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Wilson Portrait
I hate spiders.

Wilson

Spiders are commonly found aggressive Monsters that live in Spider Dens. They can also be spawned from a Spider Queen. They are generally nocturnal; only coming out in daylight if their den is attacked, or if the webbing from their dens is stepped on. Spiders are generally found wandering alone, but will join together if one of them is attacked. When killed, all types of Spiders drop either one Monster Meat, a piece of Silk, or a Spider Gland.

When playing as Webber, a spider can be tamed by feeding them any kind of meat; even Monster Meat. When tamed, it will attack any creature Webber attacks except Shadow Creatures. The spider can be dismissed if the Shoo Box is used. If the Webby Whistle is used, any spider in any tier den (even Spider Warriors) will emerge for a few seconds, then retreat back to their den. However, the Webby Whistle can also be used for pacifying tamed spiders, if they aggro on another player or monster, they'll come back to Webber. Any spider can be turned into another type of spider if Webber uses a Switcherdoodle on them.

Gift Icon Downloadable Content[]

In the Reign of Giants DLC, Spiders have a chance to spawn after picking Tumbleweeds. There is also a rare chance for them to drop Webber's Skull. Webber's familiar appearance makes Spiders neutral towards him, and can be befriended with any spare meats, essentially making them Webber's equivalent to Pigs. Webber himself also doesn't lose any sanity when hanging around any Spiders.

In the Shipwrecked DLC, spending Dubloons at the Slot Machine has a chance to spawn 3 Spiders.

While Spiders don’t appear in the Hamlet DLC by default, being replaced by Spider Monkeys, Webber can still place Spider Eggs and therefore bring Spiders to the Plateau. If needed, he can also kill Spider Monkeys for Spider Glands and use the Reeds from the Lily Pond to make Papyrus and therefore more Spider Eggs, or let the Spider Queen spread more dens.

Brain Behavior[]

If a survivor other than Webber steps on the Sticky Webbing around a Spider Den, it will prompt a number of Spiders (how many Spiders spawn and what type they are depends on the amount of Spiders left and the level of their den) to come out, roar, and investigate the spot of webbing. Attacking those Spiders while either party is on the webbing signals the entire cluster to the den's defense. If a player merely steps on a corner and runs far enough from the webbing, then the Spiders will go to that corner, give another roar, and then retreat from the sun. If the player spends some time on the Sticky Webbing, the Spiders will follow the player until they're killed, the Spiders die, or the player runs too far.

At dusk, Spiders leave their dens and roam around. If left alone, they return to their dens at dawn. A Spider that's caught outside during the day (whether its den was destroyed or it's too far away) falls asleep. Spending a few seconds close to a sleeping Spider awakens it and causes it to attack, though it will go back to sleep if it's outrun. Spiders spawned by Spider Queens will not naturally sleep, and will instead simply stick nearby the Queen. If the Queen is killed, they will act like homeless spiders and sleep during the day as normal.

Spiders that get too close to bright lights like Campfires usually get frightened and flee, unless they see food or they are targeting something.

Spiders that see any kind of meat on the ground will attempt to eat it. Spiders are comfortable eating even their own Monster Meat and inedible Pig Skin. Unlike normal Pigs, Spiders are endlessly hungry and will easily eat an entire stack of Meat if allowed. Spiders ignore placed Traps even while in the middle of an attack, making them easy to bait into the Traps.

Spear Hunting[]

Spiders found wandering at Night can easily be killed with melee weapons. When hit, Spiders will be stunlocked and unable to attack for a few moments, during which time they can be hit again. After the first Spider is hit, other nearby Spiders will come to defend it. If they are far enough apart, each Spider can be quickly killed before the others are in range. If the Player is being chased by multiple Spiders close together, they can kite them. This involves striking a Spider and then running out of range before other Spiders can attack. Over time, each Spider will be hit multiple times and killed.

At night, most Spiders will leave their Dens. Larger Dens, however, contain many Spiders (Tier 2 and 3 Dens spawn Spider Warriors), and only a few leave at a time. When one of these Spiders is killed, another Spider will emerge to take its place. Killing these Spiders as they leave will slowly empty the Den and allow it to be destroyed. Emptying a Den in this manner will also prevent the spawning of Spider Warriors, who will spawn if the Den is attacked before it is empty. Another way is to step on the webbing, which will cause some Spiders to emerge (just like during daytime), and then run away. The Spiders won't go back into the den if it's dusk or night. Doing so will not cause Warriors to spawn. If all Spiders are outside, the Player can easily destroy their Den because this will not aggro them.

Wendy can use the Spiders' vulnerability to stunlock to her advantage with Abigail, as her attack is frequent and can hit more than 10 Spiders at once, allowing the Spiders to be killed swiftly and quickly with little to no damage to Abigail. It is best to attack the spiders at dusk or night, so as to ensure a greater number of available targets for Abigail.

When Spiders fight with Pigs, they can eat the spoils of the battle (Meats and Pig Skins) very fast, so when trying to gather resources, the player has to be fast to get what the Pigs drop if they die to the Spiders.

Spiders can also be caught in small animal Traps. When placed on the ground, Traps can be baited with any meat, even that which was gathered from their fellow Spiders, to lure in a Spider. Alternatively, Spiders can be led into unbaited traps once they start chasing, as they will not try to dodge them. One way the player can clear a Spider Den is to place several Traps, attack the Den to draw out all the Spiders within, and lead the Spiders (and Spider Warriors) into the traps.

The player can also place a Lureplant by the Spider Den and surround it with walls except for the plant, and the Spiders will go to it from time to time. The Lureplant will pick up and eat the loot dropped by the Spiders, and the player must be wary not to let the plant digest it.

Another way to farm Spiders requires the player to go into caves to get some Bunny Puffs. The player can use them to build Rabbit Hutches around a Den (at least 4). During dusk and night the Bunnymen and the Spiders will fight each other, with the Bunnies usually winning. The player then can gather all the materials at dawn. This is more advantageous than using Pigs since the Bunnymen will not eat the Monster Meat dropped by the Spiders.

Below is the number of hits it takes with each weapon to kill Spiders when playing with characters with a default damage modifier. The Weather Pain is not included due to the random nature of its projectile.

Weapon Fishing RodBug Net Lucy the Axe Shovel Pitchfork

Hammer Torch Umbrella

Walking Cane Willow's Lighter

Axe Pickaxe

Luxury Axe Opulent Pickaxe

Boomerang

PickSlashAxe Spear Bat Bat Ham Bat Morning Star Slurtle Slime Tentacle Spike

Battle Spear Fire Dart

Fire Staff

Tooth TrapThulecite Club Dark Sword Blow Dart GunpowderOld Bell
No. of hits for
Spider
24 8 6 4 4 3 3 2-4 2 or 3 2 2 2 1 1

Spiders take two blasts from the Ice Staff to be frozen.

Icon Tools Usage & Farming[]

Although they are a dangerous foe early on and a constant nuisance during the late game, Spiders have many uses. Firstly, they are a renewable source of Spider Glands, which are an important ingredient for healing items, and Monster Meat, which can be used as a filler ingredient in Crock Pot recipes. They are also the main source of Silk in the game other than from shaving Webber's beard. All of these things make them a good candidate for farming, which can be done fairly easily. Simply planting one or two dens inside a space enclosed with walls will usually be sufficient to contain them, as they will not often attempt to break down the walls, and will usually not succeed in doing so before night falls if they do. Once an enclosure has been established, the player has several methods of killing them. Building a spider enclosure around a Tentacle is also a good idea, as the Spiders will instantly aggro on it as soon as they emerge from their Den, will send wave after wave against it to little or no effect, and will not prioritize eating drops from slain Spiders over attacking the Tentacle. However, the player should beware of the Tentacle when picking up the drops.

The player must take care not to leave the Den unattended for too long, or it may eventually spawn a Spider Queen, a somewhat dangerous foe who can potentially destroy a small base.

In addition, if playing as Webber, Spiders can become valuable allies, especially when Spider Warriors are present, as they will attack both monsters and wild animals due to their high aggression, even without being bribed. A usual tactic is to gather an angry mass of foes and then lead them back to the Spiders, allowing the two sides to destroy each other. The player needs to be careful of being hit by either party, and should not forget to collect all the drops, or the Spiders will eat them. Building a base close to one or more Spider Dens also offers some insurance from Batilisk and Hound attacks.

Forging Hammer The Forge[]

Webber Portrait
We'll protect each other, spider babies!

Webber

Spiders reappear in The Forge event in Don't Starve Together as allies specific to Webber. Webber's spiders only appear in groups of three and are greatly reduced in size. These "baby" spiders are immune to all forms of damage and do not draw aggro from enemies. They fall asleep if Webber is killed. Like Abigail, Spiders do not attack Petrified or Sleeping enemies unless Webber attacks them first. Additionally, each Spider appears to do the same amount of damage as in the base game.

Prototype Tips[]

  • At night, a Spider that gets close to a player's wall may attack it. The Spider will generally keep attacking the wall until either the arrival of dawn, it breaks through the wall, or the Spider is killed.
  • When a Spider Den is destroyed, but Spiders in it are left alive, or when Spiders are spawned by a Spider Queen, the Spiders will walk around during night and sleep outside during day. Spiders spawned by burying Webber's Skull will exhibit the same behavior.

Placeholder Trivia[]

  • The collective noun for a group of spiders is a clutter, or cluster.
  • Spiders have been in the game since its early versions.
  • Pigs used to eat dropped meats as fast as the Spiders. This was later changed.
  • All variations of spiders in the game have six legs instead of eight, unlike real spiders.
  • Webber is a child who lives in the Spider that attempted to eat him; one can find evidence of this by reading his in-game quotes. This information was confirmed in Klei animated short Along Came a Spider.
  • Spiders are neutral towards all other Mobs except Pigs, such as Hounds, Batilisks, and Frogs.
  • The fact that spiders can be put into the inventory was discovered on May 6, 2021, before Webber's Character Refresh.
  • When Maxwell examines a spider, he states that their bodies are mostly digestive system.

Mosquito Bugs[]

  • If a Spider Den is destroyed as night ends, any Spiders trying to enter it will be permanently despawned if they began their enter animation. This glitch is very rare because the nest has to take its last hit of damage just as the Spider tries to get in. Spiders killed this way will drop no loot.
  • Occasionally, a Spider (or group of Spiders) will perform the animation that occurs when someone steps around their Spider Den in a loop. The animation plays continuously until the spiders are attacked or bumped into by a player or another mob.

Blueprint Gallery[]

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