Centipedes



Centipedes are creatures in Rain World based loosely on the real world arthropod. These creatures can vary from being a safe source of food to a dangerous predator according to their size.

Appearance
Centipedes are orange and brown insects with segmented bodies covered by protective scales. They have many legs and two sets of antennae on either end of the body. Centipedes make long, high frequency sounds when either grabbing prey or being attacked. A variant of the ordinary centipede, the Centiwing, has green scales with red frills, and is capable of flight.

Centipedes can spawn in Garbage Wastes, Industrial Complex, Farm Arrays, Subterranean, Shaded Citadel, Outskirts and Drainage System on Hard Mode.

Centiwings spawn exclusively in Sky Islands.

Behavior
Centipedes are fast crawlers, meaning they can outrun most creatures in tunnels or tight spaces and can crawl on walls, making them hard to outmaneuver. Centipedes move in short, fast bursts, making them less predictable than other creatures.

Centipedes have movement-based vision, meaning that they are unlikely to see a creature that is staying still. Centipedes can see from both ends, but their vision worsens when moving. All Centipede types, besides Centiwings, can hear, but only when stationary.

Centipedes can latch onto and shock other creatures. Instead of dealing a fixed amount of damage, Centipedes will either instantly kill prey or stun them, depending on whether the creature has less mass than the Centipede or not. In order to deliver a shock, both ends of the Centipede must latch onto the creature, meaning there is a window to escape before both ends connect.

As they become more injured, Centipedes begin to spasm and shake. They will curl up in a defensive manner; this also makes it easier for them to fully latch onto any threat that comes near it and stun or kill it.

Subtypes
Centipedes come in four general sizes and two additional subtypes, each of which interact with other creatures differently and have separate health values.

Infant
Infant Centipedes are non-aggressive juveniles of the species. Typically found in groups, Infants will sometimes be accompanied by an Adult Centipede. These can be picked up and eaten by to restore 2 food pips. If an Infant Centipede is held for too long, it will shock Slugcat, stunning it and causing it to drop the Centipede. This can be avoided by killing them in advance through various methods, as once dead they can be safely carried for as long as needed without needing to immediately eat them. Possible methods of killing them include simply spearing them, killing them with Grenades or  Explosive spears, utilizing a  Spore Puff, or only partially eating them. The latter can be achieved by moving Slugcat to interrupt the eating process after a single bite. Infant Centipedes consider Batflies as prey, and can often be seen hunting and shocking them to death.

Adults
Adult Centipedes encompass a wide and continuous variety of sizes, from being slightly smaller than Slugcat, to being much larger, and cannot be picked up as infants can. Depending on the size of the centipede, their shocks are powerful enough to stun, and even kill Slugcat. Depending on size, Adult Centipedes can be divided into three groups.

Youth
Youth Centipedes will generally not be able to kill Slugcat, and only stun them with their shock. Due to their relatively similar size to Slugcat, Youth Centipedes will most likely not see them as prey and leave them be. They have approximately 0.9 health points, so most will be able to be killed with a single spear. They restore 2-3 food pips when eaten.

Mature
Mature Centipedes are larger than Slugcat and see them as prey. Mature Centipedes will hunt them by grabbing and then shocking them to death. They have a health range of 1.49-2.55, and so can be killed with 2-3 shots of a regular spear. If killed and eaten, mature centipedes will restore 3-5 food pips.

Overgrown
Overgrown Centipedes are extremely large, nearly 4 times that of Slugcat, and will aggressively hunt them down. Due to their huge size, they have slightly more trouble grasping prey with both ends and delivering shocks, making them less dangerous than they at first appear. Despite their size, they can traverse tunnels easily, and travel much faster than Slugcat inside tunnels. Overgrown Centipedes are very powerful, and can win fights against, and groups of. They have a health range of 3.64-13.33, and so they require at least 4 spear shots or a well-aimed Spore Puff to kill. If killed and eaten, they will restore 6-7 food pips.

Centiwings
"Main Article: Centiwing"Centiwings are flying green Centipedes native to the Sky Islands region. They have similar stats and behavior to Adult Centipedes and can attack Slugcat or other creatures such as. Their movement consists of alternating between flying and crawling like normal centipedes. They also appear to be less aggressive than other Centipedes, often ignoring Slugcat. If killed and eaten, Centiwings restore 3 food pips.

Red Centipedes
"Main Article: Red Centipede"Red Centipedes are a dangerous Centipede variant that only spawns naturally when playing as the. They are much larger than Overgrown Centipedes, are well-armored and are highly aggressive. Each red section is a piece of armored shell that can deflect a single spear throw before falling off. They continually hunt their prey once spotting them, making them an extremely dangerous foe. They are nonetheless weak to Spore Puffs, but take some time to die from one. If killed and eaten, Red Centipedes restore 9 food pips.

= Strategy = Fighting an Adult Centipede is relatively easy, as 2-3 shots of a regular spear or a single Spore Puff can kill it. Overgrown Centipedes are deadlier as they are faster, have more health than Adult Centipedes and will need around 4-7 spear hits or a Spore Puff. Throwing rocks at Centipedes only aggravates them, but hitting a Centipede with a spear stuns it, preventing them from grabbing the player momentarily. To kill a larger centipede with spears, throw one at it from close range. Right after the hit, recover the spear, move back and repeat. Centipedes hit with a spear on one end of their body deliberately attack with the other end, so be sure to either take the spear back quickly or bring multiple. When the centipede is low on health, it curls up into a ball, making it harder to kill, as it is much easier for it to grab you with both ends and kill you. Centipedes can be grabbed and eaten once dead by holding the grab button. It is possible to use a Centipede corpse to block up a tunnel to evade a threat that is chasing Slugcat. When a Centipede's scale falls from being hit, that segment takes extra damage.

Using Lizards
have been observed to fiercely hunt Centipedes, including overgrown ones. They, alongside and, have high chances of victory in these battles due to their tongues. Use of their tongues often allows them to deliver a bite to a Centipede before it can react.

Using Tunnels
Centipedes can only kill when both ends of their body are connected to their victim. If you are in a tunnel or some tight space you can delay a centipede's electric attack, since the centipede will have a hard time connecting both ends to Slugcat's body, but it is still possible for the Centipede to eventually connect with both ends and kill Slugcat.

Using Walls
Centipedes can be pinned to walls with a well-aimed spear throw. This can be used to immobilize larger Centipedes, allowing for an easy kill. Pinned Centipedes are still dangerous, however, so be mindful of your distance.

= Trivia =
 * When a Centipede spawns, there is a small chance for a random section of its shell to be missing.
 * Just as in real life, Infant Centipedes have fewer legs than their mature forms.
 * Centipedes have to curl up and connect both of their heads to shock its prey, leading some to believe one head has a negative charge and the other a positive charge, similar to a battery.
 * Centipedes cannot be stunned by rocks unless injured. Throwing a rock at a larger Centipede will cause it to hunt down Slugcat with vigor.
 * Centipedes can kill Slugcat if they are injured near a creature den and try to retreat while still grabbing the Slugcat, bringing them inside just like [[File:Pole Plant icon.png]] Pole Plants or [[File:Monster Kelp icon.png]] Monster Kelp.
 * Centipedes’ weakness to Spore Puffs suggests that the fungus is either toxic to them or causes them to suffocate.
 * If a Centipede shocks a creature in water, the current will travel to all other creatures in the same body of water, either stunning or killing them, depending on their mass value compared to the Centipede.
 * Centipedes in water seem to be able to kill creatures that would otherwise be stunned, such as or.