The Alakarkinos is a crab that was added to Ars Nouveau in the 1.21.1 version, and you’ll find them walking around on beaches. Once they’re tamed they will sit next to a 
Chest and go through any 
Sand or 
Gravel that’s placed near them, which is used to find the same items you’d normally get from brushing Suspicious Sand, like Pottery Sherds and Armor Trims.
They can be tamed with a Pottery Sherd, and they’ll give you an 
Alakarkinos Token in return, which is needed to make the 
Alakarkinos Charm in the 
Enchanting Apparatus. You’ll also want some Source set up before using one, as they will use it up every time they sift a block.
Finding and Taming an Alakarkinos
These can be found on beaches all over the Overworld, usually on their own, and as they’re only about half a block tall you might walk straight past one. To tame one you’ll need to throw a Pottery Sherd on the ground near it, any kind will work, and it will walk over and pick it up with its claw.
After a little while it will drop an Alakarkinos Token for you. They also like to dance when there’s a 
Jukebox playing nearby, although this is only for fun and won’t change anything about them.
Crafting the Alakarkinos Charm
The Alakarkinos Charm is made in the Enchanting Apparatus, with the Alakarkinos Token placed in the middle and a 
Brush and three Pottery Sherds on the Arcane Pedestals around it. It won’t cost any Source to make, and the Sherds can be any kind, which is handy if you’ve got a few spares you don’t need.
Using the charm on a block will summon your Alakarkinos there. Then you’ll need to give it a home, by using the 
Dominion Wand on it first and then on a Chest or a 
Barrel, and this is where everything it finds will be put.
Sifting Sand and Gravel
Once it has a home, it will look for Sand or Gravel that’s been placed within 3 blocks of the chest, as long as it’s on the same level or one block above or below. It walks over to the block and breaks it, and the loot will go into the chest, then it takes about a minute before it goes looking for another one.
Each block will use 1,000 Source, which is taken from a 
Source Jar within 5 blocks of its home, so you’ll want to keep a jar next to the chest with something filling it up. What it finds depends on which block it’s given, as Sand and Gravel each use the loot from different archaeology sites.
| Block | Loot it can give |
|---|---|
| Sand | Desert Well loot most often, sometimes Desert Pyramid or Warm Ocean Ruin loot |
| Gravel | Trail Ruins loot most often, sometimes rare Trail Ruins or Cold Ocean Ruin loot |
Gravel tends to be the better one to use, as the Trail Ruins loot is where most of the Pottery Sherds and the Armor Trims come from. Sand is still worth giving it every now and then though, since the Desert Pyramid loot might give you an 
Emerald or even a 
Diamond.
Frequently Asked Questions
You’ll need to throw a Pottery Sherd on the ground near a wild Alakarkinos, which will be on a beach. It will pick up the Sherd and give you an Alakarkinos Token a little while later.
They can be found on beaches in the Overworld, although only in the 1.21.1 version of Ars Nouveau, as they aren’t in 1.20.1.
It will need a home set with the Dominion Wand, and some Sand or Gravel within 3 blocks of that chest. It also needs a Source Jar with at least 1,000 Source within 5 blocks, as it won’t sift anything without it.
It gives you archaeology loot, like Pottery Sherds, Armor Trims and Emeralds, and which ones you get will depend on whether it’s sifting Sand or Gravel.
