Antaeus

Version 0.28: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Antaeus C
HP	450-908
HD	22
XP	16864
Speed	10
AC	28
EV	4
Will	Immune
Attack1	75 (hit: cold)
Attack2	30 (hit: cold)
Resistances	rC++ rElec+++ rDrown rMiasma rN+++ rTorm
Vulnerabilities	Fire Holy
Habitat	Amphibious
Intelligence	Human
Uses	Weapons & armour Starting equipment Open doors
Holiness	Demonic
Size	Giant
Type	giant, titan
Flags	Fighter Evil See invisible Speaks Warm-blooded Unique Male

Once a hero among the titans, Antaeus grew jealous of the titan queen. In single combat he challenged and slew her, and for this crime he was exiled and descended into the Hells. Finding the inhabitants of that place no match for his might, Antaeus tore from its substance a fourth Hell, Cocytus, a realm born of frozen spite. “That country was then ruled by Antaeus, son of Poseidon, who used to kill strangers by forcing them to wrestle. Being forced to wrestle with him, Hercules hugged him, lifted him aloft, broke and killed him; for when he touched earth so it was that he waxed stronger, wherefore some said that he was a son of Earth.” -Pseudo-Apollodorus , _Library and Epitome_, 2.5.11. ca. 150 BC. trans. Sir James George Frazer, 1913.

For a list of all giants, see list of giants.

Useful Info

Antaeus is a gigantic demon lord who guards the icy rune in Cocytus. He has the highest HP of all normal monsters in the game, and because he cannot summon demonic aid like the other demon lords, he focuses on using his overpowering melee attacks to crush you or cold and lightning magic when at range. He is found on the bottom floor of Cocytus, usually accompanied by a either a gang of ice fiends or several ice statue sentinels.

Spells

Spell set I
Slot1	Lightning Bolt (3d25)	Magical flag
Slot2	Flash Freeze (3d29)	Magical flag

Tips & Tricks

• Having rC+++, rElec, and better-than-average speed will take a lot of the lethality out of this fight. His Flash Freeze spell will reduce your speed significantly, however, and the deep water in his area make kiting difficult. Use Translocations and keep yourself flying to avoid getting pinned down and pummeled.
• Antaeus is vulnerable to fire and lacks poison resistance. Anyone can hit him with a curare dart to slow him for a decent amount of time. Fire Magic users should have no trouble piling damage on, and Nemelex followers who can reliably draw the Foxfire card can annihilate him with a swarm of paralyzing hornets.
• Try to clear out his ice fiend allies before attempting to kill him. While Fire Storm casters can quickly accomplish both at the same time, others may want to initially flee and then take them on once they've scattered throughout the floor. Taking on that many sources of torment and high damage all at once is very unwise.
• It's not impossible to defeat him in melee, but it's certainly risky. High AC is critical, but less so than high EV and SH. Buff yourself as much as possible, call up whatever summons you can, and make sure you've got rC+++ and rElec; you want to avoid as many of his hits as possible, and to take most of the sting out of any that get through.

Trivia

In Greek myth, Antaeus was a tireless giant who drew strength from the earth. Heracles defeated him by holding him aloft, robbing him of his powers. Forcing Antaeus to fly is a very thematically suitable way of defeating him, but does not affect him differently than it does any other enemy. Plus, he resists the cold themed Polar Vortex.

In Dante's Inferno, Antaeus is found in the last circle of Hell, a frozen lake known as (surprise) Cocytus. The only unfettered giant, he agrees to help Virgil and Dante down into Cocytus; in exchange, Virgil promises that Dante, still living, will increase Antaeus' fame in the mortal world. Whether Dante ever fulfills this promise (or the many other similar promises he makes) is not revealed, although one might argue he did in fact fulfill it by writing of his travels through Hell.

Despite his description in-game, Antaeus was not in fact a titan, but simply a giant who was born of Poseidon and Rhea.

History

During the Christmas holiday of 2014 and 2015, Antaeus' home was changed from Cocytus to the North Pole, and he donned a festive hat, fur-lined loincloth, and sack full of (presumably) toys to celebrate. This had no effect on gameplay whatsoever.

• In 0.28, Antaeus' realm, Cocytus, now prevents drinking potions, with obvious effects on the fight itself.
• Prior to 0.14, Antaeus knew Bolt of Cold instead of Flash Freeze.