Ant Wars Digging and Block Types
Exact dig counts by size, fungus routes, and tunnel tactics that open queen lanes faster.
Digging is the engine of Ant Wars. Every lane to an enemy queen, every fungus restock, and every defensive trench starts with Dig (E). This guide lists block dig counts for Minor / Major / Supermajor, explains when to upgrade size before a wall, and shows how tunnels support healing and offense. Read Controls if you still need the keybind, then use this page as your pocket reference mid-match.
Dig count table (Minor / Major / Supermajor)
| Block | Minor | Major | Supermajor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dirt | 4 | 3 | 2 | Early expansion and soft lanes |
| Soil | 5 | 4 | 3 | Common mid-layer |
| Compact sand | 6 | 4 | 3 | Upgrade size before long sand corridors |
| Wood | 7 | 5 | 4 | Slow for Minors — bring Majors |
| Stone | 8 | 6 | 4 | Endgame walls; Supermajors shine |
| Fungus | 4 | 3 | 2 | Behind queens; fuels Heal the Queen |
Minim (gamepass) digs like a smaller caste; treat published Minor numbers as your baseline if you are learning. Always confirm in-match feel after patches, but these ratios are the planning standard used across this wiki.
Why size before Stone matters
Major costs 3 DNA, Supermajor 6 DNA (see Getting Started). Spending 3 DNA before a Wood or Stone project can save dozens of Dig presses across a squad. Example: one Minor on Stone needs 8 hits per block; a Supermajor needs 4. Two Supermajors cutting a Stone chokepoint open a queen room while three Minors are still chipping the first layer.
Passive DNA is ~1 per 45 seconds (double in the last 15 minutes). Digging itself progresses the map; damage and healing top up DNA. Do not AFK waiting for Supermajor if a Major already halves your Compact sand time — buy the breakpoint that matches the wall in front of you.
Tunnel tactics that win fights
Main highway: a wide primary lane toward the nearest enemy nest for Supermajor traffic. Flank tubes: narrow side digs for Acid poke and Trapjaw ambushes — see Mutations. Nest ring: clear paths around your queen so feeders reach fungus without crossing the fight. Breach foyer: a small chamber just before the enemy queen room where your team stages before the final dig.
Signal (R) one dig before the wall breaks so fighters are not late. Digging the last Stone block with nobody behind you often means you die in the hole and the enemy reseals.
Fungus is a block type — treat it like ammo
Fungus sits behind queens and digs like Dirt (4 / 3 / 2). It is not decoration. Colonies that strip fungus with no storage plan starve after the 30:00 regen cutoff. Leave accessible fungus, pre-chip blocks for emergency Feeds, and rotate Honeypots through the route. Full healing rules live on Heal the Queen.
Block-by-block advice
Dirt: Expand nest exits and soft scouting tunnels. Minors can handle Dirt all match. Soil: Start thinking about Major if you need a long Soil trench before mid-game fights. Compact sand: Majors become clearly better (6→4 hits). Acid players love sand trenches for sightlines. Wood: Minors struggle (7 hits). Assign Majors or Supermajors; Armored diggers survive interrupts. Stone: Schedule Supermajors and Combo Mutations for the late Stone gate. Coordinate with How to Win timing so the breach lands in the DNA-double window when possible.
Digging for defense
Not every dig is offense. Collapse or maze enemy approaches with awkward geometry. Create fall-back chambers where Honeypots can Feed under cover. Avoid walling your own queen behind Stone you cannot re-open under pressure — trapped queens die when Feed pathing fails.
If enemies are flooding one highway, dig a parallel escape / counter-flank instead of only patching the hole from inside. Armored and Acid hold chokes while Trapjaw / Stinger counter-dive; diggers create the geometry those classes need.
Squad dig assignments
- Lead digger (Major/Supermajor Armored or Trapjaw): main highway and Stone.
- Flanker (Acid / Stinger): side tubes and breach angles.
- Nest digger (any size, often Honeypot): fungus access and queen ring.
- Flex: swaps to whatever wall is stalling the push.
Silent solo digs into Stone waste lives. Use Signals, share DNA breakpoints in voice or chat (“3 DNA → Major before Wood”), and reset if a breach is contested by a full enemy stack.
Linking digs to mutations and wins
Trapjaw and Stinger want short, direct rooms onto the queen. Acid wants longer sightline trenches. Honeypot wants fungus adjacency. Armored wants to be the ant eating hits while the wall falls. Pick mutations that match the tunnel you are actually cutting — details in Mutations.
Winning still means queen kills. Digging endless decorative caves while their queen lives loses. Use this table to spend fewer hits per meter toward the objective, then finish with the plan on How to Win. Browse all tutorials from the Guides Hub.
No promo codes change dig counts for this game (Codes). Raw Dig skill, size timing, and block knowledge do.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers for Ant Wars colony fights.
How many digs does Stone take?
Stone takes 8 digs as Minor, 6 as Major, and 4 as Supermajor. Upgrade size before long Stone projects.
What are the dig counts for Dirt and Fungus?
Both Dirt and Fungus take 4 / 3 / 2 digs on Minor / Major / Supermajor. Fungus near the queen fuels healing drops.
When should I buy Major just for digging?
Before Compact sand, Wood, or Stone stretches. Major costs 3 DNA and meaningfully cuts dig counts on harder blocks.
How do I dig faster with my team?
Assign a lead digger on the highway, flankers on side tubes, and a nest digger on fungus. Signal (R) before the final breach.
Does digging give DNA?
DNA comes from passive ticks (~1/45s, double in the last 15 minutes), healing, larvae, and damage. Digging enables those actions by opening the map.