For an overview of giant ant variants in the Fallout series of games, see giant ant. For an overview of fire ant variants in the Fallout series of games, see fire ant.
Giant ants are large insects protected by a yellow-brown carapace. They have large mandibles which they use to both hunt and protect themselves. The long antennae they have sprouting out of their head act like sensors, allowing them to take in more information about their immediate environment.
Gameplay attributes
These creatures can be a bit of a problem in early stages of the game. Hitting their antennae will count towards a critical hit and will also frenzy them. Like their east-coast brethren, they are not particularly swift, and can easily be out-walked if the player prefers to engage them at range. Since they have no Damage Threshold, it is a good choice to use a low-damage, high DPS weapon.
Variants
Giant soldier ant
The largest and strongest variant of the more common giant ant variants. This ant can be found accompanying smaller ants as they forage. Several can be found inside the Allied Technologies offices building.
What they lack in individual fortitude, they make up for with relentless attacks and swarm tactics. However, a worker ant's exoskeleton isn't particularly hard compared to radscorpions. Their mandibles can cut through most leather and plastic with ease, even snapping bone on a lucky shot.
Giant worker ants can usually be found in barren stretches of desert in the Mojave such as the Ivanpah race track or Ivanpah Dry Lake. They usually walk around in groups, presumably looking for food.
The ants at the Nellis array will explode when shot with energy weapons due to their consumption of munitions.
One can observe ants walking in lines, much like worker ants in reality.
When near Virgin Fork Campground, Follows-Chalk says giant ants are called "picnic-killers". He doesn't know why, and says it's probably from "back when".
Xbox 360 Sometimes when using Explosives or Unarmed methods to attack the player won't damage the ant.
PC Giant ant queens are meant to carry bothant queen pheromones and a variable amount of ant eggs, but due to a missing property in their "death items" list there is only a very small percentage chance of one or the other being found.