Chaurus (Skyrim)

"Those venturing in Skyrim's deepest underground reaches should be wary of the Chaurus, a giant insect that spits poison and bites with its razor-sharp mandibles."

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The  is a hostile insect found in.

Overview
Chaurus are large, venomous insects that live deep in the lightless caverns and chasms beneath Skyrim. They have been domesticated by the Falmer, and often live and fight alongside their masters. One should be sure to improve one's resistance to poison with potions or enchantments when facing them. They drop small valuables such as gold, a gem, or a ring.

For ranged attacks, Chaurus project a stream of poison that drains health for five seconds. Using sharp pincers for melee attacks, the Chaurus will repeatedly poison and slash its prey. In groups, the multiple poison attacks stack and can drain health in seconds. It is wise for players of lower levels to avoid Chaurus, as they can kill fairly quickly.

There are four main varieties of Chaurus: standard, Chaurus Reaper, Chaurus Hunter Fledgling and Chaurus Hunter. The latter two were added by. In certain areas deep underground, Chaurus Reapers grow to be unusually large. These larger Chaurus Reapers are fast in movement but not very agile, yet still may be difficult to kill. Chaurus make a unique clacking sound to communicate, so if this noise is heard be warned, there is a Chaurus ready to strike.

While the Hunter variant's existence in Skyrim is dependent on having Dawnguard installed, it is not limited to spawning in areas exclusive to the add-on. Any area that has any Chaurus spawn may have Hunters spawn instead so long as the Dragonborn is of sufficient level.

Chaurus's are similar to flies and cattapillars in that they have stages of growth. From an egg a Chaurus will hatch and begin growing, likely fed by the Falmer they live with. After an unknown amount of time the Chaurus will begin to die, so they will cover themselves with a thick resin to create a chrysalis. From there the Chaurus transforms into a hunter fledgling. In other cases the Chaurus will keep growing and become a chaurus reaper and start to lay eggs in a nest.

Loot
Pods in a Chaurus nest may be harvested for Chaurus Eggs, an ingredient used in Alchemy. A dead Chaurus may provide Chaurus Chitin, a material used to improve Falmer weapons and armor, and occasionally a few Chaurus Eggs. Though Chaurus Chitin may be used to improve Falmer armor, one cannot create any. Chaurus may also drop minor loot.

Trivia

 * Chaurus may be found alongside the western salt marshes north of Morthal, as opposed to the Mudcrabs that usually inhabit the area.
 * The Chaurus are used by the Falmer as both companions and cattle.
 * Chaurus are more vulnerable to Shock than Fire or Frost magic.
 * When entering an underground/indoor area where live Chaurus are present, their presence is indicated by a loud 'chittering' noise.
 * When found in groups, the use of the Kyne's Peace shout may be used to allow lower level players to more easily pick off the Chaurus one by one. Animal Allegiance is also an effective way of dealing with Falmer on higher difficulties as the Chaurus will treat them as hostiles after the shout is used.
 * On higher difficulties (Expert and Master) the Chaurus can be more dangerous than Falmer archers at range due to their poison spit, which cannot be deflected by a shield and does increased damage.
 * Lower level players may want to avoid swampy areas at night, because of the Chaurus that can be found wandering around such locations.
 * The Daedric artifact Spellbreaker comes in handy against Chaurus. Their poison spit seems to count as a magical attack as it does no damage against wards - including the shield's ward.
 * The Falmer are known to feed their Chaurus human corpses. The Chaurus will sometimes feed on the corpse of the Dragonborn if they manage to kill him/her.
 * Often in areas inhabited by Falmer, the player will find a sort of totem made from human shoulder-blades and ribs. Sometimes there will also be a large, black, teardrop shaped insect with three glowing eyes on its front end and a pair of pincers on its back end tied to the center. These cannot be damaged or looted.
 * Chaurus bear a slight resemblance to earwigs.
 * In some places inhabited by Falmer, the player will sometimes find the carcasses of giant Chaurus used for the supports of a Falmer tent.
 * In pre-game art concepts, Chaurus were originally intended to be mounts for Falmer riders.