Ant

Ants are the smallest variant on the Virus form and competes with the Virii as the weakest version of the Virus. They spawn from Ant Hills and will collect Darwinins and Souls. Once collected they will take them back to the Ant Hills where they will be reborn into a new Ant. They will also attack programs.

They appear in the Yard, where they have taken over the Trunk Ports for the Biosphere, Soul Receiver and Pattern Buffer. Ants appeared some time after the Virus came into the world as they were not seen being created by e-mails at the start.

Ants are also awarded via Crate in Multiwinia. They are a random reward for unlocking a crate. They only appear as the normal Grey Virus colour and will overwhelm nearby Multiwinias. Since they are spawned by themselves, however, they are fairly simply to take out compared to the previous game. Note that they are a neutral spawn, appearing grey in colour because of this; they will attack any player.

Strengths and Weaknesses

 * Ants make up for their lack of strength by numbers. They can easily overwhelm a Squad.
 * The player will have to make use of the Armor to back up Squads. However, bare in mind the Darwinians are vulnerable and it is best to place another in a support position covering each other in range. Therefore 2-3 of them are needed.
 * Their persistence to collect souls can be used against them and they will willingly walk into the firing range of both squad and Armor to collect them.
 * When all the Ant Hills are taken out, the Ants will be no threat to take out.
 * Ants without a Ant Hill to return to tend to just random between two points and are easy to take out.
 * The Yard is the only area they truly are a threat; further locations are relatively easy to conquer making these a minor mid-game threat.
 * They will pursue anything within range, but generally do not give chase over long distances.

Trivia

 * Though the creatures that are spawned from the Ant Hills are Ants, the Ant Hills themselves resemble Termite mounds.
 * Ants are often considered by humans as a pest species, despite the benefits many ants have to the environment. Many species of ants are capable of damaging human made structures such as wooden houses and statues.