 | For an overview of fire ant variants, see fire ant. |
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Fire Ants are creatures found in the Capital Wasteland in Fallout 3.
Background
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.[1] He reasons that one small tweak of an error has left the ants with a completely different mutation.[2]
Lesko further explains 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."[3][4]
Gameplay
Hitting their antennae counts toward a Critical Hit and will also frenzy the ant. Fire ants use the same tactics as ants, swarming their foe. They have a high Fire Resistance. They will sometimes ignore the player character and only attack when provoked.
Variants
| Image | Name | Editor ID | Form ID |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Fire Ant Nest Guardian | 0006020B | |
|
Fire Ant Soldier | 000393ED | |
|
Fire Ant Warrior | 000C58EF | |
|
|
Fire Ant Worker | 000393EC |
Locations
Related quests
Appearances
Fire Ants appear in Fallout 3.
See also
References
- ↑ Lone Wanderer: "Okay, now how about explaining that for the slower people?"
Weston Lesko: "Hmmm. Let me see. Well... You start with a generation of very large ants. You simply inject the current brood's eggs with an engineered mutagen. Then, the next generation should be smaller. Do it enough times, and you may be able to reduce them back to their once original tiny size."
(Weston Lesko's dialogue) - ↑ Lone Wanderer: "Something isn't right. You shouldn't have gotten results like these so quickly."
Weston Lesko: "Well... ummm, I may have used a few... ahem, shortcuts. Yes. I was told that the FEV works wonders when used under controlled circumstances! Apparently I was wrong, but I know my mistake. I'm certain I can get it to work!"
(Weston Lesko's dialogue) - ↑ Lone Wanderer: "How the heck can an ant breathe fire?"
Weston Lesko: "The stimulation of the subject's evolutionary trigger by the mutagen caused a bio-defensive reaction metamorphosing the ant's venom glands. This process caused unexpected oscillations in the venom molecules at such a vast rate it produces a thermodynamic biochemical reaction. As the subject ejects the volatile solution, it becomes conflagrant due to new structures in it's maw I call its calefaction array. Amazing, isn't it?"
(Weston Lesko's dialogue) - ↑ Lone Wanderer: "So, what's gone wrong?"
Weston Lesko: "Well. I'm afraid I've made slight miscalculations in the mutagen. Instead of lowering their size, the brood hatched with a new biomechanism. I call their genetic abberation pyrosis; the ability to emit flame from their bodies. I may be able to correct this error, but I can't get near my equipment."
(Weston Lesko's dialogue)
