The Ants Combat Speed Guide – Attack First in PvP

Combat Speed Guide

March 7, 2026

2103

Master the Sources of Combat Speed

Evolution: 470 Combat Speed
Evolution Meteorite: 240 Combat Speed
Insect: 140 Combat Speed
Genetics: 200 Combat Speed
Soldier Reforms: 25 Combat Speed
VIP Bonus: 20 Combat Speed
Special Ants: 0-150 Combat Speed
Mutations: Combat Speed scales with your Mutation level
Tip: You only need 1 more Combat Speed than your opponent to attack first

1. What Is Combat Speed?

Combat Speed is one of the most important PvP stats in The Ants: Underground Kingdom.

If your Combat Speed is lower than your opponent’s, their army attacks first — dealing damage before you can respond.

In evenly matched fights, attacking first often decides the entire battle.

Combat Speed vs March Speed

Combat Speed: Determines which army attacks first in battle
March Speed: Determines how fast your troops travel on the map

March Speed helps you reach battles faster, but Combat Speed determines the order of attacks during the fight itself.

Example Battle

Player A Combat Speed: 125
Player B Combat Speed: 120
Both are shooter units with similar other stats

Result

Player A attacks first
Player B loses troops before attacking
Player B deals less damage
Player A wins the fight

Even a small Combat Speed advantage can decide battles between similar armies.

2. How to Increase Combat Speed?

2.1 Evolution

These are relatively easy to obtain and provide one of the largest sources of Combat Speed. You need to use your Creature Remains or Amp Crystal Fragments to level up the evolutions that provide the Combat Speed.

Advanced Combat (250 Speed)
T10 Soldier Evolution (200 Speed)
Assault Soldier Ant Evolution (20 Speed)

2.2 Evolution Meteorite

This Combat Speed is obtained by ascending different Evolution Meteorites using Lava Cores and Breccia Cores. Lava Cores are used for Pioneer and Explorer Ascends, while Breccia Cores are used for Trailblazer and Conqueror Ascends. Each ascend level costs 50 cores and provides 20 Combat Speed. Combat Speed is only provided until Ascend level 3, after which no additional Combat Speed is provided.

Pioneer Ascend (60 Speed)
Explorer Ascend (60 Speed)
Trailblazer Ascend (60 Speed)
Conqueror Ascend (60 Speed)

Since two different Evolution Meteorites use the same cores, it is recommended to get both ascends to level 3 before levelling either ascend to level 4 to maximize your Combat Speed.

Lava Cores can be obtained in the following ways:

VIP Store Purchases (2 weekly)
Pioneer Evolution Packs ($50 and $100 packs provide 1 each weekly)
Explorer Evolution Packs ($50 and $100 packs provide 1 each weekly)

The paid packs are costly, as a single lava core is only offered in the $50 and $100 packs. These packs are hidden packs, as you must purchase several lower price packs in the store before these packs are unlocked for purchase weekly.

Breccia Cores can be obtained in the following ways:

Task Dispatch (Orange Tasks give 1 Breccia Core)
Special Ant Dispatch Sale Pack ($5 for tasks that gives 1 Breccia Core and other items)
Trailblazer Evolution Packs ($50 and $100 packs provide 1 each weekly)
Conqueror Evolution Packs ($50 and $100 packs provide 1 each weekly)

2.3 Insects

This mainly comes down to getting your Insect to 11 stars, which gives 140 Combat Speed. In older generation insects, you would get 120 Combat Speed as a base, and 20 from talents. In newer generation insects, you get 140 Combat Speed directly as a base.

Older generation Carrier Insects granted 26 Combat Speed from talents, allowing Combat Speed to reach 146. However, it is not recommended to switch to a very old generation insect for the 6 extra speed, as the significant loss in stats will not be made up by the 6 extra speed.

2.4 Genetics

This Combat Speed is obtained by ascending your Genetics using Bioessence.

Cell Ascent (50 Speed)
Gene Ascent (50 Speed)
Germ Ascent (50 Speed)
Fungi Ascent (50 Speed)

Getting each of the ascents to level 2 grants you the 50 Combat Speed, which is the maximum achievable speed for the ascents. Therefore, Bioessence should be prioritized to get each ascend to level 2.

Bioessence can be obtained from:

Season Store (4 weekly)
Alliance Expedition (4 weekly)
VIP Store (1 weekly)
Packs

2.5 Soldier Reforms

This is the most expensive source of Combat Speed. The 25 Combat Speed bonus comes at Reform Cooperation IV for the specific soldier type.

100 Reform Essences required to 5 star a single Cooperation
You cannot star up a later Cooperation without making the previous Cooperation 5 star across all soldier types
50 Cooperation stars needed to 5 star Cooperation IV for a single soldier type, giving 25 Combat Speed
Therefore, you require 1,000 Reform Essences to get 25 Combat Speed for a single soldier type
Each additional soldier type will then require 100 more Reform Essences to gain its 25 Combat Speed

Due to the rarity and cost of Reform Essences, this is a very time-consuming way for F2P players to gain Combat Speed, while P2W players need to invest heavily to speed up the process.

2.6 VIP Bonus

This is a simple way for all players to gain 20 Combat Speed.

+10 Combat Speed at VIP 13
+5 Combat Speed at VIP 14
+5 Combat Speed at VIP 15

You can get VIP points just by logging in and claiming your daily login VIP points bonus, or by spending diamonds to level up faster.

2.7 Special Ants

Certain Special Ants offer Combat Speed bonuses as part of their skills.

Most Carrier Ants offer 60 Combat Speed as part of skill 6
New World General (+30), Enigmatic Taylor (+20) and Ghost Ant (+20) are the only Carrier Ants that offer less than 60 Combat Speed.
Banshee Velvet (+20), Weaver Ant (+90) and Nimble Tree Ant (+150) are the only Shooter Ants that offer Combat Speed.
Meranoplus Bicolor (+40), Procryptocerus Adlerzi (+40), Rock Bandit (+20), Guard General (+30) and Black Knight (+40) are the only Guardian Ants that offer Combat Speed.
Brown Rogue is the only Universal Ant that provides a Combat Speed of 60.

Due to how common Combat Speed is among Carrier Ants, Carrier units will generally have higher Combat Speed than other units, assuming other things are similar.

2.8 Mutations

To unlock the Combat Speed Mutation, you need to own at least 5 level 39 mutations. After unlocking, you gain 2 Combat Speed per level, with the Combat Speed bonus alternating between Guardian, Shooter and Carrier.

Level 1 → +2 Guardian Combat Speed
Level 2 → +2 Shooter Combat Speed
Level 3 → +2 Carrier Combat Speed
Level 4 → +2 Guardian Combat Speed
Level 5 → +2 Shooter Combat Speed
Level 6 → +2 Carrier Combat Speed
And so on

3. Final Advice

Combat Speed is one of the most important PvP stats in the game. In close fights, attacking first can decide the battle. If you are behind on Combat Speed, use this guide to audit your sources and close the gap.

Since Combat Speed sources can change over time, a good way to audit your Combat Speed is to attack one of the strongest players you can find in Duel of Queen – Glory, then review the battle report and check all their Combat Speed sources.

Feel free to let me know if a new Combat Speed source should be added to this guide.