 | For an overview page of deathclaw variants in the Fallout series of games, 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.
Background
Edit
Originally created before the Great War by the government and the military to supplement human troops in battle, deathclaws were derived from mixed animal stock, primarily from the very common Jackson Chameleon. They were then soon to be refined by the Master, by using genetic manipulation and the Forced Evolutionary Virus to enhance them as one of his minions. The resulting creature is incredibly fast, powerful with its sharp claws, and almost intelligent.[2]
Despite their apparent origin with the Master, deathclaws were a relatively common sight in 2102 Appalachia.
CharacteristicsEdit
BiologyEdit
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 muscles, 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 very aggressive, territorial, carnivorous, and highly intelligent. In the Mojave Wasteland, they typically live in small packs of around eight to twenty members. Packs are led by an alpha male, who is the only one allowed to mate with the females. However, deathclaws in the Capital Wasteland are for the most part solitary, though sometimes they are encountered in pairs.
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 attributesEdit
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.
VariantsEdit
DeathclawEdit
A regular deathclaw, with all of the characteristics and attributes described above.
| Name (Base ID) | Statistics | Behavior | Abilities | Items | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deathclaw 0000cf9a 000c3280 00031e29 |
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Enclave deathclawEdit
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 mind-control devices 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 Broken Steel add-on quest Shock Value, if one receives Scribe Vallincourt's device, the Enclave deathclaws will act as temporary followers, but if they are led too far from the Enclave base where they were stationed, their heads will explode.
| Name (Base ID) | Statistics | Behavior | Abilities | Items | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deathclaw 000bcc4d 0001cf72 000aa836 xx00946b |
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Deathclaw  xx00223c (follower) |
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LocationsEdit
- 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.
- Outside, inside, and surrounding 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 DC 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.
NotesEdit
- 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 still has 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 and making it easier to kill. 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.
AppearancesEdit
Deathclaws appear in Fallout 3 and its add-on Broken Steel.
BugsEdit
- 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]
SoundsEdit
- Forward attack deathclaw
GalleryEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ Joseph (Ocjoseph.msg) in Fallout 2 says:
- "Well, let's see... Deathclaws appear to be mutated Jackson's Chameleons, the horned variety. There are a lot of similarities 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."
- "Well, let's see... Deathclaws appear to be mutated Jackson's Chameleons
- ↑ 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. It is unknown why the Master would genetically manipulate the deathclaws and then not use them at all for his purposes.
