Antlion (Final Fantasy XII)

Antlion is an Elite Mark from Final Fantasy XII. The hunt becomes available upon reaching Mt Bur-Omisace, so if the player wishes to fight it with Larsa in the party, they should return to Rabanastre upon reaching the mountain to accept the hunt, because Larsa will leave the party if the player proceeds further in the story.
Antlion can be found in the Site 9 area of the Lhusu Mines. It is also fought in the Zodiac versions' Trial Mode at Stage 44, along with five Killer Mantises. In the Trial Mode, Dragon Shield can be rarely stolen from it.
== Clan Primer ==
=== Hunt 38: Antlion Infestation ===
:Petitioner: Niray
:Petitioner's Location: Bhujerba/Staras Residence
* A petition has been submitted for the hunting of an antlion (Rank V). The petitioner is Lady Niray in the Staras Residence in Bhujerba.
* Hunt accepted. Lady Niray tells you her children went into a magicite mine where the antlion is known to nest and have not returned. The antlion can be found in Site 9 of the Lhusu Mines.
* Antlion defeated! Report to Lady Niray in the Staras Residence.
* Hunt reported. Lady Niray's children have come safely home, but they dropped a key to the mines somewhere...
=== Bestiary entry ===
:Being a variety of Killer Mantis residing in the deepest crags of the Lhusu Mines. Aggressive in the Extreme, known to flay alive such giant Creatures as the Nidhogg for its food. As it has no natural Predators in the Mines, an Imbalance in the Food Chain is feared. Worried that her Children may have wandered into the Antlion's Nest, a concerned Citizen petitioned a hunt for this Mark.
==Stats==
==AI script==
== Battle ==
Antlion is surrounded and protected by Killer Mantises (Lv.44), and the battle relies more on crowd control than depleting Antlion's HP. The Antlion will begin with buffs, but the buffs will expire and the Antlion will not recast them. The player can wait until Antlion's buffs have expired before engaging it. Antlion is weak to Wind-elemental attacks. It will use Cannibalize to feast upon one of the Mantises and increase its stats and heal itself. After eating one Mantis the Antlion's level increases to level 44, and if it eats another one, its level is boosted to level 52.
===Strategy===
To protect against Disable the player can wear Black Belt. Before entering Antlion's lair, it is best to buff the party. A simple tactic is to lure the mantises one by one, and slowly deplete their quantities before the Antlion notices the party. The player can also use high-level magicks that hit all targets in range. Another tactic is to use Warp to quickly kill the mantises—Antlion is Warp-immune, but its underlings are not, so a Warp ought to send most (if not, all) mantises into the void. Equipping the Indigo Pendant ensures it never misses. The player can have the backup characters use a Quickening chain to get a Concurrence that will wipe out the Killer Mantises. The player can then switch to the main party to finish the battle.
Overall, the Mantises can be annoying since they serve as an efficient meat shield, while the Antlion itself is capable of dealing moderate damage. Equipping Wind-elemental weapons works well, but Antlion can use Cannibalize more than once, so one should focus on destroying all the Mantises before focusing on Antlion itself.
One tactic is to use a character equipped with a shield, preferably with Shield Lores learned, and under Lure status to attract and then block most of the attacks. This tactic works especially well with Disease. The Nihopalaoa + Remedy trick will work on the Antlion and the Disease status stops it from gaining HP from cannibalizing the mantises and stops its HP threshold skills from activating, meaning Antlion won't become immune to shield blocks during the battle.
The player can also clear the area near Antlion's lair and summon Chaos. In the original PlayStation 2 version, the player should wait until his summoning period is almost over, and then enter Antlion's lair. Chaos's final attack, Tornado (Wind-elemental), gives the party a good start in defeating Antlion and the mantises. In the Zodiac versions Espers are controllable and the player can use their final attacks at will.
== Rewards ==
* 4,300 gil
* Bubble Belt
* Sickle-Blade
After the battle, the kids mention they dropped the key to Site 11. The key can be found near the Fallen Bhujerban in the Phon Coast Hunters' Camp. The Fomalhaut gun spawns in a random treasure at the back the room where Antlion spawns in the original version, making it one of the first ultimate weapons the player gains access to. In the Zodiac versions, it is no longer found there.
== Gallery ==
Ffxii-antlion.jpg|Bestiary entry (PlayStation 2).
Cannibalize-FFXII.jpg|Cannibalize.
FFXII Flatten.png|Flatten.
Trial-Mode-Stage-44-FFXII-TZA.jpg|Trial Mode.
== Etymology ==
== Related enemies ==
* Killer Mantis
* Antares
* Preying Mantis
* Deathclaw
* Scythe Mantis
* Rageclaw (Rare)
* Biding Mantis (Rare)
de:Ameisenlöwe (FFXII)
it:Antoleon (Final Fantasy XII)
Category:Elite Marks in Final Fantasy XII