Crab-like creatures called Mirelurks can be found in several locations inFallout 76as 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.

LikeSnallygasters inFallout 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 alwaysvulnerable to explosives and headshotsfrom your weapons.

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Every Type Of Mirelurk

Learn About How Each One Is Different

Remarkably, a whopping14 kinds of Mirelurkscan 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.

Fallout 76 Softshell Mirelurk being targeted by player’s VATS system

Taking out some Mirelurks with headshots over a great distance is recommended while the rest of the creatures in its pack attempt to chase you. If other Mirelurks get close, use melee weapons like theMechanic’s Best Friend inFallout 76to quickly take them out.

Below are all the different types of Mirelurk you could run into along your adventure inFallout 76, ranked from weakest to strongest, and what materials they drop when defeated:

Mothman from Fallout 76 standing with his wings spread out.

Possible Loot

Glowing Mirelurk

Mirelurk Meat, Softshell Mirelurk Meat, Glowing Blood, Glowing Meat, Nuclear Waste

Mirelurk Meat, Softshell Mirelurk Meat

Strangler Mirelurk

All Mirelurk Spawn Locations

Know Where And When Mirelurks Show Up

Unlike the incredibly rareMothman inFallout 76, Mirelurks tend to appear in several locations rather than just one spot. Some groups of Mirelurks are protected by aMirelurk Queen or King, a much stronger and upgraded version of one Mirelurk type already mentioned. There are11 reliable places on your map where Mirelurks spawn, but some only appear during special events in the game.

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Six Softshell Mirelurks

Grafton Lake and Pioneer Scout Camp

All Types of Mirelurks, especially during the Swarm of Suitors event.

Fallout 76 Albino Mirelurk Hunter tamed and kept as a pet at a player’s C.A.M.P.

Number of Mirelurks

Highland Marsh

Several Types of Mirelurks, One Mirelurk Queen, Mirelurk Eggs & Hatchlings

Vault 94

Twenty Mirelurks, Five Mirelurk Kings

As you may see in the above video by YouTube creatorCubby 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 encounterduring 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.

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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 totame 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 passive creatures like the two-headed cowBrahmin inFallout 76.You need to have the Animal Friend Perkto tame a Mirelurk, but this passive 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 inFallout 76, but those with the right gear can easily travel to each place where these mutated crabs appear for some additional allies.