Gecko (Fallout: New Vegas)

Geckos are creatures in the Mojave Wasteland in 2281.

Biology
Geckos can be found living across the entire Mojave Wasteland, with many different species calling the local area their breeding grounds. They are said to have been stemmed from Fire Root cavern.

There are three types of gecko in the Mojave: normal geckos, golden geckos, and fire geckos. Another variety, the green gecko, is found in Zion Canyon in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Honest Hearts.

Geckos are reptilian and born with a pair of fins behind their heads. Their eyes possess an orange tint, and their body coloration differs greatly depending on the gecko subspecies in question. Geckos have evolved with five fingers and five toes. Dependent on the type, they range from the size of a small human child, to heights exceeding that of an average human adult.

Gameplay attributes
Geckos are generally found in small packs. Once a single gecko attacks something or is attacked, its pack will join the fight. They charge or leap at their opponents with their mouths open, ready to snap down. They attack rapidly with their claws as a melee attack and some subspecies of geckos can breathe fire or spit a poisonous liquid as a ranged attack.

Their hides and meat prove useful as survival crafting ingredients. In particular, the hides, once tanned, can be used to craft several varied types of armor that offer greater defense than their base variants along with resistances to fire, poison, and radiation.

Geckos, green geckos, and golden geckos are classified as animals and are affected by the Animal Friend perk. Fire geckos, however, remain hostile to the Courier despite the perk. This is because fire geckos, unlike the others, are classified as abominations. This means that fire geckos will flee if shot with a flare gun, which is remarkable considering their familiarity with fire.

Gecko
Geckos appear in packs of varying sizes, depending on the location. They will charge at their prey with their mouths open, and attack by biting and with swipes from their claws. Geckos can be found in the areas surrounding Goodsprings, along the I-15 towards Primm, and around the Mojave Outpost. These are the least dangerous species of gecko found within the Mojave.

Gecko hunter
Gecko hunters look identical to normal geckos but have greater health and speed. They are very fast and will attempt to rush and overwhelm their prey by attacking in groups.

Young gecko
Standard geckos that have yet to mature fully. They are smaller and less damaging than adult specimens, but share similar behavior and may appear with them in packs.

Young gecko hunter
These immature geckos are smaller and weaker than adult gecko hunters, but attack in the same way. Although appearing as hostiles on the compass, they often ignore nearby creatures unless provoked.

Golden gecko
This type of gecko is distinguishable by brilliant golden scales. They can be found around irradiated areas such as Crescent Canyon east and Crescent Canyon west, Vault 34, Cottonwood crater, and the Searchlight church basement. Golden geckos have been affected by high levels of radiation, leading to their larger size and unique coloration. In addition, exposure to radiation has caused their attacks to inflict significant amounts of radiation damage.

Golden gecko hunter
These geckos may appear alongside golden geckos and attack in the same way. Their bites are similarly irradiated, dealing less radiation per second but for a longer period of time. Golden gecko hunter melee attacks do similar damage to regular golden gecko melee attacks.

Young golden gecko
Golden geckos that have yet to mature. They are seldom found alone and are usually found with adult geckos. Although weaker than matured variants, their speed makes them a threat to low-level player characters.

Fire gecko
Fire geckos have mottled purple and red hides and prominent spikes on their backs. In addition to their bite and claw attacks, they have the ability to breathe fire. They can mainly be found in and around mountainous areas and caves, such as the Lucky Jim Mine and Nopah cave.

Young fire gecko
These immature geckos are smaller and weaker than adults, but attack in the same way and share the ability to breathe fire. They may be encountered in groups with fully grown fire geckos.

Legendary fire gecko
The legendary fire gecko is one of five legendary creatures. It is roughly twice the size of a normal fire gecko and its powerful and fast attacks make it a dangerous opponent in close combat. It is found in Fire Root cavern.

Green gecko
Green geckos are native to and only found in Zion Canyon. When attacking from a distance, they can spit several far-reaching but slow-moving globs of poisonous saliva, somewhat resembling the radioactive spit attack that centaurs use. Once in contact with an enemy, they will attack like other types of gecko, by biting and clawing. Green geckos are almost always found in packs ranging from two to eight. Green geckos are often found near waterways and bridges in Zion Canyon.

Young green gecko
Young green geckos are smaller and weaker than adults, but spit poisonous saliva and attack in the same way. They are only found in Zion Canyon.

Giant green gecko
Another type of giant creature native to Zion Canyon, these geckos are larger than a human and have almost the same destructive power as the legendary fire gecko.

Notable geckos

 * Gojira

Appearances
Geckos appear in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes
Before the release of Honest Hearts, the green geckos were mistakenly referred to as "Greek geckos" in the press material. This was corrected before the release.

Bugs

 * Geckos may not always be hostile to the Courier, even if the player character doesn't possess the Animal Friend perk. However, getting too close or trying to speak to one may turn it hostile.
 * Green geckos inhabiting Zion Canyon may not be hostile to the Courier, and approaching or attempting to talk to them will not change their disposition. If you happen to shoot one of these geckos, simply put away one's weapon and it will return to being friendly, just like a normal non-player character.
 * In the Mojave Desert, several young gecko hunters may be found superimposed upon one another, but not moving from the spot except to flail their arms and roar loudly. They cannot be damaged with guns, and when attacked and killed with a melee weapon, the game freezes and must be reset.
 * Geckos around Goodsprings source may spawn inside of rocks.
 * When a fire gecko's head is shot, flames will shoot out as if it were attacking.

Sounds

 * Idle gecko
 * Gecko in pain
 * Snarling gecko
 * Flame throwing gecko
 * Flame burst