Deathclaws – Fallout. 9 iconic & notorious enemies from 90s' games

What were the deathclaws?

In the Fallout universe, the deathclaw was initially a form of a biological weapon. Inspired by Jackson's Chameleon and the D&D tarrasque creature, these reptilian apes were designed to replace soldiers in the more dangerous, close-quarters missions. They were usually about 6 meters high, had scaled skin, sharp claws and characteristic horns on the head. Like humans, they had opposable thumbs and walked on two legs, that were somewhat reminiscent of velociraptor's.

After the nuclear apocalypse, they became the apex predator of the contaminated wastelands. Along with the famous Pip-Boy, the deathclaw was one of the hallmarks of the Fallout franchise. Over time, some mods focused the entire gameplay on these characters, and in subsequent installments of the series, the deathclaws became an integral part of the setting. For example, apart from our archenemy, deathclaws could also be companions and allies of the main character. Some criticized this approach, claiming that the popularity of deathclaws made them loose some of the mythical veil they were surrounded with in part one.

Why were they memorable?

Deathclaws were famous for causing fear among players with their immense power and deadly effectiveness. It was described as "a huge, savage beast with skin like tank armor, without any weaknesses and with even less mercy, and every bullet that hits them only takes a few atoms from their health bar." It didn't matter how well prepared and armed you were – facing a deathclaw was always a pain, or a quick way to die. Although we should also add that these creatures were not really looking for human settlements to attack. It were humans – including the player – who wandered into their territory, asking for trouble.

1. Fallout in our encyclopedia