Spider's Nest

Version 0.30: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

The crumbling, web-choked caverns of the Spider Nest are packed with poisonous arthropods and assorted creepy-crawlies. A dungeon features only one of the Spider Nest and Snake Pit branches. The entrance to this branch can be found between levels 2 and 3 of the Lair of Beasts. This branch is 4 levels deep. This branch contains the gossamer rune of Zot.

The Spider's Nest branch is a crumbling 4-floor branch filled with all manner of poisonous arachnids and insects. Adventurers willing to brave it are rewarded with the gossamer rune of Zot on its lowest floor. Stairs to the Spider's Nest can be found somewhere on Lair:2-3, assuming your game doesn't generate the Snake Pit instead.

Layout

In general, Spider's floor plan is chaotic and haphazard. Like the Lair, but cramped, it's filled with narrow tunnels and large caverns. Choke points are uncommon, giving swift monsters many opportunities to surround you. Webs and pools of shallow water are common.

Useful Info

This branch is teeming with 'common' spiders, like redbacks and tarantellas. Fast, evasive enemies in great numbers, they'll swarm you in no time. Thankfully, these spiders have no resistances, low AC, minimal willpower, and are vulnerable to poison, so many crowd-control options are effective (see below for a list).

You'll find many tougher threats interspersed throughout the crowd. The likes of entropy weavers, broodmothers, and jorogumo are strong on their own, and even worse when combined with a pack of spiders. Demonic crawlers regenerate extremely quickly; you'll need high damage/turn (or a way to disable them). Casters should be especially weary of ghost moths, naturally invisible monsters who'll quickly drain your MP.

There are also many "buffing" enemies, including torpor snails (slow you), pharaoh ants (cast Bind Souls on death, turning killed spiders into simulacrum), and moths of wrath (berserk others, turning even redbacks into powerful melee threats).

Do not underestimate the final vault on Spider:4 — not only is it full of more dangerous creatures, but a moth of wrath can turn a posse of jumping spiders, wolf spiders, and emperor scorpions into a deadly tide of chitin extremely quickly.

Recommendations

Poison resistance is very helpful. The common redback can deal 33 - 58 HP worth of poison per hit, and each spider can move twice per player turn. If you don't have rPois, be prepared to use many potions of curing.

Crowd-control options that work particularly well against spiders:

• All sorts of Poison Magic. Olgreb's Toxic Radiance is brutally effective against most of the actual spiders, while Mephitic Cloud can disable most things here. Note that most of the 'tough' threats are only neutral to poison, while emperor scorpions, ghost moths, and pharaoh ants are resistant/immune to it.
• Necromancy. With so many spiders, it's easy to create a swarm of undead on your side. Undead are immune to poison, so they'll perform well in combat. Note that you'll need a way to kill things (such as Borgnjor's Vile Clutch) before you can create undead allies.
• Evocations. The tin of tremorstones and condenser vane are tailor made for fighting crowds; if you have good Evocations skill, they work phenomenally. A lightning rod can be used in a similar fashion. The common spiders all have low willpower, so hex wands are good, too. A wand of charming turns spiders on your side, a wand of paralysis gives you 1 less thing that's attacking you in melee.
• Scrolls of fear. Fear won't work against spider simulacrum, but it's very likely to scare the living and demonic creatures here.
• Invisibility. Almost everything is unable to see invisible. Even ghost moths can't see invisible, giving casters protection against MP drain. Standing inside a sun moths' halo will reveal you if invisible, however.

Useful Traits

• Strong physical defenses
• Poison resistance

Optional:

• Corrosion resistance for entropy weavers
• Cold resistance, useful for fighting pharaoh ant-created simulacra
• Negative energy resistance, to reduce damage from Jorogumos' Bolt of Draining
• Electricity resistance, to make spark wasps less deadly

Monsters

s Redback	s Tarantella	s Jumping spider	s Culicivora	B Boulder beetle
s Orb spider	s Wolf spider	s Demonic crawler	w Steelbarb worm	w Torpor snail
B Pharaoh ant	B Entropy weaver	B Radroach	y Moth of wrath	y Ghost moth
s Emperor scorpion	s Broodmother	H Jorogumo	y Spark wasp	y Meliai
B Death scarab

Uniques

i Agnes	S Aizul	H Arachne	H Asterion
R Azrael	d Bai Suzhen	@ Donald	@ Frances
g Jorgrun	@ Josephine	@ Kirke	@ Louise
R Mara	@ Nikola	8 Roxanne	@ Rupert

History

• In 0.28, the Spider's Nest overwent an overhaul; changing existing inhabitants while adding many new ones (Culicivora, pharaoh ants, steelbarb worms, radroaches, jorogumo, broodmothers). The branch was also made normal noise again (instead of quiet).
• In 0.26 boulder beetles came back as rare inhabitants.
• Prior to 0.19, boulder beetles and wasps inhabited the Spider's Nest.
• Prior to 0.17, Spider's Nest was 5 floors long. Goliath beetles, boring beetles and giant mites were removed, while entropy weavers and torpor snails were added.
• Prior to 0.11, the Spider's Nest was a simple 1-floor sub-branch with similar monsters and some treasure (occasionally including ambrosia), but no rune.