In season two’s fourth episode Fallout finally made good on its promise to bring deathclaws to live-action. The show actually overdelivered, as we got to see those gigantic monsters both before the Great War and in the present. What are these frightening creatures that frighten the usually unflappable Ghoul? Where did they come from and what have they become? Those answers ultimately lead to their new territory in New Vegas.
What are Fallout’s Deathclaws?
Deathclaws are important creatures in Fallout video games. They are giant, muscular, genetically modified, reptile-like killing machines. The powerful monsters can rip a human in half with a single strike. Not even the members in the Brotherhood of Steel with their power armor can always escape an encounter with a deathclaw, as they are also fast and feature large teeth and talons on all four limbs. Deathclaws also have heightened senses and opposable thumbs.
The territorial creatures move in packs led by an “alpha pair” consisting of one male and one female. Deathclaws communicate with one another via growls and other animal sounds.
Who Created Deathclaws and Why in Fallout?
U.S. government scientists created deathclaws via experimentation (possibly, though far from confirmed, relying on some research taken from the Enclave). The creatures were intended to serve as cheap, highly-adaptable combat replacements for human soldiers.
What Animals Are Deathclaws Made From?
Deathclaws are made from various animals, but come primarily from experiments on Jackson’s Chameleons. The males of those adorable lizards feature three horns on their head, but it would be hard for anyone to associate those foot-long chameleons with their oversized, biped offspring. Unlike their tiny brethren, deathclaws can also thrive in any environment, making them especially effective for battle anywhere in the world.
Do Deathclaws Have Any Weaknesses?
Their ability to adapt to any environment, tough-to-pierce skin covered in spikes, horns, and fins, and strength make deathclaws hard for anyone to defeat, but they aren’t invincible. Powerful guns and energy weapons can kill them. But if you can’t stop one, you can always try to distract one. The same heightened sense that make them great on seek-and-destroy missions also leave deathclaws vulnerable to distraction. Loud noises or a well-timed light can give you enough time to get away. Their aversion to noise and human stimuli is also why they tend to take over spaces away from humans happy to never get close to one. Unfortunately expansion tends to force the issue between the two…
How Did Deathclaws Escape Into the Wild?
Deathclaws escaped into the wild after the start of the Great War. For many years people considered them a legend. But as the beasts—which lay eggs—grew in population across the former United States, those apex predators became a menacing presence in both the wasteland and Fallout video games. There are variations of deathclaws throughout the continent, but eventually some got major upgrades.
Deathclaws and the Forced Evolutionary Virus
Master, the leader of the mutant-led organization Unity, used the notorious Forced Evolutionary Virus to enhance deathclaws. That made them even more fearsome and dangerous. But that was far from the last improvement they got.
The Enclave Made Smart Deathclaws
Eventually, decades before Prime Video’s present timeline, the West Coast Enclave also made a type of deathclaw with enhanced intelligence via FEV. It then deployed that herd of smart creatures on a mission to Vault 13. But instead of fulfilling their orders, the intelligent, sentient deathclaws became independent and created a home for themselves in the Vault. They lived there peacefully until the Enclave wiped out all but two who were not present for the attack. We know they endured, though, because some eventually moved to the areas around New Vegas….
The Fallout Series Shows Deathclaws in Battle Before the Great War
It was never clear from the video games if the U.S. employed deathclaws in battle prior to the Great War. But Prime Video’s series has now shown they won the Battle of Alaska in 2077, more than 20 years before the bombs dropped. That’s where Cooper Howard first encountered them. That’s why—even though that deathclaw in Alaska let him go for reasons that aren’t entirely clear—he was so scared when he saw one again in an unexpected place two centuries later. Deathclaws have made the formerly bustling city of New Vegas their home.
Deathclaws Have Taken Over New Vegas in Fallout Season 2
In Fallout: New Vegas, Robert House’s Sin City was an active, relatively safe place for civilization to ignore the horrors of the world. In the nearly 15 years since the impossible-to-know ending of that game, it’s become a radioactive ruin. It’s falling apart and abandoned. Or at least, it’s abandoned by people. The Ghoul and Lucy learned its now controlled by deathclaws. She found a hatched egg indicating the presence of an alpha couple and the pack of deathclaws that follow them.
Since deathclaws try to avoid humans, they very well might have moved in after humans abandoned the city following the unseen war teased in the episode’s end credits. Or, considering their long history of being used as soldiers by powerful forces, they might be there to protect a possibly-still-alive Mr. House’s town. This pack might be his own special modified breed.
It’s also possible the creature that scared the Ghoul might even be the notorious Legendary Deathclaw. That’s the alpha of the Mojave Desert from Fallout: New Vegas, that creature that survived long enough to grow 25% bigger than his fellow killer beasts.
Or, just maybe, the two of them will get lucky and learn that New Vegas’ deathclaws are intelligent ones who took up residence in New Vegas after living nearby. Those smart creatures play a meaningful part in Fallout: New Vegas.
If that’ the case Lucy and the Ghoul might be safe from one of Fallout’s otherwise deadliest monsters. But most deathclaws aren’t smart. They are killing machines. So they should run first and try talking second.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. He would simply die if he saw a deathclaw. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.