Insect swarms have been added to Ark Genesis in the Bog biome. The Swamp region of Ark Genesis is filled with hordes of these tiny, bloodsucking parasitic bugs, that soon turn into a HUGE nuisance. Most of the time, these Insects Swarm in the group of 20.
Once they have put the player on their target, Insect Swarms will make a distinct sound. This sound can be used as a warning sound that the Insects Swarm are nearby and are coming for you. You can then prepare your weapons or apply the Bug Repellant.
Dealing with these small creatures can be a handful. We, therefore, have made this guide that will help you and show you how to Deal with Insect Swarms in ARK Genesis.
How to deal with insect swarms in ARK Genesis
First of all, these bugs attack you relentlessly. They attack in swarms and are hard to deal with as a new survivor. The bugs do not deal high or alarming damage, but they can quickly stack up.
Also, they continually drain stamina, making it harder to escape them. Melee attacks prove useless against these creatures as they have no specific hitbox. The following are the ways you can get rid of the swarms as the game progresses.
Water bodies
Swamp or Bog has a lot of water bodies in it. They are of crucial importance to new players as bugs DO NOT attack a survivor in water. When in water, the bugs will hover for a bit, then de-aggro and leave you alone.
Because bugs cannot swim in the water and are afraid of it, therefore you can use water as a shield against the bugs. If you are planning to stay underneath the water for a long time. It’s best to monitor your oxygen levels in short intervals.
In FPP, you can avoid the swarm by just being ankle-deep in water. In TPP, you need to be in water deep enough for you to swim to get away from the insect swarm. This can help you as in FPP, you can use shallow water as a cover to heal and craft weapons.
Torch
Torches can be used to get rid of swarms. When you attack the swarm with a torch, they disperse quicker. This gives you time enough to escape.
Bombs
Incendiary and other bombs are somewhat useful to hit the swarms hard. They deal damage and sometimes get rid of entire swarms. Bombs are more of a dispersing tool rather than killing or getting rid of them.
However, they need to be in the swarms to deal damage. If you have a lot to spare, then go ahead. Blast your way out.
Tamed animals
Tamed animals, even basic ones, can take out swarms. Since it is extremely hard to hit them with both melee and ranged weapons, tamed animals prove very helpful in the new game. They continually attack the swarms, finally getting rid of them.
Bug repellant
A logical solution to bugs, repel them. Bug repellant buff temporarily makes you kind of invisible to the bugs. They will leave you alone and disperse you as soon as they see you. Keep the following things in mind:
When using repellant, if you stand near any tamed animal of yours who is being attacked, you will also get damage as the swarm features and area of effect, rather than a single hit.
When riding a tamed animal, the effect of the repellant is passed on to them also, providing them temporary resistance from bugs too. Bug Repellant is an item that also spoils with time. Therefore, you must use it before 5 hours if stored in the inventory.
You can craft the Bug Repellant using the following ingredients:
- Hair or Wool
- Narcotic
- Citronal
- Rockarrol
Flamethrower
The final resort. Since the torch does prove helpful for dispersing 1-2 waves of these bugs, its big brother flamethrower gets rid of bigger swarms faster and permanently. You can consecutively use the Flamethrower for 200 seconds which is roughly 3.5 minutes. Then you must change the magazine to use the Flamethrower.
Due to the large area of effect, the flamethrower proves invaluable to get rid of these swarms. As the name indicates, the Flamethrower throws big flames on the Insects Swarm to burn them and eventually kill them.
So these are a few guaranteed ways to get rid of them pesky pesky bugs buzzing all around you.
