Deathclaw

Deathclaws are an enormously large, agile, and strong species of mutant reptiles created through genetic engineering. They are substantially larger than a human, and have large and dangerous claws.



Female deathclaws, also called Mothers and Matriarchs, are stronger and tougher than males, as well as fewer in numbers. Only one female is the pack mother at a given time, with another female taking its place when it dies. A pack is led by an 'alpha male'. Although they do not have vocal chords, the deathclaws seem to be able mimic human speech much the same as a parrot does, although normal deathclaws aren't intelligent enough to be capable of real speech.

History
The deathclaws were originally created before the Great War by the United States military, in order to replace humans during high-risk close-combat search-and-destroy missions. They were Jackson's Chameleons genetically modified with DNA of various other species.

The Master also experimented on the deathclaws early on, but his experiments were not very successful, and eventually they were not used in his army. However, some of the modifications he made to their genome refined them into even more dangerous beasts.

Around 2161, deathclaws were still a mystery, a legendary creature, to many inhabitants of Southern California. In Fallout, a deathclaw first appeared in a mission to find missing caravans: while the deathclaw was not responsible for the caravan disappearances, as some had believed, evidence in its lair did lead to the correct solution. Deathclaws had also established a nest in the abandoned warehouse district of the Boneyard, obstructing traffic between the Gun Runners and potential trading partners and making any scavenging in the area very hazardous. As the deathclaw population grew, the deathclaws stopped being perceived as legendary beasts, and started to be seen as simply yet another dangerous animal.

Varieties
Outside of the two versions described below, there are at least two variations of the 'regular' deathclaw. One has a spiked back and long, forward horns, while the other has no spikes on the back and has smaller, backward horns. It is possible that the former deathclaws are male while the latter are female or the other way around.

Talking deathclaws
In 2235, the Enclave captured many deathclaws and exposed them to FEV. This boosted their intelligence, giving them the ability to talk with varying degrees of erudition and articulation. This subspecies was highly intelligent, about the equivalent of an eight-year-old, with some individuals on par with average adult humans. Their learning capacity was very high and they were capable of abstract thought and reasoning. Although they did not have vocal cords, the deathclaws seemed to mimic human speech the same as a parrot does. Socially, they had rigidly hierarchical, peaceful, pack-based ethical code. They were extremely loyal to the pack as a whole, treating it as a family unit rather than having individual families. Fights within a pack are unheard of, and the pack's leader controls many aspects of life, such as choosing and matching female and male deathclaws for reproduction. Oddly enough, Deathclaws are not subject to sterility from FEV exposure; this trait is not explained.

While the Enclave hoped that the Deathclaws would be intelligent enough to obey orders without being so intelligent as to question them, the Enclave's deathclaws began to doubt the morality of their masters. While they helped the Enclave in storming Vault 13 in 2242 and kidnapping the population, they later abandoned the Enclave, adopting the now-empty vault as their new home under the leadership of Gruthar.

Several humans from the surrounding area moved into the vault to live under the protection of the deathclaws, but not all were pleased with these new neighbors. One human, Matt, struck against the deathclaws by bombing the mother and hatchlings (the deathclaw mother survived, but security was tightened from then on). The deathclaws faced other problems adapting to life in the vault, as well: after the overthrow of the paranoid Overseer, the dwellers of Vault 13 had turned day-to-day operations of the vault over to a Brotherhood-technology based computer. The only way the deathclaws could interact with it was by voice commands; this became a severe problem when the computer's voice module malfunctioned. Fortunately, a traveling tribal known as the Chosen One had a replacement voice module, and was willing to install his in exchange for Gruthar's help in finding a GECK, one of which Gruthar had within the vault's storage area.

The deathclaws paid a high price for their rebellion, however: an Enclave team, lead by Frank Horrigan, attacked Vault 13 and massacred the deathclaws (and presumably those humans under their protection). Of Vault 13's inhabitants, only Goris, who had accompanied the Chosen One on adventures outside Vault 13, survived.

Depending on the actions of the Chosen One, Xarn, a deathclaw kept in Navarro under the custody of Doctor Schreber, and Goris were the only intelligent deathclaws in the whole Fallout Canon to survive the end of Fallout 2. According to some reports, they did not, however, reproduce, and were the last of their kind. Whether this will hold true in the future remains to be seen.

Hairy deathclaws


A deathclaw subspecies living in the area of the former states of Illinois, Missouri and Kansas developed patches of fur to better cope with the colder climate. Furthermore, some of them were noted to be capable of speech as early as in 2197, which means that they either developed speech through spontaneous mutation, or were experimented on by someone other than the Enclave. They were also more matriarchal than their Western counterparts, with packs being led by Matriarchs.

One such Matriarch was captured by the psychic tribe known as the Beastlords. While the tribals were able to use their psychic powers to control lesser animals, the deathclaws were intelligent enough to resist them. However, they cooperated with the Beastlords in order to protect their Mother. After the Matriarch was freed by the Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel, that pack decided to join the Brotherhood, and the Elders surprisingly agreed.

One theory suggests that the furry deathclaws were not Jackson's Chameleons, but of mammalian species that underwent genetic modification, likely in the same process as the reptillian deathclaws, and possibly even for the same goal (though obviously not in the same facility, as goes their regional differences). This would account for the differences in their appearances and physique, as well as the hairy deathclaws' advanced intelligence at such an early age; mammals tend to exhibit more intelligence than reptiles. That they would be called Deathclaws, nevertheless, might be attributed to their similarities in size, strength, appearance and viciousness, to the Jackson's Chameleon Deathclaw.

Deathclaws in Fallout 3
Deathclaws return full-force midway into Fallout 3, still living up to the ferocity of the name. Although rarely in packs, Deathclaws are more than lethal even when alone, as once they have spotted an enemy (the player or otherwise), they are quick to close the distance, and can easily slash a heavily-armed and power armor-clad enemy to an untimely death.

Although not introduced until a considerable amount of the game has been progressed, they however do have the tendency to spawn at random throughout the Wasteland even at early stages of the game. Granted, they will never appear at places like the DC Metro area, but locations once unpopulated by Deathclaws -- like Super-Duper Mart -- have the potential to become solitary-Deathclaw spawning areas. In addition, two main locations are heavily populated by Deathclaws: The Deathclaw Sanctuary, in the Northwest corner of the map, and Old Olney, an abandoned town in the Northeast that is completely overrun by Deathclaws.

Deathclaws make another appearance in the game as the Enclave camps begin to appear. These camps are likely to house cages containing Mind-Controlled Deathclaws, which are just the same as regular ones with the exception that they will not attack Enclave forces. However, as the mind-control devices on their heads can be targeted, there remains the potential to put them in Frenzy, just as can be done the antennae on Giant Ants and the Combat Inhibitor on a Protectron. Although not much of an advantage if the Deathclaw decides to attack the PC first, having an Enclave squad busy trying to repel an angry Deathclaw can give the player a considerable advantage.

All Deathclaw corpses contain a Deathclaw hand, a component which can be used in creating a Deathclaw Gauntlet. The Gauntlet is not the strongest "unarmed" weapon in the game, but has the unique property of ignoring target armor, which would make it as effective against an adversary in power armor as it would be against an unarmored raider.

Strategies for Deathclaw Encounters
Deathclaws are bad news in Fallout 3. They are probably the most difficult monster in the game (With the exception of the Super Mutant Behemoth) when not handled correctly. Taking down a Deathclaw requires heavy preparation. They are known to have high health and high damage, and are noted to be very deadly for several other reasons, including fast movement speed, larger than average pounce range, and sweeping claws that are difficult to avoid. Sniping at them from atop a roof or from inside the fence of a power station is not recommended, as they have shown a disturbing level of intelligence, being able to open doors and hatches with ease to surprise the snipers behind them. However it is encouraged to use Melee or Unarmed weapons to take one down (with a high amount of skill points in the used skill of course) with a parry-hit-parry-hit tactic (this dangerous dance can lead to massive damage if timed incorrectly), even though an unarmed fighter with a level of 18 or higher can easily take one or two of them without taking a hit with the paralyzing palm perk (which implies using VATS ). At minimum you should use from mid to high-powered Small Guns up to take one down, maybe coupled with some explosives for good measure. A well placed grenade can cripple both of its legs and do a nice chunk of damage.

Ideally, you should try to get a sneak critical on one before you actually start fighting. Your main priority should be to cripple their legs from afar, so that they can't run after you or pounce. Big Guns are strongly recommended against them; the Minigun, in particular, is a good choice, since it has a great rate of fire that can help you cripple them quickly. You should be as armored as possible (Power Armor is a godsend). You should also make sure you have plenty of Stimpacks available and set to a Hot Key, so that you can instantly heal if one gets close enough to do damage. The Flamer is also a good weapon, they were weak against fire in Fallout 1 & 2 and it seems to do pretty decent damage against them although you have to go in close range.

By far, the best tactic involves the Dart Gun. A single hit anywhere instantly cripples both legs, which dramatically slows down the beast and disables its pounce attack, allowing you to take your time. (The Dart Gun also works well on Yao Guai for this reason).

Another tactic for Energy weapons specialists is to use the Alien Blaster, Firelance, or even A3-21's Plasma Rifle (at FULL condition with energy weapons maxed out and the better criticals perk) to get a quick, clean sneak attack headshot. This will kill them instantly.

One successful but highly dangerous strategy is to immediately start backing away while shooting. Deathclaws are fast, but you can buy yourself a few seconds doing this, just keep shooting right up until the last second when it pounces to dial in a batch of 95% headshots.

If you have Dogmeat as a companion you may want to leave him behind, he charges in and the Deathclaw can easily kill him at close range.

Other Options: One of the better weapons to take them down is the Bottlecap Mine. Simply toss one down, back up a bit, and get their attention. Even with minimal Explosives skill it will nearly instant kill them, typically finishing off any long range damage you started. If they get too close, use a shotgun type weapon to cripple their legs, allowing you to make distance between yourself and the creature, as their melee attacks are devastating.

If you have the Alien Blaster, use it against the Deathclaws as they are probably the One of the toughest enemies (Behind the Super Mutant Behemoth) you'll come to face, especially if more than one of them are attacking you at the same time. A couple of shots to the head will take out a Deathclaw even at full health.

Occasionally, you may find a solitary Deathclaw roaming about, as sometimes the game will randomly generate one outside the Super-Duper Mart. Although less often, there's also the very real danger of stumbling into a nest of them; in particular, the town of Old Olney, on the northeast section of the map (between Vault 92 and the Republic of Dave) is overrun with them.

Once the Enclave has made themselves known to the Player, small contingents of Enclave Soldiers may have crates with them that contain a solitary Deathclaw. If opened, the combination of Enclave Soldiers' ranged firepower and the Deathclaw's melee supremacy can easily require a Mini Nuke as the only viable solution (assuming the Deathclaw has not already closed the distance once you have fired the Fatman). The cage can only be opened by the nearby Officer's key, who will open it if the Deathclaw's assistance is required. If the officer is killed, the crate will not be opened. It is also possible to find an Enclave camp with two Deathclaw crates, a glowing blue radio dish that is found elsewhere in the Wasteland, and a dead officer. It appears that the enclave has started to control Deathclaws as, at least in the above situation, the deathclaws had what seemed to be neural implants in their heads. This particular incident was sighted around Girdershade.

The Enclave-controlled Deathclaws have a mind control device affixed to their heads; targeting this in V.A.T.S. and crippling it can lead the Deathclaw to go into a frenzy, attacking anything.

If you have the difficulty on very hard the best tactic is to run....fast....while dropping mines as one hit will drop you and your head in a seperate fashion, you have been warned.

Bugs
There also seems to be a slight glitch with Deathclaws in Fallout 3. Sometimes when they are encountered by the player, they randomly fly straight up into the sky. There is no real trigger to this event, as they sometimes are attacking, idle, or roaming when it occurs. This can actually become a benefit to the player; if you are low on health, stimpacks, or you simply do not have the proper level or equipment to dispatch this enemy, fleeing can be employed while the Deathclaw is still in the atmosphere.

Quotes

 * "The Deathclaw is the most evil thing to rise out of the ashes after the War. Some say it's a powerful ghost from the war that haunts the land. It's no ghost, it's as real as you and me. It's 20 feet tall with teeth as big as your arm.  It's some kind of demon that found it's way here when the world was engulfed in fire." - Beth (Beth's dialogue file)
 * "The Deathclaws are all over in the Boneyard. I'd rather not even think about them. Huge and aptly named." - Katja (Katja's dialogue file)
 * "Okay. Well, it's like a damn big man, is what it is.  Got spikes and claws that can cut through the heaviest armor.  But don't let the size fool ya, it's quick." - Harold (Harold's dialogue file)
 * "You can't look at 'em! It is said the Death Claw can hypnotize just by lookin'.  Then it walks up and "boom", you're et!" - Harold (Harold's dialogue file)
 * "Heard some tales about something faster, bigger, and meaner than any living creature has a right to be. Not too many, though, which means that it doesn't leave many survivors. Big claws, ferocious disposition." - Tycho (Tycho's dialogue file)
 * "The Death Claw? Oh, that's a bedtime story. Drinks blood and howls at the full moon." - Killian Darkwater (Killian's dialogue file)
 * "I heard a tale from a traveller up from the south. He said the Death Claw was a creature that killed people at night.  He said no one can catch it, because it can disappear like smoke.  Not that I believe it, of course." - Tandi (Tandi's dialogue file)

Appearances in games
Deathclaws appear in all Fallout games. In Fallout Tactics hairy, talking deathclaws appeared. While them being hairy can be easily explained by additional mutations, their intelligence before the Enclave even started experimenting on making deathclaws intelligent is inconsistent with the canon.

Behind the scenes
The deathclaws are a homage to the Shadowclaws in Wasteland. In Scott Campbell's original concept art (see: gallery), deathclaws were mammals covered with fur. The reason it lost the hair from concept to production was a technical limitation of the rendering software, which couldn't get all the hair to move properly. The hairy Deathclaw in Fallout Tactics was inspired by the original concept.

According to the Fallout Bible, after a Dungeons & Dragons computer game made by Interplay was cancelled, deathclaws were modelled (visually) on the Tarrasques of the D&D canon, as a Tarrasque clay model was already made. However, according to Chris Taylor, while they do look Tarrasque-like, it was not intentional and the clay model was supposed to be a deathclaw from the start. .