Scorched

The Scorched are Humans who have succumbed to the Scorched Plague.

Background
Both humans and creatures can be infected by the plague. Scorched are able to use melee weapons and firearms. They wear tattered civilian wear, military uniforms and faction outfits such as the varied dress of the Responders or armor of the raiders. Their vocalizations refer to themselves in the plural, with typical phrases being "we are one" or "never alone."

In 2103, following the elimination of the Scorchbeast Queen and subsequent vaccination of the settlers and raiders who have returned to Appalachia, the Scorched influence on the region is in decline. Fixtures comprised of the dismembered corpses of Scorched are not uncommonly found mounted onto the walls of outposts and strongholds claimed by regional factions such as the Blood Eagles or the Cult of the Mothman.

Gameplay attributes
Scorched are affected by the Zealot's legendary effect. They will attack anything or anyone that is not infected with the Scorched Plague.

Variants
Variants are not distinguished visually and will instead wear tattered versions of outfits determined by the location's theme, eg. asylum outfits near Fort Defiance, skiing gear around Top of the World or Responder gear around Morgantown Airport.

Scorched officer
Scorched officers were once high-ranking officers in the United States Armed Forces, responsible for carrying one of eight launch code keys needed to launch a nuke from Appalachia's nuclear I.C.B.M. silos. They can be identified by unique radio packs on their back, emitting both red light and a high-pitched tone that sound off in a regular sequence. All regular Scorched variants may be an officer variant with the same stats, abilities and items.

Scorched suicider
A Scorched that is armed with a frag grenade and charges toward enemies in a kamikaze attack. Regardless of success, their bodies may be looted for a spare frag grenade. Found only on the Top of the World mezzanine during and after Strange Bedfellows and during Daily Ops involving Scorched as the primary enemies encountered in it.

Scorched exterminator
A powerful Scorched only seen as the boss enemy of Daily Ops involving the Scorched as the primary enemies encountered in it. It will be armored in raider armor and have a paler coloration to its skin compared to other Scorched.

Scorched overseer
Wearing power armor with Hellfire Prototype Paint, the infected overseer of Vault 51 defends the ZAX mainframe with a Gatling laser.

Holiday Scorched
A unique variant of Scorched encountered during the seasonal Holiday Scorched community event. They emit a jingling sound while moving and wear a variety of Christmas-themed apparel, including Mr. Claus' suit, Mrs. Claus' dress and the festive winter pant suit. They only use melee weapons and will always be legendary, with a 40% chance to be a 2-star and a 5% chance to be a 3-star. All regular Scorched variants may spawn as a holiday variant with the same stats and abilities, though the variant name may remain unchanged.

Spooky Scorched
A unique variant of Scorched encountered during the seasonal Spooky Scorched community event. They are slightly bigger than their counterparts, make a ghostly organ sound while walking around and wear a variety of Halloween-themed costumes. They will only use melee weapons and will always be legendary, with a 40% chance to be a 2-star and a 5% chance to be a 3-star. All regular Scorched variants may spawn as a spooky variant with the same stats and abilities, though the variant name may remain unchanged.

Locations

 * The Scorched are found all throughout Appalachia.
 * Always found at fissure sites. Additional Scorched may be summoned by the scorchbeast or by harvesting ultracite veins.
 * Many can be found at Morgantown Airport, within the main building and around the camp on the airfield.
 * Many can spawn at the mezzanine floor in the Top of the World building.
 * Many can be found at Wavy Willard's Water Park.
 * Many can be found at Camden Park.
 * Many can be found at Pleasant Valley cabins.
 * Many can be found at Fort Defiance.
 * Some can spawn at Sunnytop Ski Lanes.
 * Some can spawn at Firebase LT, The Thorn and Firebase Hancock.
 * Some always spawn at South Mountain lookout.
 * 13+ at the Morgantown Trainyard.
 * 15+ Scorched can be found outside Poseidon Energy Plant WV-06.
 * At least five at White Powder Winter Sports.
 * At least eight at Pleasant Valley Ski Resort.
 * At least 12 on the Tyler County Fairgrounds.

Events

 * Distinguished Guests
 * Line in the Sand
 * Grafton Day
 * Protest March
 * Scorched Earth
 * Distant Thunder
 * Surface to Air
 * Always Vigilant
 * Collision Course
 * It's a Trap
 * Powering Up Monongah Powering Up Poseidon Powering Up Thunder Mountain
 * Bots on Parade (%)
 * Dropped Connection (%)
 * A Real Blast (%)
 * Census Violence (%)
 * The Messenger (%)
 * Horde Event (%)
 * Defend Workshop (%) Retake Workshop (%)

Named Scorched

 * David Thorpe - Former leader of the now defunct Cutthroats raider gang.
 * Evan - The Overseer's pre-War fiancé.
 * Enola Walker - A woman who was infected while trying to avenge her pets.
 * Crane - Found on the second floor of the Wayward.
 * Aldridge (optional)

Appearances
The Scorched appear

Bugs

 * Scorched may be frozen in place and the player can damage them, and they may still be standing after they are killed. The church in Helvetia is a major site for this.
 * When a Scorched is posing as a petrified corpse, a headshot kill with a ranged weapon may send them ragdolling into the air.
 * Scorched appear to lack unique animations for turning around when they have yet to pull out their weapon, and casually turn to face behind them like a non-Scorched human character when becoming hostile before assuming their Scorched-specific active weapon animation.