Ghost people Ghost people are found in the Sierra Madre in 2281 . Background . Ghost people are mutated humans , changed forever by a combination of corrosive rust - like toxins unique to Sierra Madre , known as the Cloud . This same red cloud clings to the walls and lingers like a thick smog in localized areas and even escapes and is reabsorbed continuously from the ghost people ' s hazmat suit by means of aeration on their legs , indicating that their mutation may well originate from constant exposure to the Cloud . This has resulted in them being the only ones able to walk in and out of the Cloud without any further damage . The ghost people originate from the construction workers before the Great War who were mutated from the cloud as they worked on the Sierra Madre Villa . They have several ties to inhumane experiments of Big MT . According to data from terminals in the medical section of the Sierra Madre , construction workers at the site first received their hazmat suits specially created in the Big MT after a gas leak sent one of them to the hospital . A terminal in Big MT states that the gas leak itself was also created at Big MT , the hazmat suits being an " experiment within an experiment . " The hazmat suit was bulky , nearly impossible to speak through , grew stiff with use , and had locks that , after contact with the Cloud , corroded to the point where the hazmat suit had to be cut open with a cosmic knife , and still didn ' t provide proper protection from the poisonous gas cloud . The ghost people have acquired their moniker through their practice of " hunting " the of the Sierra Madre Villa , perhaps seeing them as some reverent figures or prey from which to draw power . Their name can also be ascribed to the ghostly manner in which they inhabit the ruins , their manner , movements , and general presence seemingly much akin to a malignant haunting to any who have survived and fled attempts to breach the Sierra Madre . It is not clear why the ghost people drag their victims off into the Cloud . Whether to consume , torture , or convert them into something like themselves , nobody knows , or has survived to tell the tale . Characteristics . Biology . Ghost people are very mysterious . They do not speak , and they seem to neither sleep nor eat . They seemingly exist only to lurk through the villa ruins , forever seeking prey , whether mortal or holographic ; if they have a lair at all , it is unclear where . Although according to Dean Domino they live in the underground service routes and sewers of the Sierra Madre Villa . They shamble like classic undead creatures . Despite this , they are in fact quite agile when necessary , often lunging and dashing with surprising and inhuman speed . Quite often , they will appear from the shadows to strike or pursue prey relentlessly throughout the region , stopping only once their victim ( s ) is dead or when they are dead themselves . Despite their apparent lack of mental agility , they seem to be capable of manufacturing crude weaponry out of broom handles and cosmic knives ( or at least scavenging them and understanding their purpose ) and also have gained the ability to utilize and / or produce throwing spears , which testifies to surprising mental facility and also surprising co - ordination adroitness . Also of note is their use of gas canisters modified into explosives and their successful conversion of bear traps into ramshackle but deadly unarmed weapons . Dean Domino also cautions they can set simple traps by leaving supplies in an area but set a trap for unsuspecting victims . All this points to the ghost people being far more intelligent and insidious than other mutant humans , such as the tunnelers of the Divide and the feral ghouls of the wider American wasteland . When questioned on how ghost people taste , Dog says that they have pockets of pressurized gas inside them , which explains why blood and yellow fluid spray at apparent high pressure when they are injured . Also , they are immune to fire due to their mutations and despite virtual immortality , they can die if one of their limbs is severed , showing a universal mutation from which everything is connected to each other , not just the brain with the other organs , causing direct death if a member is removed . Oddly enough , similar to Glowing Ones , when they are decapitated the body spews red blood from the wound , instead of the characteristic glowing green blood . Ghost people also scream before attacking , similar to . Gameplay attributes . Nearly all ghost people are hostile to the Courier . They are difficult to pin down , as they will constantly lurch and jump around during engagements . They also actively avoid a rifleman ' s aim , particularly near their head . They do not utilize firearms , using only primitive weapons made from resources found in the Sierra Madre villa . Ghost people can be more difficult to kill with firearms than most other opponents , because they do not take extra damage from headshots . This is somewhat balanced by their complete lack of functioning armor . They are difficult to kill permanently by normal means ; they must be disintegrated , dismembered or eaten by Dog , or they will simply get up and continue attacking . The simplest way to keep them from getting back up is to cripple or dismember their limbs with a melee weapon ( like a cosmic knife ) , an explosive ( like a demolition charge ) , or from concentrated ranged attacks to a single limb . The loss of a limb will always kill the ghost person . If a ghost person is already down , attack with a melee weapon or target their limbs with a ranged weapon until a limb is removed to stop them from reviving . Crippling a limb while a ghost person is conscious will dismember the limb , killing them even if the crippling attack does not reduce their health to 0 . The Bloody Mess perk helps considerably with this task , since it increases the chance of dismemberment with standard firearms . The revival of the ghost people is indicated by characteristic gurgling , so it is recommended to either stand back or quickly destroy one of their limbs before they wake up . Often the only warning of their presence is a strangled choking or muttering sound they make . Ghost people are technically exceedingly easy to sneak by , as they have zero Perception , but the narrow streets and many traps around the Villa make sneaking past them much harder . Variants . Each variant of ghost people have six levels of difficulty . Each level has identical statistics except for level and health . Ghost harvester . Ghost harvesters are the most common variant of ghost people . They are the smallest variant and are easily distinguished by their hoods and smaller gas masks . They are equipped with knife spear s and throwing knife spear s , using the throwing spears until they are exhausted and then charging the target equipped with a knife spear , unless the prey closes to melee range first . They are not the most durable or proficient opponent in close combat , but their throwing knife spears can cause great damage in a short time . Also , they usually perform a jump to the right or left after throwing a spear , which makes them hard to target with a firearm outside of VATS . During one section of Fires in the Sky , ghost harvester corpses will contain ghost harvester remains for Dog to eat . Ghost trapper . Ghost trappers can be identified by their large size and lack of hoods . They are only equipped with bear trap fist s . Ghost trappers are also responsible for the inordinate amount of and s in the Sierra Madre . They are capable and tough unarmed fighters , so they are best picked off from a distance . However , ghost trappers are often found in groups with knife spear - bearing Harvesters or Seekers . Ghost seeker . Ghost seekers are the least common variant of ghost people . They are taller than ghost harvesters but slimmer than ghost trappers and usually wear a hood . They are equipped with knife spear s and gas bomb s , throwing one or two gas bombs and then closing to attack with a knife spear . While they do not withstand as much damage as ghost trappers , ghost seekers are extremely capable in melee combat . It is worth noting that the ill - prepared should watch out for ghost seekers , as the gas bombs can cripple limbs . Appearances . Ghost people appear only in the " " " Dead Money " . The origin of the ghost people suits is further hinted in the add - on " Old World Blues " .