Deathclaw ( Fallout 3 ) Deathclaws are creatures living in the Capital Wasteland in 2277 . They are a large , agile , and strong species of mutant and are far more common in the Capital Wasteland than the west coast despite the more desolate , barren , and desert - like characteristics of the wasteland . Characteristics . Biology . Deathclaws have a hunchbacked humanoid build , with a reptilian head and limbs . They stand roughly nine to ten feet tall , with a thick and resilient hide , powerful muscles , and twelve - inch - long , razor - sharp claws that can kill almost any other creature with only a few swipes ; hence their name . They are said to have excellent hearing and sense of smell , though their eyesight is poor . Their build gives them incredible speed and strength in close combat , making them an extreme threat at all times . Though they were originally mutated chameleons , the deathclaws of the Capital Wasteland have lost the ability to camouflage themselves . Deathclaws are very aggressive , territorial , carnivorous , and highly intelligent . In the Mojave Wasteland , they typically live in small packs of around eight to twenty members . Packs are led by an , who is the only one allowed to mate with the females . However , deathclaws in the Capital Wasteland are for the most part solitary , though sometimes they are encountered in pairs . Deathclaws are , with the eggs typically laid in dark , sheltered locations and fiercely guarded by their mother . Young deathclaws reach maturity under the care of their parents , following them closely until they are old enough to fend for themselves . Although they do not have vocal cords , they can growl and shout , and seem to be able to mimic human speech much the same as a parrot does . However , normal deathclaws aren ' t intelligent enough to be capable of real speech . Gameplay attributes . Deathclaws are arguably one of the fastest , most powerful and frightening creatures in the gameteland ] ] . Fortunately , deathclaws are not found in many areas around the Capital Wasteland , so their influence on where and when the Lone Wanderer travels is limited . Despite having tough hides according to game lore , the deathclaws in the game are simply given a lot of Hit Points rather than Damage Resistance . Variants . Deathclaw . A regular deathclaw , with all of the characteristics and attributes described above . Enclave deathclaw . Enclave deathclaws only make appearances as Enclave camps begin to appear . Many of these camps are likely to house mind - controlled deathclaws in cages , which are just the same as regular ones , with the exception that they will not attack Enclave forces . The mind - control devices on their heads can be targeted and crippled , which will frenzy them . Enclave deathclaws may also be dropped off from Enclave Vertibird s , along with Enclave soldiers and sentry bots . During the quest The American Dream , a deathclaw can be seen in a cage in Raven Rock . This deathclaw has not yet been fitted with the mind - control device and can be released from captivity with a Lockpick skill of 50 . When released , it will attempt to kill anything in sight ( excluding its liberator ) until it runs out of other enemies to fight . It will then proceed to attack the Lone Wanderer . During the " Broken Steel " add - on quest Shock Value , if one receives Scribe Vallincourt ' s device , the Enclave deathclaws will act as temporary followers , but if they are led too far from the Enclave base where they were stationed , their heads will explode . Appearances . Deathclaws appear in " Fallout 3 " and its add - on " Broken Steel " .