]
-  |difficulty=6
+  |difficulty=7
   |level=3
   |experience=37