Deathclaw

Deathclaws are an enormously large, agile, and strong species of mutant reptiles created through genetic engineering. They are substantially larger than a human, and have large and dangerous claws.

Female deathclaws, also called Mothers and Matriarchs, are stronger and tougher than males, as well as fewer in numbers. Only one female is the pack mother at a given time, with another female taking its place when it dies. A pack is led by an 'alpha male'. Although they do not have vocal cords, the deathclaws seem to be able mimic human speech much the same as a parrot does, although normal deathclaws aren't intelligent enough to be capable of real speech.

History
The deathclaws were originally created before the Great War by the United States military, in order to replace humans during high-risk close-combat search-and-destroy missions. They were Jackson's Chameleons genetically modified with DNA of various other species.

The Master also experimented on the deathclaws early on, but his experiments were not very successful, and eventually they were not used in his army. However, some of the modifications he made to their genome refined them into even more dangerous beasts.

Around 2161, deathclaws were still a mystery, a legendary creature, to many inhabitants of Southern California. In Fallout, a deathclaw first appeared in a mission to find missing caravans: while the deathclaw was not responsible for the caravan disappearances, as some had believed, evidence in its lair did lead to the correct solution. Deathclaws had also established a nest in the abandoned warehouse district of the Boneyard, obstructing traffic between the Gun Runners and potential trading partners and making any scavenging in the area very hazardous. As the deathclaw population grew, the deathclaws stopped being perceived as legendary beasts, and started to be seen as simply yet another dangerous animal.

Varieties
Outside of the two versions described below, there are at least two variations of the 'regular' deathclaw. One has a spiked back and long, forward horns, while the other has no spikes on the back and has smaller, backward horns. It is possible that the former deathclaws are male while the latter are female or the other way around.

Talking deathclaws
In 2235, the Enclave captured many deathclaws and exposed them to FEV. This boosted their intelligence, giving them the ability to talk with varying degrees of erudition and articulation. This subspecies was highly intelligent, about the equivalent of an eight-year-old, with some individuals on par with average adult humans. Their learning capacity was very high and they were capable of abstract thought and reasoning. Although they did not have vocal cords, the deathclaws seemed to mimic human speech the same as a parrot does. Socially, they had rigidly hierarchical, peaceful, pack-based ethical code. They were extremely loyal to the pack as a whole, treating it as a family unit rather than having individual families. Fights within a pack are unheard of, and the pack's leader controls many aspects of life, such as choosing and matching female and male deathclaws for reproduction. Oddly enough, Deathclaws are not subject to sterility from FEV exposure; this trait is not explained.

Hairy deathclaws


A deathclaw subspecies living in the area of the former states of Illinois, Missouri and Kansas developed patches of fur to better cope with the colder climate. Furthermore, some of them were noted to be capable of speech as early as in 2197, which means that they either developed speech through spontaneous mutation, or were experimented on by someone other than the Enclave. They were also more matriarchal than their Western counterparts, with packs being led by Matriarchs.

One such Matriarch was captured by the psychic tribe known as the Beastlords. While the tribals were able to use their psychic powers to control lesser animals, the deathclaws were intelligent enough to resist them. However, they cooperated with the Beastlords in order to protect their Mother. After the Matriarch was freed by the Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel, that pack decided to join the Brotherhood, and the Elders surprisingly agreed.

One theory suggests that the furry deathclaws were not Jackson's Chameleons, but of mammalian species that underwent genetic modification, likely in the same process as the reptillian deathclaws, and possibly even for the same goal (though obviously not in the same facility, as goes their regional differences). This would account for the differences in their appearances and physique, as well as the hairy deathclaws' advanced intelligence at such an early age; mammals tend to exhibit more intelligence than reptiles. That they would be called Deathclaws, nevertheless, might be attributed to their similarities in size, strength, appearance and viciousness, to the Jackson's Chameleon Deathclaw.

Appearances
Deathclaws appear in all Fallout games. In Fallout Tactics hairy, talking deathclaws appeared. While them being hairy can be easily explained by additional mutations, their intelligence before the Enclave even started experimenting on making deathclaws intelligent is inconsistent with the canon.

Deathclaws in Fallout 3
Deathclaws return full-force midway into Fallout 3, still living up to the ferocity of the name. Although rarely in packs, Deathclaws are exceedingly lethal even when alone, as once they have spotted an enemy (the player or otherwise), they are quick to close the distance, and can easily slash a heavily-armed and power armor-clad enemy to an untimely death.

Deathclaws stand roughly 10 feet tall, and are very easy to spot in the distance, often before they can spot you. They are incredibly fast, and can easily close the distance to you in seconds even from a few hundred feet away. Deathclaws have exceptionally high health and can take a lot of damage, but they lack armor and are still (relatively) vulnerable to headshots from high-powered weapons (as long as the player character's corresponding gun skill is high enough). Another way to defeat a Deathclaw is to use the Dartgun, -1000 dmg to either leg also slows them down considerably which gives you enough time to use VATS or another long range weapon.

Although not introduced until a considerable amount of the game has been progressed, they however do have the tendency to spawn at random throughout the Wasteland even at early stages of the game. Granted, they will never appear at places like the DC Metro area, but locations once unpopulated by Deathclaws -- like Super-Duper Mart, or areas east of vault 101, -- have the potential to become solitary-Deathclaw spawning areas. In addition, two main locations are heavily populated by Deathclaws: The Deathclaw Sanctuary, in the Northwest corner of the map, and Old Olney, an abandoned town in the Northeast that is completely overrun by Deathclaws.

Deathclaws make another appearance in the game as the Enclave camps begin to appear. These camps are likely to house cages containing Mind-Controlled Deathclaws, which are just the same as regular ones with the exception that they will not attack Enclave forces. However, as the mind-control devices on their heads can be targeted, there remains the potential to put them in Frenzy, just as can be done the antennae on Giant Ants and the Combat Inhibitor on a Protectron. Although not much of an advantage if the Deathclaw decides to attack the PC first, having an Enclave squad busy trying to repel an angry Deathclaw can give the player a considerable advantage. A good, if not down right enjoyable way to attack an Enclave camp is try to sneak up on the camp, then take out the officer as quickly as possible. If you can kill him before he reaches the cage, it can't be opened. You can then finish off the soldiers with ease. If you want, you can then take the key off his body and open a cage. If you have a follower, this isn't suggested, as followers tend to stand still or charge when the Deathclaw comes out and die quickly. A faster approach to eradicating Deathclaw quickly: place a few mines in front of the cage, depending on explosives skill, open it and run the opposite way to get some distance between you and the mines. Turn around, and open fire on the deathclaw. Once it hits the mines it will be almost or completely dead. With the standard non-upgraded explosives skill, 2 frag mines and one plasma seems to take out the bulk of its health.

All Deathclaw corpses contain a Deathclaw hand, a component which can be used in creating a Deathclaw Gauntlet. The Gauntlet is not the strongest "unarmed" weapon in the game, but has the unique property of ignoring target armor, which would make it as effective against an adversary in power armor as it would be against an unarmored raider.

Behind the scenes
The deathclaws are a homage to the Shadowclaws in Wasteland. In Scott Campbell's original concept art (see: gallery), deathclaws were mammals covered with fur. The reason it lost the hair from concept to production was a technical limitation of the rendering software, which couldn't get all the hair to move properly. The hairy Deathclaw in Fallout Tactics was inspired by the original concept.

According to the Fallout Bible, after a Dungeons & Dragons computer game made by Interplay was cancelled, deathclaws were modelled (visually) on the Tarrasques of the D&D canon, as a Tarrasque clay model was already made. However, according to Chris Taylor, while they do look Tarrasque-like, it was not intentional and the clay model was supposed to be a deathclaw from the start. .

Quotes

 * "The Deathclaw is the most evil thing to rise out of the ashes after the War. Some say it's a powerful ghost from the war that haunts the land. It's no ghost, it's as real as you and me. It's 20 feet tall with teeth as big as your arm.  It's some kind of demon that found it's way here when the world was engulfed in fire." - Beth (Beth's dialogue file)
 * "The Deathclaws are all over in the Boneyard. I'd rather not even think about them. Huge and aptly named." - Katja (Katja's dialogue file)
 * "Okay. Well, it's like a damn big man, is what it is.  Got spikes and claws that can cut through the heaviest armor.  But don't let the size fool ya, it's quick." - Harold (Harold's dialogue file)
 * "You can't look at 'em! It is said the Death Claw can hypnotize just by lookin'.  Then it walks up and "boom", you're et!" - Harold (Harold's dialogue file)
 * "Heard some tales about something faster, bigger, and meaner than any living creature has a right to be. Not too many, though, which means that it doesn't leave many survivors. Big claws, ferocious disposition." - Tycho (Tycho's dialogue file)
 * "The Death Claw? Oh, that's a bedtime story. Drinks blood and howls at the full moon." - Killian Darkwater (Killian's dialogue file)
 * "I heard a tale from a traveller up from the south. He said the Death Claw was a creature that killed people at night.  He said no one can catch it, because it can disappear like smoke.  Not that I believe it, of course." - Tandi (Tandi's dialogue file)

Fallout 3
YouTube video about Deathclaw and a bug in Fallout 3:
 * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iisECVvhlx0

Bugs
There also seems to be a slight glitch with Deathclaws in Fallout 3. Sometimes when they are encountered by the player, they randomly fly straight up into the sky. There is no real trigger to this event, as they sometimes are attacking, idle, or roaming when it occurs. This can actually become a benefit to the player; if you are low on health, stimpacks, or you simply do not have the proper level or equipment to dispatch this enemy, fleeing can be employed while the Deathclaw is still in the atmosphere. The Deathclaw will NOT die from this random flight, however will take damage when it lands. Take advantage of this bug and land as many shots as you can. Just because the Deathclaw has taken flight does not mean just walk away. Remain cautious and keep your back against a solid, such as a building.