How to beat the mantis shrimp boss in Dave the Diver

The giant mantis shrimp is an optional boss in Dave the Diver. It appears on the second stormy night when Sato approaches you about a rare creature in the area. Skipping this boss doesn’t impede the main story in any way, and you can always encounter it again on the next stormy night.

Reaching the mantis shrimp lair

On stormy evenings, you’ll be approached by Sato, the Marinca card collector. He will tell you that he senses the presence of an extremely rare card, and that you should look for a vortex of water somewhere in the Blue Hole. 

The first time Sato alerts you of a rare card, it will be the truck hermit crab boss. When you get this prompt a second time, it will be the mantis shrimp.

You don’t need any special equipment to fight the mantis shrimp, but it does help to have a sniper rifle. Once you dive down, you might want to explore the area for chests. Having a scooter can help with dodging, and weapon upgrades are always nice. An extra oxygen tank can also be useful for some quick emergency healing.

Once you’re happy with your gear, look for the vortex; its exact location can vary but it won’t be more than 30-50m down. You’ll hear a rushing noise when you’re near it, so you can follow the sound.

Defeating the mantis shrimp boss

This shrimp hits decently hard, and its attacks have a large area of effect. In general, I just try to keep moving, staying close to the upper-left side of the arena. 

The shrimp’s eyes are its weak spot, so take potshots at them when you can. The rest of its body is invulnerable to damage. It will sometimes raise its gloves to guard its eyes.

At intervals, the shrimp will charge up a punch and summon a strong current of water. Don’t let it push you into the spiked wall on the left. Near the wall though, when the current starts up, a handle will appear from the ceiling. Grab it (hold right click on PC) and pull it straight down (swim down with S) until you are hiding behind the metal claw. The shrimp will punch the heavy metal claw, stunning itself and leaving its eyes open for a few free shots from your harpoon or rifle.

If you take damage during the fight or run out of ammo, there’s some oxygen, ammo, and a weapon chest on the floor to the left side of the arena. It can be difficult to open these while the shrimp is attacking, so try to do it just after the shrimp throws a punch. You may want to open the weapon chest at the very beginning of the fight while the shrimp is still walking towards you. This lets you quickly grab the weapon when you need it.

Profit

Defeating the giant mantis shrimp in Dave the Diver nets you some mantis shrimp meat and the ultra rare Mantis Shrimp Marinca card. 

Cooking the meat and adding it to your menu nets you a healthy profit. You’ll need 1 Artisan’s Flame to research the recipe, which uses mantis shrimp meat, eggplant, agar, and miso.