Feral ghoul (Fallout 4)

Feral ghouls are creatures found in the Commonwealth, on the Island and in Nuka-World in 2287.

Background
Ghouls are former humans who have become horribly irradiated by the radioactive fallout covering the wasteland from the Great War. Many ghouls are pre-War humans who survived the initial nuclear bombardment. Becoming permanently irradiated, they were disfigured and their lifespans were increased virtually indefinitely. In most cases, exposure to radiation in the post-War Commonwealth wastes degenerated their brains, causing them to lose their higher cognitive functions, turning them into mindless, radiation-resistant cannibals.

Gameplay attributes
It is now possible to dismember ghouls, however, they will continue to chase and bite the Sole Survivor even if they lose both of their arms. When losing a leg, however, they will become docile and will no longer try to attack, allowing the player character to quickly dispatch them and handle any uninjured ghouls. Rarely, a feral ghoul will still attack after its head is decapitated. Feral ghouls being exposed to high levels of radiation such as those present in the Glowing Sea will regenerate HP rapidly. When a ghoul is found lying on the ground or in a building they can be heard snoring.

A notable difference between the feral ghouls found in the Commonwealth and those seen throughout New California, the Mojave Wasteland, and the Capital Wasteland, is that they have glowing yellow eyes. Sometimes feral ghouls will lie on the ground, either to rest or play dead. Once the player character gets close enough or they are otherwise alerted, they get up and attack. These ghouls can sometimes be targeted in V.A.T.S. and if spotted, attacked before they arise. They also show up as living actors on the HUD if the Sole Survivor is wearing power armor with a targeting HUD-equipped helmet or aims at them with any kind of recon scope.

Occasionally, they will start to run faster at the player character moving erratically to dodge incoming attacks, suggesting some form of intelligence, and will eventually lunge at their attacker once they're close enough. A gurgling roar is heard when a ghoul charges at the Sole Survivor. This attack can sometimes be difficult to dodge without sprinting, but it can, however, be blocked or interrupted with a melee strike. Additionally, when feral ghouls lunge at the player character, they often fall beside or behind their target, giving the player character a brief chance to strike while the ghoul is getting back to its feet. In some locations, particularly indoors, ghouls will also emerge from windows, ductwork, etc., to attack when a victim comes close. Ghouls hiding in this sort of ambush cannot be detected even by V.A.T.S. before they begin emerging - however, while they are emerging they are helpless while climbing into the room and can be freely attacked if one is quick. Often they will not detect the player character until they finish emerging.

They very rarely travel alone, and it is quite unusual to encounter a single ghoul. This behavior has led to groups of ferals often being called "packs" or "hordes" by wastelanders. Another notable difference from previous versions of ferals is that they inflict radiation damage as well as physical damage.

Feral ghoul
Typical feral ghoul, exhibiting zombie-like behavior. These are more than likely the first type of creatures the Sole Survivor will encounter as they can be found all over the Commonwealth. Aboard the Yangtze, unique feral ghouls called crewmen can be found.

Feral ghoul roamer
Roamers appear to be somewhat older and consequently sturdier ferals. They are still somewhat weak however compared to other types of ferals.

Pink ghoul
Simply called "ghoul" in-game, this type of feral ghoul is found exclusively in Suffolk County Charter School. They appear pink because of a food paste served by the school before the War.

Feral ghoul stalker
Stalkers are a variant of feral ghouls that can easily be distinguished by their bloody mouths and paler skin. They often pretend to be dead or hide amid rubble until an enemy is detected, where they then attempt to quietly ambush their prey without revealing themselves, usually with success. There are generally at least a few stalkers mixed into larger groups of weaker ferals. As they wear the same tattered clothing as roamers and normal ferals, they can be difficult to spot until they're damaged. They will also sometimes serve as a "boss" in locations populated by ferals. If the player character is of a high enough level, the boss may instead be a glowing one, which the stalker will still accompany.

Feral ghoul reaver
Reavers usually have pieces of post-War metal armor attached to them. They lack a projectile attack and are generally the ones in a pack to reach better-equipped targets thanks to their respectable amount of HP. They are much easier to deal with than past versions. Unlike the ones in Fallout 3 and New Vegas, their corpses do not emit green fumes or have boil covered skin.

Withered feral ghoul
Withered feral ghouls are slightly skinnier, with a yellowish leathery-looking skin, and wear no clothes. These ghouls are likely fairly old compared to others, as their clothing has rotted away and they appear to be severely sun-damaged. A withered feral ghoul can be found inside the power armor storage in the national guard armory. Their eyes and mouth also appear severely damaged and shriveled.

Gangrenous feral ghoul
Gangrenous feral ghouls are considerably rarer and stronger than the previous variants, with torn rags like common variants, and yellow skin. They can be hard to defeat even for some mid/high level player characters due to their aggressive attacks and high health. A gangrenous feral ghoul can be found inside Croup Manor's basement guarding a chest with some expensive loot. One can also be found at O'Neill Family Manufacturing in the Glowing Sea.

Rotting feral ghoul
Rotting feral ghouls have a bloated appearance, indicating that their bodies have begun decomposing, also suggested by the name. Although their offensive capabilities are on par with gangrenous feral ghouls, they have almost twice the amount of health.

Charred feral ghoul
The highest tier of all non-glowing feral ghouls, this variant is covered by a thick layer of soot and is much tougher to kill than a normal feral. These level with the player character, making them immune to the Wasteland Whisperer perk.

Glowing one
A highly irradiated version of a feral ghoul, they glow with green light emitting from within, and just being near them causes radiation damage. They can perform an area of effect radiation attack indicated by the raising of their arms which releases radiation around them. This radiation also heals nearby feral ghouls, and glowing ones can even sometimes revive recently killed allies. They are potentially more dangerous than past iterations, especially against low-level player characters, due in part to their radiation-fueled healing, although their passive radiation radius is smaller and thus they are easier to dispatch without taking any radiation.

Putrid glowing one
A higher level version of glowing one, covered in glowing green blisters of radiation. Its radiation aura is almost twice as strong, but it is no longer capable of performing its area of effect radiation attack. This is the strongest type of feral ghoul in the game, damage-wise.

Bloated glowing one
A higher level version of glowing ones. Its body is bloated and swollen with radioactive material. It gives off more radiation than its counterparts and the melee attack is a little weaker, compared to a putrid glowing one. However, it does have the highest health of all feral ghouls.

Fog ghoul
A variant only found on the Island and mutated by the island's radioactive fog. Fog ghouls are much paler than ghouls found in the Commonwealth, with black burns on certain parts of their skin and fishing nets draped over their chest. Their eye sockets are quite large, with the eyes sunken in, and their teeth are permanently gritted, exposing the gums, which seem inflamed, and the teeth sunk in as well. Black soot is also smeared across their faces.

Painted ghoul
Painted ghouls are found in Kiddie Kingdom and are painted in bright colors by Oswald the Outrageous, usually with forced smiles or bright eyes.

Charred painted ghoul
Just like regular painted ghouls, charred painted ghouls have been painted on by Oswald, except they are much larger and bloated in appearance.

Locations
Found throughout the Commonwealth, the Island, and Nuka-World.

Appearances
Feral ghouls appear in Fallout 4 and its add-ons Far Harbor, Vault-Tec Workshop and Nuka-World.