“Despite the best efforts of well-equipped hunters, deathclaws continue to establish nests across the Mojave Wasteland.”— Fallout: New Vegas loading screens
Deathclaws spawn in specific places in the Mojave Wasteland, building nests and laying eggs.[1] These eggs can be used to create consumables such as wasteland omelettes.[2] When describing the NCR Rangers to the Courier, Stepinac states that to become a ranger, you have to prove that you can be "quieter than a shadow and more ferocious than a deathclaw."[3]
In Quarry Junction, northwest of Sloan, there are two larger deathclaws called the "deathclaw alpha male" and the "deathclaw mother" as well as a number of smaller baby deathclaws and three to four eggs.[4]Chomps Lewis will warn the Courier not to traverse farther than Sloan due to the danger of the deathclaws in the quarry.[5] If the Courier kills only the alpha male or mother, Chomps will comment that as long as the mother or alpha is still alive, the pack will remain, and both need to be killed.[6][7]
Dead Wind Cavern is the location of the unique legendary deathclaw. A high number of deathclaws are found around the deathclaw promontory and gypsum train yard. Depending on the Courier's level, they will either be regular, young, or blind.
Alpha males are the incredibly rare result of a deathclaw living long enough to fully mature. Featuring a much dark-colored hide, larger, brown claws and thick brown horns, these are the leaders of deathclaw packs along with the pack's mother deathclaw and, as their name implies, are the alpha male of the pack and are incredibly strong and deadly, able to kill even power armor-clad soldiers with a single swipe. They are the only deathclaws that females of the species will allow to breed with them, adding to their danger.
They can be found at Quarry Junction, the deathclaw promontory, and Dead Wind Cavern. Her design is much different from other deathclaws, featuring blue-green coloring over the vast majority of her body, horns that curves up and back as opposed to forward and out, thagomizer barbs on her tail, and a low-hanging distended stomach. Possessing a fierce motherly instinct and incredible strength, she will not hesitate to rapidly charge and fatally attack any perceived threat to her or her babies, which trail and attack alongside her. If any of her babies are killed in front of her, she will be driven berserk with rage, multiplying her damage output by 1.25 and giving her the Adamantium Skeleton and Better Criticals perks, and will stop at nothing but her own death to avenge her slaughtered offspring.
The youngest and weakest deathclaws in the entire game, they noticably lack the horns of their more mature siblings and parents but nontheless possess the same claws and ferocious attitude and will charge attackers alongside their mother, partially to protect her. If one of them is killed in the mother's presence, she will be driven berserk. If their mother is killed, they will stay near her body and will only venture a short distance away before retreating. If the player comes within a certain distance, they will charge and attack to protect their mother's corpse.
Deathclaws that aren't yet fully grown and are noticeably smaller than normal deathclaws. Despite being much larger than baby deathclaws and being over three times as durable, they are incredibly weak for their age with their attacks doing exactly the same amount of damage as that of their far smaller infant brethren.
One of the most dangerous creatures in the Mojave Wasteland, the legendary deathclaw is the leader of the pack, residing at the farthest end of Dead Wind Cavern. The legendary deathclaw deals twice as much damage as ordinary deathclaws, two of which will charge alongside him. A Brotherhood of Steel soldier armed with Mercy lies dead in his chamber, a testament to his durability and aggression. He is the only deathclaw inside Dead Wind Cavern that will not respawn.
Deathclaws found in the Divide level with the Courier. Surpasses the legendary deathclaw in damage (but not in health), at maximum level. Aside from their irradiated brethren and Rawr, no other deathclaw variants are present.
Found along the Courier's Mile and among the ruins of Hopeville and level with the Courier. Their statistics are varied according to the Courier's level, making them very dangerous if the Courier is near the level cap. Irradiated deathclaws deal radiation damage. Unlike other variants, irradiated deathclaws have zero Damage Threshold.
Rawr: In the Lonesome Road add-on, there is a unique deathclaw named Rawr, found in a cave in the Divide canyon. When killed, it drops its talon, which can be crafted at a workbench into a unique deathclaw gauntlet called the Fist of Rawr (or Fist of the North Rawr with the Wild Wasteland trait).
Stripe: In the Old World Bluesadd-on, Higgs Village houses a miniature alpha male deathclaw named Stripe inside Gabe's doghouse if the Courier has the Wild Wasteland trait. Despite his size, Stripe has the same attack power as the legendary deathclaw.
Notes[]
The flare gun causes abominations, such as deathclaws, to flee.
Crippling a deathclaw's leg will both reduce their speed to a limp and prevent them from performing their leaping attack.
A deathclaw egg can sometimes be looted off the body of a deathclaw alpha male.
Deathclaws will stop chasing the Courier if they stand on a rock high enough that they cannot reach them or if the Courier dives into water. Deathclaws may follow the Courier into buildings.
Deathclaws cannot travel over companions' unconscious bodies. This may prove useful in Dead Wind Cavern due to the enclosed environment, as one will be able to attack the deathclaws from a safe distance.
On very rare occasions, certain deathclaws will flee from the player if one or more limb is crippled. Afterwards, the injured deathclaw will repeatedly flee upon being approached.
Despite the mother deathclaw in Quarry Junction being so fiercely protective of her babies that killing any of them will drive her insane with rage, upon taking a critical hit from Dr. Mobius' glove she becomes frenzied and will actually kill her own babies.
If more than one alpha male is present in a deathclaw pack, they will not attack each other despite the fact that both threaten each others position as the pack's leader.
PCPlaystation 3Xbox 360 In V.A.T.S., the head of a deathclaw mother seems to be its neck instead of its actual head. [verified]
PCPlaystation 3Xbox 360 Deathclaws do not attack the player character when they are mounted on taller rocks or machinery, even when they are in reach. (See Fallout: New Vegas exploits for more detail). [verified]
Playstation 3Xbox 360 Sometimes, deathclaws may take several more shots to kill when their health is depleted. This appears to mostly affect young deathclaws. [verified]
PCXbox 360 A deathclaw may spawn in the crater at Black Mountain. [verified]
PCPlaystation 3Xbox 360 Deathclaw babies, mothers, and alpha males feature poor skinning on their teeth; when idle, deathclaws will occasionally pick at their teeth with a claw, during which the teeth on baby, alpha male, and mother deathclaws will stretch and distort in accordance to the movement of their jaw. This poorly-done skinning is especially visible with a mother deathclaw, as the skin around her mouth is also slightly distorted in its normal resting position. [verification overdue]
Concept art, Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide/Behind the Bright Lights & Big City
Concept art, Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide/Behind the Bright Lights & Big City
Warning, deathclaws ahead!
References[]
↑Fallout: New Vegas loading screen hints: "Despite the best efforts of well-equipped hunters, Deathclaws continue to establish nests across the Mojave Wasteland."
↑Courier: "Where can I find a Deathclaw egg?" Jas Wilkins: "The quarry just north of here is full of Deathclaws, so there's bound to be an egg or two in there somewhere. Of course, a Deathclaw egg from anywhere will do. According to my Aunt Rose, those things have a ridiculously long shelf life." (Jas Wilkins' dialogue)
↑Courier: "Tell me about the Rangers." Stepinac: "We're part scout, part commando, part sheriff. The training is brutal, and I'd say eight out of ten recruits washes out before the end. Before you get your Ranger badge, you've got to prove you can be quieter than a shadow and more ferocious than a Deathclaw." (Stepinac's dialogue)
↑Courier: "I could take care of your Deathclaw problem." Chomps Lewis: "Have you even seen a Deathclaw? They're taller than a man and far, far stronger and faster. And, there's a whole pack of them out there. You'd have to be the meanest, toughest, roughest bastard in the wasteland to have any chance against them, and I don't think that's you. You'd need to take out the pack leaders - the Mother Deathclaw and the Deathclaw Alpha Male. Kill 'em, and the pack will scatter. Pretty tough job." (Chomps Lewis' dialogue)
↑Courier: "Have you had problems with Deathclaws before?" Chomps Lewis: "We'd see them occasionally, but they didn't seem too keen on getting too close to the quarry. Not sure if it was the noise or all the workers. I can't believe that an entire pack moved into the quarry. I thought that kind of bad luck only happened in New Vegas." (Chomps Lewis' dialogue)
↑Courier: "I killed the Mother Deathclaw." Chomps Lewis: "You... you did? That's pretty amazing - I figured you'd need artillery to take her out. I hate to say it, but as long as the Alpha Male is still alive, that pack isn't going anywhere, even with the Deathclaw Mother out of the picture." (Chomps Lewis' dialogue)
↑Courier: "I killed the Deathclaw Alpha Male." Chomps Lewis: "You... you did? That's pretty amazing - I figured you'd need artillery to take him out. I hate to say it, but as long as the Deathclaw Mother is still alive, that pack isn't going anywhere. She'll take another mate and keep laying eggs." (Chomps Lewis' dialogue)
