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 characteristics of the wasteland.

Biology
Deathclaws have a hunchback, humanoid build, with reptilian head and limbs. They 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 almost any other creature with only a few swipes; hence their name. They are said to have excellent hearing and sense of smell, though their eyesight is poor. Their build gives them incredible speed 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, carnivorous, and highly intelligent. In the Mojave Wasteland, they typically live in small packs of around eight to twenty members. Packs are 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, though sometimes they are encountered in pairs.

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 one of the fastest, most powerful and frightening creatures in the game. Fortunately, deathclaws are not found in many areas around the Capital Wasteland, so their influence on where and when the Lone Wanderer travels is limited. Despite having tough hides 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 of the 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 crippled, which will frenzy them. 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 been fitted with the mind-control device and can be released from captivity with a Lockpick skill of 50. When released, it will attempt to kill anything in sight, excluding its liberator, until it runs out of other enemies to fight. It will then proceed to attack the player.

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

Locations

 * Random encounter locations.
 * The Deathclaw Sanctuary.
 * Many are found in Old Olney.
 * The F. Scott Key Trail & Campground area.
 * 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 HQ (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, in the open area to the left of the building after Waters of Life.
 * Where ever there are Enclave camps, deathclaws are commonly found there.
 * An Enclave deathclaw spawns outside the Capitol Building.
 * An Enclave base near Girdershade, two deathclaws have killed their captors and roam freely.
 * In the area west of the abandoned car fort.
 * Occasionally spawn around the Dunwich Building and will attack the yao guai that also spawn there.
 * Can be occasionally found near Wheaton armory.

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.
 * When using the deathclaw control scrambler it's possible for them to not follow the player, but die automatically.
 * A deathclaw may spawn inside Tenpenny Tower and attack everyone. It will continue to spawn in this manner after the first time this happens.
 * A deathclaw may spawn inside Megaton and will kill everyone. Oddly the deathclaw will not be hostile to the player. This problem can be fixed by removing the deathclaw from the game with console commands.

Sounds

 * Forward attack deathclaw