Tiger Beetle - The Trackstar of the Bug world (T4) | Grounded | Page 1

dapper hornet Oct 27, 2025, 10:53 PM

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Fleshing out my Tiger Beetles a little bit more.

Their armor archetype would most likely be Ranger, however you could craft their jaws into a Gladius for Fighter and a set of serrated daggers for Rouge. Each of these add Bleed. I'm also thinking maybe a sort of Bow which is also fashioned from their jaws and Lint rope?

As for an extension of their behavior, along with Red/black ants, Orb Weavers, and Caterpillars being hunted, Tiger Beetles would also chase down Larva (Ladybird and regular) and maybe even challenge Bombardiers for territory (Though I think they'd leave each other alone). Tiger Beetles would try to avoid Black widows, since they would likely be slain by their venom easily.

I will continue to flesh these guys out. The original idea's at 30 upvotes. I definitely think these guys could add some life to the Playground region!

dapper hornet Oct 28, 2025, 12:00 AM

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For their Buggy form; their saddle would require: 4 Acorn shells, 2 Black ant mandibles, and 3 pieces of Lingonberry leather. Their saddle would be placed on their Thorax, allowing the Tiger Beetle to still be able to use its slicing jaws and spiked legs without hindrance, whilst also making sense for a Beetle.

Abilities:

(Passive): Bleeding Bite: When the Tiger beetle bites down, the creature in front is dealt slashing damage with a few seconds of bleed. This draws threat to the Buggy instead of their rider.

Abilities (One for now): Intimidate. Similarly to the Orb Weaver, the Beetle will screech, clicking its jaws. This fearsome display is enough to spook away most lesser species (Orb Weaver Seniors will still attack, as would Stinkbugs, Mosquitoes, Bombardiers, and a few others), but tiers 3-5 will take this as a threat and fight instead of flee.

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Feel free to suggest ideas for these guys!

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#｜submitted-suggestions message The idea's here if you guys like what you're seeing here!

dapper hornet Oct 28, 2025, 3:14 PM

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Their Second ability would be... Perhaps going along with my idea of them being able to harvest plant resources between tiers 1-3, they could also carry weed stems/grass planks, but instead of the Soldier Ant's 12, it's only 8 because these Beetles are moreso built for combat.

dapper hornet Oct 29, 2025, 11:01 PM

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32 Upvotes as of now... Only eighteen to go!

dapper hornet Nov 4, 2025, 6:24 AM

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The suspense is killing me-

dapper hornet Nov 4, 2025, 6:26 AM

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dapper hornet Their Second ability would be... Perhaps going along with my idea of them being ...

Actually... No. Going along with the comment I made under a ItsSmicks vid... Tiger Beetles would likely only be able to cut down and harvest those resources, but not be able to haul grass planks or weed stems.

dapper hornet Nov 5, 2025, 4:05 PM

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But even then, they'd be able to be used in tandem with the Soldier Ants to enable faster resource harvesting

turbid patrol Nov 6, 2025, 10:43 PM

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It would leave crunching roots to the soldier ant?
What would it's size be in relation to the soldier ant?

dapper hornet Nov 6, 2025, 11:15 PM

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Well... They'd be fairly bigger compared to the Soldier Ant. Maybe just a little bigger than a Bombardier, but smaller than a Black Ox. They could crunch through higher tier Dead Roots, but would be unable to enter burrows.

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It's just that I figure these guys (with their Buggy form) could be more suited for Combat, but also be able to help the player harvest higher tier resources (No acorns though)

turbid patrol Nov 6, 2025, 11:19 PM

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So, like a bombardier beetle the size of a roach?

dapper hornet Nov 6, 2025, 11:21 PM

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Maybe a little smaller than a Adult Roach, but something similar!

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Even though, yes, there are some BIG Tiger Beetles that exist, I think the Six Spotted isn't among them. Basically a bombardier that's been sized up by 1, and its sizzling blasts replaced with slicing jaws.

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I've also worked out some descriptions for the Tiger Beetle loot drops:

Tiger Beetle Parts: "The tough, teal-colored shell of a fallen Tiger Beetle. The colorful carapace of this voracious hunter still shimmers even after death." (Anywhere from 1-6 parts can drop on death)

Tiger Beetle Jaws: "The serrated killing tools of a Tiger Beetle. These mandibles could forge some seriously lethal weapons" (Anywhere from 0-2 jaws can drop on death)

Tiger Beetle Head: "A Tiger Beetle's head, in surprisingly mint condition. Even though it's dead, it still seems like it's judging you..." (0-1 Head can drop on death. Jaws and Parts are the most common, the Heads are uncommon)

I'm trying to think of what their trinket would be, but it'd be something like Axl's special venom or the Blistering Boiler/Cleaving Claw.

turbid patrol Nov 6, 2025, 11:32 PM

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Yeah, wouldn't it just add bleed to the third strike?

dapper hornet Nov 6, 2025, 11:33 PM

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I could see that!

turbid patrol Nov 6, 2025, 11:33 PM

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I think it would be cool if it went outside the box and increased player run speed.

dapper hornet Nov 6, 2025, 11:33 PM

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OOO, YES

turbid patrol Nov 6, 2025, 11:33 PM

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I would wear that trinket all the time lol

dapper hornet Nov 6, 2025, 11:34 PM

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I would too! Increased running speed trinkets are underrated!

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I also think that the Tiger Beetle's buggy form would be more intimidating towards Tiers one and two, because... They're some scary beetles. Their roar, which they'd also click their serrated jaws at the end of, would be enough to send Orb Weavers running for the hills, and make the Northern Scorps we have in game think twice about attacking...

Tiger Beetles have been known to hunt Scorpions... right?

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Oh oh! I also thought of some Dialogue between the main four upon first encountering Tiger Beetles:

Max + Pete quote:

M: "So... Why do they call them Tiger Beetles if they run so quick? They should have been called Cheetah beetles or something."

P: "Probably because it doesn't roll off the tongue easily."

turbid patrol Nov 6, 2025, 11:40 PM

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Yeah but mechanically that scare roar is lame. I like how you used it to force higher tier enemies to attack you.
I think it should deal stun to lower tier bugs.

dapper hornet Nov 6, 2025, 11:40 PM

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Okay okay... We could DEFINITELY work with that!

turbid patrol Nov 6, 2025, 11:47 PM

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That would just suck if you were a Max playing solo lol

dapper hornet Nov 7, 2025, 12:05 AM

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Hahahaha-

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Well, the Tiger Beetle, to be fair, would be a much better combat than the Orb Weaver, so it wouldn't get knocked as fast.

dapper hornet Nov 7, 2025, 12:49 AM

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As for what Tiger Beetles could Hunt 'n Gather while the player sleeps (if that feature gets added). Because of them being voracious hunters, Tiger Beetles could gather on ocassion, but their true loot table is more Hunting:

For instance,
Ant parts/heads/mandibles (From both Red and Black ant varieties)
Larva spikes/Acid glands (From Larvas and Ladybird varient)
Web fibers (Spiderlings)
Weaver chunks and Fangs (From Weaver Jrs and Snrs)
Ladybug heads and parts
Roach chunks and occasionally heads
Meat from Aphids, Weevils, and Gnats (very rarely that last one)
Northern parts (Venom and the killing pincers/stinger would be rarer, well, not the Venom)
e.t.c

Rarer hunting rewards would include Ant Lion parts (since Tiger Beetles would usually win these fights), and Wolf spider parts (Since these guys tend to lose to Wolfies, it's not often they'll come home with these)

dapper hornet Nov 9, 2025, 7:04 AM

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If they ARE able to gather plants, they'd be limited to stuff like, springs, clover, petals, things that they'd be able to relatively easily hack down with their jaws. They can't carry grass planks or weed stems, sadly, but they'd work in tandem as 'logging machines' for the Soldier Ants to pick up and carry back home, allowing two players with a Tiger Beetle + Soldier Ant combo to clear a large section of land for a build, whilst getting tons of material from doing so!

dapper hornet Nov 11, 2025, 11:16 PM

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Made some tweaks:

Rather than frightening off Tiers 1 and 2, the Roar of a Tiger Beetle would likely stun these creatures for a fixed period of time. Tiers 3-5 would still see this as a threat and engage.

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Of course, that idea is due thanks to @turbid patrol. 😎

turbid patrol Nov 11, 2025, 11:34 PM

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The intimidation just isn't useful.

dapper hornet Nov 11, 2025, 11:39 PM

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Truthfully, with the Weaver, it DOES help with aggroing bees or butterflies you couldn't reach with a bow.

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But I'll definitely agree there.

turbid patrol Nov 11, 2025, 11:47 PM

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I didn't realize that its range was greater than bowshot. Super niche use case though.

I should probably use buggies more. I just normally don't bother with them.

dapper hornet Nov 12, 2025, 3:58 AM

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Oh?

turbid patrol Nov 12, 2025, 8:30 PM

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Yeah, it is just a preference of mine.

dapper hornet Nov 13, 2025, 5:07 AM

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I'm sure the last fourteen upvotes will come in due time... ..right?

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I just gotta remember to not check back every five minutes- XD

turbid patrol Nov 13, 2025, 5:59 AM

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Yeah. Just give it time.

jade acorn Nov 13, 2025, 5:10 PM

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I had a dream about tiger beetles.

dapper hornet Nov 13, 2025, 5:17 PM

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Oh yeah?

jade acorn Nov 13, 2025, 5:18 PM

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Bunch of people commenting on a video of mine to make one.

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It was an odd dream.

dapper hornet Nov 13, 2025, 5:20 PM

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Heh, I'd wager so.

This one time after eating at City Barbeque, I dreamt I was being chased around an art gallery by a Deathclaw with a rocket launcher. I don't know WHY exactly that came to mind.

turbid patrol Nov 13, 2025, 8:20 PM

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Deathclaw with a rocket launcher kind of sounds like Nemesis.

dapper hornet Nov 14, 2025, 12:59 AM

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Pffffft-

turbid patrol Nov 14, 2025, 1:06 AM

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Anyways...so tiger beetles....

dapper hornet Nov 14, 2025, 1:09 AM

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Considering the idea of them being Ranger Armor, and likely appearing in the Playground/desert biome... ...what if it was like, something Native-American esqe? To pair with the Clint Eastwood-esqe look of the Antlion gear?

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Of course... that might not fly... But it's a potential possibility.

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I was even thinking the Helmet would be a fashionable headdress, even outclassing the current bee one. Basically, the green-teal shell, paired with a shined Mint/Sour jewel; and adorned with a dazzling mix of Bee fuzz and butterfly scales for its 'feathers'

turbid patrol Nov 14, 2025, 1:45 AM

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That sounds like it would be cool. Just make sure to leave some creative space for the devs and art team.

dapper hornet Nov 14, 2025, 1:56 AM

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True, true.

dapper hornet Nov 16, 2025, 3:34 AM

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#｜submitted-suggestions message, Posting this so folks don't gotta scroll through a dozen messages to find the idea's link, XD

dapper hornet Nov 17, 2025, 7:45 PM

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AS OF NOW; ONLY THIRTEEN TO GO!

dapper hornet Nov 24, 2025, 11:50 PM

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I find it CRAZY that I've dumped a ton of info into these things. I guess that means I really like my silly lil' ideas.

dapper hornet Nov 29, 2025, 7:03 PM

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TEN MORE; WE'RE SO CLOSE!

dapper hornet Dec 2, 2025, 7:20 PM

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Nine; we could probably get this to 50 before Christmas if we keep the momentum rolling!

dapper hornet Dec 10, 2025, 12:45 AM

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My, quickly hashed together descriptions of the Tiger Beetle's weapons:

Tiger Gladius: "A quick-swinging sword forged from the slicing jaws of a fearsome Tiger Beetle. This is a blade that would make a shrunken Gladiator proud."

Beetle Blades: "A twin set of serrated daggers formed from a Tiger Beetle's shimmering shell and bits of its killing tools. These sharp lil' knives will definitely hurt."

Tiger Bow: "An elegant bow composed of Tiger Beetle shell and jaw, strung with a stretchy, yet sturdy string of lint rope. Unlock your inner hunter with every pull of the bowstring"

dapper hornet Dec 14, 2025, 9:33 AM

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Reposting link to topic: #｜submitted-suggestions message

dapper hornet Jan 23, 2026, 5:41 AM

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ONLY FOUR MORE VOTES

dapper hornet Mar 10, 2026, 2:23 AM

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Tiger Beetle - The Trackstar of the Bug world (T4)

#Tiger Beetle - The Trackstar of the Bug world (T4)