Deathclaw (Fallout 4)

For an overview page of deathclaw variants in the Fallout series of games, see deathclaw.

Fallout 4 creature
Deathclaw
Variants
Variants	Deathclaw Alpha deathclaw Glowing deathclaw Quantum deathclaw Deathclaw matriarch Savage deathclaw Albino deathclaw Chameleon deathclaw Mythic deathclaw
Location
Location	The Commonwealth The Island Nuka-World
Other
Appearances	Fallout 4
Deathclaw hand

 

“No creature represents the danger of the Wasteland as much as the Deathclaw, which uses razor-sharp claws to rip apart its prey... in seconds.”— Fallout 4 loading screen

Deathclaws are extremely dangerous creatures found in the Commonwealth, on the Island and in Nuka-World.

Background

This section is transcluded from deathclaw. To change it, please edit the transcluded page.

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 deathclaw's creation, so far as the Appalachian Enclave's research division knows, but they do note that the genetic manipulation looks similar to their own projects. Eventually, they were refined by the Master through genetic manipulation and the Forced Evolutionary Virus. Because initial reports were limited to a series of isolated nests, deathclaws were viewed as legendary creatures by the various inhabitants of southern California. However, the population in the Boneyard was keenly aware of their existence, as a lone 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. Also, a single deathclaw was found living near the outskirts of the Hub.

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 their research project started before the war, developing intelligent deathclaws for use in hostile environments around 2235. 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, these deathclaws broke free of their Enclave masters, having become far more intelligent than anyone could foresee. They began developing a unique culture, as the first known non-humanoid sentient beings in history. However, their intelligence was discovered by Dr. Schreber of Navarro, whose report led to the extermination of intelligent deathclaws with extreme prejudice. Subsequent experimentation involved the aforementioned domestication units, although by the end of the 23rd century.

Characteristics

Deathclaws are tough and formidable melee combatants. Their appearance is also more detailed compared to their Fallout 3 and New Vegas predecessors; they have darker, scaled skin, longer horns (which seem to curve more downward rather than upward), shorter claws and a more draconic, reptilian head and face. Close inspection of their feet will reveal what appears to be a single enlarged toe claw on each foot, similar to prehistoric raptors. The Massachusetts deathclaws are more physically dynamic, showing abilities such as running on all fours when in combat or climbing obstacles, behaviors never seen in the deathclaws of previous titles. Deathclaws can be found anywhere in the Commonwealth, but appear more frequently in the Glowing Sea. When observed from a distance, deathclaws can be seen throwing dirt over what could be egg clutches. They are also known to perch atop hills, rock outcroppings and boulders surveying the landscape.

Biology

Deathclaws are the results of a pre-War experiment that involved creating a mutation of the Jackson's chameleon, along with several other species, to use as weapons on the battlefield. They are strong, agile predators that will attack enemies on sight. Their long, sharp claws are capable of inflicting great, oftentimes deadly, amounts of damage, hence their name.

Gameplay attributes

Deathclaws have a very high amount of health for creatures of their level and are incredibly resistant to most damage types, particularly energy damage. Their hides have been known to reflect lasers when fired directly at them. Their versatile combat style makes them a hefty opponent even at lower levels. When aggravated, they will initiate combat by roaring and stomping the ground, causing a shockwave.

While they predominantly use their namesake claws for dealing damage, they may also headbutt their foes to stagger them. Their power attack comes in the form of a wide-swinging claw slash which deals significant damage. Deathclaws are known to use both hands to throw nearby cars at opponents that are out of melee distance.

Deathclaws have the ability to instantly kill the Sole Survivor or other humanoids, either by grabbing and smashing them into the ground, stabbing them or decapitating its foe with its claws. This maneuver only occurs when the Sole Survivor has low enough health, although this is relative; higher percentages of health at a low level can still result in the instant-kill attack, but at higher levels, it may not occur until the player character has very low health. At other times, the deathclaw may pick up the player character and slam them into the ground forcibly, causing moderate damage. The instant kill can also be nullified by wearing any type of power armor. Instead, the deathclaw will grab the Sole Survivor and stagger them, draining their AP completely. A deathclaw will also toss sand into the air to provide a brief distraction.

The deathclaws have a substantial level of natural armor and are resistant to damage on their dark, scaled parts, leaving the belly as a weak spot which takes increased damage. However, due to their hunched posture, this area is difficult to hit. The Penetrator perk allows the Sole Survivor to hit the deathclaw anywhere while using V.A.T.S., even if the belly is obscured by other body parts or even walls. They can dodge gunshots and zigzag while charging the shooter, making them even harder to hit. If one of their legs becomes crippled, a broken bone can be seen stabbing out of the skin, and they will move slowly. With both legs crippled they are unable to move at all. It is also possible to shoot off the end of their tail.

Their model size makes them ungainly on uneven ground, which can be used against them. Their inability to climb or jump (aside from scripted events such as in Concord) renders their close-combat style useless if attacked from high enough ground. If they cannot find a path to their opponent, they will flee and hide behind cover until their target is reachable again. Many of their attacks can also be avoided by keeping a constant pace, which allows the player character to simply outrun their claw strikes.

Variants

The variants that can be encountered are based on the player character's level. Different variations become increasingly more common with higher levels. For example, where one might expect to encounter a normal deathclaw at lower levels, they might encounter an alpha deathclaw once they pass a certain level. The higher the player character's level, the more chance of the next difficulty of deathclaw to spawn in its place. Scripted encounters, such as on top of Haymarket Mall and at Lynn Woods, have a higher chance of spawning a next-stage deathclaw than randomly-encountered wasteland ones.

Deathclaw

Normal deathclaws, defaulted to level 22, are highly dangerous for those poorly leveled and still present a challenge at higher levels. Deathclaws will charge the target while defending their weak belly with their head, making it difficult to land a shot to the weak spot even in V.A.T.S.

Name (Form ID)	Statistics	Behavior	Abilities	Items
Deathclaw 0001DB4C	22 10 510+ 100 250 Immune 250 35	Very aggressive Foolhardy Helps nobody	Melee (60 ) Heavy Melee (120 )	Deathclaw hand Deathclaw meat Deathclaw hide

Alpha deathclaw

An alpha deathclaw can be encountered by flipping the breaker at the top of the tower in Lynn Woods, on the roof of Haymarket Mall (two may spawn on the roof) and another near Cabot House. They may also be encountered in the Glowing Sea and west of Natick Banks. Alpha deathclaws have horns that spread forward and up, while a regular deathclaw is forward and down. Alpha deathclaws also have rust-colored skin.

Name (Form ID)	Statistics	Behavior	Abilities	Items
Alpha deathclaw 001423A7	31 10 800+ 150 300 Immune 250 48	Very aggressive Foolhardy Helps nobody	Melee (75 ) Heavy Melee (150 )	Deathclaw hand Deathclaw meat

Glowing deathclaw

The glowing deathclaw is a highly irradiated version of the standard deathclaw. A green light emits from the skin between their scales, and they inflict radiation damage on top of their massive ballistic damage. They can start spawning in as low as level 25, replacing several of the randomly encountered varieties including those above Haymarket Mall and Robotics Pioneer Park.

Name (Form ID)	Statistics	Behavior	Abilities	Items
Glowing deathclaw 001423A8	41 10 1000+ 200 350 Immune 250 64	Very aggressive Foolhardy Helps nobody	Melee (90 ) Heavy Melee (180 ) Rad field (5 rad/sec)	Deathclaw hand Deathclaw meat Nuclear material Irradiated blood

Quantum deathclaw

The following is based on Fallout 4 cut content.

Quantum deathclaws were cut from Nuka-World. These deathclaws were mutated in the same way the Nukalurks were. They resemble glowing deathclaws, but with a teal glow instead of green.

Name (Form ID)	Statistics	Behavior	Abilities	Items
Quantum deathclaw xx00D325	41 10 1000 200 350 Immune 250 64	Very aggressive Foolhardy Helps nobody	Melee (175 ) Heavy Melee (350 )

End of information based on Fallout 4 cut content

Deathclaw matriarch

Matriarchs, as the name implies, are the female leaders of the species. They have less health than an alpha, but more than a normal deathclaw. Their horns curve out and down, compared to the alpha's forward and up. They start to appear when the player character is around level 35, and will replace some randomly encountered deathclaws in the wasteland.

Name (Form ID)	Statistics	Behavior	Abilities	Items
Deathclaw matriarch 001423A9	51 10 760+ 225 375 Immune 250 80	Very aggressive Foolhardy Helps nobody	Melee (105 ) Heavy Melee (210 )	Deathclaw hand Deathclaw meat

Savage deathclaw

A scripted savage deathclaw may potentially be found in the Museum of Witchcraft. This event is leveled and part of a side mission. The Sole Survivor can choose to fight but can also run away or sneak through it. If the player character has a high enough level, they may encounter savage deathclaws in random encounters, such as within the Glowing Sea or near Natick Banks.

Name (Form ID)	Statistics	Behavior	Abilities	Items
Savage deathclaw 001423AA	61 10 910+ 250 400 Immune 250 96	Very aggressive Foolhardy Helps nobody	Melee (120 ) Heavy Melee (240 )	Deathclaw hand Deathclaw meat

Albino deathclaw

The albino deathclaw is a pale version of the deathclaw, with more health, that can be encountered after reaching level 71. This deathclaw type's high health can make it a worthy adversary and it will only lose 1/4 of its health from a shot from the Mysterious Stranger.

Name (Form ID)	Statistics	Behavior	Abilities	Items
Albino deathclaw 001423AB	71 10 1060+ 275 400 Immune 250 112	Very aggressive Foolhardy Helps nobody	Melee (135 ) Heavy Melee (270 )	Deathclaw hand Deathclaw meat

Chameleon deathclaw

The chameleon deathclaw will begin to spawn at Level 81. Its default color is a slightly more sandy tone of a regular deathclaw, but when aggravated, it will display vibrant colors depending on its movements in battle. It flickers between stone gray, acid green, red, orange and teal. When killed, its body retains the last color it was displaying.

Name (Form ID)	Statistics	Behavior	Abilities	Items
Chameleon deathclaw 001423AC	81 10 1210+ 300 400 Immune 250 129	Very aggressive Foolhardy Helps nobody	Melee (150 ) Heavy Melee (300 )	Deathclaw hand Deathclaw meat

Mythic deathclaw

Mythic deathclaws are the highest non-legendary tier of all deathclaw variants and can be encountered starting from level 91. On rare occasions, they can be encountered from level 75, though bugs have caused them to spawn as early as level 24 outside of the Starlight Drive In. These level with the player character, so they are immune to the Wasteland Whisperer perk.

Name (Form ID)	Statistics	Behavior	Abilities	Items
Mythic deathclaw 001423AD	91+ 10 1360+ 300 400 250 250 200	Very aggressive Foolhardy Helps nobody	Melee (175 ) Heavy Melee (350)	Deathclaw hand Cigarette Deathclaw meat

Locations

Deathclaws can be encountered anywhere in the Commonwealth, but some locations are more frequent deathclaw hunting grounds than others. Below is a list of possible deathclaw locations.

• A scripted deathclaw encounter in Concord during the When Freedom Calls quest, after defeating Gristle. It is probably the first deathclaw players will meet in the game.
  • Sometimes a bug will occur, causing this deathclaw to be stuck in the ground.
• All over the Commonwealth as random encounters, including possible attacks on any owned settlement.
• A leveled deathclaw is scripted to appear at Garden terrace on the roof of Haymarket Mall. Sometimes a bug will occur, preventing the deathclaw from jumping onto the terrace, so it will remain hanging onto the side of the mall, or permanently passive until the player attacks it.
• Two random encounters can be triggered by throwing the switch on top of the tower in Lynn Woods. This can be repeated every few days once the area has respawned.
• One can be found guarding the entrance to Old Gullet sinkhole. It is passive until it detects you when you first encounter it; once killed, respawns will often be permanently passive until attacked.
• A scripted deathclaw can be encountered in the Museum of Witchcraft during the quest The Devil's Due.
• A scripted deathclaw can be found in a tunnel off the gym area in the Boston mayoral shelter.
• A scripted deathclaw can be encountered at the bottom level of the Kendall Hospital.
• Two deathclaws can be found west of Natick Banks, by a few satellite dishes, fighting a behemoth. A leveled deathclaw can be found lurking around an abandoned garage with a tanker on the side of the building, a normal deathclaw can be found on the farm just up the road from the Matriarch, and one or two leveled deathclaws may be found around the church, fighting a group of leveled super mutants (depending on if the mutants were killed, prior to the player's arrival)
• One can be found in the Robotics Pioneer Park, inside the first house from the fast travel point. Like the Gullet Sinkhole deathclaw, there is a chance that consequent respawns will be passive towards the player until attacked.
• On occasion a leveled deathclaw may spawn on the rocks prior to entering the Edge of the Glowing Sea.
• One can be found east of The Slog near a bus on the overhead road. You can see it from the snack bar if you look towards the road to the east at the bus. It will come down and through the water towards you if you shoot at it.
• One can be found in a rock formation close to Coastal cottage, wandering around a couple of yao guai corpses.
• It is possible that one or more deathclaws may spawn on the beach next to Kingsport Lighthouse.
• A lone deathclaw can be encountered on the Island, east of the ruined church. A rocky outcropping nearby has two deathclaw nests, often with deathclaw eggs. May sometimes be passive instead of hostile.
• One can be found behind a limestone wall in the dig site of Vault 88 in the Vault-Tec Workshop add-on.
• Two deathclaws may be found in the bus stop, west-southwest of the Galactic Zone in Nuka-World. One will be patrolling the area, while the second will spawn when the Sole Survivor enters the middle of the area. The second deathclaw will be a higher level spawn.

Glowing Sea

• Two found around the northernmost cave, one near the ruins of a Red Rocket building, the other asleep above the cave, near a broken part of highway.
• One found around the southern cave.
• On the top of a hill south of the capsized factory.
• Outside the rocky cave, asleep.
• In the lower level of the parking garage.
• Near the forgotten church.

Notes

• There is a permanent deathclaw nest on the southwest side of the tarn due south of the federal ration stockpile and it usually has a non-pristine egg. The nest contents respawn at least once for certain and may continue to do so if looted. The nest owner may or may not be around. Other nests can spawn occasionally but are random. One such location is southwest of Forest Grove marsh. These are independent of "the Devil's Due" nest which requires the pristine egg.
• Shooting a deathclaw's limbs will cause the bone to become visible by the elbow.
• In the quest The Devil's Due when returning the egg, the deathclaw guarding the nest is scripted to be permanently friendly to the player character and their followers as long as the nest is not interacted with after the egg is returned.
• Deathclaws are apparently smart enough to dodge grenades if thrown at them.
• It is possible to shoot the tail off of a living deathclaw. Likewise, it is possible for an alpha deathclaw with no tail to spawn by the Lynn Woods siren.
• It is possible to encounter and possibly tame a mythic deathclaw as early as level 16, through the deathclaw cage in the Wasteland Workshop add-on.
• The sound effect used for a deathclaw's claw strikes is identical to that of werewolves from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Bethesda Game Studio's fifth entry in their Elder Scrolls series and the last game they developed prior to Fallout 4.
• If the Far Harbor and Wasteland Workshop add-ons are both installed, it is possible to build the associated cages to import deathclaws onto the Island.
• If a deathclaw takes sufficient damage from an engagement, it will run off and usually come back later. However, this is a new engagement and the deathclaw will run off quickly.
• If one is caught with a deathclaw cage and tamed with a beta wave emitter, it will add 10 defense points to the settlement when released.
• If the hand is taken from a dead deathclaw, the corpse will not change appearance.

Appearances

Deathclaws appear in Fallout 4 and its add-ons Far Harbor and Nuka-World.

Behind the scenes

The deathclaw model was made by Jonah Lobe.

Gallery

Loading screen

The friendly deathclaw when returning the egg in The Devil's Due

The Sole Survivor's view when being picked up by a deathclaw

Concept art

A mounted deathclaw head

Fallout: Wasteland Warfare figurine

X-rays of a deathclaw seen in Automatron

References

Creatures West Coast (Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout: New Vegas) Alien · Bighorner (Bighorner bull, Bighorner calf) · Bird · Bloatfly (Legendary bloatfly) · Brahmin · Cazador (Young cazador, Legendary cazador) · Centaur (Evolved centaur) · Coyote (Coyote alpha male, Coyote den mother, Coyote pup) · Deathclaw (Baby deathclaw, Young deathclaw, Blind deathclaw, Deathclaw alpha, Mother deathclaw, Intelligent deathclaw, Legendary deathclaw) · Dog (Cyberdog, Legion Mongrel, Vicious dog) · Fire ant (Fire ant worker, Fire ant soldier, Ant queen) · Floater · Fly · Gecko (Hunter gecko, Fire gecko, Golden gecko, Little gecko) · Ghost people (Ghost harvester, Ghost seeker, Ghost trapper) · Ghoul (Feral ghoul roamer, Feral ghoul reaver, Glowing one, Feral trooper ghoul) · Giant ant (Giant worker ant, Giant soldier ant, Giant ant queen) · Giant catfish · Giant rat (Mole rat, Pig rat) · Human (Dwarf · Lobotomite) · Lakelurk · Mantis (Giant mantis, Giant mantis nymph, Giant mantis female) · Marked man · Night stalker (Young night stalker, Den mother, Legendary night stalker) · Radroach · Radscorpion (Bark scorpion, Bark scorpion hunter, Small radscorpion, Giant radscorpion, Radscorpion queen) · Raven · Slags · Spore carrier (Spore carrier savage, Spore carrier brute, Spore carrier runt) · Spore plant · Super mutant (Mariposa) (Super mutant master, Nightkin) · Wanamingo · Tunneler (Tunneler queen) · Wolf · Yao guai East Coast (Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, Fallout Tactics 2) Abomination · Alien · Alien squid · Alien worm · Angler · Barnacle · Beaver · Bee swarm · Bird · Bloatfly · Bloodbug · Bloodworm · Brahmin · Brahmiluff · House cat · Cave cricket · Centaur · Chicken · Crow · Deathclaw · Dog (Mongrel) · Fire ant · Firefly · Flatwoods monster · Fly · Fog crawler · Fox · Frog · Gatorclaw · Gazelle · Ghoul (Feral ghoul, Feral ghoul reaver, Feral ghoul roamer, Glowing one, Swamp ghoul) · Appalachian Floater · Ghoulrilla · Giant ant (Giant ant queen) · Giant catfish · Gorilla · Grafton monster · Gulper · Hermit crab · Honey beast · Human · Mega sloth · Mirelurk (Mirelurk hunter, Mirelurk king, Nukalurk, Swamplurk, Swamplurk queen) · Mole rat · Mole miner · Mothman · Mutant crocodile · Mutant hound · Mutant wanamingo · Opossum · Rad chicken · Radgull · Rad rabbit · Rad-rat · Radtoad · Radroach · Radscorpion (Albino radscorpion, Giant radscorpion) · Radstag · Scorched · Scorchbeast · Sea creature · Snallygaster · Squirrel · Stingwing · Tick · Super mutant (Vault 87) (Super mutant behemoth, Super mutant brute, Super mutant master, Super mutant overlord) · Super mutant (Institute) · Super mutant (Huntersville) · Swampfolk · Trog · Wendigo · Wolf · Yao guai Midwest (Fallout Tactics, Van Buren) Badger · Boom bug · House cat · Brahmin · Dog · Electro-beetle · Endless walker · Gehenna · Ghoul (Born ghoul, Feral ghoul, Glowing one) · Giant albino ant (Giant albino ant queen) · Giant leech · Giant rat · Giant wasp · Hairy deathclaw (Baby hairy deathclaw) · Human · Komodo dragon · Molech · Mountain lion · Mutant cannibal · Raccoon · Radroach · Radscorpion · Radtoad · Trog · Super mutant (Mariposa) · Wolf Texas (Fallout: BoS, Fallout: BoS 2) Brahmin · Coyote · Dog · Experimental deathclaw (Baby experimental deathclaw) · Ghoul (Glowing one) · Giant rat (Mole rat) · Human · Radbug · Radscorpion (glowing radscorpion, spitting radscorpion, large giant radscorpion) · Small rat · Giant rat · Super mutant (Mariposa) Project V13 Ghoul · Human · Mutant mantis shrimp · Super mutant (Project V13) Fallout Shelter Bat · Deathclaw · Feral ghoul · Ghoul · Human · Mole rat · Cat · Dog · Parrot · Radroach · Radscorpion · Super mutant