Better than an assassin it's the ...

[BillSeurer]

...giant spider of death!

For some reason the AI seems to ignore giant spiders in AI territory. When they show up spiders are one of the toughest units in the game, especially if they have a little XP. You can take advantage of this to use a captured spider (that's not been IDed as yours) to deplete enemies of most, if not all, their defenders and workers while being at peace. Usually the spiders eventually die in an assault on a city but I can sometimes get one fully advanced with all the strength, city assault, and movement bonuses.

There's a quirk with this when you attack the guys who are never at war with the barbarians. When you go to do an assault you don't get combat odds, probably because that code thinks they are at peace and won't fight. When you actually move into a unit it does attack it, though.

This doesn't seem to work with Griffons, though. The AI attacks mine regularly while ignoring spiders, even badly injured ones.

 

[orangelex44]

That's because spiders are invisible.

 

[Sarisin]

Yes, they are invisible...except to recon units. I have used the old Giant Spider strategy just as you described it Bill to harass the AI. I've had Spiders with well over 200XP that ran out of available promotions (they can get the city attack bonuses after you research Warfare - however as HN units they cannot take/raze a city).

However, I find that once the AI starts building Hunters and the barbs spawn Lizardmen the Giant Spiders are at risk and easily killed. Then, it is time to get them back to one of your cities where, after researching Animal Mastery, I think it is, you can turn them into a Silk resource for your civ.

Oh, one other thing I still think is a bug - I've had HN Giant Spiders produce Treants from Ancient Forest tiles, so apparently trees can see invisible units too. Also, I find Ritualists using their Fire spell so I guess they have that ability to see invisible units too although it is undocumented.

 

[Zechnophobe]

Yeah, it's cool to get one early if you can, though the healing rate is incredibly slow for HN units without combat 5.

I never seem to get them anymore, but that's probably because on higher difficulty they don't spawn for very long.

 

[BillSeurer]

I've been able to completely shut down a civilization using the spiders. One time I started with the Sheaim right next door and I managed to lure two spiders to attack my scouts in wooded hills and captured them. After healing I sent them off and parked them next to the two Sheaim cities. They eventually killed off all the Sheaim units and I just left them there on sentry duty and they would wake up whenever a new unit would be produced. When the barbarians started showing up I sent a hunter over and walked into the undefended cities.

 

[Sarisin]

I agree that they are harder to come by, at least in my games, so I have been capturing Griffons instead and in some ways they are even better than the Spiders - movement over terrain, able to heal on mountain peaks, water tiles, etc.

One thing I don't understand is how the Baby Spiders work. I have killed Workers with them and get a Giant Spider, while sometimes I am lucky enough to kill a Warrior and the Baby Spider gets a promotion or two and stays a Baby Spider.

 

[orangelex44]

I think it's a % chance upgrade, not a certainty - just like there's a 20% (IIRC) chance to create the Baby in the first place, for the Baby to upgrade is a 50% chance (or something like that, my numbers are probably wrong).

 

[Genejack]

I think the chances of spawning new ones are a lot lower, as I used to swarm entire maps with spiders, but nowadays I only get one or two baby's from killing lots of units with great spiders. I usually manage to upgrade those to great spiders by killing goblin scouts, though.

I sometimes miss those old days, when I had fifty-ish vampiric great spiders and three vampire stooges running around. That was fun. Though way too overpowered .

 

[DioBrando]

Spiders sure are awesome. Archos must be the coolest civ in Fall Further.