Spider Den

"A nest of filth and villainy."

- Wendy

A Spider Den is a nest in which Spiders and Spider Warriors spawn and live. At Dusk, Spiders emerge in search of food and return to the Den during the Day. The number of Spiders that live in a Den varies depending on its size (see table below). When a Den reaches its final stage, it evolves into a Spider Queen. Spider Dens are surrounded by a creep-like substance called Sticky Webbing, which slows down anything caught in it. Sticky Webbing will grow on any surface except a small area around a Rabbit Hole.

When attacked, Spiders and Spider Warriors currently inside will emerge and attack. If anything steps on the Sticky Webbing that surrounds the Den, a few Spiders might come out and investigate. If they do not encounter anything before reaching the end of the web, the Spiders will return to the Den.

It takes 3 game hours (90 seconds) for a Den to respawn a single spider. When a Den reaches the next stage, all Spiders are renewed.

Growth Cycle
A Spider Den has 4 growth stages: 5–10 days in tier 1, 5–10 days in tier 2, 12.5–25 days in tier 3, and finally evolving into a Spider Queen that tends to spawn only when the player character comes close enough. Spider Queens can only spawn from mature tier 3 Dens and will leave a tier 1 Den behind when this happens (which grows into tier 2 in 60 seconds real time). After wandering to a new location, usually further away from other spider dens, the Queen will settle down, transforming into a new tier 1 den.

The amount, as well as the type of Spiders spawned from a Den, varies depending on the tier. Spider Warriors only spawn from tier 2 and above. The amount of Silk dropped by destroying a Den also increases with its size. Tier 3 Dens also drop Spider Eggs when destroyed, allowing new dens to be planted by the player anywhere in the world.

Hunting
An easy method to destroy any size Spider Den without taking damage is to place several Traps in a line leading away from the Spider Den. After standing on the web, a few Spiders will come out to investigate, and then they will step on the Traps as they're led away from the Den. Traps can be emptied and reset to repeat the process until the Spider Den is empty (no Spiders inside). The Den can then be safely destroyed.

If getting resources is not important, a Den can be set on fire directly with a Fire Dart, Fire Staff, or indirectly with other fire sources. This will destroy the Den with its resources, leaving spiders that were outside at the moment homeless. Also, if you want a clean job just add some Slurtle Slime, or Gunpowder and light it, notice it will leave you with only monster meat and a few low-health spiders.

Trivia

 * The player may find a bunch of Tier 3 Spider Dens in a circle surrounding a middle Tier 3; this is a Set Piece.
 * When the den is being attacked by the player, it is possible for the den to upgrade into the next tier and spawn more spiders.
 * If you leave it to late to explore the map, when you enter new areas all spider dens will have become Tier 3 and Spider Queens appear often, it is recommended to bring much equipment to take out the dens.
 * When examining the spider den, Woodie (who is Canadian) will say "Holy Mackinaw! Look at that thing!". This is a reference to the catchphrase of Canadian sports announcer Joe Bowen.
 * Because more than 1 Spider Eggs may be obtained from Tier 3 Spider Dens, Spider Eggs are (kind of) renewable.

Reign of Giants
ROG Changes the spawn of spiders to increase the difficulty. During spring spiders spawn more frequently, with a Tier 1 having 1 extra spider.