How the hell do i kill a Deathclaw?!

[opravdu]

Is it me, or is the deathclaw really overpowered?

 

Im at Old Olney for the Nuka-Cola Challange. This place is filled with Deathclaws. Like 5-6 of them. AT THE SAME TIME. It takes all my ammo to take down just one of them.

 

What the hell?

 

Is there an easier way to kill them?

[Grumpfbork]

Hmm, I think there is no general hint since the way you fight is dependent on your skills and weaponry.

 

But taking on more than 2 deathclaw simultaneously might be a bad idea, so it might be a good idea to start on the margin of Old Olney and slowly make your way into the city by taking the deathclaws one by one.

 

What works well for me is using Vats and crippling a leg of the deathclaw attacking you. This will slow them dramatically down and you can kill them easily.

[Nagaoka]

Yep! There is. Sorta.

 

 

Now, you say it takes all of your ammo just to take down one. If you really mean that, then I would simply avoid going to Old Olney for now. What level are you? You don't actually need to go there for the Nuka Cola Challenge, it's simply a place that has quite a few bottles of quantum (actually, you might want to try going AROUND the city for that). You'll find enough quantum eventually by leaving Olney for later. You'll find quantum in vending machines and there tends to be one bottle in just about every place you explore.

 

For actually beating them though:

 

First, never take on more than two at a time (try to make that ONE at a time though). This will likely only be a case in places like Old Olney and one other place in the game where there are a lot of them. Usually you won't run into more than two at a time. So in Old Olney you just have to be careful about your surroundings and NEVER fast travel there. You'll land smack dab right in the middle of the city surrounded by them. Instead fast travel nearby and enter from the side.

 

 

Second, get a dart gun! If you don't have the schematics, go to Tenpenny Tower and buy them. Dart gun is your friend for anything bigger, faster, and more powerful than you (only mildly helpful against giant radscorpions). One tiny hit and the Deathclaw is limping towards you, giving you easy pickings via whatever non-melee weapons you choose. Just back up and strike.

 

 

As far as the Deathclaw being overpowered, it's meant to be a very high level enemy. Old Olney is simply a place where you encounter them at any level. If you find it's too great a challenge at your level, just come back later. You won't find Deathclaws in the wild until you're a high level or certain enemies start appearing that use mind-controlled versions.

[Cecallred]

What Nagaoka said. My first time seeing them was in the Wastes and two of them took me down so fast it scared me off that area for ages. I finally created a Dart Gun and never left home without it. They're mean tempered and their strikes don't slow down for armor at all...

[Macromicro]

i use a crapload of companion mods, like enclave commander and robco certified perk.. they drop like flies!

but still, when i was playing with only one mod, i used coyote reflex and made a deathclaw m b****h not to be confused with the pic, but the best weapon to take them down with is the dart gun, or a combo of the dart gun and a heavy incinerator. but thats my opinion, you see, i likes to burn stuff!

[theLeeHarvey]

From a distance: Fat man. Vengeance (unique gatling laser)

Up close/ medium range: Dartgun followed by a heavy hitting gun.

 

Otherwise, stick your head between your legs and kiss your butt good-bye, lol.

[xaechireon]

I leave a long trail of mines before I actually shoot them and attract their interest.

[Harabec Weathers]

Depends entirely on youre character build. Melee guys will have a tough time with a deathclaw because of their reach and their strike speed.

Youre best bet is use VATS to cripple one of their legs. Or just get lucky with some well placed shots. Deathclaws greatest asset is thier speed and leaping ability.

Take those assets away and they are no more dangerous that a fluffy little kitten haha, provided you still keep your distance.

[SevenRed]

I didn't go into Olney until I was almost 20th level, and it's still a pain. When I first went there, I didn't have the dart gun (left it in my house in Megaton, didn't think I would need that badly.) What I used there, and in the Sanctuary, was an almost fully repaired laser rifle or plasma rifle, and a combat shotgun. This is a character I was creating using the Prima guide, and going for every book I could find, taking Educated early, and getting the Inteligence bobblehead early for max skill points, so I was at almost 100% on small arms and energy weapons. Getting a critical shot with a laser rifle and watch a Deathclaw glow is fun. However, turning around and looking at a Deathclaws navel isn't.

 

I read somewhere, one of the reasons they are such a pain is they ignore armor. That's supposed to be one of the advantages of the gauntlet, anyway.

[Madae]

Pretty much everything that needs to be said was said already, but I'll still add my 2 cents. :)

 

It was said before, but the legs need to go first. They are just way to fast and will catch up to you even if you're running away in the opposite direction.

 

You can "cheat" the AI by jumping on something the Deathclaw can't get to. Might be considered lame, but if a train car or overturned truck or a big rock is easy for you to get on and not the deathclaw, you may as well use it. After all, it's not your fault the Deathclaw can't figure out how to get there. ;) Though, I've been tricked by Deathclaws just the same by thinking I was safe and then having one surprise me by getting up there. Turns the tables on the whole lame strategy thing - sometimes it just doesn't work. :P

 

Bottlecap mines are a great way to knock out their legs too (you pretty much find one at every workbench). They do an insane amount of damage for something made of a few caps and a cherry bomb. Just make sure you can get one down and get out of the way before the deathclaw notices you. I've had one explode in my face thinking I could get it down before the deathclaw got to me.

 

There are really only a few good weapons that are useful in taking them down. You'll probably have the best luck with hunting rifles, sniper rifles, chinese assault rifles, laser and plasma rifles, or a missle launcher. Even then, you better be pretty good with them (player skill and stat wise), especially the latter. Launchers take a long time to reload and cause some serious collateral damage for something that can close a distance quickly. Hard hitting, long range weapons are your best bet (ie, hunting/sniper rifles - go for the legs first). If you can keep out of the way of the claws, a combat shotgun can do some serious damage in close quarters. This is also assuming these weapons are decently repaired (I think repair is the single most important tag skill to have). :)