Hermit crab (Far Harbor)

The hermit crab is a creature in the Fallout 4 add-on Far Harbor.

Biology
The Far Harbor hermit crab still resembles its unmutated pre-War ancestor quite closely both in appearance and in its habits, with only one major difference: its immense size. Towering head and shoulders over any human, hermit crabs are far too large to protect their vulnerable abdomen by squeezing it into an empty gastropod shell. Instead they use wrecked vehicles to facilitate their ambush hunting style.

Gameplay attributes
Hermit crabs are giant creatures on par with fog crawlers, mirelurk queens and super mutant behemoths, though not quite as tall as the latter. As rare as they are powerful, the crabs are only ever encountered alone in a select few locations on Far Harbor Island where they masquerade - ironically - as a wrecked Lobster Grill van choked with tires, mud and debris. Should something or someone venture close enough, the hermit crab will reveal itself and attack with its massive claws. The process of extracting itself from its shell takes quite some time and should usually suffice to put some distance between the Sole Survivor and the crab, provided the creature did not get the jump on its prey.

Needless to say for a beast this size, hermit crabs are heavy hitters and can inflict immense damage with their claws while soaking up massive amounts of firepower in return. Fortunately they are quite slow and not exactly agile. They also can neither fit through doors nor mount obstacles. However, they do have the ability to create hatchlings that pour out at the player in waves. They will stop, pull halfway back into their shell and begin shaking before releasing about 4-6 hermit crab hatchlings at a time. Sometimes they will do that upon death as well.

Hermit crabs usually do not attack until suitable prey gets within four to five metres of their position. They will, however, reveal themselves and actively start searching for trespassers if one stays in the general area for too long. This happens even when the player remained hidden during this time.

Hermit crab hatchling
Hermit crab hatchlings are, for all intents and purposes, identical to mirelurk hatchlings. They look similar, show the same behaviour and are equally weak in combat, although low-level players should not underestimate them when encountering them in larger numbers.

Locations

 * Briney's Bait and Tackle, in front of the building
 * Due west of the Oceanarium, at the farthest end of the destroyed bridge
 * A short distance due north of Waves Crest Orphanage, between two derelict pickup trucks in front of a Vim vending machine
 * Just in front of the north screen of Eden Meadows Cinemas, assuming the resident ghouls had previously been taken out
 * Far Harbor settlers may invite the Sole Survivor on a hermit crab hunt in the quest The Deadliest Catch. The target is most often one of the crabs mentioned above (usually the one closest to the settlement where the quest was obtained), provided the creature is still alive at that point.

Appearances
Hermit crabs appear only in the Fallout 4 add-on Far Harbor.

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