The swarm handbook / 02
Species and formation
Ten species, three formation slots and plenty of decisions before combat. The captain sets the attributes; copies determine how many units enter the arena.
The swarm catalog
The first copy unlocks a captain. Later copies increase unit count up to that species' capacity, without granting initial points again. Prices use in-game gold. Capacity is per species: buying Ants does not reduce space for Mosquitoes.
The catalog shows initial free points, not power or final attributes. Fixed species bonuses and equipment are shown in the captain's profile.
Ant
Legged
Price per unit: 100 gold
Capacity: 50 · Initial free points: 15
Mosquito
Flying
Price per unit: 100 gold
Capacity: 50 · Initial free points: 15
Spider
Dangerous
Price per unit: 100 gold
Capacity: 50 · Initial free points: 15
Scorpion
Dangerous
Price per unit: 200 gold
Capacity: 70 · Initial free points: 15
Beetle
Legged
Price per unit: 200 gold
Capacity: 70 · Initial free points: 15
Fly
Flying
Price per unit: 200 gold
Capacity: 70 · Initial free points: 15
Mantis
Dangerous
Price per unit: 300 gold
Capacity: 90 · Initial free points: 25
Bee
Flying
Price per unit: 300 gold
Capacity: 90 · Initial free points: 25
Cockroach
Legged
Price per unit: 300 gold
Capacity: 90 · Initial free points: 25
Snake
Wildcard
Price per unit: 500 gold
Capacity: 100 · Initial free points: 40
A formation uses all your units
Select one to three species you already own. For example, if you own 20 Flies, 10 Ants and 5 Spiders and select all three, those 35 units participate. You do not select a partial quantity. Buying a copy of an unselected species does not automatically add it to your formation.
Before searching for a battle, save your formation and review its power. The encounter uses your setup when you enter the queue: later purchases or equipment changes do not change a battle already in progress.
Unlocked families and active synergy
Legged: Ant, Beetle and Cockroach. Flying: Mosquito, Fly and Bee. Dangerous: Spider, Scorpion and Mantis. Owning all three species in a family unlocks synergy allocation for its captains. Two species plus Snake can also complete a family.
Unlocking a family does not activate its bonus in every formation. Bring the three matching pieces to battle. Snake replaces one piece and represents only one family per encounter: select that family before queuing.
Example: owning Ant, Beetle and Cockroach unlocks the legged family. Bringing only Ant alongside two species from other families does not activate the legged set.
Equipment and the captain limit
Each captain has three slots: Antenna, Spikes and Fangs. Antennae add speed and synergy; Spikes add defense and poison; Fangs add attack and bite. Stars indicate how many points an item grants. Equipping or removing an item does not destroy it.
The limit is 100 effective points, including allocated points, fixed bonuses, items and the set bonus. Three five-star items add 15 points plus 5 synergy for the set. Review the preview before confirming; a better item may not fit if a captain is already close to the limit.
A practical preparation routine
- Check which selected species have few units.
- Review free points and equipment slots on their captains.
- Decide whether completing a family fits the creatures you own.
- Check the next floor's requirement before ascending.
No universal combination guarantees a win. Use arena results to compare decisions and save gold for the improvement your formation actually needs.