Death of a Shai-Hulud

[Davidu]

I want to know how does a Sand Worm die... How can it be killed, or how does it die of old age (does it die of old age?). Apard from being drowned, of course. ::)

[King-Mega]

Easy:

Attack it with Devastators. Order multiple air strikes on it or launch death hands on it or blow it up with sonic tanks or just ride it and let it get killed.

8)

[Apollyon]

This is not to do with emperor battle for dune, king-mega... ::)

Well, I suppose water, like you said is the obvious way. I seem to remember that they (the harkonnens with Rabban) kill one in one of the preludes, I think they used explosives, but I'm not so sure. Essentially worms would be very tough and resistant to fire due to their silicon based physiology.

[FireSnake]

It is said that even a nuke cannot destroy a Shai-Hulud, buy only makes it dizzy.

But it is also said that electrical impulses would kill one.

- Matthew

[Vanguard3000]

"Napalm. Lots and lots of napalm."

-Evolution

Aside from water, lasguns will burn through a worm, but it would take time. I think Leto II was struck with a lasgun in GEoD, and he could feel it burning him, and had to get out of the way before it tore through his skin.

[exatreide]

Easy, Fly over one in a orni and drop a cargo bay full of water ballons on one.

[Andrew]

I think they die of old age. when they get old they break down into many sandtrout.(I think I read that somewhere)

[Navaros]

king-mega, if you were playing Emperor then those would be some very crappy and inefficient ways to kill a Shai-Halud (although you can't kill them in Emperor, I don't think)

i thought they could die by getting "dried-out"? maybe i'm wrong, but that's the impression i got

[Andrew]

i thought they could die by getting "dried-out"? maybe i'm wrong, but that's the impression i got

dried out? I dont see how that would happen other than the sun getting to them for being above ground too long but i doubt that.

The worms can be ridden (ride them) to exhaustion then they go under the sand regain energy and I forget how it was put in the books "sook"?.

[exatreide]

sook was the cry of the water seller ;)

[Vanguard3000]

Are you thinking of the worms submerging to "sulk"?

Like horses and dogs, the worms can be ridden to death. As long as the hooks or spreaders are in, the worm will not submerge.

[Navaros]

As long as the hooks or spreaders are in, the worm will not submerge.

then why do they always submerge automatically after a set period of time in Emperor? i certainly never took the hooks out.

[DjCiD]

I know right, thats what I'm screaming :D

What if you captured it like they did in the CoD mini-series and then not let it submerge. Pick it up with an advanced carry all ;D

[Andrew]

Are you thinking of the worms submerging to "sulk"?

That is exactly what I was looking for.

I think they can be ridden to death, but several times the rider thought the worm may go underground or roll to get the person off, even if it meant the soft spot to be exposed.

[Davidu]

So, they die of old age and break into sand trouts... that seems quite real. I always wodered how they can die... i mean they just lie down on the desert floor (like in ocean floor) and wait to die?

[Vanguard3000]

then why do they always submerge automatically after a set period of time in Emperor? i certainly never took the hooks out.

Because that's Emperor. They probably did that for balancing reasons.

[AWACS]

But it is also said that electrical impulses would kill one.

- Matthew

yup, eletric charge to each segment of the worm should kill it, for explosives to work there would have been thousands of them

[Khan]

Does water poison a sand worm just when it hits the skin or does the Sandworm have to actually 'swallow' it?

[Vanguard3000]

It burns the worm on contact. (GEoD Spoiler]

[hide]In GEoD, Leto II get's caught in a rain shower, and it burns him. It even mentions bluish smoke rising from his body[/hide]

[nemafakei]

"then why do they always submerge automatically after a set period of time in Emperor?"

Perhaps because the Fremen would not want to ride a worm to death... after all, they revere Shai-Hulud as a god incarnate.

As to the Lasguns, I thought that Leto only felt it bacause the beam caught his leg-remnants.

[Vanguard3000]

Well, he had his "leg" blown off with a lasgun, but the rest of his body was pretty thickly armoured. Still, sustained lasgun fire would eventually burn through him.