If you've been rolling ants, hoarding food, and growing your colony in Build An Ant Empire, you've probably noticed the training area and wondered what it's actually for. The answer is Build An Ant Empire mounts — rideable versions of your own ants, created through the game's Ant Training system. Unlike most Roblox tycoons where you buy a vehicle from a shop, here the mount is tied directly to an ant you already own, which makes the system both exciting and genuinely risky. Fail the training, and that ant is gone for good. This guide breaks down exactly how mounts work, how to train one safely, and which ants you should (and shouldn't) risk.
What Are Mounts in Build An Ant Empire?
Build An Ant Empire is a simulation/tycoon experience from Insect Kingdom studio where you start with a tiny colony and expand it into a massive empire by rolling new ants, collecting food, and upgrading your base. The game regularly pulls more than 25,000 concurrent players and holds a 96% like ratio on Roblox, so it's clearly striking a chord with the tycoon crowd.
Mounts are the game's take on personal transportation and progression flair. Instead of a generic car or skateboard, your ride is a trained version of one of your ants. Once training succeeds, you can hop on and ride your ant around the map.
| Mount Feature | How It Works |
|---|---|
| Source | Created through Ant Training, not purchased |
| Input | One of your own ants |
| Outcome | Rideable version of that ant on success |
| Risk | Failed training can consume the ant |
| Customization | Depends on which ant you submit |
The key takeaway: your mount is only as interesting as the ant you feed into the system. Different ants can become mount candidates, so the system is tied to your colony roster, not a fixed catalog of vehicles.
How to Get a Mount: The Training Flow, Step by Step
Based on player experience and recorded gameplay, the process for turning an ant into a mount follows four clear steps:
- Choose an ant. Head to the training area and submit one of your ants. This is the ant that will (hopefully) become your ride.
- Start training. Training is not guaranteed to succeed. Community footage shows at least one attempt where the ant simply disappeared after a failed session.
- Wait for the result. A successful attempt transforms the ant into a rideable mount.
- Ride it. Once training completes successfully, you can immediately mount up and travel around the map.
| Step | Action | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Select an ant at the training area | None yet — the ant is still safe |
| 2 | Begin training | Ant is at stake; failure may consume it |
| 3 | Training resolves | Success or fail is decided |
| 4 | Ride your new mount | No further risk |
There's no shop, no currency shortcut, and no way to buy a mount outright — at least not at the time of writing. If developer zhangyk2010 adds alternative acquisition methods in a future update, we'll update this guide.
Understanding the Risk: Training Can Fail
This is the part most new players learn the hard way. Ant Training is a gamble, and the stakes are the ant itself.
What the community has observed
- Failure deletes the ant. In one recorded attempt shared by players, the submitted ant vanished entirely after training failed. There's no refund, no return window.
- Success creates a ride. A later attempt from the same footage succeeded, and the player was riding the trained ant moments later.
- Success rates are unpublished. Neither the developers nor the community has confirmed an exact percentage. Current evidence only proves that both outcomes exist — nothing more.
| Outcome | Result | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Success | Ant becomes a rideable mount | Confirmed in recorded gameplay |
| Failure | Ant is consumed/removed | Confirmed in recorded gameplay |
| Success rate | Unknown | No official percentage published |
Because the odds are opaque, treat every training attempt like a coin flip with real consequences. Until the devs publish actual rates (or the community gathers enough data to estimate them), assume the worst.
Which Ant Should You Train? A Safe Strategy
Not all ants are created equal in Build An Ant Empire. Some are powerful producers and rare rolls you'll struggle to replace; others are common duplicates you can roll again in minutes. Your training target should almost always be the latter.
The golden rules of safe training
- Never sacrifice your best worker first. A failed attempt can permanently remove the ant. Test the system with a replaceable duplicate until you understand the risk personally.
- Don't train early. Mounts are convenience and progression content — they don't pay your bills. Food production still funds every other upgrade in your colony, so stabilize your economy before gambling ants.
- Expect the unknown. With no published success rate, every attempt carries uncertainty. Budget for failure, not success.
| Ant Type | Train It? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Common duplicate | ✅ Yes | Easily replaced if training fails |
| Rare single copy | ❌ No | A failed roll could cost you hours of progress |
| Best food producer | ❌ Not yet | Your economy depends on it; wait until you have spares |
| Duplicate of a rare ant | ⚠️ Maybe | Acceptable once your colony can absorb the loss |
A simple rule of thumb from player experience: if losing the ant would set you back more than a few minutes of gameplay, don't put it in the training area. If it wouldn't, you've found a safe training candidate.
When Should You Start Training Mounts?
Timing matters more than most players realize. Here's a rough progression checklist to follow before your first attempt:
- Stable food income. Your colony should generate enough food passively that losing one worker doesn't stall upgrades.
- Duplicate ants on hand. Have at least one spare of anything you plan to train.
- Core upgrades complete. Finish the essential colony upgrades first; a mount is a luxury, not a necessity.
- Disposable roster slot. Make sure the ant you're submitting isn't load-bearing for any production chain.
Mounts are best thought of as a mid-game reward. Rushing them early is the fastest way to gut a growing colony, while training them once your empire is established costs you almost nothing.
Quick Tips and Common Mistakes
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Train common duplicates first | Submit your strongest producer on attempt one |
| Wait for a stable economy | Train mounts before your food income covers upgrades |
| Treat success rates as unknown | Assume training is guaranteed |
| Keep spares of rare ants | Put your only copy of a rare ant at risk |
| View mounts as convenience content | Expect mounts to replace food production |
Other mistakes worth flagging:
- Assuming every ant trains the same. Different ants are different candidates — the system is tied to your roster, so your mount will reflect the ant you chose.
- Blaming the game for a failed roll. Failure is an intentional part of the design. The risk is the price of admission for a personalized ride.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get mounts in Build An Ant Empire?
You create Build An Ant Empire mounts through the Ant Training system. Submit one of your ants at the training area; if training succeeds, that ant becomes a rideable mount. If it fails, the ant may be consumed.
Can training fail and delete my ant?
Yes. Player experience and recorded gameplay confirm that failed training attempts can remove the submitted ant permanently, with no refund.
What is the success rate for Ant Training?
Unknown. No official percentage has been published, and current footage only proves that both success and failure can happen.
Which ant should I train first?
Start with a common, easily replaceable duplicate once your food economy is stable. Never risk your best producer or your only copy of a rare ant until your colony can afford the loss.
Ready to ride? Build up that colony, pick a disposable ant, and roll the dice — your empire's first mount is waiting on the other side of a successful training session. For the latest official updates, check out the Build An Ant Empire page on Roblox and the Insect Kingdom studio's Discord community.