Kenshi.zoneWorld Encyclopedia

Security SpiderReport

English:Security Spider · Creatures

The machine guardians of Ancient Labs and Lost Armouries, and a stronger version of the Iron Spider. They spawn in groups inside small enclosed spaces and they do not leave — which means that when you come round, they are still standing there.

The Security Spider is a robot. Fandom's description is short: similar to the Iron Spider, but stronger.

The difference is not only in the numbers. Iron Spiders wander the wilderness; Security Spiders hold ground — Ancient Labs, Lost Armouries and similar Ancient Locations. They sit under three factions at once (Ancient Ruins, Old Machines and the Second Empire) and their type field reads Ruin Guardians.

What they guard

Ancient Labs are found in the Floodlands, Obedience, Burning Forest, The Crater and the Forbidden Isle. They are the remnants of a time long past, now in shambles, but the mechanical sentries of the past still roam the rubble. Anyone who wants to salvage the lost tech has to face down many Security Spiders.

The labs reliably yield AI Cores, Ancient Science Books, CPU Units and Generator Cores — one of the most important technology material lists in the game, which is why this gate cannot be skipped.

Lost Armouries are found in the Deadlands, Iron Valleys, Leviathan Coast, Shun and The Pits. Inside are well-preserved ancient weapons and armour, with weapon grades running from Catun No.3 to Edge Type 2 and armour from High to Masterwork. The locks are among the highest in the game and require serious lockpicking skill.

TipFandom's advice on Lost Armouries is that "high Stealth is recommended to avoid fighting them." That is a genuinely viable route: an armoury's value is almost entirely in its boxes, not in the spiders' drops. If you can skip the fight, skip it.

The Spider Factory on the Forbidden Isle is the extreme case — roughly 15 Security Spiders and Iron Spiders, led by the skeleton Spider Foreman with his Meitou-grade staff.

Why they are worse than Iron Spiders

A Security Spider's base stats are 60 (Melee Attack/Defence, Strength, Dexterity, Toughness, Athletics all 60; Martial Arts 6), well above the Iron Spider's 40. But what really makes them dangerous is the battlefield they choose:

One: they will not eat you, but they will not leave either.

Being robotic, Security Spiders are incapable of eating and will not eat your character upon KO. That sounds like good news, until Fandom's next sentence: they usually don't leave the area, because they typically spawn in fairly small, enclosed spaces with nowhere to go.

So being knocked out is not an escape. They are still there when you wake up. Going down inside a ruin often means an endless loop: stand up, get knocked down, stand up again.

Two: they come in groups.

Security Spiders tend to spawn in groups. Fandom's counter is to bring a party, if only to split their attention so they do not all prioritise one person.

Three: one attack can hit two people.

This is the easiest way to lose: if they are close enough, a single attack can hit up to 2 units. They also have 2 extra attack slots.

Bunching your squad up in a narrow ruin corridor is free double damage for the enemy. Spread out before you go into a lab.

Combat data

ItemValue
Combat stats60 (Martial Arts 6)
Blood250
Bleed rate0.5
Heal rate1
Extra attack slots2
Vision range multiplier1
Hunger rate0
Movement speed6 – 12 mph (×1 in combat)

Anatomy

Body partHealthChance of hitting
Head120150
Chest120150
Stomach120100
Right foreleg120100
Left foreleg120100
Right leg12050
Left leg12050

Interestingly, the Security Spider's limb health (120) is lower than the Iron Spider's (200). It is not tougher; it hits harder. All of its advantage is on the offensive side.

Damage formula

Cut = 23 + roughly 0.88 – 0.91 × (Martial Arts + Dexterity)

The 23 is 13 minimum cut damage plus 10 piercing damage — the same formula as the Iron Spider and Cleanser Unit. The difference is the base stat of 60, which pushes actual damage substantially higher.

Vision

Note the vision range multiplier of 1, against the Iron Spider's 0.6. Security Spiders see further, which is why sneaking through a ruin requires real Stealth rather than relying on poor machine eyesight.

Drops

Per kill: Iron Plates ×6, Electrical Components ×4, Skeleton Muscle ×1.

Skeleton Muscle is the highlight — a material for skeleton repair and the robotics bench, and worth good money. By comparison the Iron Spider drops only iron plates and electrical components, no muscle.

Security Spider II

The Security Spider II is a different creature and should not be merged into this article.

It is a smaller version of the standard Security Spider with far less HP and strength, but its smaller size lets it manoeuvre more easily in cluttered terrain or indoors around furniture. Its base stats are likewise 60 (Martial Arts 6).

Its locations are entirely different from the standard type — it guards places that are actually in use:

NoteSecurity Spider IIs appear in shops and gang outposts, which means they are security equipment in active use, not sentries left behind in abandoned ruins. Same name, entirely different situation.

See also