Spore carrier

s are creatures in Fallout: New Vegas. They are found in Vault 22. Apparently originating from plants, spore carriers are bipedal, anthropomorphic mutants. They often hide in between plants and shrubs, making them hard to spot. Humans were turned into these carriers by parasitic spore plants which attached onto them and mutated them, and commandeered their victim's nervous system.

Characteristics
They are quick and use melee attacks. If they are not killed quickly they explode and deal large amounts of damage breaking limbs and giving a large dose of radiation. When they are hiding in vegetation they are hard to spot and will not appear on your compass until they get up. Spore carriers are known for sneaking up on the player. They are still humanoids since they are the mutated Vault 22 dwellers (mutations originating from the spore plants). They usually lie down in the vegetation, and their appearance helps them blend in. One way to counter their camouflage is to use a flamer to flush them out, then kill them as the fire is very effective. The flamer's fire will not light the plants on fire, only the spore carrier.

Upon detecting the player, the spore carrier will let off a growl in a similar manner to that of feral ghouls, but more ferocious and loud.

Found in a terminal on the Pest Control Level, regarding the fungus that has infected the spore carrier:

"Species: Beauveria Mordicana

An entomopathogenic fungus, B. Mordicana has been developed to colonize the bodies of most common pests. Once it has fully colonized a host body, the host technically dies, but the body continues to move by means of the fungal colony within it. In this manner the fungus moves amongst its prey, occasionally spraying spores in a radius around the host body, infecting all who come near it. Its drawbacks include the time it takes to kill prey (10-20 days) and its limited effectiveness when dealing with unsocial pests."

Variations

 * Spore carrier runt
 * Spore carrier brute
 * Spore carrier savage

Appearances
Spore carriers appear in Fallout: New Vegas.

Strategy
If you suspect that an area may have a spore carrier hiding in it, use AOE weapons like the flamer or incinerator to flush them out. One Flamer can also be found in Vault 22 along with them. Also note that they are still able to attack while in their revealing animation.

Their hiding spots are characterized by a low pile of soil with multiple plants with large covering leaves growing in it. These piles are roughly as wide as the corridors in the vault, and oval in shape. The spore carriers doesn't seem to hide anywhere else than these spots, so being able to tell these spots apart from the common vegetation in the vault makes fighting them a lot easier, since they won't get the jump on you. Like stated above, check these piles with a flamer or an incinerator (Incinerator preferrably, since it has longer range, and uses less fuel per 'check').