Crab (boss)

*For general information on co-operatives see Main Article: Co-op Mode*

*For the crab creature see Main Article: Crab (creature)*

The Crab is the the Boss found on Crab Beach Co-op mode. It is the 4th boss added to the game.

## General information

The crab has the most health of all the bosses. It has two phases based on its health, with three attacks on each phase. Like other bosses from the Co-op mode, the crab is passive until attacked, and will not return to a passive state if the attacks are stopped.

The crab moves mainly along the edges of the map to protect its back. It can move across land by doing the spinning attack or by walking in rare occasions.

The crab's attacks are fast and generally affect its front and side areas. Ants attacking the back of the crab will not be damaged by any attack; however, its back isn't frequently exposed. When the crab is in a corner it's usually impossible to attack it safely.

## Attacks

The crab has two phases with different attacks. Phase 1 is the first half of its health (50-100% of the health bar). Phase 2 is the second half of its health (0-49% of the health bar), which begins in the middle of the 'r' in "Crab" above the health bar.

The crab has two types of attacks: short-range attacks and long-range attacks. Long-range attacks have a maximum range, which is equal to the shortest side of the Crab Beach island.

### Phase 1 Attacks

**Sand blast**

* This is a long-range attack.
* Crab will display an angry sign and its claws will inflate.
* The crab will spit out a blast of sand in a straight line. The area of the sand is like a narrow cone. It always spits straight out in front of it in phase 1.
* The short-range explosion to the sides is only visual and doesn't kill ants.

**Bubble spit**

* This is a long-range attack that is similar to the Termite Queen's spit attack.
* Bubbles will appear at the crab's mouth.
* It shoots three clumps of bubbles in different directions, starting from its left claw towards the right one.
* The bubbles will vanish after reaching the maximum distance.

**Claw swipe**

* This is a short-range attack that is similar to the tail attack of Termite King.
* It has three variants: **right** claw swipe, **left** claw swipe and **double** claw swipe.
* Crab will slowly lift the claw(s) that will do the swipe.
* Then it will release a short-range swipe that kills ants on the side(s) of the attack. It doesn’t kill anything on the side that's not being attacked.
* The pre-attack of the double claw swipe can be mistaken for the pre-attack of the sand blast if the player is not careful.

### Phase 2 Attacks

**Sand blast 2.0**

* This is a long-range attack.
* It's a modification of the Sand Blast attack in phase 1.
* The difference is that the blast can now go in different directions; about 45 degrees to one side or another, in addition to the front.

**Bubble blast**

* This is a long-range attack. It is now similar to the spit attack of Termite King.
* Crab will show the same bubble particles on his mouth.
* It will shoot a long blast/stream of bubbles to the front and wave it to one side (either left or right) about 45 degrees and back for 5 seconds, covering a large cone-like area.
* The crab twists to the side and back as it sprays. This can damage ants attacking on the side that the spray goes toward.

**Spinning glide**

* This is a motion attack. The sound of the spin is the one of the first signs of this attack.
* Crab starts spinning and tucks in its legs and claws.
* The crab will move from its current position to another random point on an edge of the map, killing any ants it touches along the way.
* It goes one direction only in a straight line, either along the edges of the island or through the middle.

## Strategy

The crab has possibly the most complex strategy, because its position affects the strategy used for each attack. The crab will either be on an edge of the map or in the corner.

Crab attacks are quick, thus players must react quickly to keep ants alive. Player and soldier speed upgrades are important for this map. If those upgrades are low, players should react at the first sign of the attacks.

It may be necessary to retreat-attack (relocating) to avoid soldier ants sliding toward the attack area. This can be omitted if the crab is tilted to the side and the away side is attacked.

Crab’s long-range attacks have a maximum range, this is same length as the shortest side of the island. It is best to run away from attacks along the top and bottom (horizontal) edges of the map because there is more room to get away and maneuver. With speed upgrades the player can go around long-range attacks to get closer to the crab and attack faster when it's in a corner.

If the player has only 1 or 2 soldiers alive, it’s usually better to spit (the damage is higher). When spitting, it’s not necessary to release all the liquid, the damage will be the same even if only one particle hits Crab. Spitting quickly and returning to the source to recharge will increase damage.

Be aware that the health bar can be deceiving. When the red has disappeared, there is still more than 2% of health left. This can take 10-30 seconds or longer to completely kill the crab.

### Phase 1 Attacks

To avoid the **Sand blast:**

* On an edge: Relocate soldier ants to the side/back of the crab and keep attacking.
* In a corner: Run along the vertical (right or left) edge and keep a little distance until the attack is finished.

To avoid the **Bubble spit:**

* On an edge: Relocate soldier ants to the side/back of the crab and keep attacking.
	+ It’s recommended to retreat until the attack begins to see the direction of the bubbles and prevent deaths.
	+ If ants are placed under the crab (retreating-attacking like in Termite Queen) ants can dodge the bubbles and deal extra damage, but it’s a little risky if not done correctly.
* In a corner: Retreat and keep a little distance on the horizontal (top or bottom) edge.

* If the bubbles go toward the player, run to the opposite corner of that edge. If not, attack.
* If players have good speed, they can stand close to the Spit source and watch where the bubbles head, then go around them and attack faster.

To avoid the **Claw swipe:**

* One claw only on an edge: Relocate ants to the side/back of the crab where the claw isn't lifted and keep attacking.
* Both claws on an edge: Retreat quickly to the sides or to the front and keep a good distance until the swipe is completed.
* In a corner: Retreat quickly to the front for all variants.

### Phase 2 Attacks

To avoid the **Sand blast 2.0:**

* On an edge: Relocate ants to the side/back of the crab and keep attacking. Relocate again if necessary.
* In a corner: Retreat and run along the horizontal (top or bottom) edge of the island to the opposite corner.
	+ If the spray shoots along an edge, soldiers can sometimes start attacking on the opposite edge.
	+ Players can also go around the spray to attack faster.

To avoid the **Bubble blast:**

* On an edge: Relocate ants to the side/back of the crab and keep attacking.
	+ If the crab is perpendicular to the edge:
		- If it turns toward the side soldiers are attacking, retreat and get into the corner, then attack when it turns back. If the player ant runs along or into an edge the soldiers will usually get stuck to that edge. This allows soldiers to avoid the bubbles easier. The risk involved is that other players can involuntarily go through the crab's attack, deflecting them towards players in the corners.
		- Another option is relocating soldiers at one side of the crab before the attack, then the player must go to the other side. When the attack starts, if the crab turns towards the soldiers, retreat and they will go under the crab towards the player and being able to attack that side.
	+ If the crab isn't perpendicular to the edge (is leaning):
		- If it turns toward the side soldiers are attacking, retreat and keep a little distance until it turns back, then attack again.
* In a corner: Retreat quickly and run along the horizontal (top or bottom) edge of the island to the opposite corner of that edge. Don’t run away along the vertical (left or right) edge.
	+ If the crab turns towards the vertical edge, the player can get closer and attack as soon as the attack is finished.
	+ If players have good speed, they can go around the crab's attack when it turns towards the horizontal (top or bottom) edge, being able to attack faster.

To avoid the **Spinning glide:**

* It’s impossible to tell how the crab will move.
* It’s recommended to run away until the crab is placed in one of the corners of the screen to simultaneously have the maximum distance and figure out where it is moving.
* Another option is aligning the player ant horizontally with the crab. This way it’s easier to dodge if it moves towards that way because the direction it follows might be confusing.
* After having dodged the crab, players can follow the crab from behind for a faster attack after the crab stops moving.
* **Note:** There is a rare case where crab plays the sound for this attack and spins very slowly. When this happens, the crab will slightly move or not move at all, so there is no need for players to run away. Instead, they should only retreat, making sure soldiers don't hit the crab, and wait until it finishes the attack.

### Compact Strategy

The strategy for the crab can be seen as a chain of conditions that result in one response or another. The whole strategy can be explained by the following graphic organizer:

## Rewards

The rewards for defeating the crab are:

* 100 Body parts.
* 1 point on the co-op activity bar for obtaining the creature version of the boss.
* Crab Skin (very low chance).

## Trivia

* The crab is the boss with the most attacks in total, and also the most health.
* The crab also takes longer to defeat than the Termite King and Queen because there is not as much opportunity for continuous attack and the players must retreat and attack more often.

## Gallery of attacks

Claw Swipe AttackLeft Claw SwipeRight Claw SwipeDouble Claw SwipePhase 2 Bubble SprayPhase 1 Bubble SpitSand SprayBubbles before bubble spit and bubble spray attacksPhase 2 Crab Spin AttackPhase 1 sand spray straight out frontPhase 2 sand spray to the side