A bleak remnant of Appalachia's storied past, the mole miners are humans that make their homes in the many caves and mines of the region, trapped within their deteriorating mining suits. The mole miners are frenzied combatants who attack anything they perceive as a threat.[1]
Despite the suffering, some semblance of cognition and human-like thought remains and mole miners will frequently carry things they considered important in a previous life, such as keys to their old mining lockers,[2] even going as far as to find value in their collections and assembling vending machines and opening up a store to sell their wares for a price.[3] They were first encountered by the Fire Breathers in March 2095.[4]
The particular cause of their significant degeneration is unclear; whether it be radiation, the Scorched Plague, the toxic atmosphere of the Ash Heap or a combination of all three is unknown. However it may be, they appear to be highly communal and are rarely if ever encountered alone or outside their organized groups lead by foremen and supervisors.
At some point, the Vault 76 overseer was seriously injured by a mole miner at the Mountainside Bed & Breakfast and left a holotape log following the experience.
Openly hostile to nearly everyone but themselves (save for one known exception), the mole miners are highly aggressive, well armed and appear to have either domesticated or formed a symbiotic coexistence with mole rats. They make use of a variety of shotguns, assault rifles, missile launchers and improvised weapons to attack their enemies, while using their mole rats as anything from standard attack animals to mobile landmines.
Characteristics
Biology
Once human, the mole miners have since degenerated into stout, squat and hardy humanoids that display an extreme hostility towards anything that isn't themselves. Their limbs are extremely short and thick, what can be seen of their face is a grossly bloated physiognomy bloating beyond the confines of their mining equipment, with their eyes unnaturally bulging from no recognizable facial structure. They stand affixed in a permanent hunch with their limbs tucked close to their bodies.
Their method of communication consists mainly of garbled vocalizations, grunts, groans and throaty calls obscured behind their mining equipment as well as their mutations makes it difficult to ascertain if they are somewhat cognizant of their actions or essentially mindless, much like feral ghouls.
Their mutations have endowed them with powerful strength that allows them to wield heavy weapons frequently and effortlessly. Their aggression and hardiness render them capable of warding off staggers and their fast speed allows them to close the gap between themselves and enemies fairly quickly.
Gameplay attributes
Mole miners often live in organized groups and are usually led by a foreman or supervisor. They are immediately hostile to anyone who approaches them except for the mole rats that they share friendly relations with, friendly enough to the point that they can fight opponents together to gain an advantage.
They often mobilize against their target with weapons of great damage such as shotguns or missile launchers. They can easily and quickly mow down low-level player characters.
They are mainly located near mining areas in groups, although they can be seen everywhere.
Variants
Mole miner
A basic variant of the mole miner, equipped with a variety of shotgun weapons.
The foremen often come equipped with two weapons. It is not uncommon for them to have missile launchers, and fire two to three missiles before trying to engage with a shotgun, rifle or even a mole miner gauntlet.
Highly irradiated variant of the mole miners, they are common in the Savage Divide and sometimes in the Ash Heap as a location end boss. They usually have heavier weapons such as shotguns and missile launchers, similar to the foreman variant. They have a distinct green glow to their appearance.
A charred, fleshy variant of the mole miner infected with the Scorched Plague. All regular mole miner variants have a corresponding Scorched variant with the same stats, abilities, and items. They may become Scorched when attacked by scorchbeasts or the scorchbeast queen, becoming allies with other Scorched creatures.
↑Fallout 76 loading screen hints: "Trapped within their deteriorating mining suits, the Mole Miners are frenzied combatants who attack anything they perceive as a threat."
Purveyor Murmrgh - A vendor found at Berkeley Springs station.