Firefly
Glows in the dark. Mostly to attract things it should not.
Rare bugs unlock with XP you earn playing online, or with coins. The game shows how to get each one.
Passive: Lantern
Power-up orbs drift toward you from 220u; +1 charge in every slot.
A passive is always on: you never fire it and it never runs out. It is what the Firefly does that no other bug does quite the same way.
Stats
Stats are multipliers on the standard bug, which is ×1.00 in everything (the game shows them as percentages: ×1.14 is 114%). Turn is Agility in the game. For Boost drain, lower is cheaper.
| Stat | Firefly | Compared with the standard bug |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | ×1.04 | 4% faster |
| Turn | ×1.10 | turns 10% faster |
| Bulk | ×0.92 | 8% thinner |
| Growth | ×1.14 | 14% more from food |
| Boost | ×1.06 | boosts 6% faster |
| Boost drain | ×1.00 | the standard |
| Spawn mass | 18 | the standard |
| Starting charges | +1 | in every slot |
Power-ups
Every bug has 5 power-up slots. The Firefly can carry 8 of the game's 18 power-ups: the 5 core ones every bug carries, and 3 more that its traits from the real animal allow. Its traits are flier, nocturnal, gardener and tiny.
Hyperdash
Instantly teleport 420u forward; for 0.4s only the wall can kill you.
From its flier and nocturnal traits.
Nectar Bloom
For 10s every mouthful is worth double and you regenerate 6 mass per second.
From its gardener and nocturnal traits.
Leaf Camouflage
Blend into the leaves for 6s: bots no longer see your head as a threat or as prey, and other players see you faded.
From its nocturnal trait.
Core power-ups: Nitro Wings, Molt Husks, Phase Shift, Pheromone Call, Shockwave.
How bots play it
Bots fill every seat no player is using. A bot playing the Firefly plays it as a Skittish. Jumpy: the widest berth around bodies, the earliest flight and quick evasive boosts; it fires defensive power-ups early.
Other skittish bugs: Grasshopper, Mosquito, Monarch Butterfly, Tsetse Fly, Cockroach, Luna Moth.
Skins
The Firefly has 7 skins. A skin changes only how it looks, never how it plays. See them in the full skin gallery.
Aurora Firefly
A midnight-blue firefly whose lantern glows aurora mint.
Ember Firefly
A dark brown firefly with a lantern of glowing ember orange.
Femme Fatale Firefly
The Photuris predator that fakes other fireflies' flashes: warm brown wing covers and a lime-green lantern.
Blue Ghost Firefly
A pale, ghostly firefly of Appalachian forests trailing a steady blue lantern.
Garnet Firefly
Wine-dark wing covers ringed in gold, with a ruby-red lantern no other firefly carries.
Firework Firefly
A midnight-navy firefly with silver wings, gold-edged elytra and gold diamonds, carrying a firework-pink lantern.
Will-o'-Wisp Firefly
A dusky violet firefly whose lantern glows purple, a will-o'-wisp bobbing over the misty hollow.
The real animal
The Firefly in buggs.io is based on Photinus pyralis, and its traits come from what the real animal does. Read about it on Wikipedia.