Build an Ant Ants are the workers that power your colony. Roll at the Ant Queen, buy the ant you want, place it in a colony slot, then let it produce Food that can be sold for Cash. Better rarity, useful mutations and long-term progression determine which ants are worth keeping.
Reference date: October 6, 2026
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How to Get Ants in Build an Ant Empire
Go to the Ant Queen to roll for ants, then buy the offered ant you want. Rolling and buying are separate actions: the colony guide describes rolls as free, while the ant purchase costs Cash. An appealing offer is only useful if you can afford to take it.
Keep a purchase reserve instead of spending your entire balance on upgrades immediately before rolling. Check the offered ant’s rarity and mutation, then decide whether it fills an empty slot or replaces a weaker worker. Place your purchase in a colony slot so it can contribute to income.
Egg Luck improves your chances of better ants, while Egg Rolls expands rolling at the Queen. These upgrades support ant progression, but do not promise a particular rarity on your next attempt. Check the upgrade boards for the current level and purchase cost.
Build an Ant Empire Upgrades — Use the existing upgrade guide to balance rolling improvements and colony capacity.
Build an Ant Empire Ant Rarities
| Rarity | Progression role / what players should know |
|---|---|
| Common | Starting worker tier; useful for establishing your first Food income. |
| Uncommon | An early step above Common; compare it with the workers already placed. |
| Rare | A further progression tier; consider keeping useful rolls as your colony grows. |
| Epic | Above Rare in the listed ladder; compare rarity together with any mutation. |
| Legendary | Above Epic; check whether replacing a weaker worker improves your colony. |
| Mythic | Above Legendary; save purchase Cash when aiming for higher-tier ants. |
| Exotic | Above Mythic; evaluate the ant as a long-term keeper before spending potions. |
| Secret | Above Exotic; the label does not specify a published roll percentage. |
| Divine | Above Secret; check the current offer and your available colony slots. |
| OP | Above Divine in the reference; it is a rarity label, not a guaranteed result. |
| Celestial | Highest label in this reference ladder; check the live roster after updates. |
The current game and shop reference lists the following 11 rarity labels, from Common through Celestial. Use this ladder to understand the labels on ant offers. It does not provide a complete named-ant production table or a probability for rolling each tier.
Higher rarity is a useful first comparison, but review the actual ant and its mutation before replacing a keeper. The reference lists these labels for direct shop purchases too; that listing does not establish identical availability or odds for every Ant Queen roll.
How Ants Produce Food and Cash
Ant → colony slot → Food → Sell station → Cash is the worker income loop. After placing an ant, collect the Food boxes produced by your colony and bring them to the Sell station. That sale provides the Cash used for ant purchases and colony upgrades.
A stronger roster needs enough room to work. Buying an ant and assigning it to a production slot are separate parts of the process, so check available slots before buying several workers. Colony expansion gives more room; it does not replace the need to choose useful ants.
Keep this economy separate from pet progression and event rewards. A working ant earns through Food sales. Event Tokens and pet-related currencies have their own uses, so a currency balance elsewhere does not mean you can afford the next Cash purchase.
Roll and compare
Read the ant offer at the Queen, including rarity and mutation.
Buy and place
Keep enough Cash for the purchase and assign the ant to a colony slot.
Collect and sell
Move produced Food to the Sell station, then reinvest the Cash in your colony.
Which Ants Should You Keep?
The best ants for your colony depend on what you already own and what they contribute. Keep stronger useful workers, especially those combining a higher rarity with a helpful mutation. Avoid choosing by a name alone when the live interface offers a clearer comparison.
Before replacing an ant, make sure the replacement is purchased and you have checked its usefulness. Before applying an expensive potion, ask whether that worker is likely to stay. Before training a mount, identify a spare you can lose without disrupting Food sales.
Keeper checklist
Use these questions when deciding whether an ant belongs in production or is a replaceable spare.
- Does this ant improve on a weaker worker or fill useful colony capacity?
- Does its mutation make it worth retaining alongside higher-rarity offers?
- Will I keep it long enough to justify an expensive Mutation Potion?
- Can I afford its actual purchase without stopping my upgrade progress?
- If I give it to Mount Training, can the remaining workers sustain income?
Ants and Mutations
Rarity and mutation are separate characteristics. Rarity describes the ant’s tier; a mutation adds its own effect and EFF multiplier. Compare both when deciding whether an ant is worth keeping. A mutation does not simply rename the rarity shown on the worker.
Potions let you choose which ant receives a mutation. Save costly effects for a keeper rather than a Common worker you expect to replace soon. Check the effect already present before applying or removing a mutation.
Build an Ant Empire Mutations — Compare potion effects and EFF multipliers in the dedicated mutation reference.
Ants and the Index
Discovering new ants and Mutations fills Index progress. Reaching collection milestones unlocks one-time rewards, so check the Index when you discover something new. Claimed milestone rewards are not recurring income from repeating the same discovery.
The Index gives another reason to pay attention to a new discovery, even when your immediate goal is a stronger worker. Review the live collection screen for your next milestone and reward; this guide does not assign a fixed threshold to every stage.
Ants and Mount Training
Mount Training uses one of your ants. Success creates a rideable mount, while failure can leave you without one. Either result removes the submitted ant from normal colony production, so keep reliable earners in their slots and reserve a replaceable spare for training.
Build an Ant Empire Mounts — Review training outcomes and the candidate checklist before handing over a worker.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get ants?
Roll at the Ant Queen, buy the ant you want with Cash, then place it in a colony slot to produce Food. Rolling alone does not complete the purchase.
What is the highest ant rarity?
Celestial is the highest label in the current reference ladder, above OP. Check the live game for roster changes after updates.
Does Egg Luck improve ant rolls?
Yes. The colony guide describes Egg Luck as improving the odds of better ants, but it does not promise a particular roll or publish exact percentages.
Should I mutate a Common ant?
Avoid spending an expensive potion on a Common you expect to replace quickly. Consider how long you will keep that worker and whether another ant would benefit more.
What happens to an ant used for Mount Training?
It leaves colony production whether training succeeds or fails. Choose an ant you can afford to lose.
Do ants need colony slots?
Yes. Place ants in colony slots to make them workers in the Food and Cash loop.
Is there an official full ant stat table?
The official game page describes the core loop rather than a full ant stat table. Use the current in-game ant interface to compare available workers.
References
All Things How — colony progression and Mount Training