Deathclaw (Fallout: New Vegas)

Deathclaws are creatures living in the Mojave Wasteland in 2281.

Characteristics
They are a large, agile, and strong species of mutated Jackson's Chameleon.

Gameplay attributes
Deathclaws are a bigger threat than ever in Fallout: New Vegas. The game introduces several new variations of the creature, and they are found in much larger numbers. However, unlike in Fallout 3, deathclaws are never encountered randomly, and always appear in specific locations. All deathclaw variants are armored, making them more resilient against attacks. Their DT is 15, equal to that of a suit of combat armor.

The largest group is found at deathclaw promontory, an unmarked area on the east side of the Colorado River between The Fort and Hoover Dam, and near the Cliffside prospector camp, where they guard the Remnants power armor and a non-faction T-51b power armor. The largest group on a marked area of the map is found in Quarry Junction, northwest of Sloan. Here there are two larger deathclaws called the "deathclaw alpha male" and the "deathclaw mother", as well as a number of smaller baby deathclaws and three to four deathclaw eggs.

There is also a deathclaw-filled cave called Dead Wind Cavern. Here you can find a Mother deathclaw with some babies, along with average deathclaws and the unique legendary deathclaw, the most powerful creature in the Mojave Wasteland. There is a unique grenade machinegun named Mercy in the room with the legendary deathclaw, on a dead Brotherhood of Steel Paladin. Another location to find deathclaws is the Gypsum Train Yard, where the vast majority of the deathclaws are blind. Depending on your level they will either be regular, young, or blind.

Deathclaw
A standard deathclaw with most of the attributes mentioned above. The deathclaws found in Quarry Junction and Gypsum train yard are stronger than the others, with double the health and a more powerful attack.

Although many of them can be found around Quarry Junction, Vault 19, Gypsum Train Yard, and many surrounding locations, they are not near so fearsome as those within.

Deathclaw alpha male
The deathclaw alpha male is similar to that of a legendary deathclaw in appearance but with darker skin. Although not as fierce as the legendary deathclaw, they can be quite dangerous in some situations, especially if accompanied by other deathclaws. They can be found at Quarry Junction and Deathclaw Promontory. Alpha deathclaws are usually followed by 1-5 other deathclaws, making them even harder to kill.

Deathclaw baby
Deathclaw babies are the youngest and smallest of the deathclaw species. They can be found throughout the Mojave Wasteland. They are commonly found at Quarry Junction and Deathclaw Promontory. They'll follow their mother closely, and if killed while the mother is still alive, will cause her to go into a frenzy due to the loss of her baby.

Deathclaw mother
Matriarchs of the deathclaw broods, deathclaw mothers are bigger, stronger, and more easily angered than the standard deathclaw (second only to the legendary deathclaw and tied with the deathclaw alpha male). They are very thick-set and heavily built deathclaw. They also have a very dark blue-colored skin, giving them an intimidating look. Deathclaw mothers are notably the only breed of deathclaw with spiked tails and horns that jut backwards. They usually travel in dark areas near their young or their eggs, and are more than eager to tear apart anything that the Wasteland throws at their babies. Deathclaw mothers do not respawn.

They can be found at Quarry Junction, Deathclaw Promontory, and Dead Wind Cavern.

Blind deathclaw
Don't be fooled by the fact that they are blind. With their blindness comes a heightened sense of their surroundings, meaning a higher Perception. However, they do not attack with as much power as their sighted brethren, arguably making them a decreased (albeit harder to avoid) threat. Even though they cannot see, their alert of your presence will in fact alert all other deathclaws nearby of your position despite the one that found you being blind.

This type of deathclaw can be encountered at the Gypsum Train Yard as well as Primm Pass and Bonnie Springs.

Legendary deathclaw
The most dangerous creature in the Mojave Wasteland, the legendary deathclaw is found in Dead Wind cavern and has distinctively long horns and a light olive coloration and striped tails. It is also one of the largest enemies in the game (along with the radscorpion queen and the giant ant queen), towering over other deathclaws (themselves roughly 10 feet) with its massive 15–17 foot stature. The legendary deathclaw also deals enormous damage (twice as much as ordinary deathclaws) and can bring down even the hardiest player character with only two or even one attack(s), all while having the fourth largest amount of hit points in the game, only being beaten by Vault 34 Overseer, Legate Lanius and the Legendary bloatfly.

Young deathclaw
Though young deathclaws may be similar in appearance to their more mature deathclaw brethren, they are distinguishable by their smaller size, paler skin and underdeveloped horns. They are significantly easier to kill than regular deathclaws.

Related quests

 * Claws Out

Bugs

 * In V.A.T.S mode, the head of a deathclaw mother seems to be its neck instead of its actual head.
 * Deathclaws do not attack players when they are mounted on the taller rocks or machinery, even when they are in reach. (See Fallout: New Vegas exploits for more detail).
 * Mutilating a mother deathclaw head seems to remove part of her neck instead of the head in addition to the neck being classified as the "head" of the mother deathclaw.