Mechanics

Genetics Skull Number and Pressure Record Guide | Everything is Crab

By Nocti · Last updated

The skull number beside a starting Genetic is a progress record, not an extra difficulty modifier: current public Steam explanations identify it as the highest Pressure cleared with that Genetic.

Practical use

  1. Read the skull and number as the highest Pressure already beaten with that Genetic; it does not add another hidden penalty to the next run.
  2. A 1 beside Standard and a 3 beside Challenger or Chosen means those Genetics currently have different personal clear records, not different skull costs.
  3. The in-game Codex Genetics menu also exposes the highest Pressure beaten per Genetic, which is the useful place to audit all-genetics completion progress.
  4. Splicing or combining Genetics does not make the skull a difficulty price; keep using the Codex record and the run-start number as progress markers.
  5. Do not confuse this menu symbol with the purple heart/skull seen over creatures in the world; a player explanation identifies that separate marker with a creature charmed by an enemy, as explained on the Purple Hearts page.

Related pages

Beginner First Clear

Plan a Pressure 1 attempt around the cards you can use: reach food, escape dangerous attacks and develop one reliable attack. Compare alternatives before committing upgrades.

Read guide

Physical Predator

Direct-contact damage, meat routing, and Physical scaling for players who want bosses to end quickly instead of becoming endurance checks.

Read guide

Poison Trickster

Choose a way to apply poison, then build around the openings needed to use it. Compare Spit with Poisonous Saliva, Stinger, and the conditional Pedal Glands route without treating every card as mandatory.

Read guide

Read the number in its menu context

SecretModeEli’s July 2 explanation confirms that the skull and number at run start display the highest Pressure cleared with that Genetic. The same information is available in Codex Genetics. The location is part of the meaning: this is a record beside a starting option, not a creature status icon encountered while moving around the world.

Suppose Standard displays 1 and another Genetic displays 3. Those entries say that the recorded best clears differ. They do not describe an additional cost of choosing the second Genetic, and they do not turn a selected Pressure 1 run into Pressure 4. Choose difficulty from the run’s Pressure setting; use the skull number to decide which past-clear record still needs improvement.

Source

Check the selected Genetics without restarting

If you accepted a splice and forgot the starting combination, the developer gives an in-run route to the answer. Open the Character screen with Tab or C, or select CHARACTER from the pause menu. The one or two selected Genetics appear beneath the animated character; hovering reveals their descriptions.

The same reminder is available during Evolution, Specialisation and Point of Interest choices. That makes it possible to check a restriction before accepting a reward. Looking up the current pair is a different task from checking its historical Pressure record, so do not use the absence of a completion number on one screen to conclude that your progress was lost.

Source

Avoid three completion mistakes

  1. Do not read a Challenge tick as a higher Pressure clear. Select the particular Challenge and inspect its Genetics menu for that mode’s ticks; then return to Codex Genetics for Pressure records.
  2. Do not infer two credited entries from the presence of two Genetics in a splice. The public tracking answer does not specify combined credit. Check each entry after the attempt if your goal depends on it.
  3. Do not use an enemy’s purple marker to interpret this menu. That separate player-reported world icon concerns a creature charmed by an enemy; it is unrelated to how many Pressure levels a starting Genetic has cleared.

FAQ

Does a low skull number weaken the Genetic?

The cited explanation identifies a personal clear record, not a power level. The Genetic’s tooltip describes its starting effect. Read the tooltip and the Pressure selection separately rather than assuming that a higher record improves the next run’s base attributes.

Where should I check an all-Genetics goal?

Begin in Codex Genetics and compare each record with the Pressure named by the goal. A completion note is useful only if it refers to the relevant Genetic and difficulty; a successful attempt with your usual start cannot fill unrelated entries.

Source 1 · Source 2

What if the result and my personal checklist disagree?

Return to the same Genetic in Codex and compare the highest recorded Pressure with the selected difficulty of the attempt. Keep a Challenge clear in its own column. If a specific record still appears wrong, retain the Genetic names, mode, version and result when describing the discrepancy. A different skull number on a different Genetic is not enough to demonstrate missing progress, and the public reply does not document a rule for every combined-start outcome.

Source

Update history

: Expanded the menu-context explanation, distinguished the skull record from Challenge ticks and creature markers, and added in-run tooltip controls without assuming credit for both spliced Genetics.