Antlions

Every type of Antlion.

> *"If more of these things get in, they could tear this house down, who knows?"*
>
>

--David Hawkings on the danger Antlions pose to Carson's House.

**Antlions** are a carnivorous species of alien (oversized) insect commonly encountered throughout Season 5 of Garry's Mod Zombie Apocalypse. They are similar in appearance as well as social hierarchy to ants. They originate from the Xen world, and are a hostile creature. Antlions, similar to many enemies in the series, use the same models and AI coding of their Half-Life 2 counterpart.

## Pre-Apocalypse

Likely much prior to the outbreak, the Antlions remained on their homeworld of Xen, developing an advanced ecosystem. Likely prior to the outbreak, back on earth, researchers at Black Mesa Sigma created a portal which lead to the Xen world, and also likely discovered the Antlion. It also seems that Combine scientists accomplished the same thing, as they seem to utilize numerous captured Antlion Guards against the survivors long before they are encountered in Season 5.

## Post-Apocalypse

After the outbreak, and interestingly throughout only Season 5, Antlions are a commonly encountered enemy by David and his group. It is likely that, since they originate from Xen, that Antlions escaped from the portal at Black Mesa Sigma. After which, they spread throughout the country, infesting various locations. Notably, Antlions took up residence in Victory Mine, where they recreated Xen's ecosystem within the caves, laying eggs, webs, and raising new Antlion Grubs.

It is likely that since Antlions are no longer seen in the series, they were unable to properly adapt to the foriegn world to them that was earth, and went extinct due to being hunted by survivors, rebels, the Combine, the military, and even the infected, alike.

## Types of Antlions

In the Antlion hierarchy, there are various classes and life-cycles of Antlions.

### Antlion Soldier

Antlion Soldiers are the most common type of Antlion encountered by David and his team throughout Season 5. They are the main army of the Antlions.

Antlion Soldiers have 4 rather skinny legs, which are used when they attack their prey. They seem to have a lime green shell which protects them on the outside, however it is hardly impervious to gunfire as they fall quite easily to bullets. The shell seems to serve mostly to protect their wings, which they can use to soar through the air for brief periods of time and get the drop on their prey. Antlion Soldiers have four sharp teeth, presumably for eating and digesting their victims after they have been killed.

### Antlion Worker

Antlion workers are much different from normal Antlions. Antlion Workers are tougher than their normal Antlion brethren, the former having 60 HP while the latter having 30. Antlion Workers produce a corrosive acid which they will launch at any aggressors, however they will also use melee attacks if said aggressor gets too close.

Antlion Workers are much different to normal Antlions in appearance. They have much larger heads, as well as a smaller, more ant-like torso. The wings on the Antlion Workers are on the outside of their torso, unlike normal Antlions whose wings are hidden. They have 4 legs, and interestingly, the front of the 2 is attatched to the back of their body and the back 2 is attached to the front of their body. Antlion Workers have a sickly green color, which will glow somewhat in places like Antlion caves.

### Antlion Grub

Antlion grubs are the earliest stage in the Antlion lifecycle. They are completely harmless, and cannot attack the survivors. However, if allowed to grow they will become normal Antlion Soldiers. When killed, they release a strange yellow substance, which has healing properties.

Antlion Grubs have caterpillar-like bodies that glow with a greenish hue. The front of their torso features 3 small legs on each side, as well as a mouth with very small teeth.

### Antlion Guard

Antlion guards are some of the most vicious and powerful creatures of the Antlion species, with 500 HP. Their main attack seems to be either headbutting, or sending objects flying towards the survivors. Hence their name, their job seems to be to guard the nest from any outside intruders. It appears several of these Guards were recovered from Xen by the Combine, as they have been used by them multiple times against David Hawkings..

They have 4 large legs, the two on the back looking more like hooves than the normal insectoid legs the Antlions have. This is likely to give them more running power when charging a foe. The most different trait Guards exhibit between normal Antlions however, is the Guard's protected carapace, which acts as both a battering ram and a deadly weapon. Their dark-red tint and radiant blue "feathers" which adorn its back make it clearly distinguishable from other Antlions, and seem to be a sign of their status.

### Antlion Guardian

Antlion guardians are similar to Antlion Guards in that they are very large and heavily built, sharing the same amount of HP. Their attack methods are also the same as that of the Guards, i.e headbutting objects, charging their enemies, etc. The main difference seems to be the habitat of the Guards and Guardians. Guards seem to handle more protecting the nest from the inside, while Guardians are almost a queen of the nest, living deep inside Antlion Caves. This is what likely causes their luminescence, as they probably never visit the surface, so this light is to guide their way through the dark caves of the Antlion nests.

In terms of appearance, Guardians are almost identical to Guards. However, their most defining trait from normal Guards is their bright green color, and glowing "feathers" of their back instead of the normal blue ones.

## Sources

1. ↑ https://youtu.be/77RRVZasvOY?list=PLl7tPKKmq7yEHF06oa-45Gdu8QE97IxPF&t=250