If you’ve always wanted to slay a king, grab your weapon of choice, gear up in your best armor, and prepare to go to war against the Termite King. You’re well on your way to beheading a monarch when you set out to deal with this insidious foe.
To the average person, this may sound bizarre. When you’re small enough to ride a ladybug like a Shetland pony, killing a member of the royal beetle family makes a lot of sense. Grounded players know what it’s like.
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Battle preparation is the key to victory in any battle or game. If you don’t, your enemy will gain the upper hand while you thrash before you get hit. Preparing to take on the king isn’t the only job you have. There are a lot of soldiers between you and the termite king.
All versions of the Wood Eating Bug are vulnerable to Salty attacks, so a Salty weapon is your best option. You might think the Salt Morningstar is the way to go, but not so fast. The Salt Morning Star only deals general damage, so players will not receive any additional buffs as termites are all vulnerable to piercing damage. Also, they’re resistant to slashing damage, so getting a slashing weapon with a salt augment won’t help. The ideal weapon for maximum damage is a crossbow equipped with Salt Arrows. However, taking the Morningstar isn’t a bad backup.
Termites in any form are considered Tier 3 enemies and a player should attain the appropriate armor level. Many options have different stat buffs, but this is more dictated by individual playstyle than anything else. Black Ox Armor can be good for getting rid of weapon stuns that can keep you from being swarmed in the tunnels. Roly Poly Armor can help block enemy attacks. It just depends on what sits comfortably on your shoulders.
Finally, a tool is needed. Now this is where it gets a little superfluous. The tool needed to get to the Termite King is a Tier 3 ax that can cut through some parts of the woodpile splinters. Players acquire this by battling termites to craft a termite axe. You have to fight termites to get an item that allows you to fight more termites to get to the Termite King that will summon more termites to fight. That’s a lot of termites.
Get to the king
The termite king is like all nobles. Hides deep within its “castle” tunnels and behind its subjects. That means it’s necessary to gain an audience with this giant wood-eater fighting its way through waves of enemies in twisting tunnels. He lives in a cave under the woodpile. Once equipped with the necessary gear, head to the woodpile near the bike and begin your descent into the lion’s den. Just keep this ax in mind to cut away some areas that you need to push your way through.
Along this path, players will encounter many termites and termite soldiers. Termites have a spit attack that deals acid damage, but the soldiers don’t. However, soldiers are the stronger of the two opponents. Like the Termite King, both minions are weak to salt attacks but resist fresh attacks. Unlike their ruler, they also hold a spicy resistance, so perhaps there is some truth in those statements about a weak noble stomach.
Termites hunt in groups more often than alone, and that’s when they’re strongest. Kiting people can take some time, but it’s a good strategy to ease your descent through the termite den. If you get stuck at a party, be patient and keep a strong guard. Dodge acid on a player, but watch where it lands because that means there’s now a pool of acid waiting for you to walk over.
Battle without a boss
Once you’ve reached the King’s Chamber, it’s time to take on an average opponent. That’s correct. This Royal is nothing more than a fake. Well, he’s still the termite king, but he’s not a boss. He is a level 3 enemy.
This strong opponent doesn’t have much to offer. Most attacks can be deflected, but he will summon termites, which means more acid. Make sure you grab them first to avoid being caught off guard by a late acid attack. Surprisingly, no termite soldiers will come to their king’s aid, so that’s one less thing to worry about.
The king’s health bar may be intimidating, but for the most part his attacks are out of this world. He has a stun that needs to be blocked perfectly to avoid getting caught in it. Missing the timing will result in a massive stun. It’s easy enough to structure your bite attacks once your subjects are down, but if they’re still on their feet and a player is stunned, there’s a lot of damage coming your way. He doesn’t stir up dirt, nor does the king have a spitting attack. Just watch its bite patterns mimicking the smaller ones.
After the player defeats this cheater boss and secures the chip he initially guards, the player can farm the king. He doesn’t have any unique drops that set him apart from his easier-to-kill counterparts, so there’s no real reason for it other than to brag about rights.
