Spidaurs are one of my favourite characters in Pit People due to their defensive potential and amazing flexibility. In this guide I'll explain how to use and counter them effectively.

Spidaurs have 5 and a half hearts which makes them the fifth tankiest class in game (right after Gorgons with 6 hearts). Making Spidaur a hero increases her HP from 5.5 to 6 hearts.

Their base damage varies from 9 to 7, depending on the helmet they're wearing (comparable to a Wraith or Human with a Light Sword), however they compensate its low value by ability to attack twice in one turn (similarly to a Light Sword). Their attacks are melee and have a chance of snaring an enemy.

Their defense varies from almost none to 3.5 stacks, depending on the helmet they're wearing. Wearing no helmet gives them a slight dodge chance.

Their movement range varies from 3 tiles to 2, if mounted.

Spidaurs can't wield shields, so their block chance is 0.

They're weak to ice and resist poison (33%).

Abilities:

• They can create web walls between them and walls or other Spidaurs.
  
• Their attacks can snare enemies.
  
• They can carry their allies (precisely, Humans, Cupkakes and Mascots) on their backs, protecting them from all the melee attacks (however AoE or ranged attacks can still hit them). Carrying an overburdened ally doesn't affect their movement range.

They can capture an enemy in the wild without a net.

Due to their unique stats and an impressive set of abilities, Spidaurs are quite flexible and have a wide range of possible roles they can play in a team.

First of all, as they are pretty tanky and their attack can snare enemies, they're great as frontline tanks snaring more vulnerable opponents and protecting their rear line with web walls.

They can also act as supports when mounted by a Cupcake or a Mascot, providing the rider with defense and healing/buffing allies around (note that, while Mascot mounting a Spidaur buffs it as well, Cupcakes do not heal Spidaurs they ride on).

Because carrying an overburdened character doesn't affect Spidaurs' movement range, they can act as walking fortresses mounted by allies with heavy weaponry (like Sun Sword) and dealing massive damage while maintaining their mobility.

Ranged Humans carried by Spidaurs maintain their number of shots even when Spidaur changes its position.

Spidaurs can also help the rest of their team in killing vulnerable targets by separating them from their allies using web walls.

Spidaurs work really well with Ranged Humans, no matter what type of weapon they wield.
Bow users can mount the Spidaurs and hide from tanks and frontline damage dealers, obliderating the rear. This gives them freedom to move freely and adjust themselves to target's position without losing any ammo.
Axe throwers turn the mounted Spidaur into a massive threat that snares its enemies and annihilates immobilized targets with an extensive amount of damage.
In my opinion Mortars are better off not mounting the Spidaur, but taking advantage of her web walls ability to create a safe place away from the frontline to attack from. I'd avoid using a Ice Mortar, as it can hit one of the Spidaurs by mistake, dealing additional damage (they are weak to ice) and breaking a web wall formation (same goes for electricity or any other kind of stun).

Cupcakes synergise with Spidaurs brilliantly as well. Mounting a Spidaur gives these squishy fellows an ability to safely heal frontline units while being out of tanks' and heavy hitters' attack range. Although they can't heal the Spidaur herself, the defense they gain makes up for it.
There's also a possibility to mount two Spidaurs with a pair of Cupcakes. Because Cupcake's healing range matches Spidaur's web wall range, the two of them can stand in a defensive formation constantly healing one another.

Mascots, although they can possibly ride a Spidaur, are a risky pick. Their buff isn't strong enough to change Spidaur's mechanics and, if enemy uses a lot of ranged units or AoE, it can explode on Spidaur's back, eating up quite a chunk of her HP. In addition, when mounting a Spidaur fighting in the front, it couldn't buff units that really need it, like Rainbow Horses or Mortars. Because its buff range is only one tile, other Spidaurs standing in a defensive web wall formation (and their riders) wouldn't be affected by it.

Because their damage is very low, Spidaurs synergise well with heavy hitters like Cyclops, Humans equipped with Mallets or Heavy Swords or Hair Trolls. In my opinion Hair Trolls are the worst pick out of these three, as they could possibly fling the enemies behind the web wall, exposing the rear.

Spidaurs mounted by overburdened units maintain their mobility, so they work well in teams with Humans wielding Sun Sword or other kind of really heavy weaponry.

Spidaurs work with each other really well due to their web wall ability.

Spidaurs can be easily countered by units that use ice or electricity, as it stuns them and makes them unable to cast web walls.

One great Spidaur counter is Electrobot. It can stun Spidaurs with its electrifying attack, can't be snared by them and, if surrounded by web walls, is able to teleport its way out of the trap. It's basically a perfect counter that leaves Spidaurs unable to outplay it in any way.

Pixies, Mortars, Rainbow Horses, Mascots, Bow Users and some Axe Throwers have a chance of killing Spidaur's rider and therefore taking away one of his main strenghts. Mushrooms, although weak against Spidaurs themselves, deal bonus poison damage against Cupcakes, which synergise with Spidaurs really well.
In addition, Pixies, Electrobots and Mushrooms deal bonus damage against Mascots with a chance of making it explode on Spidaur's back, taking away a massive portion of its HP.

When playing with a Spidaur it's important to:

• Give her a Heavy Helmet. It greatly increases her main strenght, defense in exchange for a bit of damage and useless amount of dodge.
  
• If possible, compose a team with 2 or more Spidaurs, as it gives them more opportunities to cast a web wall.
  
• Try to always seek and separate vulnerable targets from their teams with web walls, making them easier to snare and eliminate.
  
• Avoid keeping your team in a group, as it gives AoE casters an opportunity to take out your Spidaur riders. Instead, try to keep them in a loose formation connected by web walls.

When playing against Spidaur it's important to:

• Send Mallet Users after them, as they likely wear a Heavy Helmet. If you don't have any Mallet Users in your team, concentrate your main frontline forces on Spidaurs to eliminate them as quickly as possible, as they likely are a strategical backbone of their team.
  
• Consequently punish your opponent for breaking its web wall line by breaching their rear whenever it happens.
  
• Try to keep your more squishy units in a group, so they're less likely to be surrounded by a web wall and eliminated.
  
• Find a quick way of killing Spidaur riders, especially if they're Cupcakes.

I hope you'll find my guide useful. :)
Please feel free to leave any suggestions on how to improve my guide in the comments below, so I'll be able to keep it accurate and actual.
If you spot any errors, make sure to inform me about them in the comments as well.

Thank you for stopping by and see you in The Pit!