The caveat is that the deathclaw is not as fast as a quadrupedal animal, though this is a largely academic concern. The upper limbs were also freed by this choice and could be fashioned into extremely dangerous weapons. The choice to make them bipedal was natural, as bipedalism raises the head, providing a greater field of vision and thus improving the ability to detect targets and resources.

Biologyĭeathclaws are a 6 meter (20 feet) long carnivorous bipedal reptile species, designed for maximum lethality. Subsequent experimentation involved the aforementioned domestication units, although by the end of the 23rd century. Unfortunately, their intelligence was discovered by Doctor Schreber of Navarro, whose report led to the extermination of intelligent deathclaws with extreme prejudice. They began developing an unique culture, as the first non-human sentient beings in history. Following their first combat test, the deathclaws broke free of their Enclave masters, far more intelligent than anyone could foresee. On May 17, 2242, the first successful pack was dropped into Vault 13 to cloak the presence of the Enclave and their abduction of the dwellers within. As stated above, the Enclave eventually continued the research project started before the war, developing intelligent deathclaws for use in hostile environments around 2235. Their gradual spread throughout the wasteland raised awareness of their existence, until they entered common consciousness as a lethal predator – but a myth no longer. A lone deathclaw was also living near the Hub, with an unknown number of deathclaws experimented on and refined by the Master. Initial spread was limited to isolated nests on the East and West Coasts, leading some to believe that it was just a rumor, a tale to scare children with, though the population of Boneyard was keenly aware of their existence, as a single pack mother and her offspring claimed the area between Downey and Norwalk around 2161, keeping the Gun Runners in a checkmate and terrorizing other communities in the region.

After the Great War, deathclaws escaped into the wild through unknown means and gradually spread throughout the continent. The project was successful in creating a ferocious predator capable of surviving on its own in the wild, though no references exist to them ever being used in combat against the Chinese. Deathclaws were engineered before the Great War, for use as cheap replacements for humans during close-combat search-and-destroy missions.

Brotherhood of steel vs deathclaw