Spider Den

Don't Starve

DST

“Sticky!”

–Wilson

“That's just nasty.”

–Willow

“The bugs are hiding in there.”

–Wolfgang

“A nest of filth and villainy.”

–Wendy

“SPIDER SOURCE DETECTED”

–WX-78

“Fascinating. These spiders have a communal hive.”

–Wickerbottom

“Holy Mackinaw! Look at that thing!”

–Woodie

“They grow big here.”

–Maxwell

“It appears to be growing. Almost as if it were alive.”

–Wagstaff

“Crush them at the söurce!”

–Wigfrid

“Looks cozy in there.”

–Webber

“They don't like trespassers.”

–Walani

“A spider has to live somewhere, I suppose.”

–Warly

“I prefur' a den o'thieves.”

–Woodlegs

“HOUSE O' MANY LEGG'D UNPIGS”

–Wilba

“Home for Leggy Bugs”

–Wormwood

“So rich they lined their walls with silk.”

–Wheeler

“I'd rather not mess with that.”

–Winona

“A leggy surprise awaits inside!”

–Wortox

“Glurgh, stepped in sticky stuff!”

–Wurt

“Hey, that must be where the spiders live! It's huge!”

–Walter

“I'm not in any hurry to tangle with spiders.”

–Wanda

A Spider Den is a nest in which Spiders and Spider Warriors spawn and live. Spiders emerge in search of food at Dusk and return to their Dens at dawn. The number of Spiders that live in a Den varies depending on its size (see table below). When a Den reaches its final stage, it evolves into a Spider Queen. Spider Dens are surrounded by a creep-like substance called Sticky Webbing, which slows down anything caught in it, aside from Spiders. Sticky Webbing will grow on any surface except a small area around a Rabbit Hole.

When attacked, Spiders and Spider Warriors currently inside will emerge and attack. If anything steps on the Sticky Webbing that surrounds the Den, a few Spiders might come out and investigate. If they do not encounter anything before reaching the end of the web, the Spiders will return to the Den.

It takes 90 seconds for a Den to respawn a single spider. When a Den reaches the next stage, all Spiders are renewed.

Growth Cycle

A Spider Den has 3 growth stages: 5–10 days in Tier 1, 5–10 days in Tier 2, and 12.5–25 days in Tier 3. Tier 3 Dens will evolve into a Spider Queen after they hit the next stage and the player has been nearby for 60 to 120 seconds. When a Spider Queen spawns, she leaves behind a Tier 1 Den nearby if there are less than 3 other Dens or Spider Queens in 60 radius (15 Terrain Tiles). This new Tier 1 Den will grow into a Tier 2 Den in sixty seconds real time. After wandering to a new location, the Queen will settle down, transforming back into a Tier 1 Den.

The amount, as well as the type, of Spiders spawned from a Den varies depending on the Den's Tier. Spider Warriors only spawn at Tier 2 and above. The amount of Silk dropped by destroying a Den also increases with its Tier. Tier 3 Dens will also drop Spider Eggs when destroyed, allowing new dens to be planted by the player anywhere in the world.

Den Size	Next Stage	Spiders	Released (Webbing)	Released When hit	Health	Loot
Tier 1	5–10 days	3	1	2	250 hp	2 Silk
Tier 2	5–10 days	6 (1 will spawn as a warrior)	2	4	500 hp	4 Silk
Tier 3	12.5–25 days	9 (3 will spawn as warriors)	3	6	1000 hp	6 Silk, 1 Spider Eggs

Hunting

A simple method to destroy any Spider Den without taking damage is to utilize Traps. After placing a few traps in a line, stand on the Webbing to attract a few Spiders. Lead them into the Traps and empty them once they are caught. Repeat until the Den is empty. The Den can now be safely destroyed. Beware that a Den can still grow to a higher tier while it's being attacked, instantly restoring all Spiders, including Spider Warriors.

If getting resources is not important, a Den can be set on fire directly with a Fire Dart, Fire Staff, or indirectly by creating nearby fires. The Den will burn to Ashes, but all Spiders inside the Den will come out as soon as the fire is started. These Spiders and any others that were not inside at the time will become homeless and wander about until they are dealt with. For a cleaner job, place some Slurtle Slime or Gunpowder near the Den and light it. The resulting explosion will leave behind a few Monster Meats and some Ashes.

While too many Spider Dens on a map may become problematic even for Webber players in vanilla Don’t Starve and Reign of Giants, they can more useful to let spread via Spider Queens such as in the Shipwrecked DLC as a player can place Spider Dens on islands that the player chooses, or when playing as Webber in Hamlet, where normal Spiders don’t exist by default, therefore can prove useful to spread around the Plateau.

Sticky Webbing

For the item that could be obtained by digging up Sticky Webbing, see Removed Features.

Sticky Webbing is a Turf that cannot be dug up. It's a creep-like substance which "flows" out of Spider Dens, Spilagmites and Cocooned Trees and slows the walking speed of all creatures (except Buzzards, Spiders and Webber). If the Spider Den or Spilagmite is destroyed, the webbing will quickly disappear.

Sticky Webbing can also be found in Sacred and Labyrinth biomes in the Ruins. The webbing found there has no associated Spider Den or Spilagmites, as it houses Dangling Depth Dwellers, which reside on the ceiling above. Although the nest cannot be attacked like the Spider Den or Spilagmite, it can be destroyed by burning an item in the middle of the webbing ( only.) This will remove the sticky webbing soon after.

Downloadable Content

In the Reign of Giants DLC, Spider spawns are changed to increase difficulty. During Spring, Tier 2 Dens will house 1 extra spider, Tier 3 Dens will house 2 extra spiders, and both Tier 2 and Tier 3 Dens will release 1 extra spider when attacked.

Webber is not slowed down by stepping on Sticky Webbing, neither does he trigger Spiders to emerge. He is also able to upgrade Spider Dens by using Silk on them. It takes 5 Silk to upgrade a Tier 1 and Tier 2 Spider Den. Webber cannot upgrade a Tier 3 Den. One must wait for the Den to evolve into a Spider Queen naturally.

A Buzzard that has landed and is moving around does not trigger Sticky Webbing, it is not slowed down while on it either.

Don't Starve Together

In Don't Starve Together, Ghost Characters can haunt a tier 3 Spider Den for a 10% chance to spawn a Spider Queen.

Webber can decorate dens with a Den Decoration Set. Decorated dens don't grow, have smaller sticky webbing and the spiders they spawn are neutral to everyone. Hitting a spider within a certain radius of a decorated den will remove the decorations.

Webber can also shave dens down for one silk per tier. He can also sleep inside tier 3 dens like a Tent with infinite uses, restoring 1 /second, 1.5 /second, and costing 1.5 /second.

Webber now gains a speed bonus on Sticky Webbing.

Trivia

• The player may find a ring of Tier 3 Spider Dens surrounding a single den in a Forest. This is the Queens' Gathering Set Piece.
• When a Den is being attacked by the player, it's possible for the Den to upgrade instantly and spawn more spiders. It's also possible for a Spider Queen to spawn from a den which the player has just destroyed, provided that the webbing hasn't vanished yet. This will result in both dropped Silk and Eggs, as well as a potential second set of Eggs from the Queen.
• If one waits to explore the world during much later days, Tier 3 Dens and Spider Queens will appear more often.

Bugs

• In the Shipwrecked DLC, if a Spider Den is planted close the edge of an island, when a Spider Queen spawns, it may appear in the Ocean and will leave behind a Spider Den when she plants herself.
• When playing as Webber, some Shadow Creatures can cause Spiders to spawn from Dens when walking on webbing, even if the player is not insane.

Gallery

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  Tier 1 Spider Den.
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  Tier 2 Spider Den.
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  Tier 3 Spider Den.
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  Webbing around a few Spider Dens.
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  Tier 3 Spider Den growing around a Rabbit Hole.
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  A Set Piece featuring a circle of Tier 3 Spider Dens.
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  Wilson is far enough away for the resident Spiders not to notice him.
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  A Spider Den frozen by Deerclops in the Reign of Giants DLC.
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  Spider Den icons on a Map.
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  Old Spider Den map icon.
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  A Spider Den without webbing in the early alpha of Don't Starve.
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  A Spider Den planted in the ocean by a bugged Spider Queen in the Shipwrecked DLC.
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  Spider Den as seen on the 2018 Valentine Cards.
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  In official game screenshots from early builds of the game

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