Super mutant (Fallout 4)

Institute super mutants are a variant of super mutant found throughout the Commonwealth, Nuka-World and the Island in 2287. These mutants were first created by the Institute in 2178FEV research notes by exposing test subjects abducted from the surface to the Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV). Like all super mutants, they are large, muscle-bound creatures with innate immunity to radiation and disease. 
While most frequently encountered in central Boston, super mutants can be found throughout the Commonwealth and its neighboring regions. Their outposts can be identified by the telltale signs of hanging meat bags and cages, twisted girders protruding out of the ground, and gory waste piles with which they enjoy decorating their surroundings.
==Background==
The super mutants of the Commonwealth are distinct from Vault 87 super mutants or those created at Mariposa. They stand more upright, and have intact lips. While their speech is very simple, they may speak casually, unlike the strained speech of mutants from Vault 87. They consider themselves the superior race of the Commonwealth.Fallout 4 loading screens: "Super Mutants are stronger and more resilient than humans, and consider themselves the Commonwealth's superior race."Fallout 4 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide Standard Super Mutants, p. 44: "Super Mutant armor is fairly crude, but Super Mutants are inherently durable. Even the least powerful Super Mutants have natural damage, energy, and poison resistances, and these values increase significantly in high-ranking Super Mutants. Specifics vary based on equipped armor, but Super Mutants tend to prioritize damage resistance. Melee weapons and fragmentation grenades are popular among Super Mutants. For ranged combat, they tend to favor pipe rifles, assault rifles, and laser rifles. When it comes to heavy guns, miniguns and missile launchers are fairly common. Due to sensitive ears and a keen sense of smell, Super Mutants have relatively high Perception and a considerable amount of health. In most cases, it's best to target a Super Mutant's arms. This compromises their accuracy and improves your chances of surviving the encounter."Fallout 4 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide Super mutants, p. 44: "Super Mutants are massive, muscle-bound creatures with a natural immunity to radiation damage and an inherent hatred of humans. Most Super Mutants carry fairly crude gear, but they do have their share of powerful weapons, and many Super Mutant groups use trained Mutant Hounds to chase down trespassers. Super Mutants aren't particularly intelligent, but their physical strength and natural aggression have allowed them to establish a significant presence throughout the Commonwealth. Super Mutants can be found in Fallon's Department Store, Fort Strong, and many other locations—most of which can be identified by the human remains and hanging meat bags scattered around the area."
None of them display the distinctive hyper-intelligence exhibited by some Mariposa super mutants. Like super mutants seen in the Mojave and the Capital, they are known to cage humans and process them into bags of raw gore. They follow leaders, erect fortifications,The Prydwen terminal entries; Scribe Neriah's terminal, Entry 0769-CM22 and set up traps and ambushes. At Trinity Tower, a leader known as Fist used Rex Goodman to lure humans for capture and consumption.
They mention looking for "green stuff," but are not known to have access to FEV vats anywhere in the Commonwealth.Strong: "No green stuff here..."(Strong's dialogue)
===Origin===
Super mutant populations in the Commonwealth region are widely presumed to stem from the Institute's FEV research, which began in August 2178 under the auspices of Doctor Frederick.FEV lab Research on samples acquired by the team was authorized by the directorate and the program began despite the objections of some members of BioScience. Both women and men were abducted from the Commonwealth and submerged in the Institute's modified FEV, their mutations carefully tracked and extensively investigated. Successful mutations were monitored to ensure survivability, then tagged and discarded.FEV lab terminal entries; terminal, Subject CM-153 In layman's terms, the Institute was simply releasing super mutants into the wild, creating a scourge on the Commonwealth that lasted for decades and still plagues the Commonwealth in 2287.Preston Garvey: ""(Preston Garvey's dialogue) In fact, the first super mutants attacked human settlements as early as 2180.Fallout 4 loading screen hints: "The Minutemen first rose to prominence in the year 2180, when they defended Diamond City against a horde of Super Mutant attackers." Their actions were even more heinous considering the fact that in case the mutation destabilized, it would create horrifying behemoths: warped, immensely powerful giants with a fierce territorial instinct.The Sole Survivor: "Do you remember Edgar Swann?"Brian Virgil: " "(Brian Virgil's dialogue)
This method of trial and error was used to perfect different strains of the FEV, with the overall goal of improving the synthetic organics program. The research was intended to produce effective synthetic organics, but it ground to a halt in March 2224. Despite perfecting two FEV strains, the accumulated radiation damage in test subjects provided an insurmountable barrier to further development.FEV research notes Just three years later, in 2227, the organic synth project experienced a breakthrough due to the acquisition of Shaun and his undamaged pre-War genetic code. The third generation synth project was spun off from the FEV research initiative. 
The program continued for several more decades, despite producing no useful data, except for manufacturing more super mutants for the surface to contend with.FEV lab terminal entries; terminal, Progress Reports, 2287.2.10 In April of 2286, Dr. Brian Virgil succeeded Dr. Syverson as head of the project, and it quickly became evident to him that the FEV program had run its course, having produced no new data within the past ten years. As Virgil's conscience took its toll, the scientist lodged a formal complaint with the directorate. When no reaction came, Virgil rebelled and escaped the Institute after destroying as much of the project as he could,Brian Virgil personal log 0176 which became known as "Incident V" within the Institute. He then proceeded to transform himself into a super mutant using a unique strain of FEV to flee into the Glowing Sea. The FEV program was finally ended after over one hundred years of abduction and experimentation. At the time of the Sole Survivor's arrival at the Institute, the research wing remains in a security lockdown.
==Characteristics==
===Biology===
Commonwealth super mutants have properly formed lips, previously only seen in the case of Marcus. They are shaped more like humans than other super mutant populations, being less hulking and top-heavy.
The existence of the behemoths suggests a link with the Vault 87 strain of FEV, as they are the only super mutants known to continue growing with age. However, the green-brown coloration is closer to that of the Mariposa super mutants, specifically resembling the super mutants seen in Fallout: New Vegas. Commonwealth behemoths display muscle growth specific to the right arm and a spinal formation that results in an uneven stance. They may display unusual intelligence, as in the specific case of Grun, a behemoth who successfully led a small army of super mutants from the Commonwealth and to the Island.Fallout 4 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide Super Mutant Behemoths, p. 45: "Behemoths are by far the most powerful Super Mutants, but they're incredibly dumb—even by Super Mutant standards. They attack by tossing boulders at distant enemies, and they use massive fire hydrant bats to smash anything foolish enough to approach them. Your best option is to stay back and attack with a Fat Man and a few Mini Nukes. If you're determined to find a Behemoth, check the area to the east of Sunshine Tidings Co-op."
===Intelligence===
Compared to other super mutants, they possess a relatively advanced understanding of armor, weapons and at least some minor knowledge of craftsmanship. They appear to trade stronger physiques for the intelligence necessary to create and utilize weapons and armor, and even have access to reprogrammed security systems such as searchlights and automated turrets.
Higher-ranking super mutants show more intelligence than their brethren, speaking more eloquently, and utilizing some advanced tactics such as cover, shifting position and taking the high ground. They also are capable of following a chain of command, setting up traps and ambushes, and using human captives as bait. Their lesser brothers, however, will often ignore cover and simply try to get as close to an enemy as possible, even when armed with long-range weaponry.
While predominantly hostile to humans, they do retain some capacity to coexist with humans; Strong and Erickson are examples of Institute super mutants attempting to integrate to human society, and even hostile mutant groups have been known to keep human prisoners as slaves or entertainment rather than simply killing them.
Their interest in finding "green stuff" implies an interest in staving off their own extinction.Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p. 42: "Super Mutants""The Super Mutants that infest the urban ruin of Washington D.C. originated in Vault 87. Those unlucky enough to have reserved space in Vault 87 soon found themselves forcefully taken to a secure part of the vault, where they were locked in airtight chambers and exposed to a concentrated form of the F.E.V. The Overseer and his security force had no real idea what to expect; they were simply following the "plan." When the exposed vault dwellers started transforming into Super Mutants, nearly the entire vault population had been exposed. Those who hadn't yet metamorphosed knew what was coming, and, well...it didn't end well for humanity.The dwellers of Vault 87 were turned into Super Mutants in 2078, and have been a presence in the Capital Wasteland ever since. Most of those original Super Mutants have long since been killed. But whether it's because of the nature of the F.E.V. they were exposed to, or a simple underlying human instinct, the Super Mutants of the Capital Wasteland are obsessed with the preservation of their species. Super Mutants are asexual and incapable of procreation, so their only way of reproducing is to kidnap other humans, drag them back to the Vault 87 chambers, and infect them with F.E.V. And so they have done, for nearly 200 years.Super Mutant society is loosely hierarchical, with the weaker (most recently transformed) Super Mutants generally giving way to the stronger. The Super Mutant hierarchy, as defined by the Capital Wasteland contingent of the Brotherhood of Steel, is as follows: Grunt, Brute, Master, and Behemoth. Generally speaking, the Super Mutants of the Capital Wasteland get bigger, stronger, and dumber as they age. The Behemoths are so strong and savage that they’re the only thing feared by the other Super Mutants."(Fallout 3 Official Game Guide faction profiles)
===Gameplay attributes===
Super mutants can randomly be encountered around the Commonwealth in small groups, usually raiding parties, which can attack settlements allied with the player character. Much larger groups can be found infesting various buildings throughout the wastes. They have developed a unique relationship with mutant hounds and will utilize these beastly creatures as attack dogs, usually encountered in groups of 1-3.Fallout 4 loading screens: "Super Mutants are often accompanied by Mutant Hounds, monstrous dogs that are just as dangerous as their masters." Mutant hounds are exclusively used by super mutants in the Commonwealth, replacing the centaurs who performed a similar role in past installments.
Lower-level mutants are normally armed with various pipe weapons, hunting rifles and Molotov cocktails. For melee, they will often utilize wooden boards.
Higher-level mutants can appear with heavier weapons such as miniguns, missile launchers, Gauss rifles, laser weapons, assault rifles and fragmentation grenades. For melee, they normally wield large sledgehammers and super sledges.
== Variants==
===Super mutant===
This is the most common and weakest variety of super mutant. They usually carry a pipe weapon or a board and drop minor and low-tech loot on death. They can often be found among more powerful varieties of super mutant such as skirmishers.
===Super mutant skirmisher===
Super mutant skirmishers are significantly tougher than regular super mutants, taking more damage and usually carrying more powerful weapons. Skirmishers will appear more frequently once the Sole Survivor reaches level 10.
===Super mutant brute===
Super mutant brutes are a significant step up from skirmishers. Brutes, much like their namesake, take even more damage to put down and are far stronger than their lower-leveled brothers, and wear an aviator hat of some kind.
===Super mutant enforcer===
The super mutant enforcer is significantly stronger than the brute and is more likely to be more heavily armored than the lower-level super mutants.
===Super mutant butcher===
Super mutant butchers appear more often at higher levels. They are normally very heavily armored and often use heavy weapons and they are much stronger than the enforcer.
===Super mutant master===
A force to be reckoned with, super mutant masters have an extremely high Hit Point pool and superior Damage Resistance compared to their weaker brethren. They are generally equipped with heavy weapons such as the missile launcher or minigun. They can be generally found in locations with a large mutant concentration, an example being Big John's Salvage.
===Super mutant overlord===
A super mutant overlord is much stronger than most mutants. They may be seen traveling in pairs.
===Super mutant primus===
The primus spawns at level 45+ and is seen with large groups of super mutants, most commonly at major super mutant outposts. They commonly wield super sledges or assault rifles, but may also be seen with missile launchers and, rarely, Fat Man launchers.
===Super mutant warlord===
The warlord is the most powerful super mutant variant, not counting behemoths. Their extremely high Hit Point total means that they can withstand multiple head or limb shots from extremely powerful weapons such as Gauss rifles without being crippled.
==Suiciders==
Super mutant suiciders run at the enemy with an armed mini-nuke attached to their arm via a chain. They will then detonate, killing their enemy and themself in a fiery nuclear explosion. 
Shooting the mini nuke in the suicider's hand or targeting the right arm in V.A.T.S. will cause the mutant to explode prematurely, killing them instantly, and potentially their comrades as well. 
The suicider can be detected by the beeping of its mini nuke. If the suicider is killed without detonating, a mini nuke can be looted from its corpse; otherwise, only nuclear material will be found on its remains. 
===Super mutant suicider===
===Locations===
*Three are located at Fallon's department store.
* One is seen patrolling the exterior entrance of Medford Memorial Hospital and one is seated within the lobby.
*One is northwest of the fast travel point of the General Atomics factory.
*One is also in the scrap palace.
==Behemoths==
Behemoths are the most powerful super mutants by far, towering above any player, at around 13 feet (4 m) tall, almost as large as a mirelurk queen. They do not speak, producing only monstrous roars. They carry a fire hydrant pipe, and throw boulders at their enemies. They carry a cage made from shopping carts on their back, like their Vault 87 counterparts.Fallout 4 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide Super Mutant Behemoths, p. 45: "Behemoths are by far the most powerful Super Mutants, but they're incredibly dumb—even by Super Mutant standards. They attack by tossing boulders at distant enemies, and they use massive fire hydrant bats to smash anything foolish enough to approach them. Your best option is to stay back and attack with a Fat Man and a few Mini Nukes. If you're determined to find a Behemoth, check the area to the east of Sunshine Tidings Co-op."
===Variants===
==== Behemoth====
====Glowing behemoth====
Glowing behemoths are highly irradiated and can damage enemies with radiation when nearby. Unlike other glowing enemies, this variant appears identical to regular behemoths. Their existence seemingly contradicts super mutants’ established immunity to radiation.
====Epic behemoth====
Epic behemoths are an immensely powerful variation of average super mutant behemoths, and, to some extent, are more intelligent in combat. They tend to appear in forest areas, which they may use to their advantage by hiding behind trees. They also will block their face with their hand quite often, especially when fighting at melee range, allowing for a chance to get in several hits. They are more upright than many standard behemoths in appearance, and although they are quicker, they use similar fighting techniques, such as smashing, knocking the player character down and hurling boulders. Aside from being able to sustain more damage, they can be crippled if low on health and will slump to the ground on their side, where they can be finished off.
====Ancient behemoth====
These behemoths are the toughest and oldest mutants found in the Commonwealth.
===Locations===
* A behemoth has a scripted appearance on the Peninsula where Fort Strong is located during Show No Mercy where it must be killed.
* One can usually be found at the Natick power station.
* South of Walden Pond amid a "Stonehenge" assortment of cars.
* Between Gunners plaza and Suffolk County Charter School.
* Slightly southwest of Recon bunker Theta.
* Beside the Super Duper Mart in Lexington, along with a raider with a Fat Man on the bridge above.
*A behemoth can also be spawned by going to Med-Tek Research and heading north towards Greentop Nursery, where there will be a small vehicle crashed into a group of trees with a Jangles the Moon Monkey sitting inside, which will trigger a behemoth spawn point nearby when picked up.
* A scripted behemoth is also encountered on the way to the C.I.T. ruins during the quest Ad Victoriam, where it will be effortlessly crushed by Liberty Prime.
* There is a chance a standard behemoth will spawn around the outskirts of the remains of the Institute after beating the game with the Brotherhood of Steel ending.
* Multiple behemoths may partake in an assault on The Castle during the repeatable Defend the Castle quest if super mutants comprise the randomly chosen enemy and the player character is at a very high level. There is usually only one behemoth in each wave, but it is possible for two or more to spawn simultaneously.
* Behemoths in Fallout 4 can respawn, unlike Fallout 3, where they were unique encounters. The player character can find a unique behemoth named Swan at Swan's Pond, and another unique behemoth in the Far Harbor add-on named Grun at the Vim! Pop factory.
* A behemoth can be found in the north section of the map, in a small lake near Dry Rock Gulch.
==Named super mutants==
===Strong===
Strong is a potential player companion encountered by the Sole Survivor at the top of Trinity Tower, who can be recruited after completing the quest Curtain Call. Unlike super mutant companions from previous games, Strong frequently expresses a desire to kill all humans. He joins the Sole Survivor to find the "milk of human kindness", which he learned of after hearing Rex Goodman recite Macbeth. He believes this metaphorical milk is literally a fluid he can find and drink to acquire human power.
===Brian Virgil===
Brian Virgil is an Institute scientist who transformed himself into a super mutant and fled into the Glowing Sea. Isolde has granted him sanctuary in a cave past the Crater of Atom due to her religious beliefs.
===Other===
==Notes==
* Shooting a suicider's mini nuke while hidden will break stealth, though other mutants may briefly investigate the body.
* The mini nukes that super mutant suiciders carry are much larger than the standard mini nuke, appearing more similar to the Mark 28 nuclear bombs used by Liberty Prime and found inside the Sentinel site.
* A random encounter involves super mutants escorting an enslaved settler to Trinity Tower. If rescued by the Sole Survivor, they will mention that their captors planned to eat them. This gives the miscellaneous objective "Visit Trinity Tower," which leads to the quest Curtain Call.
* Rocks thrown by behemoths hone in on their target. Damage generally cannot be avoided unless one is behind cover or out of range.
* The noise of a suicider's mini nuke is comprised of two parts: a continuous beeping and a tone. This tone is a Shepard tone illusion, wherein the tone sounds like it is continually rising in pitch, but in reality, it is a loop.
* In a pinch, it is possible to carefully kill suiciders with melee strikes without staying in range long enough to trigger detonation, especially by utilizing the Blitz perk.
* Dying to a suicider's mini nuke will unlock the Touchdown! achievement.
* Super mutants refer to people in power armor as bucketheads.Super mutant: "Wish a buckethead would show up. I'd rip his legs clean off."(Super mutants' dialogue)
* Super mutants appear in an ending slide.
* The only known source of super mutants in the Commonwealth was the Institute, who ceased FEV experiments before the events of Fallout 4. Given that super mutants are infertile, and there are no known FEV vats in the Commonwealth, their population in this region can only dwindle.
* Super mutants in the Commonwealth can be heard wishing to hunt humans for sheer sport. Those in the Capital Wasteland mainly expressed interest in capturing humans for food and FEV fodder. They may be encountered ransoming human captives in radiant content, as an alternative to raider captors, but are not otherwise known to seek caps.
==Notable quotes==
==Appearances==
Institute super mutants appear , its add-ons Far Harbor and Nuka-World, and Fallout: Wasteland Warfare.
==Bugs==
* After detonating a super mutant suicider's mini nuke and killing nearby enemies, no additional XP is gained for these kills.
* Upon re-entering a world space where a super mutant suicider detonated, the super mutant may detonate again.
* After looting the mini nuke from a super mutant suicider, it may remain in his hand and may still detonate afterward.
* Stunning a super mutant in V.A.T.S. will result in it becoming stuck in a T-pose, unable to do anything but follow its target around while stuck in the pose, with occasional vocalizations from its dialogue options.
==Gallery==
===Fallout 4===
FO4 Natick substation 3.png|A tense standoff
Institute FEV Lab.png|Institute FEV Lab
Strong.png|Strong, a potential super mutant companion
Fo4swan.jpg|The unique super mutant behemoth Swan
Fo4TrailerSupermutants.png|In the wild
Brian Virgil.jpg|Brian Virgil in mutant form
DeadEyeFO4.png|The unique super mutant Dead Eye
Behemoth.png|A super mutant behemoth
FO4 Super Mutant Loading Screen.png|Loading screen slide
FO4 ending scene4 03.jpg|Institute super mutants in an endings slide
Fo4-supermutants-concept.png|Concept art
Art of Fo4 super mutant behemoth concept art.jpg|Super mutant behemoth concept art, from The Art of Fallout 4
Fo4 clay super mutant concept art.png|From The Art of Fallout 4
===Fallout: Wasteland Warfare===
Fallout Wasteland Warfare mutant generic blade.png|Super mutant in Fallout: Wasteland Warfare
Fallout Wasteland Warfare super mutant.png
Fo-promo-sm-standard-3.jpg
Fo-promo-sm-standard-4.jpg
WastelandWarfareSuperMutantCard.png|Unit card
Fallout Wasteland Warfare mutant generic hammer.png|Master
Fallout Wasteland Warfare brute.png|Brute
Fo-promo-sm-brute-2.jpg
FOWW,SuperMutantsCoreBox.webp|Super Mutants: Core Box
Fo-promo-supermutant-aviator.png|Aviator
FOWW,Suiciders.webp|Suiciders
Fo-promo-sm-suicider-2.jpg
Fo-promo-sm-suicider-1.jpg
FOWW,SuicidersUnitCard.jpg
FOWW,SuicidersSet.webp
FOWW,Behemoth.webp|Behemoth
Fo-promo-sm-behemoth.png
FOWW,BehemothUnitCard.jpg
FOWW,SkirmisherA.webp|Skirmisher
FOWW,SkirmisherB.webp
FOWW,SkirmisherC.webp
FOWW,SkirmisherUnitCard.jpg|Unit card
FOWW,SkirmishersSet.webp
FOWW,Overlord.webp|Overlord
FOWW,OverlordUnitCard.jpg
FOWW,OverlordAndFistSet.webp
Fo-promo-supermutants-character-box-3-hi-res orig.jpg
===Magic: The Gathering===
Fallout magic Super Mutant Scavenger.png|Magic: The Gathering card
File:Fallout magic Super Mutant Scavenger art.jpg|Card art
Fallout Magic Break Down.png|Break Down
Fallout magic Temple of Epiphany.png|Temple of Epiphany
Fallout magic Temple of Epiphany Extended Art.png|Temple of Epiphany (Extended Art)
File:Fallout magic Temple of Epiphany art.jpg|Card art
Fallout Magic Contagion Clasp.png|Contagion Clasp
File:Fallout Magic Contagion Clasp art.jpg|Card art
==References==
Non-game
Category:Super mutants
Category:Fallout 4 creatures
Category:Far Harbor creatures
Category:Nuka-World creatures 
Category:Fallout: Wasteland Warfare characters
Category:Fallout: Wasteland Warfare creatures
de:Supermutant (Fallout 4)
es:Supermutante (Fallout 4)
fr:Super mutant (Fallout 4)
ja:Institute super mutant
pl:Supermutanci z Wspólnoty
ru:Супермутант (Fallout 4)
uk:Супермутант (Fallout 4)
zh:超级变种人(辐射4)