This is an overview article which contains background information and cross-game comparisons. For game-specific information and stats, see the articles linked on the right.
Fire ants are creatures living in the Capital Wasteland in 2277, and in the Mojave Wasteland in 2281. They are a variation of giant ants that have been genetically modified. Their name comes from their ability to breathe fire.
The fire ants of the Capital Wasteland were created by a scientist named Doctor
Lesko. The doctor was attempting to return giant ants to their normal size through genetic manipulation and accidentally created the fire ants. Dr. Lesko's ambition was to make the ants exponentially smaller through generations, meaning the offspring is born smaller than its parents for generations to come. But as he reasons, one small tweak of an error has left the ants with a completely different mutation. The fact that Lesko used F.E.V. in his experiments in order to produce a quicker result may also help explain the "error." Lesko further explains in very technical terms that the ants breathe fire by expelling flammable venom from what was their venom sacks, then igniting it with a spark made by clicking their mandibles. He calls this process "pyrosis."
It is not known how fire ants came to be in the Mojave Wasteland, but theories are that their ability to breathe fire has been developed in the same way as the similar ability of
Fire ant nest guardian Edit
Fire ant nest guardians are much harder to kill than any other type of fire ant. There are five of this kind of ant protecting the queen.
Doctor Lesko refers to these ants as "The Queen's Quintet."
Fire ant soldier Edit
Fire ant soldiers are the second lowest ranked ant in the fire ant colony. Their job is to protect their area from intruders. They are very aggressive and will attack humans, as well as other creatures on sight.
Fire ant warrior Edit
Warrior fire ants are the predominant variety of ant you will encounter in the Marigold Metro tunnels in the Capital Wasteland.
Fire ant worker Edit
Fire ant workers are the backbone for the ant community's infrastructure. As the name implies, they dig tunnels and care for the eggs. However, they will attack intruders if they are threatened.
Ant queen Edit
Despite the fact that the rest of the colony has gained the ability to spit fire, the queen lacks this trait, it uses a ranged acid spitting attack instead.
Since they breathe fire, they will ignite gas leaks that may be present in the area.
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