Black Ants

* Player
* Worker
* Soldier
* Queen

**Black ants** are the colony of ants controlled by the player in Pocket Ants: Colony Simulator.

## General information

Black ants are the protagonists of the game. They live in the nest located at the south west area of the Main World.

When they first arrive to the nest, there are only 2 ants, but their population can reach a maximum of 232 ants.

There are 4 castes of black ants: the player ant, worker ants, soldier ants and the queen ant.

## Nest

Main article: Colony
Black anthill consists of a long tunnel, often called "the hall", and a series of chambers accessible from it.

The anthill of black ants can have a total of 9 different chambers, which can be upgraded to level 12 each one using resources that are obtained by gathering from the surroundings and fighting other ant and insect colonies.

The Queen's Chamber is the only chamber that is already built at the beginning of the game, the rest must be built by the player ant through the "Colony" menu at the left.

## Player ant

The player ant is a special type of worker that is controlled directly by the player. It is the first ant born from the queen ant and the one that manages the whole colony. It has a slightly lighter color than other workers.

### Abilities

* Build and upgrade Colony Chambers.
* Travel to different locations.
* Select the source for a certain resource and gather from it.
* Carry small objects and items.
* Defeat workers from other insect colonies.
* Being reborn when killed, either from the queen ant or re-spawning on a certain place.
* Command workers, soldiers and the queen ant.
	+ Command workers to gather resources and/or feed the queen.
	+ Recruit soldiers and command to attack, retreat or disband the army.
	+ Set a garrison to guard an area.
	+ Command the queen to breed soldier ants.
* Use and improve pheromones.
* Attract, command, fuse and upgrade creatures.
	+ Deploying them into Battles and assigning them to defend the anthill.
* Upgrade itself and the other ants using special resources (honeydew and resin).
* Use special flowers to gain or induce temporary effects.
* Activate and upgrade a defensive plant.
* Change the aspect of all the ants in the colony.
* Use special items to infiltrate a hostile nest.
* Form alliances or supercolonies with other players.
	+ Donate and request resources.
	+ Visit other players' anthills.
	+ Manage the alliance (if it's the Clan leader).
* Attack by drinking and spitting (only in Co-op Mode).

### Weaknesses

* The player ant can't defend itself against hostile soldiers from other colonies.
* The player ant is killed instantly from the attacks of hostile creatures and bosses.
* When the player ant is reborn from an egg in the queen's chamber, 10% of the food stock is lost. This makes the player ant the most expensive unit.

## Worker ants

Main article: Worker Ants
Worker ants are the workforce of the colony. They perform various tasks, such as gathering resources, feeding the queen ant, carrying aphids, etc.

* They are born from eggs laid by the queen, laying an eggs costs 1 fungus which is eaten by the queen ant.
* The maximum number of workers the player can have is determined by the Food Processing Chamber level, and reaches a maximum of 150 workers with the Food Chamber at level 12.
* They can be commanded by the player through the "Workers" menu to:
	+ gather and store leaves
	+ gather and process food
	+ feed the queen ant
	+ gather and store seeds
	+ gather and store body parts
	+ gather and store resin
* They need the player to select a source for them to gather resources each time the source depletes.
* They can gather resources offline, starting 10 minutes after the player logs out.
	+ They can't feed the queen or gather resin offline.
	+ They are limited to the source's size.
	+ They can be killed by red ants if they are present on the map when the player logs out.
* They also take part on delivering the aphids to the anthill.
* Their speed can be upgraded with honeydew in the Honeydew Shop.
* They appear on the anthill when it's attacked, and are seen gathering resources and guarding the nest, being hostile to the attacker ants.
* They can defeat workers from other colonies but are helpless against soldiers.
* They are killed instantly from the attacks of hostile creatures and bosses.

## Soldier ants

Main article: Soldier Ants
Soldier ants are the protectors of the colony. They are specialized in fighting against other insects and arthropods, and are found walking around by the entrance of the colony.

* They can be breed on the "Army" menu, by 15 fungus each one, from eggs laid from the queen ant as well.
* They can be quickly recovered unlike worker ants.
* Players can also use gems to reach the maximum number of soldiers, with a cost of 3 gems per soldier.
* They can be recruited and disbanded and commanded to attack or retreat by the player ant.
* They can be set to guard an area by using a Garrison.
* Their health, attack speed and damage is upgraded through the Queen's Chamber level.
* They can also be upgraded through the Honeydew Shop and the Resin Shop.
* In the Main World, soldiers are necessary for defeating the red ants, defeating creatures, conquering aphid farms and protecting the convoys, entering and clearing the Fire Ant Nest, protect workers as they farm resin from the tree, defeating the Vinegaroon.
* In Battles, they are necessary to start an attack, kill the Venus Flytrap, they are also used to kill enemy creatures and queen ant. They can be set to defend the anthill along with creatures.
* They deal massive damage against enemy creatures when in large groups.
	+ A single maxed level soldier (level 11) does almost the same damage per second (DPS) to creatures as a 4-star scorpion.
* They are used in Co-op mode to deal damage to the bosses.
* They are killed instantly from the attacks of hostile creatures and bosses.

## Queen ant

The Queen ant is the creator of the colony and the mother of all the black ants. She is always found sitting in the Queen's chamber.

* She's the first ant of the colony.
* She can't move, nor leave the Queen's Chamber.
* She will become hungry if there aren't enough workers to reach the maximum number, and will lay a worker egg after being fed with a fungus.
* She will lay soldier eggs if there aren't enough soldiers to reach the maximum number after being commanded by the player through the "Army" menu.
* She can only lay one egg at a time.
* Her health is upgraded through the Queen's Chamber level.
* She can resist multiple attacks from creatures in battles.
* Killing her in battles results in **all** the ants dying (and winning with 100%).

### Queen Ant health

Health is shown as bites (hits) from a 4 star golden tarantula.