switch between powerful shells MESOPARAPYLOCHELES - The Underwater/Land Multi-Shells Tank Giant Hermit Crab!

[TheEnderBuilder445]

 --------------------------------------------------------------

INTRODUCING MESOPARAPYLOCHELES

THE GIANT HERMIT CRAB! 

( The SAFEST mount on LAND AND WATER! )

-----------------------------------------------------------

(3D renders and Drawings by me.)

--------------------------------------------------------------

DOSSIER 📚 :

These creatures may look scary,  but they're actually very friendly.  You can find them around the beach, in less populated areas of the ocean and in the deep ocean, most of the time you'll find it in groups, trading their shells  for a bigger one between each other. They can use their strong claws to stick themselves on the ground and let it go, throwing itself like a CannonBall! This is extremely useful to move around since the heavy shell they carry on their back makes them uncable to swim at a reasonable speed.

 

DOMESTICATED 🦮 :

To domesticate these creatures, you will need to get their trust with the use of their favorite object, their shells! A survivor can scare these Big creatures by hitting their Shell, making them hide inside  their shells. While they’re hidden, you can use that chance to hit their shell with a Metal tool until it’s in a bad condition... At that moment, the Hermit Crab will become extremely worried about its shell and will  try to repair it, and that’s your chance! Give the Crab the resources it’s  asking and he’ll be grateful for life! ( Just don’t tell them the truth... ) 

THE SHELLS 🐚 :

After domesticated, the crab can be taught to build  shells that allows the master to see from the inside of it, giving them protection from creatures that could take them out, such as Kapros and Karkinos, but at the sacrifice of not being able to use tools and weapons when mounted.

--------------------------------------------------------------

(Live footage of Giant Hermit Crabs trading their Shells )

-NATURE- 🌳

The Giant Hermit crab is a Docile creature, it won't attack the player, only if threatened. You'll be able to find them around the beach, less habituated areas of the ocean, and in the DEEP SEA of Valguero where they'll be found in groups, changing shells or hidden inside their shells, waiting for others to come for some shell trading or just hiding.
Because of their shells, they have a natural stealth ability, making it harder for enemies to spot them, making it easier for them to live in the dangerous areas of the Deep Sea.

-MOVES- 👊

• MULTIPLE PUNCHES
The crab can lie on its back and use all of its limbs to perform a bunch of punches, one after another that hits multiple creatures

• HIDE MODE
The player can make their crabs go inside their shell while mounted or unmounted, this will make the crab unable to move, but will increase its defense while you wait for someone else to rescue you or while you want for your shell to do the work!

•RUNNING UNDERWATER
The Hermit Crabs can use the weight of their shells to get them on the ground, like if it was on land, that way they can walk underwater AND sprint underwater, something they're pretty fast at, even with the shells on!

•CANNON BALL LAUNCH ( Better explained at SKILLS )
The crab can launch itself in the air like a cannonball, underwater AND on land.

 

WHAT IS THE UTILITY OF THE GIANT HERMIT CRAB?

When creating the Hermit Crab, I had the thought of creating an extremely defensive and safe mount! A mount that would protect you from being grabbed in the swamp, by flyers, snipped or snunned... a mount that would be perfect to walk through a cave full of creatures, or even to lead the way by tanking all the damage ahead!

But the Crab isn't just a tank, but a very interesting one! It can create different Shells that would help you in different situations, so get ready!

... And don't be afraid, 'cause the Hermit Crab is full of weaknesses such as animations to re-create the Shell, being unable to use tools/weapons when mounted, Shell Health Bar, slow mobility, very low attack, and more!

-TAMING- 🥩

The player will need to find a Hermit Crab, but how does one do that? The Hermit Crabs spawn at the beach and deep oceans, and always in GROUPS! This could be a problem for taming, don't you think? Well, not exactly.

After finding your Crab, you'll need to use hit the Crab's shell, scaring it and making it hide inside its shell ( This is important because when the Crab is hidden after being scared, it won't come out of the Shell unless the Shell is damaged or after a long time hidden, so you'll be able to tame one separately just fine! )... But don't worry, you're not hurting the crab, only scaring it!

While it's hidden, you'll have the chance to get close to it and hit its shell a few times with your Metal Hatchet! This will eliminate a bar out of a few that will show up above the crab in the taming process. When you hit it enough times, the crab will start to get angry and the shell will shake, warning you to get away from it. When the Crab gets out of the shell and sees you, it'll attack you, and you know how annoying it's to get aggro off a creature... but if it doesn't see you, it'll get worried for a few seconds then continue their day.

You'll need to repeat this a few times and remove all the bars, and eventually, when all the bars were taken out, the shell will be almost destroyed and the crab will get out of it and start trying to repair it... If they do this alone, it'll take a long time and they will be vulnerable while doing it, so they'll ask for help! They will ask for some materials to fix their shell ( Crystal, Stone, Obsidian, etc.. ) for a survivor around! If you give the right materials, the Crab will successfully repair their shell and you just got a new best friend! ( Just don't let anybody know what you did... )

 

DROPS :

-BASIC MEAT

-CHITIN

-ORGNIC POLYMER

 

SKILLS :

Even tho it may look like the Giant Hermit Crab is a water-only creature, the skills it has are really good on land AND underwater, but more so on land.

 

2 - SHELLS AND CLAWS!

After years of evolution and being homeless, the Hermit Crabs found a few ways to take advantage of the lack of REALLY big shells... By crafting their own! The player can take advantage of that skill to make them craft some really good shells and claws that can change the way you use the Hermit Crab :

• The Stone Shell ( Increased Speed; Increased CannonBall Launch; No Extra Features ) 

Is your base shell with the default defense, but it's also the lighter Shell, allowing your Hermit Crab to move faster and throw itself for longer distances with the CannonBall jump!

• The Metal Set (A bit more defense; collection of SOME resources; Less CannonBall Lanch Distance)   

It gives a bit more defense than the stone shell, but it also comes with pickaxe/axe-like claws! With the Metal Shell, the crab can launch itself into resources to break them but also use the claw that has an inside mechanism close to the SNAPPING SHRIMP'S arm that shuts to create a cavitation bubble that generates acoustic pressures strong enough to paralyze creatures, BUT in this instance, break rocks, trees, crystal, obsidian and more but doesn't expect much more than your usual pickaxe...
What is good is that the crab gets reduced weight from all these years of "experimenting" with these resources, don't ask me how... The bad part about the Metal Set is that your Hermit Crab won't be able to make the CannonBall move and has slightly less speed while wearing it.
( The Metal Shell also has the format of a can in reference to Hermit Shells using metal cans as shells in real life ).

• QUESTIONS 🤔

-WHY CAN THE CRAB COLLECT RESOURCES?-

The ability of collecting resources with the Hermit wasn't made with the same efficiency or means as the Doed, since they get barely more than with the use of Metal tools, but more to help restock the resources being used inside of The Hermit Crab, to make the shells.

 

• The Obsidian Set (Best defense; Damage; Inflict Bleeding by Punching; Less Speed, No CannonBall Launch)

Is where it's at. Better defense and attack than the Metal Set and the gloves can give bleed damage because of its spikes that cut the flesh on their way out ( epic ) but at the cost of NO CANNON BALL MOVE, less movement speed and less knockback by punching creatures.
( The shells and claws design is a reference to the Alligator Snapping Turtle's shell! )

• The Bio Toxin Set (More Duraility; Inflict Torpor by touching and punching; CannonBall Launch Inflicts Torpor; Less damage)

This Shell has more Durability to make better use of its skill, and less damage, but has the same defense as the Stone Shell. The Toxin Shell inflicts torpor on enemies that attacks it! And when the enemies start to flee 'cause of the high torpor, you can simply launch your crab against them to continue to inflict torpor! ... The bad parts about this shell are less damage overall, and using the CANNOONBALL move will do less torpor to the target.
( The design of the shell is a reference to the Red Lionfish. )

•The Crystal Set (More Durability; Touching and Punching inflicts high Knockback; Living Spiked walls when hiding inside Shell; Less Damage)

Has the same defense as Stone Shell and deals less damage, but it has more durability and comes with great spikes around the Shell and Claws that inflicts high knockback into enemies and then slow them down for a few seconds, enough for you to push undesired creatures away from you as you walk/swim/fly.
Using the Crystal Shell and the button to make the Crab hide inside the shell, the player can use them as spiked walls! Just put a bunch of them around a creature or area and you'll have great protection over that area!
( The Spiky design is inspired by the spiked walls, something you could use this shell for! )

• QUESTIONS 🤔

-HOW TO IMPLEMENT THE BUFFS?-

To get new shells the player must first grab the item and drop it into the SADDLE of the crab, this will make the crab go into a little animation where it'll get out of the shell and start to rebuild it, but only for some seconds. After it was finished the crab will get back into the shell with its gloves and shell ready!

-DOES THE BUFF HAVE A TIMER?-

The timer of the buffs is the quantity of the equipped items your crab is carrying, BUT it only goes down when getting hit or using the claw when punching creatures or resources.

-WHAT IF THE RESOURCES RUN OUT?-

When the resources run out, the crab will force the player to unmount and then clear/rebuild its shell to the basic form for a couple of seconds... So be careful with the amount you're carrying!

-WHAT IF I WANT TO SWITCH/DISABLE THE BUFF?-

You'll need to take the material out of the SADDLE, just like disabling a skin, this will make the crab do the cleaning/repair animation, forcing you out of the SADDLE, so don't even try to abuse it!

 

2 - CANNON BALL LAUNCH ( Underwater and on Land! ) 💣

🤏The Crab can launch itself, damaging everything on its way!📹

The Hermit Crab cannot swim greatly underwater when it has the shell on, something that happens with the real worlds version of them too, so in this iteration, it has to rely on its cannonball move, where it'll stick its hand into the ground, push itself back, then let it go for a cannonball launch of itself! This is a great way to move around with this creature that isn't very fast underwater, but a bit faster on land... BUT, as a way to keep The Hermit Crab being slower, when the Crab hits the ground after lauching itself, its Shell will bbe damage and lose a considerable amount of HEALTH.

While in the air with the cannonball launch the crab will hide inside the shell to be ready in case it hits any enemy in the way! And talking about enemies, the ones that are hit by the shell while in cannon ball mode you receive damage and any of the extra buff implemented by the shell being used at the moment.

The controls will be something close to the Procoptodon. The player will be able to hold a button, increase the dintanse of the throw ( Like a Slingshot ), while honding the button, the player will also be able to change the direction of the throw, but not buy too much! Again, think of a slingshot, you can pull it back and aim left, right, up and down but not much backwards. The distance of the CannoonBall could also be something close to the Procoptodon, but faster.

I had the idea of making them be able to stick and launch themselves from walls, but I feel like this could be... A bit too much.

• QUESTIONS 🤔

-CAN THE CRAB SWIM UNDERWATER?-

Yes, but with the shell, the speed is very bad, so the CANNON BALL move will be a better option, but WITHOUT the shell the swimming speed is way better, but you're WAY too vulnerable.

-CAN YOU DECIDE THE DISTANCE OF THE CANNONBALL JUMP?-

Yes, you'll be able to decide the distance by pressing "W" and "S" to push back or retrieve a bit.

-CAN YOU CHANGE THE DIRECTION WHILE LAUNCHED?-

You'll be able to use the MOUSE or A/D to change the direction while on air, but NOT TOO MUCH, so aim carefully.

3 - SHELL EXPLOSION 💥

 🤏When the Shell breaks, it'll explode, stunning creatures for a few seconds and gives the Crab a speed boost to escape!📹

The Shell has a health that when it reaches 0, it'll make the shell explode and leave the crab vulnerable! ... Luckily, the Hermit Crabs have evolved to create a last-moment escape!
When the shell's health reaches 0, it'll explode, throwing pieces around that'll stunt the enemies for a few seconds and give the crab a speed boost to escape! ( Don't think you'll Baryonyx this, because without the shell, the crab takes MORE damage than usual, so don't risk this! ).
But how will the crab escape at sucking slow speed, you ask? Well, in these years of evolution, the Hermit Crabs got blessed by mother nature with a pair of back legs that help it swim faster to escape! It allows the crab to swim normally and pretty fast! ( At least faster than a Mega ).
Sadly, it's of no use when the crab has the shell on.

 

• QUESTIONS 🤔 

-HOW TO RECOVER THE SHELL AFTER IT EXPLODED?-

Finding a new shell isn't easy, so your crab will need a couple of seconds to find one.
The player will need to get out of the creature, the crab then will INSTANTLY dig into the ground for a new shell, then come out with a new one! But without any of the buffs, that'll have to be implemented again.

-DOES THE SPEED BOOST APPLY IF I RUN OUT OF RESOURCES?-

Yes, but there's a delay to it, so you'll be able to time a speed boost, but at the cost of not getting another for some considerable amount of time.

 

SHELL SLAM!

🤏The Crab can SLAM its Shell to knockback Dinos away, but this DAMAGES the Shell too📹

Suggestion by ElPINGUcubano94 

The Giant Hermit Crab is a Tank, which means you'll use him to take a lot of damage and punch bad dinos while doing it...But what if you're stuck in a bad situation such as angry Carnivores attacking you from all sides? That could be bad... Luckily the Hermit Crab has another skill that could help, The Shell Slam!

Your Crab will lift its shell and hit it on the ground, inflicting knockback into enemies and giving you space to do the CannoonBall jump and run away!

But don't think this is something you'll be able to do frequently, 'cause when the Crab does this move, it'll consume a significant amount of stamina AND damage the Shell! So use it only when necessary!

 

HIDING MODE!

🤏Your Crab can hide at any moment to increase its defense, but can't attack back or move 📹

The Giant Hermit Crab has the ability to hide itself inside of it's shell, like the Doedicurus, and when it's hidden, it's defense increase by a good amount! Sadly it can't attack when hidden, so the Crab waits for the attacker to give up, or it use different shells that damages, inflicts knockback or torpor onto the attacker when they hit, making them run away after some time.

 

🛡️THE SAFEST MOUNT!🛡️

MICRORAPTOR STUN IMMUNITY!

When mouted on a Giant Hermit Crab with a Shell of any type, you'll be protected from Microraptors! Begone, pests!

 

BARYONYX STUN IMMUNITY 

While at the hiding mode, the Crab becomes immune to the BARYONYX STUN, but as you know, the crab can't attack back when hiding, so the survivor could have a different shell that would damage the enemy in some way equipped or wait for other tames to dealt with it, but the Sheel STILL TAKES DAMAGE!

 

DEINONYCHUS LATCH BLEEDING IMMUNITY 

Valguero is the map where you'll find a LOT of Deinos, and that can be a problem since they can latch into your tame and DESTROY it... Luckly if your creature choice is the Giant Hermit Crab, you can be safe from that ( almost ). When a Deino latches into a Giant Hermit Crab and tries to bite it, only the SHELL will be damaged, saving your Crab from the bleeding! But be careful, 'cause your Shell is still being damaged, so if the Deino bites it for too long, it'll eventually break!

•CANNOT BE GRABBED/UNMOUNTED BY CREATURES

Due to the player being protected by the giant shell, no creatures can pick the player, such as Kapros and Flyers, or even be unmounted by creatures such as Microraptor.

 

•CANNOT USE WEAPONS WHEN MOUNTED

The Hermit crab has a really strong and protective shell, so the player taught the crab to do a little hole in it so the player can see inside of it... But at the cost of not being able to shoot and use any weapons while inside.

 

•SHELLS TURN INTO RESOURCES •

When a Crab trades their shells in the wild, it'll stay in the ground and can be broken as a alternative to Rocks, giving stone to the survivor.

 

• THE CRAB WILL CLEAN IT'S EYES.

Yes.

 

 

SHOULD EVERYTHING BE ADDED?

Of course not! I'm just throwing ideas out there, and i'm sure that some of it may be unecessary or could be simplified in some way... But that's something that WC would decide themselves!

 

WHAT IS THE POINT OF THE HERMIT CRAB?

The Giant Hermit Crab is a Tank creature, has very strong defense, but not much damage. You'll be using the Hermit Crab to Cross dangerous place with a

garantee that you'll survive, but, he isn't immortal... The Shell Health bar makes it so you'll can only take so much damage. You can exploves caves, ocean, swamps, bases and more!

WHY SHOULD THE GIANT HERMIT CRAB BE ADDED IN THE ARK?

The Giant Hermit Crab not only adds more life to the Ocean, something that is very needed in Ark, but also to the beaches! They'll add new ways to explore and survive on this map with it's new Shell Switching mechanic, It'll change the game for PVP and PVE players! You'll be able to explore caves and mountains with the Crystal Shell to inflict knockback into enemies or even protect a tame on land or underwater; Go on a rampage with the Obsidian Shell and Claws; Tame underwater creatures with the amazing Bio Toxin Shell; Collect Resouces with the Metal Shell and Claw and travel through the map with the Cannonball jump!

IS IT OVERPOWERED?

Even tho the Hermit Crab has so many abilities, you have to remember that it isn't very strong or agile. You can't run or swim fast with it ( or even swim at all ), and you can't use the abilities for long periods of time. The Giant Hermit Crab is suposed to be a tank and a creature that will let you walk though places safely, you can walk into the swamp without beng anoyed by Kapros and Barys, you can walk in the Red Wood without being eaten by Thylas or stunned by Microraptors, and you can be very creative in the ways you use your shell to tank damage.

So this is it, the Giant Hermit Crab! This creature may look complex to some, but I believe some time using it could really simplify things. Every shell has different designs to help enemies identify them from a distance and the switching of shell types has an equip/clean animation in between so the players can't abuse it!
... And if anything feels too op or doesn't need to be here, tell me! You guys are as hardcore as me, surely!

Edited April 15 by TheEnderBuilder445

[Udam]

CRAB GANG

[Vo1se]

This deserves to win. Such a well thought out idea and would be so fun have

[Cage123]

🐚🦀

[fcale]

Es lo mejor que hay si o si necesita ganar 

[Alex171202]

Increíble criatura, por ahora es mi favorita.

[DynastyOfDragons]

I have my own suggestion for a different species of Hermit Crab, but I'd like to put these ideas here to possibly add on to what's been presented above:
 

(customizable shell) Introducing Palaeopagurus, the Giant Hermit Crab   Tags: crustacean, PvP, PvE, crafting, usable babies, health regen, climbing, better blueprints, resource farming, structure repair, taming assistant

Common Name: Giant Hermit Crab Species: Palaeopagurus artis Time: Late Cretaceous Diet: Carrion-Feeder Temperament: Opportunistic   Wild:    “Palaeopagurus artis is a curious crustacean to say the least. Many people call them “Giant Hermit Crabs”, which is true… for the most part. They vary in sizes based on age, ranging from the height of a Dodo to that of a Tyrannosaurus. They never stop growing, a trait which forces them out of their shells when they get too large for them.   They display intelligence I have never seen in crustaceans before, crafting shells out of various parts left over from dead animals and other materials in their environment. This is likely in part due to their nature as obligate scavengers, combing coastlines for any carcasses that may have washed up from the sea.”   Domesticated:    “Palaeopagurus appears to be too stubborn for a conventional tranq-and-feed method, so survivors need to get creative. Considering how much they enjoy crafting their shells, one may be able to gain the trust of a shellless individual by lending them the desired materials they wish to use.   Once tamed, the hermit crab becomes the perfect engineer. Its knack for creating things is a characteristic tribes can use to gain improved equipment from blueprints that they collect. Blueprints themselves can also be improved by the crustacean, though there is a chance it may end up being a failure.   It should also be noted that their saliva has the consistency of industrial glue, which is used to make their shells. Some survivors are aware of this, using it as an alternative to cementing paste or to repair damaged buildings.”   Introduction:   Greetings, survivors! I introduce to you the Palaeopagurus, otherwise known as the Giant Hermit Crab!   Art by Nix Illustration   The foundational ideas and selling points for this crustacean include:   Changing roles from shoulder pet to mount based on age (never stops growing) Fully Customizable Saddle for different playstyles The ability to craft better equipment from blueprints The ability to improve the quality of blueprints Glue-like spit that can be used as a substitute for cementing paste or repair buildings   Currently, the only crustacean in the game right now is the Karkinos. This is such an interesting group of invertebrate animals that are sorely lacking major representation in ARK. Palaeopagurus here is set to fix that issue with its inclusion on The Center, the closest thing we have to an official ocean map. Its swath of unique abilities also sets it apart from much of the existing roster, and will become a must have tame because of them.   Tamed:   Growth Mechanic: Unlike any other creature in the game, the Palaeopagurus doesn’t have defined life stages, rather being one life stage as soon as it is born. From here, it will never stop growing. This means it is usable as a shoulder pet while it's little and can be ridden when large enough, their stats increasing as well. However, its rate of growth will slow after a certain period of time, preventing it from reaching ridiculous sizes within unreasonable time.   Shoulder Pet   Actions: Thrown: When thrown off the shoulder, the crab deals damage and inflicts torpor on a target. Imagine chucking it like a dodgeball.   Mount   Actions: Primary Attack (, , ): The Giant Hermit Crab snips with its pincers as a basic attack. It harvests resources off of live targets. Secondary Attack (, ,  ): The Palaeopagurus performs a shoulder bash with high knockback, damage, and even torpor. Grab (C, , ): The Giant Hermit Crab can grab unconscious creatures and drag them, allowing for the taming process to be easier for certain creatures. The larger the crab, the larger the creatures it is able to grab. Climb / Guard (Space, , ):  Tap: When near a vertical surface, the Giant Hermit Crab is able to scale them with ease. However, this drains stamina, and the larger the crab, the faster stamina drains. Hold: The Palaeopagurus retreats into its shell, entering a fortified state, which heavily reduces all incoming damage and reduces the duration of status effects.   Passive Abilities: (All Phases) Harvesting: Giant Hermit Crabs can mine minerals with their bare claws, also getting 50% weight reduction on stone, metal, obsidian, & crystal. Crafting Effectiveness Stat: Like the Gacha, these hermit crabs have an upgradeable Crafting Effectiveness stat that takes the place of the Movement Speed stat. Rapid Regeneration: This crustacean gets the Argentavis’ Rapid Regeneration buff from eating corpses. Advanced Crafting: The Palaeopagurus’ inventory somewhat functions like a smithy, though instead of having learned engrams available, it requires blueprints. Said blueprints, when crafted in its inventory, cost less to make, are made faster, and are higher quality. All of this is affected by the previously mentioned Crafting Effectiveness stat. Blueprint Enhancement: Blueprints in the Palaeopagurus’ inventory can be converted into a higher quality form in a process akin to the ARK Additions Helicoprion, where the Crafting Effectiveness determines the success of the enhancement. This process requires the resources used to craft the item in its current state, just being redirected to upgrading instead. Failing the upgrade just means not receiving the product since you’ve already invested resources. You can also only upgrade a blueprint a certain amount of times based on the item quality. Primitive: 3 times Ramshackle: 3 times Apprentice: 3 times Journeyman: 2 times Mastercraft: 2 times Ascendant: 1 time Hermit Crab Glue: The crab’s sticky saliva, called Hermit Crab Glue, is passively produced in its inventory. It can be used as a substitute for Cementing Paste or can repair damaged structures, more being required for the level of damage. It is a mandatory ingredient for crafting the shell. Craftable Shell: Palaeopagurus don’t have saddles. Instead, they have a shell that can be crafted in their inventory. The cost of the shell scales with the age & size of the crab, the more resources the larger it gets. The shell’s armor stat scales with both level and Crafting Effectiveness. The best part about all of this is that it is completely customizable! 4 resource types are required for the shell, and which resource types you choose to mix & match are completely up to you. Thatch: 🠝Movement Speed, Fire Weakness Wood: 🠝Insulation, Fire Weakness Keratin: 🠝Physical Resistance, 🠟Insulation Chitin: 🠝Physical Resistance, 🠟Electricity & Element Resistance Flint: 🠝Movement Speed, 🠟Melee Damage Stone: 🠝Melee Damage, 🠟Movement Speed Metal: 🠝Electricity & Element Resistance, 🠟Movement Speed Obsidian: 🠝Insulation, 🠟Melee Damage Crystal: 🠝Electricity & Element Resistance, 🠟Insulation Element: 🠝Melee Damage, 🠟Physical Resistance Should also be noted that the shells have limited durability like a Roll Rat’s saddle, so be careful.   Shell Concept inspired by:   Utility & Scenarios:   PvE: The Giant Hermit Crab is great for getting the best loot crafted from blueprints. With its Crafting Effectiveness stat, it will improve the quality of said blueprints before making the best out of the resources they have for the item. They are also generally good at harvesting and transporting resources, with weight reduction on minerals and the ability to climb. When out taming for creatures, the ability to drag unconscious bodies away from places of danger can be a real lifesaver.   PvP: A wide range of attacks grants Palaeopagurus utility on the battlefield. A shoulder bash provides a way to provide distance between the crab’s tribe and the enemy. The ability to hunker down and hide in its shell for damage reduction makes it an excellent soaker to raid bases. If defending a base, the Hermit Crab Glue can be used to repair damaged structures and increase the longevity of the facility. The fully customizable shell also allows for experimentation and unique builds, allowing for the hermit crabs to adapt to any playstyle their masters desire. However, outside of these few things, the crab isn’t the best in terms of actually fighting and defending itself head on, more so acting in the support role to assist its allies. A limited lifetime on a crab’s shell also poses its own problems.   Wild:   Palaeopagurus spawn in the wild with a wide range of sizes depending on their age. They like to inhabit coastlines and shallow waters, especially in The Center’s central floating island and the underworld. They also spawn with different shells made of different materials, which is completely dependent on the environment. They are strict scavengers that search for carcasses in the surrounding area. Depending on their size, they may either hide away or fight other creatures that approach the carcass they’re eating from, including survivors.   Taming Process:   The Giant Hermit Crab loves to craft things with its claws since it makes its own shells, so lending it the resources to do so will allow you to tame it. Either find a crab that doesn’t possess a shell or destroy the shell of one that does by attacking it. From there, the crab will desire certain materials that go on rotation akin to a Moschops, and survivors must provide them with such. Once they’ve fully completed their shell, they’ll be tamed!   Conclusion:   In the end, Palaeopagurus is a creature that would bring a lot to ARK and fits well within the realm of The Center. A relatively balanced out crustacean with abilities leaning into the side of PvE, but still having a clear role with the PvP metagame. Hope you all enjoy it!   Have fun, survivors!   References (Accurate & Inaccurate):

[Panamahat]

Insane quality submission

 

[ninjakiller560]

This is a great submission, it would suit center so much

[TheEnderBuilder445]

33 minutes ago, Alex171202 said:

Increíble criatura, por ahora es mi favorita.

 

58 minutes ago, Udam said:

CRAB GANG

CRAB GANG

[LeDonkaConka]

Quality creature submission

[Averageguy]

This is awesome.

[Chilillo13]

Incredible submission! 

[Hubbxo]

All the different types of shells look dope as hell!

[TheEnderBuilder445]

41 minutes ago, ninjakiller560 said:

This is a great submission, it would suit center so much

 

1 hour ago, Cage123 said:

🐚🦀

🐚🦀

[Hypertek]

I think I'm most impressed by the quality of the artwork and animations.

[Mutagenica]

This idea had been proposed for the Mod Map Server: The Sunken World.
Giant Hermit Crab
Basically it tames: First you must create its mount.
Next, you must find one to tame, then you must destroy the shell it is currently using. (Preferably use: Catapult, Cannon, Missile Launcher, Pachy, Doedicurus, Ankylo, Megateriums, Even underwater you can use a Dunkleosteus.)
You drop the crab's mount before or after seeing its shell destroyed (preferably shortly before destroying it). Once its shell is destroyed, it will desperately seek a new refuge and the point is that it adopts your mount as its new home shell, as soon as it is introduced in it, open tamed by you.
Its mount is a Platform of... 5x5... approximately.

(Disclaimer: I already saw that it's almost the same concept of breaking the house... so just consider the platform mount as an addition.)

Edited August 5, 2023 by Mutagenica

[Zaimon]

its just beautiful ♥

[theengineerpug9]

You read my mind, I have a knack for coming up with concepts that are later implemented into the game without my input.

 

 

 

I predicted Genesis Part 1 and the upcoming Arrat Prime Expansion.

 

I do like your concept. I could see a TEK saddle for this creature as well, it projects a shield forward that can be shot through on one side, but will negate the damage incoming from the other, it decays slowly & moves with the crab, the shield is highly resistant to ranged attacks, but it suffers greatly against melee. Even a Survivor with a Machete can disable the shield within minutes, but turret walls will struggle to put a dent in the health of the shield.

 

I could see it also appearing in the underground world, the water is perfect for it.

[Romuluas]

I would love to see this win, it fits so well into The Center IMO!

[Rockpedro987]

Very cool

[Romuluas]

Love this!

[DjBrudda]

I am a very huge hermit crab lover and I very much hope this wins it would for sure be a great add for beach and ocean 

Edited August 5, 2023 by DjBrudda

[Lizardjoe]

Same ive got a Halloween moom crab and 4 hermit crabs really hoping any crustaceans win

 

[TheEnderBuilder445]

1 hour ago, Romuluas said:

I would love to see this win, it fits so well into The Center IMO!

We can only hope!