Deathclaw Deathclaws are a large , agile and strong species of mutant created through genetic engineering , with the addition of DNA of various other species . However , due to mutation , most have lost their color - changing ability . Background . < section begin = " background " / > Originally created before the Great War by the government to supplement human troops in battle , deathclaws were derived from mixed animal stock , primarily from the very common Jackson Chameleon . They were then refined by the Master , using genetic manipulation and the Forced Evolutionary Virus . The resulting creature is incredibly fast and powerful . Around 2161 , deathclaws were still considered mysterious and legendary creatures to many . They could originally only be found in the Boneyard at the warehouse , living with their mother . Later , as the deathclaw population grew and began to spread across the continent , the deathclaws stopped being perceived as legendary beasts , and started to be seen just as another dangerous creature . < section end = " background " / > Biology . < section begin = " biology " / > Deathclaws have a hunchbacked , bipedal reptilian build with long humanoid arms . 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 in only a few swipes ; hence their name . They have an excellent sense of smell and hearing , though their eyesight is poor . Their build gives them incredible speed , agility and strength in close combat , making them an extreme threat . Though they were originally mutated chameleons , most have lost the ability to change color with their moods . Deathclaws are very aggressive , territorial , and carnivorous . They typically live in small packs of around eight to twenty members led by an alpha male , who is the only one allowed to mate with the females . Deathclaws are oviparous , 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 some 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 . Interestingly , deathclaws do not sharpen their claws on nearby objects , instead preferring their own nails to do the sharpening . The Lone Wanderer or Courier can witness this behavior while sneaking up on a deathclaw , though the Sole Survivor can witness deathclaws sharpening their claws on the ground instead . < section end = " biology " / > Variants . Deathclaw . The most common type of deathclaw , these exist throughout the wasteland , and they are feared throughout . As mentioned above , they are highly difficult to defeat , due to high health , high movement speed and lethal melee attacks . Their social nature adds to their lethal image : it ' s not uncommon to encounter regular deathclaws in groups of three or four . Mother deathclaw . Female deathclaws , also called mothers or matriarchs , are fewer in numbers . Only one female is the pack mother at a given time , with another female taking her place when she dies . Mother deathclaws can be distinguished from males by their dark blue color , barbed tails and back swept horns . They also seem to have a bloated abdomen , presumably from eggs , and are generally larger in size than normal deathclaws . If her young are killed , she will go into an uncontrollable rage , killing anything nearby , excluding other deathclaws . Baby deathclaw . Baby deathclaws are the smallest and weakest form of deathclaws . They will tend to stay close to and follow their mother , and protect her when she is either threatened or attacked . If the mother is killed , the baby deathclaws will surround her body and attempt to protect her . If the babies are killed the Mother will go into a frenzy and kill everything near her , excluding other deathclaws . Intelligent deathclaw . 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 even being 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 in the same way a parrot does . Socially , they had a 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 . Albino deathclaw . An extremely rare deathclaw , that only one of this variant has been seen in the wastelands . The albinism is due to a different mutation with FEV , his hide is completely dark gray instead of earth - tone colors like other normal deathclaw and his eyes are red . He wears a hood and cloak to disguise himself among humans , but removes it during combat . He also has a telepathic sense connecting him with his brothers , as seen when the Enclave attack Vault 13 . The albino deathclaw can also be seen in " Fallout 4 " s Glowing Sea . It also has a chance of spawning during the quest The Devil ' s Due . Enclave deathclaw . These deathclaws are equipped with mind - control headgear that allows Enclave soldiers to mind - control who the Deathclaw targets . If the player cripples their headgear , the deathclaw will frenzy . They will attack any non - Enclave personnel , including other deathclaws . They can , however , be temporarily controlled with the deathclaw control scrambler , which can be obtained after installing " Broken Steel " . They are frequently found in cages near Enclave patrols in the Capital Wasteland , and are often released if the patrol is engaged in battle . Enclave deathclaws may sometimes even respawn after their Enclave masters have been killed . An Enclave deathclaw that is in a cage will be set loose by nearest Enclave officer if under attack . Young deathclaw . The younger variation of deathclaw is slightly larger and tougher than the baby deathclaw , but much smaller than the normal deathclaw . They can mainly be found amongst larger groups of deathclaws , and will often stay close to an older deathclaw . Blind deathclaw . Blind deathclaws are a variant found in the Mojave Wasteland , and appear in both adult and baby form . Although not able to see , they have superb hearing , actually having a higher perception than normal deathclaws , which makes approaching them unnoticed very difficult , if not impossible . Glowing deathclaw . Glowing deathclaws are found in the Commonwealth , and are highly irradiated versions of the normal deathclaw . A green light emits from inside of their body and they inflict radiation damage on top of the normal deathclaw ' s ballistic damage . Deathclaw alpha male . The alpha deathclaw is second only to the legendary deathclaw in power . The alpha deathclaw is much different in appearance , being darker in color and having large horns . Legendary deathclaw . The legendary deathclaw is the biggest and most lethal deathclaw in the Mojave Wasteland . It is somewhat larger than normal deathclaws , and also has grayer skin , expanded horns , and fangs . It is located in the final area of Dead Wind cavern , home to many other deathclaws . It and the other deathclaws located in Dead Wind cavern have amassed quite a collection of loot from would - be hunters , including Mercy , a unique grenade machinegun found near the legendary deathclaw on a dead Brotherhood of Steel paladin . In " Fallout 4 " , they appear in the Commonwealth with similar strength and abilities to ones found at the Mojave but always drop a rare item which can be recovered on their corpse . They appear frequently if the difficulty is set higher or if the player is traveling into the Glowing Sea . Hairy deathclaw . 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 ( however , since reptiles are cold - blooded and produce very little of their own body heat , a real - world reptile with fur would actually freeze to death ) . Furthermore , some of them were noted to be capable of speech as early as in 2197 , which means that they probably developed speech through spontaneous mutation , or were experimented on by someone other than the Enclave . Another possibility is that they were designed to have an intellect and ability to speak before the Great War . The hairy deathclaws are more matriarchal than their New California , Capital Wasteland , and Mojave Wasteland counterparts . With infants , these deathclaws are less hairy and seem to be absolutely unintelligent , behaving like an animal or simply following the adults . They presumably become self - aware when they grow up . Experimental deathclaw . In the Secret Vault , a Vault - Tec installation which served as the company ' s ticket to a life after the apocalypse , aside from many scientific projects that were to ensure the company ' s power , some research with radioactive materials and FEV took place . When the Brotherhood of Steel Initiate visited the Vault , he encountered unique variants of the beast known all over the wastes . The Vault - Tec scientists apparently obtained a sample of the deathclaw bioweapon and tried to improve it using the FEV , radiation and technology . The resulting new species became larger , stronger , gaining extra muscle mass and a type of exoskeleton with many protruding spikes . However , the mutation led them to become blind , leaving the deathclaws to rely on their other senses . The longer they live , the bigger they become , so their mutation and the FEV effect could be very similar to that of Capital Wasteland super mutants . The eggs of these deathclaws are also unique , as they appear more like a pile of flesh nearly the same size as a human . Experimental baby deathclaw . Weakest variant of the experimental deathclaw . They are dark brown , small , their claws are weak and their skin still has no exoskeleton . Experimental elder deathclaw . The oldest of the experimental deathclaws . They are grey , brutish and slow . It ' s much stronger and capable of causing more damage than the normal deathclaw . Experimental chameleon deathclaw . Chameleon deathclaw are slightly more evolved than the standard variety . Their adaptive hides help them blend in with their surroundings , rendering them invisible in dark passages . It ' s weaker than the Elder variety but is much harder to locate and faster . In " Fallout 4 " , they can be found in the Commonwealth but are extremely rare . They have similar abilities to the ones found across Texas in " Fallout : Brotherhood of Steel " . When fought , they change color every few seconds and usually die in a bright color . They have higher DT and HP to normal deathclaws as well as camouflage . Experimental adolescent deathclaw . A prototype variant of an experimental deathclaw . This particular young deathclaw was a subject of an experiment that made him a living colossus . He is the biggest of all the deathclaws , even bigger than a super mutant behemoth . It ' s presumed that FEV made him to become such a threat . It looks exactly like the standard version but three times bigger and stronger than the latter . Experimental mother deathclaw . The Experimental mother deathclaw is also grey and big like the normal mother deathclaw , but has a highly developed exoskeleton . Her head is protected by a natural crown and she has a lot of spikes coming out from her back . She also has a strange ability to regenerate from radioactive pools found in her den , which is probably the result of modified FEV ' s regenerative features . Quantum deathclaw . The Quantum deathclaw is a deathclaw infused with Nuka - Cola Quantum . Similar to Nukalurks , they have bright blue streaks going across their body . Stripe . Stripe is a unique creature with the appearance of an original deathclaw . Significantly smaller than the deathclaws found in the Wasteland , he appears only in the " " add - on " Old World Blues " if the Courier has the Wild Wasteland trait . Despite his size , he still has the same stats as the full - scale deathclaw .