Flying Crab

The Flying Crab is a small, hostile flying creature that damages the player upon contact. Flying Crabs only spawn from Flying Crab Hatchers and are roughly the size of a pioneer's head.

Stats
It takes two hits from the  to kill, while the  or the  can kill it in one hit. It deals five damage (half-segment) upon contact with the player.

Behavior
Flying Crab Hatchers burst when damaged or if a pioneer gets too close, spawning three Flying Crabs, each with a different attacking pattern. One of the three will charge towards the pioneer in a straight line, one will fly in a serpentine pattern and the other one will circle the pioneer and sneak up from behind. After hitting the pioneer, the crab will ragdoll on the ground, then after a few seconds, it will start flying around again.

If the hatcher is destroyed from a distance, the Flying Crabs will alternate between moving short distances and hovering, patrolling near where their hatcher was.

Combat

 * Once you have unlocked the Rebar Gun or Rifle, shooting the Flying Crab Hatcher and Flying Crabs from a distance is the easiest way to kill them.
 * Flying Crabs despawn automatically after 30 seconds if no pioneer is nearby, so you actually only need to shoot the hatcher. If you get too close the crabs won't despawn.
 * Nobelisk is not effective against them. Crabs can easily move out of the explosion range.
 * If only a melee weapon is available, such as a Xeno-Zapper, ensure you have at least 50 HP left (5 segments).
 * Build an Equipment Workshop near the Flying Crab Hatcher. It has a window and roof with some walls that provide good cover.
 * Try to only trigger one Flying Crab Hatcher at a time.
 * The hatcher will spawn three flying crabs.
 * First kill the one which is charging at you in a straight line. You need two hits with a Xeno-Zapper or one hit with a Xeno-Basher.
 * If the crab takes damage, it will fall to the ground and roll. Move forward and kill it.
 * Similarly, a crab that attacked you will also bounce away and roll on the ground.
 * One of the remaining Flying Crabs will be right behind you. Turn around and attack it.
 * The other might already have bumped into you from the other side. Each crab's tackle attack deals five damage (half a segment).
 * Back off and watch them, and attack whichever comes to you first.
 * Repeat until all 3 crabs are killed.
 * Loot the dropped Alien Carapace for later use.
 * If you are low on health, you may choose to flee. Be aware that flying crabs can outrun the player in a straight line, even while running so be very careful moving around flying crab hatchers if without a melee weapon or at low health without a healing item on hand.

Loot
Flying Crabs themselves drop nothing, but a destroyed hatcher drops a reskinned Alien Carapace.

History

 * Patch 0.6.0.0: Flying Crabs have more predictable behavior
 * Patch 0.3.4.11: Increased hitstun on the Flying Crabs a little more
 * Patch 0.3.4.10:
 * Increased the size of Flying Crabs to make them easier to hit and track
 * Increased the stun delay and downward force on the Flying Crabs so they are on the ground a little bit longer
 * Patch 0.2.1?: No longer simply fly in straight lines, but have three different movement patterns, making defeating them significantly more challenging