Deathsquito

Deathsquitos are fast flying hostile creatures most commonly encountered in the Plains, where they are one of the biome’s most dangerous threats despite their small size. They are also a source of Needle, and can be encountered in other endgame areas through loot and resource interactions. Their speed, sudden attack pattern, and very high pierce damage make them lethal to unprepared players.

A Deathsquito lunges forward to stab with its proboscis for 90 pierce damage. The attack has a short range and a narrow horizontal arc, but it comes out quickly and can easily stun players who do not have enough health, armor, or block power. After attacking, it flies away and circles its target before striking again. It can repeat this attack about every 10 seconds when close enough to a player.

Because of their low health, Deathsquitos can be killed quickly if they are hit cleanly. A well-timed ranged shot is one of the safest answers, and even early-game bows can kill them in a single hit. If a Deathsquito is already charging in, it is often best to hold your draw and release when it commits to the stab. In melee, the safest opening is to strike during its dive; if the timing is correct, it can be killed without taking damage. Weapons with good reach are especially useful for this. If you have enough health and armor to avoid being stunned, you can also survive the hit and counterattack, though this still costs health.

Blocking becomes much easier once your block power exceeds 90, since this lets you absorb the attack and punish the creature afterward. Parrying, however, can be awkward against Deathsquitos: a successful parry pushes them back, which can deny an immediate counterattack and send them flying away. Players using Root armor benefit from its pierce resistance, which helps reduce the danger of their stings. Deathsquitos always miss targets that are running away from them, as long as the player does not suffer movement penalties from equipment.

Deathsquitos can fly over walls, which makes them a serious base defense problem in the Plains. Some building pieces, such as wooden beams, are not treated as obstacles by Deathsquitos and can be used to shape an overhang that blocks their path. Roof and floor pieces do not work for this purpose, because Deathsquitos recognize them and try to fly around them instead.

They are associated with the following resource and loot sources:

• Resource nodes inside the skulls of giant remains in the Mistlands, mined with a black metal pickaxe or better
• Broken Dvergr crates in the Mistlands
• Dvergr rogues and Dvergr mages
• Mounds of flesh inside Putrid Holes in the Ashlands

As a resource node, each fully mined skull can yield an average of 59 soft tissue, making these remains an important source for refining materials later in the game. Deathsquito trophies can also drop from them, and they are used in crafting alongside Sap in the Eitr Refinery to make Refined Eitr.