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For an overview page of deathclaw variants, see deathclaw. |
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Deathclaws are creatures living in the Capital Wasteland in 2277. They are a large, agile, and strong species of mutant Jackson's chameleon[1] and are far more common in the Capital Wasteland than the west coast despite the more desolate, barren and desert-like characteristics of the wasteland.
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Background[edit | edit source]
Originally engineered before the Great War by the U.S. government as a cheap replacement for human troops during combat operations, deathclaws were derived from a mixed animal stock, primarily the popular Jackson's Chameleon. Although the project was successful in creating a ferocious predator capable of surviving on its own in the wild, no references exist of them ever being deployed on the battlefield. After the Great War, deathclaws escaped into the wild and quickly spread across the continent. The Enclave had no hand in the creation of the deathclaws, so far as the Appalachian Enclave branch knows, but suspected their original military origins.[2] Eventually, they were refined by the Master through genetic manipulation and the Forced Evolutionary Virus.[3] Because initial reports were limited to a series of isolated nests, deathclaws were viewed as a legendary creature, a hoax akin to most cryptids, by the various inhabitants of southern California.[4] However, the population in the Boneyard was keenly aware of their existence, as a single den mother and her offspring claimed the area between Downey and Norwalk around 2161, keeping the Gun Runners in a checkmate while terrorizing other communities in the region.[5] Also, a single deathclaw was found living near the outskirts of the Hub.[6]
Their gradual spread throughout the wasteland raised awareness of their existence, until they entered common consciousness as a lethal predator. As stated above, the Enclave eventually continued the research project started before the war, developing intelligent deathclaws for use in hostile environments around 2235.[7] On May 17, 2242, the first successful pack was dropped into Vault 13 to cloak the presence of the Enclave and their abduction of the dwellers within. Following their first combat test, the deathclaws broke free of their Enclave masters, becoming far more intelligent than anyone could foresee.[8] They began developing a unique culture, as the first known non-humanoid sentient beings in history.[9] However, their intelligence was discovered by Dr. Schreber of Navarro, whose report led to the extermination of intelligent deathclaws with extreme prejudice.[10] Subsequent experimentation involved the aforementioned domestication units, although by the end of the 23rd century.[11]
Characteristics[edit | edit source]
Biology[edit | edit source]
Deathclaws have a hunchbacked humanoid build, with a reptilian head and limbs. They stand roughly nine to ten feet tall, with a thick and resilient hide, powerful musculature, and twelve-inch-long, razor-sharp claws that can kill almost any other creature with only a few swipes; hence their name. They are said to have excellent hearing and sense of smell, though their eyesight is poor. Their build gives them incredible speed and strength in close combat, making them an extreme threat at all times. Though they were originally mutated chameleons, the deathclaws of the Capital Wasteland have lost the ability to camouflage themselves.
Deathclaws are oviparous, with the eggs typically laid in dark, sheltered locations and fiercely guarded by their mother. Young deathclaws reach maturity under the care of their parents, following them closely until they are old enough to fend for themselves. Although they do not have vocal cords, they can growl and shout, and seem to be able to mimic human speech much the same as a parrot does. However, normal deathclaws aren't intelligent enough to be capable of real speech.
Gameplay attributes[edit | edit source]
Deathclaws are arguably one of the fastest, most powerful and frightening creatures in the game. Fortunately, deathclaws are not found in many areas around the Capital Wasteland, so their influence on where and when the Lone Wanderer travels is limited. Despite having tough hides according to game lore, the deathclaws in the game are simply given a lot of Hit Points rather than Damage Resistance.
Variants[edit | edit source]
Deathclaw[edit | edit source]
A regular deathclaw, with all of the characteristics and attributes described above.
| Name (Base ID) | Statistics | Behavior | Abilities | Items | ||||
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| Deathclaw 0000CF9A 000C3280 00031E29 |
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Enclave deathclaw[edit | edit source]
Enclave deathclaws only make appearances as Enclave camps begin to appear. Many of these camps are likely to house mind-controlled deathclaws in cages, which are just the same as regular ones, with the exception that they will not attack Enclave forces. The domestication units on their heads can be targeted and crippled, which will frenzy them. Enclave deathclaws may also be dropped off from Enclave vertibirds, along with Enclave soldiers and sentry bots.
During the quest The American Dream, a deathclaw can be seen in a cage in Raven Rock. This deathclaw has not yet been fitted with the mind-control device and can be released from captivity with a Lockpick skill of 50. When released, it will attempt to kill anything in sight (excluding its liberator) until it runs out of other enemies to fight. It will then proceed to attack the Lone Wanderer.
During the quest Shock Value, if one receives Scribe Vallincourt's deathclaw control scrambler, the Enclave deathclaws will act as temporary followers, but if they are led too far from the transmitters of the Enclave outposts where they were stationed, their heads will explode.
| Name (Base ID) | Statistics | Behavior | Abilities | Items | ||||
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| Deathclaw 000BCC4D 0001CF72 000AA836 xx00946b |
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Deathclaw  xx00223c (follower) |
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Locations[edit | edit source]
- Random encounter locations.
- The deathclaw sanctuary.
- Many are found in and around Old Olney.
- The area around F. Scott Key Trail & Campground.
- West of Canterbury Commons.
- In and around Raven Rock.
- Around the west side of Mason Dixon Salvage.
- Inside a hangar and the mobile base crawler at Adams Air Force Base.
- Deathclaws do not spawn inside the D.C. Metro area, although the Enclave may bring them in after The Waters of Life.
- An Enclave deathclaw spawns near Dukov's Place, in the open area to the left of the building after The Waters of Life.
- Enclave deathclaws are commonly found wherever there are Enclave camps.
- An Enclave deathclaw spawns outside the Capitol Building.
- At an Enclave base near Girdershade, two deathclaws have killed their captors and roam freely.
- In the area west of the abandoned car fort.
- Occasionally spawn around the Dunwich Building and will attack the yao guai that also spawn there.
- Can be occasionally found near Wheaton armory.
Notes[edit | edit source]
- Deathclaw corpses contain a deathclaw hand, a component which can be used in creating a deathclaw gauntlet. However, when the hand is taken, the deathclaw will still have both hands.
- Deathclaws are classified as "abominations," and are therefore not affected by the Animal Friend perk.
- With Broken Steel installed, random encounters with deathclaws occur far more often. At higher levels, deathclaws can be commonly seen traveling in pairs.
- Crippling a deathclaw's leg slows it down and also prevents it from using its high damage leaping attack, thus decreasing its combat effectiveness. Crippling a leg also slows a deathclaw down more than it does most other wasteland creatures, because deathclaws are bipeds rather than quadrupeds.
- If the player character uses something to make themselves invisible (i.e. Stealth Boy or Chinese stealth armor) at the Enclave outpost near Dukov's Place, the Enclave deathclaw will usually go berserk and attack the Enclave soldiers, even without the jammer.
Appearances[edit | edit source]
Deathclaws appear in Fallout 3 and its add-on Broken Steel.
Bugs[edit | edit source]
Deathclaws occasionally fly off into the sky in a physics engine glitch. They can still be targeted and killed in V.A.T.S. which will result in their dead body flying across a large amount of land. [verified]- A deathclaw may spawn inside Regulator HQ and attack everyone. It will continue to spawn in this manner after the first time this happens. [verified]
- When using the deathclaw control scrambler it's possible for them to not follow the player, but die automatically. [verified]
- A deathclaw may spawn inside Tenpenny Tower and attack everyone. It will continue to spawn in this manner after the first time this happens. [verified]
- A deathclaw may spawn inside Megaton and will kill everyone. Oddly the deathclaw will not be hostile to the player. This problem can be fixed by removing the deathclaw from the game with console commands. [verified]
Sounds[edit | edit source]
- Forward attack deathclaw
Gallery[edit | edit source]
Add a photo to this gallery
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Joseph: "Well, let's see... Deathclaws appear to be mutated Jackson's Chameleons, the horned variety. There are a lot of similar characteristics still present, but an even greater number of differences. The mutation factor is quite high. This species is highly intelligent, about the equivalent of an eight-year-old, with some individuals reaching human normal level. Their learning capacity is very high and they are capable of abstract thought and reasoning."
(Joseph's dialogue) - ↑ Enclave research facility terminal entires; Cell block C console, Subject C-01
- ↑ Fallout 2 Official Strategies & Secrets p. 27: "Deathclaws were originally created to replace humans during close-combat search-and-destroy missions. They were derived from mixed animal stock and then refined by the Master, using genetic manipulation. The resulting creature is almost unbelievably fast and powerful. Deathclaws are well named—they are the toughest animals that you will encounter in the Wastes."
"Unless you have Combat Armor, extremely heavy weaponry, and a lot of Stimpacks, running for the exit hexes at the first sign of a Deathclaw is your best chance of survival. If you're well equipped and want to stick it out, though, get in at least one shot at long range, because Deathclaws move so fast that you're unlikely to get another long-range attack as they charge you. They'll always close rapidly so they can use their powerful claws to tear and rend you. For maximum damage, use a Called Shot to the eyes when you shoot them. However, even with Called Shots, you'll need several good hits to put a Deathclaw down—use extreme caution (and save often) when fighting them."
Deathclaws being genetically engineered before the Great War and later refined by the Master is mentioned in the Fallout 2 Official Strategies & Secrets strategy guide, written by Fallout 2 lead designer, Matt Norton, as well as in Fallout Tactics. - ↑ The Vault Dweller:"{347}{}{Do you know anything about the Deathclaw?}"
John Maxson:"{262}{Gen_78}{Oh. Just another stupid rumor. Some people say it's a huge fanged monster and others say it's a vampire.}"
(John Maxson's dialogue) - ↑ Gabriel
- ↑ Find the missing caravans
- ↑ Fallout Bible 0: "2235 The Enclave experiments on deathclaws, attempting to create special fighting units for waging war in hostile environments."
- ↑ Fallout Bible 0: "2242 May 17 Enclave animal handlers drop a Deathclaw unit into Vault 13 from a safe distance to kill anyone investigating the Vault and cloak the Enclave's presence. Other Deathclaws are sent into the desert surrounding Vault 13 to check for any escapees or witnesses."
- ↑ The Chosen One: "{123}{}{What are you doing here?}"
Goris: {135}{}{I'm a student of sorts. I'm trying to learn as much as I can about the world and the different cultures that have developed. Right now I'm studying the culture the deathclaws are forming and comparing it to human development along similar lines. I've acquired just about all the information I need here. It would help my research a great deal if I could do some traveling. However, I don't want to go it alone, if you know what I mean.}"
(Goris' dialogue) - ↑ The deathclaw massacre within Fallout 2.
- ↑ Raven Rock terminal entries; delivery terminal, Note Regarding Recent Delivery
