Deathclaw (Fallout 4)

Deathclaws are creatures found in the Commonwealth.

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 and longer horns and claws. 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.

Biology
Deathclaws are the result 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 the player character on sight. Their long and sharp claws are capable of inflicting great amounts of damage on the player character, sometimes deadly (hence their name).

Gameplay attributes
Deathclaws have the ability to instantly kill the Sole Survivor, by grappling the player character by the neck and shoving its claws into their chest. This maneuver sometimes fails and results in the player character being dropped instead. The legendary deathclaw regenerates health by mutating.

The instakill can also be nullified by wearing any type of power armor. Instead the deathclaw will grab the Sole Survivor and simply scratch, pummel or throw them as the armor in itself is too thick for the claws to penetrate. Deathclaw deals heavily reduced damage to the Sole Survivor with the power armor, so it is always recommended to wear a power armor when facing one or more deathclaws as the protective uses and instakill negation can be very useful for new players.

The deathclaws are resistant to damage on their dark, scaled parts, leaving the belly as a weak spot which takes increased damage. However, it is not easy to actually hit this weakspot due to the fact that deathclaws usually charge at the Sole Survivor on four legs, leaving the belly well hidden.

The Awareness perk is helpful in getting those "belly shots".

Awareness (perception 1): To defeat your enemies, know their weaknesses! You can view a target's specific damage resistances in V.A.T.S.

Savage deathclaw
A savage deathclaw may be found in Museum of Witchcraft.

Albino deathclaw
An albino deathclaw may be found in Lynn Woods

Glowing deathclaw
A Glowing Deathclaw can be found on top of the Haymarket Mall

Alpha deathclaw
Alpha Deathclaws differ visually from their default counterparts by having a more reddish hue and more prominent horns that point upwards.

An alpha deathclaw can be encountered by flipping the breaker at the top of the tower in Lynn Woods and the roof of Haymarket Mall.

Also, one can be found hiding in a house in Robotics Pioneer Park. There is also another house with a terminal that can control four protectrons, making the fight slightly easier.

Another location for the alpha deathclaw is the Glowing Sea.

Deathclaw matriarch
A deathclaw matriarch can be found on top of the Haymarket Mall.

Legendary deathclaw
ANY Deathclaw in the game has a chance to be a legendary deathclaw. This includes the variants of deathclaw such as alpha or savage.

Legendary deathclaws seem to differ in that they attack much faster and are more relentless than any other deathclaw. Depending on variation, legendary deathclaws might be the deadliest enemy the Sole Survivor can encounter on their journey. Caution is advised when facing a legendary deathclaw

Appearances
Deathclaws appear in Fallout 4.

Behind the scenes
The deathclaw model was made by Jonah Lobe.