Everything is Crab — FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Questions and answers taken from community discussions on Discord. Useful for new players and quick reference.

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General

What is Everything is Crab?

An evolution roguelite where you start as a creature and evolve during the run by choosing evolutions, POIs (Points of Interest), and genetics. The goal is to survive the bosses and win the run.

What is the main character's name?

Darwin — chosen by the community in a vote (200+ suggestions).

Does the game have multiplayer?

There are no confirmed plans for multiplayer at this time. The question was asked in the community and the team indicated it's too early to confirm.

Where do I report bugs?

Press F1 during the game to open the Bug Report tool. Fill out the form and attach the generated zip (it contains a screenshot, log, and run data) to make fixing easier.

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Controls and interface

What are the controls (keyboard and mouse)?

- WASD — move - Mouse — aim - Left click — primary attack / select options (Evolutions, POIs) - Right click — secondary attack / flip evolution cards - Middle click — Ultimate attack (when available) - Space — Dash - ESC — Pause and stats screen - F1 — Open Bug Report

In the evolution picker: 1, 2, 3 to choose; R for Reroll; U for Upgrade; Enter to Continue.

In the POI picker: 1, 2, 3 to choose.

What is "Attack Penalty"?

It's how much attacks reduce your movement speed. On the pause menu, hover over the stat names to see the tooltip. Values are in % (e.g. 100% = base); reductions (lower number) are shown in green as an improvement.

How do I know if an attack uses Physical Damage (PD) or Ability Damage (AD)?

The evolution description states Physical or Ability. On pause (ESC), in the evolution list at the bottom, hover over each one to see the description. Damage number colours on screen also indicate: red = PD, purple = AD, green = healing.

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Combat mechanics and stats

What is Bullseye (Genetic)?

Bullseye makes all attacks use the higher of Physical Damage and Ability Damage. So you can scale Bite damage with an AD-focused build. Recommended with Spawn of Chaos or to maximise poison damage.

What is the base damage?

10 base damage. With the genetic that halves damage in exchange for less progress to level up, base becomes 5.

Physical Damage vs Ability Damage?

- PD (Physical Damage) — used by contact/phys attacks (e.g. Bite, Pincers). - AD (Ability Damage) — used by ability attacks (e.g. Spit, Beak, Stinger). Each attack evolution states in its description which stat it uses.

How does the Affinity system work?

Your affinity points (on the pause screen and top-left when evolving) change the weight of related evolutions. E.g. +20% Prey (mouse icon) gives Prey-affinity evolutions 20% higher chance to appear. Rarity and whether it's an upgrade or new evolution also affect this. Your level doesn't directly change each evo's chance; banning or unlocking evolutions (by choosing others) affects it indirectly.

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Evolutions and builds

How do I get Pincers / crab evolutions?

Take the Arms evolution after a boss; that unlocks Pincers. After Pincers you're on the "crab" path. The team is working on more "carcinisation" (turning into crab) evolutions.

Pincers with a small build (Smol)?

Pincers work very well with a small build: you tend to get a double hit on every attack.

Plating + Overwhelm?

A Plating (armour) build pairs well with the Overwhelm evolution, which increases your attack damage based on your current Plating.

Sprint — offensive or defensive?

Sprint is used both to keep pace (chase targets, move between food) and for kiting bosses. It's the only movement ability that stays active for a duration, making it versatile.

Is Turtle Down worth it?

Many players find Turtle Down (becoming protected without attacking) punishing because it takes the dash/sprint slot; mobility is usually a priority. The team said Turtle Down will get more support in the future. Spines + Turtle Down can reflect damage while you take none.

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Genetics and progression

When does the 1 bonus vs 2 bonuses screen appear at the start?

Under certain conditions you choose one genetic; in others, two (including genetic "splice"). It depends on progress and unlocks.

If I skip the gene combination (splice), is it saved?

Yes. If you skip the combination on the splicing screen, that "chance" is saved for a future run. You don't need to defeat a boss again just to have the option to combine next time.

What is the maximum difficulty?

It varies by version. During the playtest the highest was D6; later D7 and D8 were added. Check the game or the patch notes channel for the current state.

How do I unlock the Pacifist genetic?

Pacifist is unlocked by opening the game's pages on Steam and/or Discord (mentioned in patch notes).

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Bosses and enemies

How do I beat bosses in a Pacifist run (without attacking)?

If you survive long enough in the boss arena, the walls (bramble) drop and the boss loses aggro and may leave. You win without killing it. Tips: max speed, Cheek Pouch to eat while running, and food progress stats that don't require killing (Carrion, Herbivore, etc.).

Can bosses fight each other?

Yes. In some versions, if you let them, Crabtaurs can attack other targets or each other — it's intended living-world behaviour.

Boss and enemy names (community vote)

- Clawdia — spider/crab boss (name chosen by vote; other candidates: Crabella, Pincette, Miss Santa-claws). - Aquaconda — snake/water boss. - Spineapple — formerly "Mimic" (enemy that disguises as food). - Pilferret — formerly "Thief" (enemy that steals food and hearts).

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POIs, food and progress

What is the cap for progress reduction to level up?

The current cap is 75% reduction (same as dodge), from both genetics (e.g. Pacifist) and evolutions (e.g. high-level Slow Metabolism). Reaching that value is rare.

Piscivore, Carnivore and Carrion — how do they work?

Piscivore affects fish food. Carnivore does not affect fish. The percentages (e.g. Carrion 200%, Carnivore 100%) add up and are applied to the food's base EXP value. E.g. fish you didn't hunt can give 300% extra value with Carrion + Carnivore (as described by the team).

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Quick community tips

- Default attack (Bite) was tuned to be more useful from the start. - Body Slam scales with HP (not size); high-HP combos can be strong. - Antlers cause self-damage; be careful in "glass cannon" builds. - Outlier (gain a random legendary evolution) can be strong early but is RNG. - Ruminant (progress from Prey affinity every X seconds) turns off when you get hit. - To win without attacking: prioritise speed, Cheek Pouch, Carrion/Herbivore and survive until the boss timeout. - Subcutaneous Fat was cited as very strong in high-difficulty runs.

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Useful links

Steam (main game): Everything is Crab
The Animal Evolution Roguelite (https://store.steampowered.com/app/3526710/Everything_is_Crab_The_Animal_Evolution_Roguelite/)
Steam Demo: Everything is Crab
Demo (https://store.steampowered.com/app/4308510/Everything_is_Crab_The_Animal_Evolution_Roguelite_Demo/)

- Community spreadsheet (Evolutions and Specialisations): Tin's Evolution & Specialisations Breakdown (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DHYt_wz_otUR_A7_f-N-Nk3ZDuFQKKGUPtb0FkcrLuY) — details on evolutions and how to unlock them. - Publisher: Secret Mode (https://wearesecretmode.com/) - Discord: #faq and #general for more questions.

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Content compiled from the Discord dump of the Everything is Crab server. For the latest game version, always check the official channels and patch notes.