Todd Howard didn't want Deathclaws to be 'just another creature' in Fallout Season 2, and from I've seen so far they're just as terrifying as I remember

Big ol' Deathclaw — (Image credit: Bethesda)

We're on week four of Fallout season 2, and what a ride it's been so far. We've seen classified locations, some old-school Fallout spots, and finally found out one of Fallout's oldest mysteries. But the episode brings something better: Deathclaws.

Fans of the games have been waiting to see a Deathclaw in the series since the first episode aired, and even though we didn't even get a whiff of one in the first season, there was a small teaser in the post-credits scene as we saw a Deathclaw skull on the road to New Vegas.

The Ghoul and Lucy in Fallout — (Image credit: Prime Video)

"We didn't do Deathclaws in season 1," Todd Howard tells me. "We wanted to make sure we'd spend the right amount of time to get them right. And really focus on them as a story element, not just another creature.

"But these beasts that are, you know, they're terrifying. And you know what Cooper Howard's experience with that was like, even before he became the Ghoul, with the Deathclaws. Really, really interesting combination." We do now know what Coop's experience with these monsters was like, and let me tell you, the wait was worth it because boy, was that first Deathclaw scene sick.

Fallout season 2 episode 4 starts with a flashback—not an unexpected occurrence—but instead of seeing good ol' Coop in a snazzy suit lurking around Vault Tec, he's in entirely different attire, power armor, and is patrolling the frozen night of Alaska.

A deathclaw from Fallout 4 clings to the edges of its cage, ready to do battle. — (Image credit: Bethesda)

We'd already heard bits and bobs about Coop's adventures fighting in the T-45 power armor, namely that its inefficiencies caused a lot of needless deaths during the Battle of Anchorage. But this time, we actually get to see his antics in a flashback.

After telling one of his friends to retreat, Coop decides to investigate a fiery wreckage where he can hear some mysterious and very ominous growls coming from. His investigations are rudely interrupted when three soldiers from the People's Liberation Army of China start shooting at him. During the gunfight, Coop's T-45 suit sparks out, leaving him defenceless on the floor.

The soldiers approach him, talking about how he looks like a sad, defenceless turtle stranded on its back, but before they can put a bullet between his eyes, the first Deathclaw we've seen in the show emerges out of the destroyed facility and comes to his rescue, or at least attacks the soldiers.

They may look like horrors that were created by the Wasteland and its radioactive atmosphere, but in actuality, these monsters are all American-made. Created in labs, Deathclaws were originally meant to be a super soldier that could carry out missions too difficult for soldiers or support the T-45 units. They only managed to get loose during the Great War as military labs were damaged beyond repair.

Unable to move, all Coop can do is lie there and watch as a Deathclaw attacks the Chinese soldiers. It does give him a sniff, but decides the juice isn't worth the squeeze with this one, so it leaves him be and wanders off into the forest, ready to plague future Fallout players.

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Elie is a news writer with an unhealthy love of horror games—even though their greatest fear is being chased. When they're not screaming or hiding, there's a good chance you'll find them testing their metal in metroidvanias or just admiring their Pokemon TCG collection. Elie has previously worked at TechRadar Gaming as a staff writer and studied at JOMEC in International Journalism and Documentaries – spending their free time filming short docs about Smash Bros. or any indie game that crossed their path.

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