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Official Everything is Crab key art showing a large creature and the game title. — Key art from the official press kit.
Image: Odd Dreams Digital / Secret Mode

Everything is Crab: Six-Affinity Guide

Understand the Affinities behind evolution choices, from Gregarious to Carcinisation. This guide covers their roles, mixed-build concepts, weighting questions and the kinds of play each may suit.

Updated: May 14, 2026 Six Affinities explained Four mixed-build concepts

🔮 Affinity weighting

Affinity weighting concerns which evolutions appear in later choices. The old guide claimed that every same-Affinity selection directly raises its appearance chance; that exact rule and its current values have not been independently verified.

First choice

Use the first choices to decide what your build needs. Equal starting probabilities across all six Affinities have not been verified.

Second and third choices

Look for choices that support the direction you have started. A guaranteed probability threshold at this stage has not been verified.

Fourth choice onward

Keep checking actual offers and their requirements. More selections do not guarantee that a particular evolution will appear without a reroll.

Practical use: Choose an early direction so you can judge later offers consistently. Add another Affinity when it fills a real gap. Use Mutagen to improve an unsuitable choice when the current cost is worthwhile; do not assume a guaranteed weighting rule.

🧬 All six Affinities

Gr
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Gregarious

(Gregarious) Allies and cooperation

An ally-focused direction built around Charm. The old 12-ally cap and speedrunner-adoption claim are unverified; 12 simultaneous allies is an achievement target, not proof of a cap.

Main stats:

Social Senses Ability

Representative evolutions:

Alpha Pack Tail Wag Courting Pollinator Antennae

✅ Strengths

Charmed allies can fight alongside you and share the pressure of combat. The old cap of 12 and near-invulnerability claim are unverified; allies do not guarantee safety.

⚠️ Weaknesses

A plan built around allies is less dependable before you have them. Check Charm conditions and keep enough personal survival to reach that stage.

📌 Who might enjoy this Affinity

Players who enjoy allies and managing a boss encounter Intermediate

Im
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Imposing

(Imposing) Durability and Size

A health-and-Size direction. Body Slam is one build concept, but the old universally strongest community ranking has not been measured or independently verified.

Main stats:

Max HP Resistance Size Physical

Representative evolutions:

Chonky Plated Carapace Shell More Mass Body Slam

✅ Strengths

Health and durability are useful safeguards while learning. Body Slam is an option within that approach, not a guaranteed correct answer or clear.

⚠️ Weaknesses

A health-focused plan still needs suitable damage and mobility. The old Pressure 15 cutoff for its usefulness has not been verified.

📌 Who might enjoy this Affinity

Players who value durability, including beginners Beginner onward

Pr
ed

Predator

(Predator) Attacks and movement

An offensive physical direction. Efficiently defeating suitable animals can support progression, but an unlimited-leveling guarantee and instant kills are unverified.

Main stats:

Physical Speed

Representative evolutions:

Carnivore Claws Jaws Muscular Tissue Sprint Sharpen

✅ Strengths

Movement and physical damage support an aggressive approach. Efficient kills can help progression, provided your damage and survival actually support the fights you choose.

⚠️ Weaknesses

Prioritizing offense can leave health or defense underdeveloped. Avoid assuming that damage alone will protect you from a large boss hit.

📌 Who might enjoy this Affinity

Players who enjoy fast, aggressive attacks Newer players onward

Pr
ey

Prey

(Prey) Evasion and movement

An evasion-focused direction. Inspect Smol, movement and feeding effects individually rather than assuming a universal combination.

Main stats:

Dodge Speed Senses

Representative evolutions:

Elusive More Eyes! Smol Forager Herbivore Slow Metabolism

✅ Strengths

Smol and evasion choices can reduce exposure, but they do not guarantee that bosses will miss. Read their actual effects and keep watching attack cues.

⚠️ Weaknesses

An evasion-focused plan may need more damage to finish a fight comfortably. Keep both positioning and damage output in view during the run.

📌 Who might enjoy this Affinity

Players focused on evasion or no-damage goals Advanced

Tr
ic

Trickster

(Trickster) Range and Ability damage

An ability-focused direction that can include ranged or damage-over-time choices. Read each evolution’s effects rather than assuming every listed ability applies poison or parasitism.

Main stats:

Ability Attack Range

Representative evolutions:

Cortex Beak Spit Leech Tentacles Synapse Poisonous Saliva

✅ Strengths

Ranged attacks and poison can support fighting at a distance. Do not assume that an attack crosses walls or obstacles without checking that evolution.

⚠️ Weaknesses

Damage over time needs time to work. Maintain spacing and a response to close-range threats rather than relying only on poison.

📌 Who might enjoy this Affinity

Players who enjoy ranged attacks, poison or damage over time Intermediate onward

Ca
rc

Carcinisation

(Carcinisation) Special Affinity

Carcinisation is the game’s special crab-like evolution direction. The old one-point-per-unique-choice rule and cap of seven are not certified; the saved Steam achievement requires reaching Carcinisation 10 in a run. Check current tradeoffs in the Codex.

Main stats:

Enemy damage +10%/level (old value; unchecked) Food rarity +8%/level (old value; unchecked)

Representative evolutions:

Antennae Exoskeleton Pincer Shell More Legs Pistol Pincer

✅ Strengths

Carcinisation has distinct evolution choices and achievement goals. The old seven-choice/+70% player-damage interpretation has not been verified and should not be used as a confirmed damage multiplier.

⚠️ Weaknesses

Focusing too narrowly can leave gaps in movement or evasion. Carcinisation does not impose a verified ban on selecting other Affinities; evaluate the actual choices available.

📌 Who might enjoy this Affinity

Achievement hunters and players who enjoy risky or restricted builds Advanced players

⚗️ Four mixed-build concepts

These concepts show how two directions might support each other. Try them once you understand their individual evolution effects; the labels are editorial examples rather than official preset builds.

Imposing + Predator

Durable attacker

A mixed build concept combining health with physical damage. Body Slam and Claws offer different attack roles; check their current descriptions and equipment limits before combining them.

Core evolutions:

More MassShellClawsJawsBody Slam

Playstyle:

Use health to give yourself room for mistakes in close combat. The former claim of reliable clears around Pressure 10 has not been verified.

✅ Strength: A coherent early-to-middle game plan ⚠️ Weakness: Easy to dilute the main plan Difficulty: Medium

Gregarious + Predator

Charm and mobility

A division-of-labor concept: allies handle threats while you use movement to focus attacks. Its alleged popularity among speedrunners has not been independently checked.

Core evolutions:

Tail WagAlphaSprintClawsAntennae

Playstyle:

Let allies engage ordinary animals while you manage distance from the boss. Charm can help, but it does not make you invulnerable.

✅ Strength: Allies can reduce pressure in a boss fight ⚠️ Weakness: Vulnerable without functioning allies Difficulty: Medium

Prey + Trickster

Evasion and range

A concept combining Smol with ranged attacks to reduce exposure. A smaller body is not a promise of a no-damage run.

Core evolutions:

SmolElusiveMore Eyes!BeakPoisonous Saliva

Playstyle:

Maintain distance while using ranged or damage-over-time options. Read each evolution’s actual effects before relying on it at higher Pressure.

✅ Strength: Less exposure to attacks ⚠️ Weakness: Fights may take longer if damage is low Difficulty: Hard

Focused Carcinisation

Full Carcinisation

A high-risk concept using Carcinisation evolutions. The old cap of seven and the +70%/+56% figures have not been checked against the current Codex; the damage figure must not be read as a confirmed player damage bonus.

Core evolutions:

PincerExoskeletonShellMore LegsPistol PincerAntennae

Playstyle:

Use the current The Crabtain description to plan the achievement. Neither a single-Affinity restriction nor the highest damage of every build has been verified.

✅ Strength: Current damage ranking unverified ⚠️ Weakness: A narrow plan can leave movement or defense gaps Difficulty: Very hard

🎯 Choosing an Affinity for your goal

The most suitable direction depends on your goal and preferred playstyle. Use the following comparisons as editorial guidance, not a measured ranking.

Goal or situation	Suggested Affinity	Reason
Working toward a first clear	Imposing	A health-focused Body Slam concept gives room for mistakes, but survival and a clear are not guaranteed.
Trying a speedrun	Gregarious	Allies can help deal with enemies while you keep moving. An instant boss kill or a measured time saving has not been established.
Taking on Pressure 10 or higher	Gregarious or Carcinisation	Reassess damage, mobility and survival against the actual modifiers. No single damage multiplier or Charm build is a verified requirement.
Aiming to take no damage	Prey + Trickster	Smol, evasion and range can reduce exposure. Accurate positioning is still necessary.
Working on The Crabtain	Carcinisation	Use the current Steam achievement description and Codex. The old requirement to collect seven specific evolutions in a single-Affinity run has not been verified.
Wanting varied runs	Trickster	Poison, ranged attacks and other ability choices offer different tactical directions from run to run.

❓ Affinity FAQ

Q. Which of the six Affinities is strongest?

A. There is no verified universal ranking here. Imposing offers durable build directions; Gregarious supports allies; Carcinisation has its own tradeoffs. The old best-build, speedrun and maximum-damage claims were not measured. Choose according to your goal and the current evolution descriptions.

Q. Can I combine several Affinities?

A. Yes. One or two main directions can make your choices easier to manage, but three Affinities do not automatically invalidate a build. Read the current weighting and evolution requirements rather than treating a fixed number as a rule.

Q. When does Carcinisation unlock?

A. Check the locked evolution entries and their unlock conditions in the current Codex. The old claim that it simply appears after several runs, and the listed individual unlock routes, were not independently verified.

Q. Is there a cap on Affinity stacking?

A. The old guide gave Carcinisation a cap of seven, +70% enemy damage and +56% food rarity, and estimated 10–15 ordinary selections per run. These are unchecked historical figures, not verified current limits. Consult the Codex and distinguish damage dealt by enemies from your own damage.

Q. Why does this guide describe Prey as more demanding?

A. An evasion-focused plan depends on positioning and on the actual Dodge and Size effects you select. Smol does not prevent every boss hit. Imposing’s health-focused options can give new players more room for mistakes, but suitability is an editorial recommendation, not a measured difficulty rating.

Q. Can the same Affinity produce different builds?

A. Yes. The game offers 125+ evolutions and specialisations, and the choices available in a run can differ. Even when following Imposing repeatedly, you can try different combinations rather than expecting an identical build every time.

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