Everything is Crab — Genetics

Genetics are "starting characters" that change your stats and rules at the start of each run. You choose 1 genetic (or 2 when the splice option is available).

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Genetics list (from patch notes and community)

Genetic	Brief description
Standard	Base, no special modifiers.
Simple	Restricts options in some situations (e.g. fewer choices in evo picker). Unlock requirements changed in patches; in recent versions no longer restricts number of Boss Evo options.
Pioneer	Focused on movement/exploration; pairs well with Nomadic and POIs.
Pacifist	Reduced damage; gives EXP/progress bonus (e.g. 33% less progress needed to level up). Unlock: open the game's page on Steam and/or Discord.
Bullseye	All attacks use the higher of Physical Damage and Ability Damage. Good with Spawn of Chaos or poison build.
Challenger	More Alphas on the map; more damage vs Alphas. Good for high total damage runs.
Lycanthrope	Team favourite; removed from the list in newer versions — "something special" planned for the future.
Patient	Can show only 2 options instead of 3 for evolutions. When skipping boss evolution choice, does not reset the "minimum rarity" you've built up.
Spawn of Chaos	Random starting stats (better and worse). In recent patches no longer affects feeding speed/distance.
Independent	Added in patch 0.10.1 (Steam NextFest).

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Splice (combining genetics)

Under certain conditions (e.g. after defeating a boss) you may see the splice screen and choose 2 genetics to combine in the same run.

- If you skip the combination, that "chance" is saved for a future run; you don't need to defeat the boss again just to have the option again. - The 1 vs 2 bonuses screen at the start varies with progress and unlocks.

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Unlocking

Genetics are unlocked by meeting conditions (e.g. win at a certain difficulty, defeat certain enemies X times). The game shows the highest difficulty beaten with each genetic on the selection screen.

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Community tips

- Spawn of Chaos + Patient can be risky: fewer options + random stats. - Pacifist + Challenger is cited for "scavenger" runs: more meat on the map without having to kill. - Bullseye lets you scale Bite (and other attacks) with AD or PD, whichever is higher. - Simple in older versions limited Boss Evo options; that was changed in patches.

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Details may vary by version; check the tooltips on the genetics selection screen and the community spreadsheet (see Community-Resources.md (Community-Resources.md)).