Building Nest upgrades in Empire of the Ants is crucial when it comes to protecting your colony and subsequently expanding its power across all terrains. If you’re wondering what they all entail, here’s our handy guide to all Nest upgrades in the game and what they do.
Best Upgrades in Empire of the Ants – All Nest Upgrades, Listed
Below we’ve listed all possible Nest upgrades you can unlock in Empire of the Ants by tier and category, and also what benefits each of them provides you and your insect legions.
Best Defense Upgrades
Defense upgrades should be built according to the priorities of your mission, and where your nests are located in proximity to the enemy’s nests.
If a nest is far back from the action (and not your Headquarters), it may not necessarily need defenses right away and you can save those resource costs for a different upgrade or defenses for other nests more at risk. In other words, you don’t always need to build defenses for every single nest on the map.
In terms of the best Defense upgrades, it’s always best to start with Wood Barrier and Nest Gunners, as those can help buy time against an invading enemy until your legions can intervene. If you have the resources, you can upgrade them further to Slime Reserves and Veteran Nest Gunners.
Just be aware that each nest you fortify will go up in cost. The third or fourth Wood Barrier you build around a nest will be much more expensive than the first one.
| Upgrade | Tier | Cost | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood Barrier | I | 60 x Wood | Raises a barrier around this nest that must be destroyed before damage is applied. (Price increases by 30 Wood for each one built) |
| Nest Gunners | I | 40 x Wood | Mobilizes gunner ants to serve as acid turrets defending this nest. |
| Acid Gland Evolution | II | 20 x Wood | Increases this nest’s gunners’ firing range by 25% |
| Veteran Nest Guards | II | 40 x Wood | Mobilizes veteran guards to defend this nest |
| Slime Reserves | II | 60 x Wood | Upgrades the wood barrier by granting a 20% shield protection to friendly legions nearby |
| Veteran Nest Gunners | II | 60 x Wood | Mobilizes veteran gunner ants to serve as acid turrets defending this nest (This upgrade includes the benefits of Nest gunners using the same chambers) |
| Elite Nest Guards | III | 60 x Wood | Mobilizes elite guards to defend this nest (This upgrade includes the benefits of Veteran nest guards using the same chambers) |
| Elite Nest Gunners | III | 80 x Wood | Mobilizes elite gunner ants to serve as acid turrets defending this nest (This upgrade includes the benefits of Veteran nest gunners using the same chambers) |
| Frenzy Catalyst | III | 80 x Wood | Upgrades the wood barrier to lock in combat all ant legions that attack it. Legions will remain locked until the barrier is destroyed. |
Best Legion Upgrades
Legion upgrades are how you build and bolster your armies of ants (and other allied bugs), and they’re the key to vanquishing enemy legions such as termites and black ants. They’re one of the first upgrades you want to build at a nest, so that you can establish as many legions as possible under your command.
While it can depend on the layout of the map and the types of enemies you need to defeat, you usually want to start with both a Warrior and Gunner legion, and upgrade them to Veteran or Elite tier depending on the difficulty of your enemies. Workers can be useful for flanking Gunners, but they’re still best suited for transporting resources. Only build one if there are Food resource points on the map for you to gather.
You should also build a Super Predator legion as soon as possible (available at Tier 2), as they are strong against all legion types and have more health on average. When it comes to Support legions, the Snail is usually your best bet (when it becomes available in the story), since they can slow down enemy forces. Aphids are far more vulnerable and only work when in close proximity to an allied legion.
| Upgrade | Tier | Cost | Benefits Provided |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workers (Melee Unit) |
I | 20 x Food 2 Chambers |
Creates a worker legion attached to this nest. Can gather and transport 20 Food or Wood, but these are lost when entering combat. (Strong against Gunners but weak against Warriors) |
| Gunners (Ranged Unit) |
I | 20 x Food 2 Chambers |
Creates a gunner legion attached to the respective nest. Can attack another legion at range and leave combat while at range. (Strong against Warriors but weak against Workers) |
| Warriors (Melee Unit) |
I | 20 x Food | Creates a warrior legion attached to the respective nest. (Strong against Workers but weak against Gunners) |
| Aphids (Support) |
I | 20 x Food 1 Chamber |
Creates an aphid horde attached to the respective nest. Aphids reinforce friendly troops in close proximity. (Weak against all types of enemies; this upgrade can only be built once.) |
| Snail (Support) |
I | 20 x Food 1 Chamber |
Lesser, but massive creature used in battle to protect troops. Very slow. Its slime is very useful. Out of combat, legions cover themselves with its mucus and gain a 40% damage shield. (Weak against all types of enemies; this legion can only be created once) |
| Rhino Beetles (Support) |
I | 20 x Food 1 Chamber |
Lesser creature, tamed and used to fly legions over large distances. Looks ferocious but useless in battle. Can transport up to two ant legions and carry them over any terrain. (Weak against all types of enemies; this legion can only be created once) |
| Veteran Workers (Melee Unit) |
II | 40 x Food 2 Chambers |
Creates a veteran worker legion attached to the respective nest. Can gather and transport 25 Food or Wood, but these are lost when entering combat. (Strong against Gunners but weak against Warriors) |
| Veteran Gunners (Ranged Unit) |
II | 40 x Food 2 Chambers |
Creates a veteran gunner legion attached to the respective nest. Can attack another legion at range and leave combat while at range. (Strong against warriors but weak against workers) |
| Veteran Warriors (Melee Unit) |
II | 40 x Food | Creates a veteran warrior legion attached to the respective nest. |
| Dor Beetles (Super Predator) |
II | 50 x Food 3 Chambers |
Creates a dor beetle horde attached to the respective nest. Can lock all enemy legions in combat. (Strong against all types of enemies; this upgrade can only be built once.) |
| Elite Workers (Melee Unit) |
III | 60 x Food 2 Chambers |
Creates an elite worker legion attached to the respective nest. Can gather and transport 30 Food or Wood, and these will not be lost when entering combat. (Strong against Gunners but weak against Warriors) |
| Elite Gunners (Ranged Unit) |
III | 60 x Food 2 Chambers |
Creates an elite gunner legion attached to the respective nest. Decreases the movement speed of targeted ant legions. (Strong against Warriors but weak against Workers) |
| Elite Warriors (Melee Unit) |
III | 60 x Food | Creates an elite warrior legion attached to the respective nest. This legion’s speed increases when closing on its target. (Strong against Workers but weak against Gunners) |
Best Information Upgrades
These upgrades act as intel tools that you can use to get the upper hand on enemy legions before they even approach.
You absolutely want to build a Cartographers upgrade as soon as possible, since it displays the mission’s entire map for you. Other optimal choices are Sharp Antennae, so you can scout further without going too far into enemy territory, and Counterspies which will conceal your legions from your enemy in that specific region.
Other upgrades in this category can help as well, particularly upgrading your Cartographers if you can, but your resources may be better spent elsewhere.
| Upgrade | Tier | Cost | Benefits Provided |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cartographers | I | 30 x Wood 2 Chambers |
Displays all your nests and visible legions on a minimap. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Activity Alert | I | 30 x Wood 1 Chamber |
Displays alerts when an opponent is interacting with nests, foraging points and resources. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Scout Training | I | 30 x Food 1 Chamber |
Passive Power: Increases your max stamina, stamina regeneration, and health by 50% (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Sharp Antennae | I | 30 x Food | Increases the detection range of your legions so they can discover enemies and nests from further away. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Veteran Cartographers |
II | 40 x Wood 2 Chambers |
Displays all regions by colors: controller by you (blue), contested (yellow), and enemies (red). (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Traitors | II | 40 x Wood 1 Chamber |
Displays the upgrades built, as well as the state of the legion, in the enemy nest you are aiming at. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Counterspies | III | 40 x Wood | Hides your legions in this region (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Elite Cartographers |
III | 70 x Wood 2 Chambers |
Displays locations of nests and enemy legions moving through your controlled and contested regions. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Infiltrators | III | 70 x Wood 1 Chamber |
Displays enemy legions and nest positions in the opponent’s controlled regions. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
Best Economy Upgrades
These upgrades are among the most important of all categories, and are a necessity for almost every type of mission you go into. The Woodyard and Mushroom Farm can provide you an ever-growing supply of resources, while Storage Expansion will increase the amount of resources you can hold at a time.
Besides those, the Chemical Laboratory is pivotal as it will unlock all Tier 2 upgrades for you. Subsequently, the Chemical Library will unlock all Tier 3 upgrades, giving you access to everything, including the most powerful legions. Nearly all of these upgrades are significantly useful, except for Salvage since you probably won’t want to be destroying chambers too often.
| Upgrade | Tier | Cost | Benefits Provided |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodyard | I | 20 x Wood 1 Chamber |
Produces 10 x Wood per minute (The cost increases by 20 for each one built) |
| Mushroom Farm | I | 20 x Wood 1 Chamber |
Produces 10 x Food per minute (The cost increases by 20 for each one built) |
| Storage Expansion | I | 30 x Wood 1 Chamber |
Increases maximum storage of Food and Wood by 100 |
| Chemical Laboratory | I | 80 x Food 80 x Wood 2 Chambers |
Unlocks upgrades of superior tier. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Salvage | II | 40 x Wood 1 Chamber |
Gives you a 50% refund when manually destroying a chamber. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Multitude | II | 60 x Wood 1 Chamber |
Increases the maximum number of legions you can command by one. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Pheromone Reserves | II | 60 x Wood 2 Chambers |
Reduces powers cooldown by 30% (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Nursery | II | 100 x Wood 2 Chambers |
Decreases all legions recovery food cost by 30% (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Chemical Library | II | 120 x Food 120 x Wood 2 Chambers |
Unlocks upgrades of superior tier. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Swarm | III | 80 x Wood 1 Chamber |
Increases the maximum number of legions you can command by one. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
Best Powers Upgrades
These particular upgrades are ones your character personally equips, but are meant to empower the legions under your command. You can provide them with a variety of buffs thanks to these upgrades, many of them are incredibly beneficial.
Dash Pheromones are a must when your legions need to travel quickly across the map to intercept the enemy, or if you’re on a time limit. Rage Pheromones gives your legion a temporary attack boost, which can help ensure victory and minimize casualities/recovery time. Shielding Spores are another practical choice, as they’ll shield your legion up to a certain amount, allowing them to stay in the fight longer.
| Upgrade | Tier | Cost | Benefits Provided |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dash Pheromones | I | 20 x Food 2 Chambers |
Increases legion’s move speed by 80% for 12 seconds per charge used. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Rage Pheromones | I | 20 x Food 2 Chambers |
Induces fury to increase legion damage output but 30% for 30 seconds per charge used. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Shielding Spores | I | 20 x Food 2 Chambers |
Chitin hardening spores grants a protective shield of 30% of the legion’s health. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Reinforcement Call | I | 20 x Food 2 Chambers |
Calls reinforcements to slightly heal depleted legions over 30 seconds. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Reinforcement Call | II | 30 x Food 2 Chambers |
Calls reinforcements to slightly heal depleted legions over 15 seconds. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Dash Pheromones | II | 30 x Food 2 Chambers |
Increases legion’s move speed by 100% for 16 seconds per charge used. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Rage Pheromones | II | 30 x Food 2 Chambers |
Induces fury to increase legion damage output by 50% for 30 seconds per charge used. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Shielding Spores | II | 30 x Food 2 Chambers |
Chitin hardening spores grant a protective shield of 60% of the legion’s health. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Rage Pheromones | III | 40 x Food 2 Chambers |
Induces fury to increase legion damage output by 70% for 30 seconds per charge used. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Dash Pheromones | III | 40 x Food 2 Chambers |
Increases legion’s move speed by 120% for 20 seconds per charge used. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Shielding Spores | III | 40 x Food 2 Chambers |
Chitin hardening spores grant a protective shield of 90% of the legion’s health. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
| Reinforcement Call | III | 40 x Food 2 Chambers |
Calls reinforcements to slightly heal depleted legions over 10 seconds. (This upgrade can only be built once) |
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