Flying Crab Hatcher

Flying Crab Hatchers are plant-like creatures with 6 glowing, hanging bulbs. Often found near rivers, cliff edges, Power Slugs and Crash Sites, approaching or attacking (via Rebar Gun, for example) these creatures will cause the bulbs to burst, spawning 3 Flying Crabs and killing the plant. A dead Flying Crab Hatcher drops a recolored Alien Carapace as loot.

Flying Crab Hatcher regrows after some time if the player did not build and power buildings in the area, like all other enemies. When a Nobelisk touches it directly or it's blown up by it, the Flying Crabs will spawn anyway. Landing a Nobelisk directly on the plant will cause the Nobelisk to disappear.

Tips

 * Build an Equipment Workshop nearby the Flying Crab Hatcher before approaching it.
 * It has a window and roof with some wall which is a good cover.
 * It's easier to snipe the plant with a Rebar Gun or Rifle first, then approach the Flying Crabs one by one (rather than having them come at the engineer all at once)
 * While not aggroed, the Flying Crabs flit about with a second or two's pause in between, making them also fairly easy to snipe.
 * Try to avoid triggering more than one hatcher plant at a time.
 * Another way of attacking is to get close quickly and destroy some bulbs with the Xeno-Basher before they explode, killing multiple flying crabs at once.
 * It is possible to stay much closer to the hatcher by hiding behind foliage (Trees, Shrubs, etc.)

Trivia

 * If the engineer quickly hides behind a cover while the Hatcher is halfway bursting, the hatcher will go back to its dormant state and will not burst.
 * Such as behind a wall, a Crashed FICSIT Freighter or a building.
 * It is likely that the flying crab hatcher itself, or the bulbs it sports, is/are the eggs of maybe the Crab Boss, which would mean that the flying crabs are only the younglings of the species.

History

 * Patch Closed Alpha 2: Introduced