Great Crab

Great Crabs are enemies in Dark Souls III.

Locations

 * Road of Sacrifices
 * Two are found pacing through the swamp after the Halfway Fortress and the Crucifixion Woods bonfires. They will usually make haste to attack the player if they venture too far into the waters or if they start killing their offspring.
 * Farron Keep
 * A lone crab guards many items in a distant area located left of the main gate. This area consists completely of poisonous murky water, where mobility is severely comprised.
 * Smouldering Lake
 * About eight crabs inhabit two of the most distant areas of the lake, guarding a Chaos Gem.

Description
Gigantic elder crustaceans that usually inhabit murky environments where mobility is severely comprised. Some Great Crabs have a very extensive aggro range and may start chasing after the player from very long distances. It is not uncommon to find their offspring in areas where they dwell, foretelling of an imminent encounter with one.

Giant Crabs usually fight by slamming either of their pincers continuously onto the ground or by shooting a stream of a viscous foam from their mouths, which will reduce the player's mobility for a short period of time.

Expected from a creature of these characteristics, they have a dangerous grab attack where they will grasp onto the player with their bigger pincer and attack them furiously, dealing extreme damage. This attack is telegraphed by the sudden appearance of foamy bubbles drooling out from their mouths and a slow buildup with their larger pincer.

The first two crabs, encountered in the swamp of the Road of Sacrifices, have a particular ability not seen in their more advanced levels' brethren. They can suddenly disengage from battle and burrow themselves into the mud, appearing a few moments later in a distant location. When they perform this move, they will be given a very large amount of health back, usually restoring them to full.

Strategy
Menacingly looking and not without a reason, Great Crabs can prove to be formidable foes even in the late game. Some of them have a very high aggro range and will come after the player once they step into certain areas of their territory.

Prevailing over the nearest one in the Road of Sacrifices will grant the player the Great Swamp Ring, which greatly enhances pyromancies. However, this may not be an easy task in the early game because there is a major difference between the damage the player can output at that moment, compared to the damage they deal when they are first encountered, which usually ends up with the crab burrowing into the ground in the middle of a fight, only to appear moments later in another area, with its health completely restored.

For this reason, it is recommended to come back to fight them once the player has leveled up properly and has procured better weaponry. However, ranged-attacking characters, like mages and pyromancers, may have a better chance of defeating them the first time, as Great Crabs can usually be lured to get stuck in the trees, where the player may attack them at will.

Their attacks mainly consist of chasing after the player while walking in a sideways position and slamming one of their pincers repeatedly until they catch on. Moving in front of them will usually make them switch to their other attacks. While imposing at first, they are not really difficult to defeat, since they often leave themselves open to attack.

They will frequently shoot a stream of viscous foam; if hit by this, the player will have their mobility greatly reduced for a short period of time. However, this attack is very easy to evade by circling them toward the left and the creature will be vulnerable for the duration of this move.

Eventually, they will rise both of their pincers in the air and erect their bodies altogether, followed by slamming themselves onto the ground with great force while dealing heavy damage. This attack is amply telegraphed and is easily avoidable by rolling away. Furthermore, once the crab falls, it will be open for a critical attack. Approach the monster at this moment and attack it, triggering the critical and dealing extreme damage to it.

Players should be very cautious and never underestimate these creatures, though, as they have a grab attack that many times will result in an instant death. This attack is telegraphed with the creature suddenly drooling foamy bubbles from its mouth while slowly building up with its right pincer (the larger one). The player should prioritize in rolling away as soon as they detect this move or else.

When dealing with those encountered in the Smouldering Lake, it is highly recommended to make a detour first and turn off the ballista if one wants to clear the zone and loot the many items scattered there. A series of ledges can be found near the ballista, which the player can drop onto and which will lead them back to the lake, where then they will be able to deal with these creatures without unnecessary hindrances.

If the player befriended the giant archer in the Undead Settlement, he will aid in killing the Giant Crab found in the Farron Keep (hinted by the presence of a white tree) and those from the Smouldering Lake. The one in Farron guards some items scattered in the vicinity, including the Crown of Dusk.