Scorchbeast

Scorchbeasts, also known by the code name Sierra Bravo by the Brotherhood of Steel, are creatures found in Appalachia.
==Background==
The first scorchbeast was accidentally created when Enclave scientists exposed irradiated bats to biochemical experiments. Despite concerns and suggestions of destroying the creatures, Secretary Eckhart ordered further study of the creature at the glassed cavern, an old AMS mining complex, while keeping the officer corps largely uninformed.Whitespring surveillance recording; 5.4.8Brotherhood transponders; EL-7B The future president wished to convince monitoring systems that they were an immediate threat, raising the alert level to DEFCON 1 and giving him access to the nuclear arsenal. Although kept in isolation, theoretically, individual beasts made it to the surface at regular intervals, as early as 2084.Sam Blackwell's bunker terminal entries; Some Kind of Bat Despite increasing opposition from the officer corps, Eckhart unleashed them upon the region in 2086, unintentionally releasing a pestilence that threatened to render the human race extinct on a continental scale.Whitespring surveillance recording; 8.5.2.
	
The people of the Appalachian wasteland first learned about the scorchbeasts from reports issued by the Brotherhood of Steel under Paladin Taggerdy, who referred to the creatures under the code name "Sierra Bravo." Although they dismissed them as pure stories to give Taggerdy an excuse to commandeer ammo and supplies, they were soon proven wrong by their appearance and the plague that followed in their wake. The Scorched, mutated creatures created out of humans afflicted by the Scorched Plague, became an existential threat to the people of Appalachia.Morgantown Airport terminal entries; Responders laboratory terminal, scorched research The situation was made worse by their expansive breeding limited only by the available nest space in the mining tunnels below West Virginia.Fort Defiance terminal entries; Paladin Taggerdy's terminal, scorchbeast analysis Scorchbeasts also started nesting in Watoga.
Since then, the scorchbeasts became an established threat beneath the entirety of Appalachia. They regularly dug to the surface, destroying settlements and devouring humans, leaving large rifts in the landscape. The only way to safely close the rifts was to launch nuclear missiles from one of three automated silos scattered across Appalachia, collapsing the rifts and killing those scorchbeasts that remain. None of the factions in Appalachia managed to achieve this feat, either due to a lack of means (Responders and Free States) or ideological opposition to the use of nuclear weapons (Brotherhood of Steel). Only the Vault 76 Dwellers, entering Appalachia after the humans had been wiped out or had left the area, managed to push back the scorchbeasts and destroy them in nuclear attrition, preventing an extinction-level event.The Making of Fallout 76 - Noclip Documentary
Scorchbeasts are partially responsible for the creation of the Scorched, as according to research by the Vault 76 overseer, their underground colony contains a virus responsible for the Scorched Plague, causing the crystalline growths seen on the Scorched.Overseer's log - Morgantown
===Biology===
Thought to be derived from a species of pygmy bats, scorchbeast are the apex predators of Appalachia."The Scorchbeasts have definitely won the title of apex predator in Appalachia. There's no doubt they've evolved from some species of bat which makes them quite fascinating creatures due to their size. I'd like to think it was one of those cute pygmy bats we used to chase out of the caves when I was little... Daddy always said they'd have their revenge!"(Ella Ames' bunker terminal entries; Ella's terminal, Scorchbeasts:) The creature has retained its ancestors' pointed ears, membranous wings, and echolocation. However, it has lost most of its fur, grown to a tremendous size, developed an extra pair of functional legs, and evolved to become the carrier of a plague which converts any infected living being into the Scorched. Despite their size, scorchbeasts possess considerable agility, and even when grounded they can leap several times their body length in one bound. Despite the behavior of their progenitors, scorchbeasts are not averse to daytime hunting and are known to cooperatively hunt in groups.
Strong and aggressive, it attacks with razor-sharp teeth and claws. The beasts are potent foes, as lamented by the Responders, whose anti-scorchbeast tactics boil down to doing everything in their power to keep away from it and finding an enclosed space to fire from, as scorchbeasts are simply too big to fit into small spaces. Scorchbeasts also emit radiation and are capable of using powerful ultrasonic echolocation as a means of navigating or commanding their Scorched servants on the ground.Sensor module specs In addition to this, they possess the ability to emit a powerful sonic blast capable of shattering wood and metal structures from their mouths much like mirelurk kings and mothmen, but on a far larger scale. Their other nonconventional attack includes flying over an area and saturating it with an acidic, radioactive mist that permeates through cover.
==Characteristics==
Scorchbeasts, detectable by the distinct sound of their wings when they are flying overhead, are generally hostile to the player character and will summon additional Scorched enemies while fighting. They utilize three different attacks, the first being a long-range sonic attack, which is performed while flying and counts as explosive damage rather than energy damage. The interval between these attacks is at least ten seconds.Fallout 76 patch 1.0.6.0
The second attack is a radioactive fog, commonly referred to as crop dusting due to its dispersing from its wings much like a crop duster, and capable of traveling through roofs and walls. The scorchbeast will continue to dust an area, even if one is hidden. The scorchbeast queen uses a variant of this attack that deals poison damage, rather than the standard radiation damage. The third attack style is a sweeping attack which it utilizes while on the ground, using its wings to swing at its enemies within melee range to deliver heavy damage to them. They can also perform a lunging attack to force enemies to turn around to resume attacking it if it lunges over them and gets behind them. Their final attack consists of a shockwave attack that can not only damage enemies, but also summon Scorched to its aid to take out its would-be killers. 
A diseased scorchbeast may inflict the Blight, a disease which lowers all SPECIAL stats by 1 point, randomly upon landing any attack, including their sonic blasts.
The scorchbeast heals itself over time similar to other creatures. They have also been seen to attack and infect other enemies during combat. Their attacks can be subverted by fleeing or sheltering in a small structure, or utilizing automated surface to air missile batteries.
Crippling either of a scorchbeast's wings will force it to land, after finding a suitable spot. The landing behavior can be interrupted by stagger effects applied by perks like Tank Killer or One Gun Army. Attacking the head of a scorchbeast will deal 150% damage. Almost all scorchbeast attacks create and are considered explosions, and will be mitigated by a dense torso mod or the Fireproof perk. Upon entering combat, a scorchbeast will summon a wave of Scorched minions.
==Variants==
===Nuclear Winter===
The extra crispy scorchbeast was encountered in Nuclear Winter as a late-game creature that posed a high-risk, high-reward challenge. Additionally, they were the only creatures that were immune to the pyroclastic storm.
==Drops==
* Scorchbeast parts
** Scorchbeast bones (33%)
** Scorchbeast hide (33%)
** Scorchbeast wing fragment (33%)
* Scorchbeast meat
** Scorchbeast brain (25%)
** Scorchbeast heart (25%)
** Scorchbeast liver (25%)
** Scorchbeast lung (25%)
** Scorchbeast meat (25%)
* Prime receiver plans
* Ultracite power armor mod plans
* Random weapons and armor
==Locations==
* Scorchbeasts spawn at active fissure sites:
** Fissure site Alpha - Cranberry Bog - Southeast of Survey camp Alpha.
** Fissure site Beta - Savage Divide - East of the Bailey family cabin in the far north.
** Fissure site Epsilon - Cranberry Bog - South of Firebase Major.
** Fissure site Lambda - The Forest - Cuts through Highway 62 just west of the junction with 83-A between Bleeding Kate's Grindhouse and the miners monument.
** Fissure site Omicron - The Mire - On a hill in a clearing west of Mosstown.
** Fissure site Sigma - Savage Divide - North of Hopewell Cave, west-southwest of the Pumpkin House.
** Fissure site Omega - Ash Heap - Northwest of and very close to Striker Row, south of the AMS testing site.
** Fissure site Prime - Cranberry Bog - South-southeast of drop site V9, northwest of Forward Station Delta and southwest of the glassed cavern. This area always has two scorchbeasts flying, and more may spawn by approaching the northmost and southmost fissures. Two scorchbeasts may spawn at the beginning and at the end of Scorched Earth.
** Unmarked fissure site - Cranberry Bog - Immediately southeast of Firebase LT. This site has no map or compass marker. The rising smoke is clearly visible from Firebase LT.
** Unmarked fissure site - Cranberry Bog - Northeast of Quarry X3. Scorchbeasts from here patrol the central Cranberry Bog, north of Watoga.
** Unmarked fissure site - Cranberry Bog - Northwest of drop site V9. Scorchbeasts from here patrol the southeastern Cranberry bog.
** Unmarked fissure site - Cranberry Bog - North-northwest of Appalachian Antiques, just south of monorail support with a monorail car at the top. The scorchbeast that spawns here frequently patrols Appalachian Antiques and other nearby locations.
** Unmarked fissure site - Cranberry Bog - Northeast of Ranger lookout, southeast of Creekside sundew grove. The scorchbeast from there routinely patrols those locations and the Bootlegger's shack.
** Unmarked fissure site - Cranberry Bog - Next to the third monorail pylon north of Pylon V-13 on the monorail line that went from there to the RobCo Research Center. The pylon is the one that has stairs to the top. Verified as a scorchbeast spawn site. Two spawned a minute or two apart.
Scorchbeasts can frequently be found at these locations, usually following player characters or a succession of other targets from their spawn points:
* Random encounters
** Abandoned mine shaft 2
** Beckley
** Lewisburg
* The southern Ash Heap drawn from fissure site Omega
* The Whitespring Resort - Potentially drawn up from fissure site Lambda
* Watoga - Following player characters or other creatures from fissure sites Alpha and Prime
* Glassed cavern - Scorchbeasts spawn inside the cavern
There are one or more non-aggressive scorchbeast(s) flying around the Forest. These have a light yellow name and health bar. If attacked, their name and health bar will turn red but they will just fly away.
* North of Morgantown Airport.
* At a hilltop picnic area west of Helvetia and south of Arktos Pharma.
* South of White Powder Winter Sports and north of Cliffwatch.
* North of the plane crash site at Horizon's Rest.
==Notes==
* As of patch 14, standard scorchbeasts may now spawn as legendary enemies.
** They have a 30% chance to be 1-star, 5% chance to be 2-star and a 1% chance to be 3-star.
* As of patch 19, a scorchbeast no longer spawns at fissure site Gamma.
==Appearances==
Scorchbeasts appear only .
==Behind the scenes==
In game, the scorchbeasts are thought to have potentially evolved from local pygmy bats. "Pygmy bat" is a common name for the tricolored bat (Pipistrellus subflavus), formerly known as the eastern pipstrelle, which is native to West Virginia.West Virginia University Extension Service, "Wildlife - Bats", 1999
==Gallery==
Scorchbeast.png|Promotional
Nw ls scorchedbeast.jpg|Nuclear Winter loading screen
Fallout 76 Scorchbeast flying 2.png
Fallout 76 Scorchbeast sonic attack 1.png|Scorchbeast sonic attack
76 WL Scorchbeast passing Crimson Prospect.jpg
Creekside Sundew Grove scorchbeast flyover.png|Several above the creekside sundew grove
FO76 Survey camp Alpha (Tent) (2).jpg|Attacking survey camp Alpha
Fallout 76 Fissure site Omicron.png|Flying over fissure site Omicron
F76 Fissure Site Alpha.png|fissure site Alpha
Fallout 76 Fissure site Gamma.png|Fissure site Gamma
Fallout 76 Fissure site Sigma.png|Fissure site Sigma
Fallout 76 Fissure site Omega.png|Fissure site Omega
Watoga With Scorchbeast.png|Scorchbeast over Watoga
F76 Drop Site V9.png|A scorchbeast flying over drop site V9
FO76 Scorchbeast Deceased Savage Divide.png|A deceased Scorchbeast
FO76 Glassed Cavern Deceased Scorchbeast.png|Slain alpha scorchbeast at the glassed cavern
Fallout 76 Scorchbeast sonic attack 2.png
Fallout 76 Scorchbeast flying 1.png
FO76 creature scorchbeast.png|Scorchbeast
FO76 creature scorchbeast alpha.png|Alpha scorchbeast
CranberryBog-E3-Fallout76.png|Promotional
FO76 Scorchbeast creature.jpg|Promotional
Mounted scorchbeast.png|Mounted scorchbeast
Creature Crusher.png|In the Creature Crusher icon
Fallout magic Screeching Scorchbeast.png|Magic: The Gathering card
Fallout magic Screeching Scorchbeast art.jpg|Card art
Fallout magic Screeching Scorchbeast PipBoy.png|Magic the Gathering card
;Concept Art:
FO76 scorchbeast concept art 01.jpg|Concept art by Katya Gudkina
FO76 scorchbeast concept art 02.jpg|Concept art by Katya Gudkina
FO76 scorchbeast concept art 03.jpg|Concept art by Katya Gudkina
FO76 Ben Carnow scorchbeast concept art.jpg|Concept art by Ben Carnow
==References==
;Non-game sources
Category:Fallout 76 creatures
Category:Nuclear Winter creatures
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