Deathclaw (Fallout 3)

Deathclaws are creatures living in the Capital Wasteland in 2277. They are a large, agile, and strong species of mutant Jackson's Chameleon and are far more common in the Capital Wasteland than the west coast despite the more desolate, barren and desert-like character of the wasteland.

Biology
Deathclaws have a hunchbacked, humanoid build and 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 most any other creature with only a few swipes; hence their name. They have an excellent sense of smell and hearing, though their eyesight is poor. Their build gives them incredible speed, resilience and strength in close combat, making them an extreme threat at all times. Though they were originally mutated chameleons, they have lost the ability to camouflage themselves.

Deathclaws are very aggressive, territorial, and carnivorous. They typically live in small packs of around eight to twenty members 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, sometimes encountered in groups of two.

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
Deathclaws are arguably the most powerful and frightening creatures in the game. Unless the player is at a high level, they will have a hard time fighting one. Fortunately, deathclaws are arranged in sparse areas around the Capital Wasteland, so their influence on where and when you travel is limited. Despite having tough armor according to game lore, the deathclaws in the game are simply given a lot of hit points rather than damage resistance.

Deathclaw
A regular deathclaw, with all characteristics and attributes described above.

Enclave deathclaw
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 shot, which can put them into a killing frenzy. 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 undergone mind-control and can be released from captivity with a Lockpick skill of 50. When released, it will attempt to kill anything in sight, excluding you, until it runs out of enemies to fight. Then it will attack you.

During add-on Broken Steel quest Shock Value, if you receive Scribe Vallincourt's device, the Enclave deathclaws will act as temporary followers but if you go too far from the Enclave base where they are stationed, their heads will explode.

Locations

 * Random encounter locations.
 * The Deathclaw Sanctuary.
 * Old Olney.
 * The 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.
 * Outside the Regulator Headquarters (through the use of an accidental glitch.)
 * 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.
 * Where ever there are Enclave camps, deathclaws are commonly found there.
 * An Enclave deathclaw spawns outside the Capitol Building.

Appearances
Deathclaws appear in Fallout 3 and its add-on Broken Steel.

Bugs

 * 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.
 * A deathclaw may spawn inside Regulator HQ and attack everyone. It will continue to spawn in this manner after the first time this happens.
 * Sometimes when using V.A.T.S. on a deathclaw (especially with Sydney's 10mm "Ultra" SMG) the game may freeze after the first burst of shots. It will either unfreeze after a few minutes or it will stay frozen.