Feral ghoul ( Fallout 3 ) Feral ghouls are creatures found in the Capital Wasteland in 2277 . They are ghoul s who have lost their sanity and ability to reason due to radiation , making them aggressive to anyone who isn ' t another ghoul . Feral ghouls are partially held by many humans to be responsible for the discrimination shown towards all ghouls , whether or not they have retained their mental faculties . They are referred to by Three Dog in one of his broadcasts as " mindless zombies " and in another he describes their condition with obvious disgust as " Ew , ghoulification ! " Characteristics . Gameplay attributes . Feral ghouls often give a loud , low - pitched screech or growl before attacking enemies . This can be helpful in dark places or areas with objects blocking the Lone Wanderer ' s view , especially in the metro system and the Dunwich building . As with normal ghouls , ferals are entirely resistant to radiation ; this makes a glowing one especially dangerous when encountered with regular ferals , as they constantly emit radiation which will heal the ghouls within the surrounding area . Feral ghouls attack with no strategy : They rush foes in one massive onslaught . At first , they attack with a running over - the - head strike . When close to an enemy , they will swipe at them horizontally or diagonally . Variants . Feral ghoul . The basic feral ghoul variant in " Fallout 3 " wears only a pair of tattered shorts ( or ripped pants ) and is noticeably weaker than standard human opponents . They are easily dispatched with one or two headshots , or a solid hit with a decent weapon in close quarters combat . Despite their noisy shrieks and remarkable speed , they are not much of a threat unless they outnumber their enemies . Some feral ghouls come in different colors as well as different types . Some are a " healthy " pink color while others are a grimy gray color . Their skin colors are different depending on what ethnicity they were prior to ghoulification . Notably , feral ghouls can drop rare pass card s in blue and red colors , and they have the highest chance in the game for a creature to drop them , at a 1 . 5 % chance . Feral ghoul roamer . These ghouls are seen wearing the remains of pre - War combat armor commonly used by the National Guard and US Army . The majority of them can be found in abandoned metro tunnels and buildings , where people who couldn ' t gain entrance to the vault s often sought refuge . Although what remains of their armor gives them some protection , roamers can still be brought down quickly with most weapons . However , they do have a tendency to appear in small groups and can be dangerous to a poorly equipped wastelander . Due to the condition of their armor , it can ' t be taken after they are killed . Feral ghoul reaver . Feral ghoul reavers , introduced by the add - ons " Broken Steel " and " Point Lookout " , are extremely strong ferals clothed in what appears to be the remains of metal armor . Reavers ' skin may , upon close inspection , appear to bubble and burn , emitting radiation and dark green smoke . If a reaver is killed by a critical hit from an energy weapon , the smoke will continue to emanate from the remains . Tougher than other ghouls and more than twice as durable as a sentry bot or deathclaw , reavers are ( unlike their ) one of the most formidable enemies in the game . They are extremely quick , and their lunge attack can knock their targets back some distance . Even well - equipped wastelanders may , if not cautious , be quickly cripple d or killed by a reaver ' s powerful melee attacks . Reavers have the unique ability to throw pieces of their own body at a target . These chunks , thrown with deadly accuracy , explode like a grenade and can easily cripple limbs . The chunks also emit radiation . Reavers , unlike deathclaws , seem to be highly perceptive and can detect their foes even in sneak mode , including those wearing a Stealth Boy or Chinese stealth armor , or even both . Feral ghoul reavers have no swimming scripts or animations , so they " walk " underwater . Glowing one . Glowing ones are feral ghouls that have absorbed massive amounts of radiation . Their irradiated skin is a pale translucent green that continually produces a soft glow . Their legs are draped in rags similar to those worn by the standard version of a feral ghoul . They are reportedly " looked down " upon by other ghouls , even though the radiation that they emit heals other ghouls . In battle , they sometimes release a massive burst of radiation , severely injuring and irradiating enemies and healing any other nearby feral ghouls . Swamp ghoul . Swamp ghouls are ferals that inhabit the swamps of Point Lookout . Swamp ghouls wear a tattered pair of shorts commonly worn by tribals . They exhibit the same characteristics as Capital Wasteland ghouls , but are paler in color and considerably weaker , and they only pose genuine threat in numbers . They can be found in various locations in Point Lookout , with high concentrations at the Turtledove Detention Camp and the Ark & Dove resting grounds along with the other types of feral ghouls , including feral ghoul reavers and glowing ones . Appearances . Feral ghouls appear in " Fallout 3 " and its add - ons " Broken Steel " and " Point Lookout " .