Which genetics should you unlock first?
For early genetics planning, start with Pioneer and Chosen for flexible clears. Then target Highborn, Vegan, Bullseye, Minimalist, Underdog, or Grandiose only when the run goal matches the unlock condition.
Genetics
Everything is Crab Genetics Guide: All Unlocks and Best Builds
Genetics define starting modifiers and unlock routes.
Genetics decision table
| Goal | Genetics to read | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| First clear | Standard, Pioneer, Chosen | Use these when the player still needs consistent food, movement, and boss practice. |
| Damage unlocks | Highborn, Patient, Grandiose | Use these for total damage, single-hit damage, Body Slam, and burst-focused routes. |
| No-damage goals | Vegan, Pacifist, Minimalist, Underdog | Use these only after separating food restriction, no damage dealt, and no damage taken. |
| Completion grind | Stubborn, Simple, Precocious, Independent | Use one stable route shell and change only the starting genetic between attempts. |
Standard
Unlocked by default. Baseline start for learning the game without forcing a gimmick.
Read guide
Pioneer
Win a game on Pressure 2 difficulty. POI routing, Nomadic, Pollinator, and map-economy learning.
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Spawn of Chaos
Win a game on Pressure 5. High-variance starts and chaos-route challenge pages.
Read guide
Patient
Deal 100 or more damage with a single hit. High-hit physical, Body Slam, Pistol Pincer, or boss burst plans.
Read guide
Expert
Evolve three Specialisations in a single game. Builds that want more specialization control.
Read guide
Minimalist
Reach 50% size or smaller. Smol, Shifty, dodge, low-level, and pacifist-adjacent routes.
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Bullseye
Kill a regular boss with a stone. Hybrid builds where attacks use the better of Physical or Ability.
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Precocious
Defeat the game on the highest Pressure. Mastery starts and high-pressure route testing.
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Vegan
Complete a run without doing any damage. No-damage, food, Prey, Herbivore, Cheek Pouch, and boss-timer survival.
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Independent
Unlock any seven branching Evolutions. Solo branching plans and full-crab/carcinisation routes.
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Challenger
Defeat 50 Alphas across one or more runs. Challenge progression and alpha hunting.
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Picky
Reroll 100 times across one or more runs. Build fishing and deterministic guide attempts.
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Envoy of Chaos
Pick Spawn of Chaos and win at Pressure 10. Chaos mastery and high-pressure challenge content.
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Underdog
Win Pressure 10 or higher at level 30 or less. Low-level efficiency and boss survival.
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Opportunistic
Kill Crabtaur by making it crash into an obstacle. Boss-mechanics literacy and non-stat damage routing.
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Highborn
Deal 2000 or more damage in a single run. General-Damage, Spines, Toe Beans, and social-area routes that can absorb lower Physical and Ability.
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Contrarian
Discover 60 different Evolutions. Routes that want less-picked Evolutions to appear more often at improved rarity.
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Elitist
Upgrade Evolutions 20 times. Legendary-focused routes that can avoid taking new Common Evolutions.
Read guideTake this data into the build planner
Choose candidates here, then use the planner to check slots, affinities, and final form; confirm exact values in game.
Everything is Crab Build Planner
Click evolutions to build a route, preview stats, body parts, biome-backed final form, and export a share image.
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