Mirelurk (Fallout 3)

The Mirelurks are a species of bipedal, mutant crabs from the Capital Wasteland area. Most Mirelurks are surrounded by a carapace which is difficult to penetrate, even with powerful ballistic and laser weaponry. Said carapace strongly resembles that of a Horseshoe Crab, perhaps suggesting an ancestry between the two. The face is more vulnerable, but is small and hard to hit, and when charging, Mirelurks lower their head, protecting this area.

Mirelurk Meat, especially of the Softshell variety, is highly nutritious and grants some of the highest HP replenishments of all the food in the game. Both still are slightly radioactive, but no more than typical food.

Appearances
Mirelurks appear only in Fallout 3

Mirelurk
‡ Due to their hard shells, shots on the torso only do half of the normal damage.

The most common type of Mirelurk. They have a whitish-grey shell, are about a head shorter than a typical human, and walk slightly slower than a human. Mirelurks fight with their claws and lack ranged attacks. Additionally, at close range they can charge forward in a brief burst of speed for a head-butt, which also makes it impossible to target their face.

Due to their damage resistant carapaces and relatively difficult to hit face, Mirelurks are one of the toughest enemy creatures that can be encountered at low levels. Fortunately, their presence in the Capital Wasteland is mostly limited to rivers and water pools.

Mirelurks pose even more of a threat when in groups, Mirelurk packs are usually found around eggs or chasing and harassing other creatures and usually come in numbers of 1-3 or sometimes 4-5. One should use frag grenades on Mirelurk packs to not only hurt the target Mirelurk but also those around him, though again, the Alien Blaster can make short work of even a pack.

Mirelurks can be found in most low-level outdoor and indoor water sources. Be cautious of Mirelurk nests that are in or around water sources; walking too close to them will cause all the Mirelurks in the area to pursue and attack you. The head of a Mirelurk is usually too small to be aimed at when not using V.A.T.S., so weapons with a high-rate often work well. When using V.A.T.S., single-shot weapons like the Scoped .44 Magnum, Hunting Rifle, and Sniper Rifle work well. In addition, a Chinese Assault Rifle or regular Assault rifle delivered to the face at close range in V.A.T.S. also kills Mirelurks and indeed NukaLurks quite nicely. Drops standard Mirelurk Meat.

Mirelurk Hunter
A much larger, reddish-brown colored version of the Mirelurk. In additional to their two main arms, Hunters also have 2 pairs of small, vestigial crab limbs growing out of their chest. Mirelurk Hunters inhabit the Northern Wastes and several sewers and caves near the Metropolitan area of the Capital, along with a good number in the Anchorage War Memorial. Hunters are very violent and are more difficult to kill due to their increased strength, speed, and health.

Mirelurk King
Mirelurk Kings are different than other Mirelurk variants, mainly because they do not resemble their crab-like "subjects", but are mutated snapping turtles and appear more like mermen. They are fully humanoid, and do not have a heavily armored carapace, making them easy to distinguish from standard Mirelurks. They're most likely a separate species in a symbiotic relationship with the crab-like Mirelurks.

Mirelurk Kings lack the Mirelurks' armored shell, but to compensate they have extremely high health (slightly higher than that of a Super Mutant Master). They also have a sonic projectile attack that disregards Damage Resistance (and causes a lot of Limb damage to your head). Kings are found few and far between in the Capital Wasteland, outside, but more so in caves and sewers, and do not present any other special loot or items over Mirelurk Hunters, except for Soft Shell Mirelurk Meat, which is one of the best foods in the game. Of note, they infest the Reactor area of Vault 92. They only appear when the player is at very high levels.

NukaLurk
A glowing blue Mirelurk that is only found in the Nuka-Cola Factory, almost certainly due to the isotope used for Nuka-Cola Quantum. They seem to be bigger and faster than the normal Mirelurks, similar in size to the Mirelurk Hunters. Their meat is notable for a small boost in AP as well as Radiation and Health; 4 Rads, +10 AP, and +20 HP.

Catfish Mirelurk
A humanoid, mutated catfish known as a "catfish mirelurk" also appears in The Art of Fallout 3, the art book available with the collector's edition of Fallout 3.

Strategy for Mirelurks
Mirelurks are strong, tough and mean, and are quite fast. Mirelurks have VERY tough carapaces, which makes them pretty tough to dispatch once they get close enough. From afar, the best strategy is to use a powerful, precise weapon to target their vulnerable faces. If you can't get the angle to hit the face targeting the legs can be effective especially in conjunction with the Dart Gun or Frag Grenade. Entering Sneak mode, which lowers the player's height, can improve the chances of hitting the Mirelurk's down turned face both in VATS and when firing manually. The Concentrated Fire perk can also make hitting the face very easy at the end of a series of VATS shots, especially with a weapon that uses few action points such as the Laser Pistol or Laser Rifle. Up close, the Combat Shotgun is recommended to dispatch them. With the combat shotgun, you can crouch while a Mirelurk is running (not bending down to hit you with it's hide) and then, before it gets close enough to bend over and ram you, shoot it with a good ol' shotgun blast to the face. Even non VATS-assisted shots to the face can be devastating, and can occasionally bring one down in a single hit, and with a small guns skill of 100, combat/sawed off shotgun, it is usually a one-hit-kill, unless the weapon is in near broken condition. Be weary though, Mirelurks are fast, and can get to you in seconds! There is also a small window of opportunity to get a very good chance in VATS to shoot a Mirelurks face during their ramming attack. If you can time it properly, it is possible to back away and dodge the attack. After Mirelurks swing their hides upward, you can VATS their faces, often with a high chance of success. The percentage is usually in the 60s and 70s, and sometimes even the 80s. This allows you to take down a Mirelurk very quickly as a high percentage of your shots will actually hit their face in VATS. The Railway Rifle and the Flamer also work well against them. It is NOT recommended to get close to them, as they are very fierce attackers. They do not pause between close range attacks, such as with Deathclaws. This means if one corners you, it is VERY difficult to escape.

The Shishkebab is a very effective weapon when dealing with the Mirelurks. It has decent melee damage, and it also has additional fire damage, and it sets the Mirelurk on fire dealing additional damage continuously. If available, this weapon should definitely be tried when encountering Mirelurks.

Players specializing in Unarmed attacks will find the Deathclaw Gauntlet of great value against Mirelurks. Melee specialists should opt for the Ripper, which is effective no matter where it hits.

Mirelurks can be observed swimming in water. Energy weapons do not harm them under water but conventional bullets do the job. When they are under water VATS will still be able to track and target them. Sometimes Mirelurks can be seen "swimming" above land a few feet near bodies of water. Obviously this is most likely a glitch.

A useful strategy when a Mirelurk has gotten close in an open area is to strafe in circles around it while your VATS recharges since the Mirelurk will circle around at you from a standing position with its shoulder turned toward you. Be careful not to get within claw-snapping distance or so far that it can fully turn around and charge you. You can then let it turn fully and take some well-placed VATS shots at the face before it charges.

Mirelurks are often found in groups. Many areas in the game (Vault 92 and the broken bow of Rivet City, for example) are Mirelurk nests, so they are some of the most dangerous places in the game. This is compounded by the fact they prefer closed, dark places as their nesting grounds, so they can easily overwhelm you in narrow corridors and dead-ends. Beware, Mirelurks can open doors (though they seem to be unable to figure out those that are activated by wall switches). It is also difficult to hear them until they are within range of you, which makes them very effective at ambushing.

Mirelurk Kings lack the damage-resisting armored carapace of regular Mirelurks, but have very high health to compensate. They can still be brought down with sufficient fire from decent weapons. Headshots are very useful against them.