Cazador

es are exceedingly dangerous creatures found in the Mojave Wasteland.

Characteristics
Whilst there are dozens of species of mutated insects in the Wasteland, few are as aggressive, invasive, or as dangerous as the Cazador - a mutant strain of Tarantula Hawk Wasp that is distressingly common in high-altitude locations in the Mojave Wasteland. Cazadores are large with distinctive orange wings, a blue-black carapace, and a high flight speed. The Cazador's namesake is Spanish in origin; it means "Hunter."

Cazadores are unfortunately somewhat common in mountainous regions in the Mojave region, and mimicking several species of paper wasp, they create large, paper nests from chewing on wood-fiber and molding them into paper pulp which they create large, basket-shaped nests on the sides of cliffs. These they stock with food in the form of killed prey, normally torn to smaller pieces to feed their larvae. When old enough, the larvae pupate and eventually become Young Cazadores after hatching from their cocoons. They continue to grow and molt as they age, becoming larger and eventually developing into grown adults, which are simply referred to as "Cazador" in VATS. One particularly large - and lethal - version, known as the Legendary Cazador exists, and it is the single strongest example of the species. It can be found in the Silver Peak Mine.

Whilst Cazadores are not true social insects (like bees or wasps), they, like all species of wasps, gather together for mutual protection, care of their larvae, and breeding. Because of this, they possess a noted tendency to appear in sizable packs. This trait, paired with their considerable innate abilities, has led many players to speculate that Cazadores have caused more fatalities in the Mojave area than every subspecies of Radscorpion combined. The sheer number of bodies and stripped corpses in regions Cazadores frequent certainly support this theory. Like normal wasps, they are attracted to sugar and alcohol; a large pack tends to lurk in and around Brewer's Beer Bootlegging.

In combat, Cazadores are deadly. All Cazadores are nasty in a fight; whilst the Young Cazadore's sting isn't hugely damaging, the sting of an adult deals notably more damage. Making matters worse, they are incredibly fast and virtually impossible to escape without crippling their wings. Topping matters off, they appear in large packs, and possess a very powerful poison - in addition to causing considerable damage over time, their venom causes an instantaneous loss of AP, preventing the player from engaging them up-close using VATS. High levels of Endurance can cut the effectiveness of this poison by resisting its effects or even prevent them from taking effect, but the only other way to deal with the venom is with an Antivenom, which few low-level characters possess many of.

Putting it simply: An encounter with a group of more than three or so is tantamount to suicide for a low-level Courier if the player lacks heavy weapons and armor, and even 2 may be too many if both are adults.

Cazador groups necessitate caution, especially at early levels. Med-X and Antivenoms are essential for reducing their damage and cutting down on the lethality of their poison, respectively. Psycho and Slasher are useful for boosting damage; useful on the adults because the adults are quite durable in spite of their size. Items like Healing Powder and Bitter Drinks can be good at counteracting their poison's effect on your health by causing it to regenerate a bit and ergo taking a bit of a bite out of it when Antivenom is unavailable. Super Stimpacks are to be avoided when fighting Cazadores; the Agility and Strength debuff they cause can be fatal when engaging these vicious things.

Weapon-wise, Cazadores have a few vulnerabilities. Flamers, Incinerators, and Heavy Incinerators are all quite good at damaging Cazadores and causing them damage as they try to close in, and all have blast radiuses, ergo reducing the threat presented by the Cazadores' sheer speed. Shotguns, Rapid-fire weapons and strong melee weapons (such as a Fire Axe or Bumper Sword) are good choices, as Cazadores have to approach to actually attack you, and this allows a player to either blast them with buckshot, pepper them with ammo up-close, or smash them in melee combat (though the latter is not for the faint of heart). Larger groups are better handled by either engaging from afar with weapons like Hunting Rifles and Sniper Rifles, or Explosives. One last note is to target their wings - In addition to being one of their most visible and easiest to hit points, A Cazador loses the ability to fly if either of its wings are crippled, rendering it a significantly lesser threat.

Players who started with the Tribal Pack have reported one more way to deal with Cazador adults; applying Bleak Venom to a melee weapon or Throwing Spear, hitting the Cazador with it, and running for dear life is a rather effective, if wholly undignified, way to deal with a single Cazador.

Cazador eggs and Cazador poison glands are crafting items.

Cazadors have a high perception, however they constantly move about, appearing to communicate the same way bees do (through body movements), which gives them a highly recognizable movement pattern when viewed either on the player's radar or visually from a distance (especially when aided by Boone's Spotter perk).

Statistics
Cazador poison: -5 HP/second, -25 AP, lasts 30 seconds. Note that the action point reduction is once per application, and affects your maximum action points, rather than -25/second affecting your current AP total.

Bugs

 * It is impossible to target the head of a Cazador in VATS unless it is striking forward with its stinger, the Courier is right on top of the enemy or the Cazador is moving on a slope towards the player. Without meeting these conditions the head can never be cycled to as an option in Vats (only the antennae).
 * It is possible they will become stuck in the air close to the ground. They will still move and can clearly be seen and be targeted in VATS, but your shots will always miss.
 * At Callville Bay if a Cazador goes in the water it may be unable to get out.

Appearances
es appear in Fallout: New Vegas.