Shaded Citadel help?

[Aloe Vera]

So, I've just met the blue lady with the squids in shoreline, and the yellow guide has begun directing me toward Shaded Citadel. No problems, I thought. I hadn't heard anything bad about any of the areas except Chimney Canopies (which even if I wanted to go to I never found the karma gate for it).
It generally seemed fine at first, the only creatures I saw were these cute little glow things, and a scavenger merchant, and traversing the area was simple enough other than the need for a lantern. But, of course there's the damned spiders.
Every other enemy in Rain World had been straightforward, being difficult sure, but having a way to avoid them (per example, Vultures are awful, but they're at least too big to fit into some areas). But with the spiders it feels like there's nothing I can do. The lantern is too dim to notice them before they attack, the terrain makes it so that I can't outmaneuver them, they kill quickly and without weakness, it feels impossible.
Is there any way I can deal with them? Or is there some kind of alternate route I can use?

[Lyra]

Are you talking about the big spiders, or the small ones that clump together?

[ivan866_z]

notice, if taking the shortest route, you will not encounter a single spider on your way
you ve met them because you went west, to the darkest dungeons of the citadel
i d say, if going without a lantern, or using just glowing mice, their danger is about 85%, but with a lantern, it is only 35% or less; they only start attacking when they gather critical mass

[Daenthio]

I was lucky enough-when following the overseer-to be able to quickly get through shaded citadel and right to the leg and then underhang. I just avoided the spiders, and swam under the monster seaweed. Then the overseer abandoned me and I just went through the leg and now I am at the beginning of underhang.

[Aloe Vera]

Originally posted by Lyra:

Are you talking about the big spiders, or the small ones that clump together?

Both

[Eclipse Shadowscale]

if you become truly truly desperate, return to moon, and consume a neuron fly to permanently become quite luminous. This has many consequences, but if you need a spider solution it will help. on a less helpful but much less cruel note, you can also consume neuron flies that do not belong to moon to achieve the same glow to help if you later return to the citadel

[Aloe Vera]

Originally posted by Eclipse Shadowscale:

if you become truly truly desperate, return to moon, and consume a neuron fly to permanently become quite luminous. This has many consequences, but if you need a spider solution it will help. on a less helpful but much less cruel note, you can also consume neuron flies that do not belong to moon to achieve the same glow to help if you later return to the citadel

Those are the things that float around the blue lady, right? Don't those get rid of the guide?

[Perseus]

Originally posted by Jemira:

Those are the things that float around the blue lady, right? Don't those get rid of the guide?

They do. If you just want to progress, you really don't need those (they don't help THAT much), but there are easier ways of going to where the guide guides you.
The easiest way involves what Winterkalte mentioned in spoiler text. If you want to know where to find such a thing :

From the Shoreline gate, when you have a choice of pipes to go through, take one that is furthest down left, then the one to the left, then the first one down, then the one at the top right, then the one to the right.