Darkside

"'You underestimate the power of the Darkside...' ~ Darkside Credo"

 is one of several 'alignments' or strategy types described by Team17 and the Worms-playing community, and is considered the antithesis to Lightside. The name comes from a certain film reference as well as the general behavior of the team: Darksiders stay underground; Lightsiders keep to the surface.

At the core, Darksiders are considered evil or villainous, preferring to stay on the defensive than push the attack. Darksiders favor discretion over impulsiveness; precision over mass destruction. A Darksider would rather wait and form a plan than to act without thinking. At their best, Darksiders are brilliant chessmasters who are five steps ahead of their opponent at all times. At their worst, Darksiders are cowards who prefer to retreat underground than die in a glorious candescence.

Darksiders worship the Buffalo of Lies and their particle effects use colours of purple, grey and black, as well as skulls and dark clouds.

Contrary to belief, Darksiders do know the meaning of mercy; they simply choose not to show any. Chivalry is lost upon them; if a Darksider acquires a Super-Weapon, they will use it at his or her earliest convenience.

Weapons
The following are considered 'Darkside' weapons, either because they delay the opponent, help the Darksider's worms to hide or evade damage, or specifically counter Lightside tactics.

Air Strike, Napalm Strike, and Poison Strike
The Air Strike weapons have no range limit, and can be deployed from anywhere on the map with no interference. This is, in essence, the 'perfect' Darkside weapon. The Poison Strike is doubly so, as Poison is a favorite Darkside weapon that can whittle down enemy health with little-to-no interference.

Blowtorch
An old page from the Book of Boggy B. reads: 'When in doubt, dig'. This is a cornerstone of the Darkside tactic; a Darksider without a Blowtorch is a very sorry individual. Darksiders will use the Blowtorch to put large amounts of terrain between his team and a Lightsider's weapons.

The Buffalo of Lies
Patron God of Darksiders everywhere, The Buffalo of Lies is a destructive force that exploits the Lightsider's preference of the surface. The Buffalo is a Sheep on steroids, exploding six consecutive times to crush the opposition and force them towards the water's edge. The Buffalo, due to its power of blasting through walls, can also be used to launch an assault from an underground cavern from a safe distance, blasting through walls and proceeding to charge down an enemy team.

Pneumatic Drill
The drill, like the Blowtorch, is a favorite Darkside tool, and the bane of Lightsiders everywhere. With the push of a button, a Darksider can disappear several meters underground, in a tunnel too narrow for all but the best Lightsiders to lob a grenade into.

Girders and Bridge Kits
Girders are possibly the most infuriating tool of the Darksider, even though the tool itself is neutrally-aligned. A Darksider will use the Girder as a means of defending himself by blocking up holes in the terrain, or mounting shields against Bazooka and Grenade attacks. If a girder should become damaged, a Darksider will immediately patch it with a new girder on the next turn. The Bridge kit is the most desired utility for the cowardly Darksider.

See the Lightside article for alternative uses of Girders.

Armageddon
What could be better than having your entire team tucked safely underground? Deploying a rain of flaming meteors to take out the meddlesome Lightsiders! Armageddon will destroy or seriously wound anyone fool enough to be on the surface, but can be dangerous to Darksiders too, as each meteor strike carves out a valuable section of terrain.