Crab-like creatures called Mirelurks can be found in several locations in Fallout 76 as you try to hunt irradiated beasts for various resources. These aggressive aquatic monsters usually travel in groups and pose the greatest threat to you when ambushing your character with superior numbers. However, those who understand where Mirelurks appear can prepare for any attack by the Wasteland's wildlife.
Like Snallygasters in Fallout 76, Mirelurks attack whenever you get too close to them as they roam different areas on your map. Thankfully, these monsters are fairly easy to kill since they only rely on melee attacks with their sharp claws. Although several variant types of Mirelurks have better damage resistances, they are always vulnerable to explosives and headshots from your weapons.
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Every Type Of Mirelurk
Learn About How Each One Is Different
Remarkably, a whopping 14 kinds of Mirelurks can spawn in the Wasteland, from weak Softshell Mirelurks to large Steelshell Mirelurks with defensive armor. Defeating any Mirelurk gives you a chance to harvest consumable Meat from them. Some variants have other materials you can collect, so identify which kind of Mirelurk you want to track down for the right items.
Every kind of Mirelurk is immune to radiation damage, making some weapons ineffective against them. Every type of Mirelurk has fairly strong Cryo Resistance, causing other tools that deal cold types of damage to be lackluster. Stronger variants of Mirelurks also have decent fire protection, but most physical or melee weapons can easily tear through these creatures as you take them on in battle.
Taking out some Mirelurks with headshots over a great distance is recommended while the rest of the creatures in its pack try to chase you. If other Mirelurks get close, use melee weapons like the Mechanic's Best Friend in Fallout 76 to quickly take them out.
Below are all the different types of Mirelurk you could run into along your adventure in Fallout 76, ranked from weakest to strongest, and what materials they drop when defeated:
| Mirelurk Type |
Possible Loot |
|---|---|
| Softshell Mirelurk |
Mirelurk Meat, Softshell Mirelurk Meat |
| Mirelurk |
Mirelurk Meat, Softshell Mirelurk Meat |
| Mirelurk Razorclaw |
Mirelurk Meat, Softshell Mirelurk Meat |
| Mirelurk Killclaw |
Mirelurk Meat, Softshell Mirelurk Meat |
| Bloodrage Mirelurk |
Mirelurk Meat, Softshell Mirelurk Meat |
| Stoutshell Mirelurk |
Mirelurk Meat, Softshell Mirelurk Meat |
| Mirelurk Type |
Possible Loot |
|---|---|
| Glowing Mirelurk |
Mirelurk Meat, Softshell Mirelurk Meat, Glowing Blood, Glowing Meat, Nuclear Waste |
| Scorched Mirelurk Crab |
Mirelurk Meat, Softshell Mirelurk Meat |
| Strangler Mirelurk |
Mirelurk Meat, Softshell Mirelurk Meat, Glowing Blood, Glowing Meat, Nuclear Waste |
| Venomous Mirelurk |
Mirelurk Meat, Softshell Mirelurk Meat |
| Hardshell Mirelurk |
Mirelurk Meat, Softshell Mirelurk Meat |
| Mirelurk Vorpalclaw |
Mirelurk Meat, Softshell Mirelurk Meat |
| Steelshell Mirelurk |
Mirelurk Meat, Softshell Mirelurk Meat |
| Deadly Mirelurk |
Mirelurk Meat, Softshell Mirelurk Meat |
All Mirelurk Spawn Locations
Know Where And When Mirelurks Show Up
Unlike the incredibly rare Mothman in Fallout 76, Mirelurks tend to appear in several locations rather than just one spot. Some groups of Mirelurks are protected by a Mirelurk Queen or King, a much stronger and upgraded version of one Mirelurk type already mentioned. There are 11 reliable places on your map where Mirelurks spawn, but some only appear during special events in the game.
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The places where Mirelurks are most likely to spawn are:
| Spawn Location |
Number of Mirelurks |
|---|---|
| New River Gorge Resort |
Five Softshell Mirelurks |
| Summersville |
Six Softshell Mirelurks |
| Grafton Lake and Pioneer Scout Camp |
All Types of Mirelurks, especially during the Swarm of Suitors event. |
| Ohio River Adventures |
Several Types of Mirelurks |
| Spruce Knob Lake |
All Types of Mirelurks |
| Spawn Location |
Number of Mirelurks |
|---|---|
| Highland Marsh |
Several Types of Mirelurks, One Mirelurk Queen, Mirelurk Eggs & Hatchlings |
| Toxic Dried Lakebed |
Several Types of Mirelurks, One Mirelurk Queen |
| Sunrise Field |
Seven Mirelurks, One Mirelurk Queen |
| Quarry X3 |
Two Mirelurks, One Mirelurk Queen, One Mirelurk King |
| Vault 94 |
Twenty Mirelurks, Five Mirelurk Kings |
As you can see in the above video by YouTube creator Cubby Walters, some areas mentioned here have a guaranteed chance to spawn Mirelurks every time you visit, while others only have a random chance to make the creatures appear.
The most dangerous area to search for Mirelurks is Vault 94 due to the presence of 10 Hunter and 7 Spawn enemy variants inside the area, in addition to the 20 Mirelurks and 5 Mirelurk Kings. One Mirelurk that is not mentioned is the one you can encounter during a quest with Dave, one of Enola Walker's companions. During a mission with this character, you must defeat the Scorchbeast Queen, a stronger Mirelurk variant.
How To Tame A Mirelurk
Befriend These Creatures With The Right Perk
One of the reasons you might want to track down a Mirelurk is to tame it and send it back to your C.A.M.P. for extra defenses. Mirelurks can be recruited as guardians of your base, unlike more ive creatures like the two-headed cow Brahmin in Fallout 76. You need to have the Animal Friend Perk to tame a Mirelurk, but this ive skill must be upgraded to befriend stronger variants of these monsters.
The Animal Friend Perk should not be confused with the Wasteland Whisperer Perk, which gives you another chance to pacify a creature at a lower level than you by pointing your weapon at it.
Animal Friend 1 can help you tame regular Mirelurks, while Animal Friend 2 can help you befriend any stronger variants, such as the Mirelurk Hunter or even a Mirelurk King. A tamed creature will not respawn upon its death, so make sure to protect any Mirelurks you team up with during your journey. The process for taming a Mirelurk begins during a random encounter with one when you have the right Perk equipped.
Having a Mirelurk around your base can help protect your important items from raids, especially if the creature you recruited is a powerful variant of a normal Mirelurk. A little bit of luck is necessary to find all the locations of Mirelurks in Fallout 76, but those with the right gear can easily travel to each place where these mutated crabs appear for some additional allies.
Source: Cubby Walters/YouTube
