The Salt Pan King: the crab under the salt.

What it is

A colossal crab with a back of solid salt. Its crown of salt shrugs off almost any blow, so you have to hit the soft parts instead. It is based on dried lakes that burst into life after a rare rain: brine shrimp eggs can wait decades for water.

Where and when it comes

• It lies buried under the Brightsand Expanse, the Rustmesa badlands and the Saltstrand beaches.
• It wakes only in rain. If you are out on the sand in a storm it may heave up 26 to 40 metres from you. The Codex hint is "The sand heaves when it rains".
• Once it is buried and rain is falling, anyone within 70 metres who is out on the ground can wake it.
• After one is slain, another cannot come for about twenty minutes.

Like every legend it is rare in the open world, and where it was first met becomes its lair. See Lairs and how legends come back.

Stats

Thing	Value
Health	1100
Size	About ten metres across the shell
Walking speed	3.2 m/s, faster when enraged
Claw slam	34 damage, within 4.6 m of the claw tip
Claw sweep	22 damage, with a knock-back
Signature: Salt Crown Burst	A ring 7 m wide round the crab, 12 damage, 1.4 seconds of warning, about every 11 seconds
Wait before another comes	About 20 minutes

How the fight works

1. Rising. The pan cracks and caves in round it over about three seconds, leaving a huge hole with a torn rim. Get clear.
2. Hunting. It turns to face you and walks until you are under its claws. It shoves aside anyone standing inside its body.
3. Slam. If you are in front of it, it raises one claw high for just over a second, then brings it down. That is the 34-damage blow. Run out of range as the claw lifts.
4. Sweep. If you are beside it, it swings both claws low across its front: 22 damage and a hard knock-back.
5. Rearing. After a slam it rears up for nearly two seconds with its belly bare. This is your opening.

Below half health it is enraged: it walks about 30 per cent faster, winds up quicker and rests for less time between blows.

Where to hit it

Part	Damage taken
Eyes	Two and a half times
Belly (only while it is reared up after a slam)	Double
Claws	40 per cent
Shell, the crown of salt	10 per cent

Do not waste swings on the shell. Aim at the eyes while it walks, and hit the belly in the gap after every slam.

When it leaves

When rain has stopped for ninety seconds it digs itself back in where it stands and leaves another hole. It also sinks if it has nobody to chase for half a minute. It only chases people on the ground, so if you are more than a few metres underground or more than twelve metres up in the air it loses you.

Tips

• Bring a ranged weapon for the eyes, and keep moving in circles so the slam always lands where you were.
• Stay out of the red Salt Crown Burst ring, or roll through it as it breaks.
• Build a platform or dig in before the storm if you only want the loot: it cannot reach you far above or below the ground.

What it drops

Drop	Amount
Salt pieces	24 to 35
Gold pieces	4 to 8
Gems (diamond, ruby or sapphire)	1 or 2 pieces
Trophy	Salt King Crown-Shard

← Back to the wiki · Last updated 25 October 2026. Mantlenaut is in alpha, so things change.