Old Salty

Old Salty is a named mudcrab at Northshore Landing on Solstheim, carrying a tankard, shoes and gold, and returning after every death.

Old Salty is a unique mudcrab added by Dragonborn, living on the shoreline of Solstheim. On the surface it is just another crab with a bad temper, but its loot gives it away: this one has been collecting. Kill it and you will find gold, a tankard and a pair of shoes alongside the usual shell and legs, as if it had been raiding drunken sailors for years.

Where to find them

Old Salty lives at Northshore Landing on Solstheim’s northern coast, and it respawns after being killed, so you can return for another round later. Its stay is not guaranteed, however. During A New Source of Stalhrim, the Thalmor and Ancarion can turn up at the landing, and especially if they are persuaded to set up as Stalhrim merchants, Old Salty may stop appearing there. If you want the crab, visit before that quest plays out.

Notes

Old Salty is one of only two named mudcrabs in the game. The other is Pincer, a pet that can be adopted with Hearthfire. The two could not be more different: Pincer is friendly, while Old Salty attacks on sight just like any ordinary mudcrab.

With a level of 3 and 55 health it is only marginally tougher than a common crab, so it is a pleasant curiosity rather than a boss. Its Mudcrab Chitin is an Alchemy ingredient, and with Hearthfire its legs can be cooked into Steamed Mudcrab Legs. Its soul is petty, which makes it a decent target for a small soul gem while you are on the coast. Nearby Raven Rock is the closest place to sell the tankard and shoes, though you may prefer to keep them as trophies of a crab that clearly lived well.

Abilities & attacks

  • Claw attacks like a common mudcrab

How to beat it

Treat Old Salty like any mudcrab: it is slow and only dangerous at very low levels. A few hits with any weapon or spell will finish it.

Loot & harvestables

Mudcrab Chitin
Mudcrab Legs (Hearthfire)
Gold (leveled)
Tankard
Shoes

Ingredients and items it drops

Where to find it

Northshore Landing in Skyrim Dragonborn: north-coast Solstheim dock where A New Source of Stalhrim ends, with Old Salty, an ebony vein, Nirnroot and loot.
Raven Rock in Skyrim Dragonborn: Solstheim’s Dunmer capital – merchants, Glover Mallory’s smithy, the Retching Netch, Severin Manor and every local quest.

Also encountered in

Quests featuring this creature

Characters connected to it

More creatures like this

Animal
Soul: Lesser
Bristlebacks are tusked, boar-like beasts of Solstheim that keep to themselves until provoked, and that Rieklings sometimes tame and ride into battle.
Daedra
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Hulking Daedra from Hermaeus Mora’s realm of Apocrypha that stomp, spit acid and summon poison tentacles across Solstheim in Dragonborn.
Lycanthrope
Cursed humans who turn into powerful wolf-like beasts. The Companions’ inner circle shares the curse – and so can you.
Animal
Soul: Lesser
Horses are Skyrim’s sturdy draft mounts, sold for 1000 gold at hold stables, with unique steeds like Shadowmere, Frost and Arvak earned through quests.
Monster
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The Chaurus Hunter is the winged adult form of the chaurus, bursting from a chrysalis to sting, bite and spit poison in Falmer-haunted caves.
Animal
Soul: Common
Lord Tusk is a giant, unique horker ruling Horker Island off Solstheim, twice the size of a normal horker and surrounded by the skulls of his meals.
Sources checked: Elder Scrolls Fandom wiki (creature article) + Skyrim/DLC game files (NPC records)