Fallout: Lesser-Known Creatures

Creatures like Deathclaws are iconic in Fallout, but lesser-known beasts like Ghost People offer a unique, chilling experience.
The lore of Fallout extends beyond just the most famous critters, with strange creatures like Night Stalkers and Spore Carriers adding depth to the wasteland.
From the mysterious Iguanas to the bizarre Ghoul Whales, the Fallout universe is filled with a wide array of creatures that add to its post-apocalyptic charm.

The Fallout franchise is arguably one of the most iconic post-apocalyptic series out there, and it owes a lot of that success to its unique and bizarre setting. Unlike a more conventional apocalypse, the irradiated wastelands of Fallout play home to some truly distinctive creatures. Monsters like deathclaws, cazadors, and super mutants are some of the most immediately recognizable aspects of the series, and a big part of its appeal.

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Yet the bestiary of the Fallout series has a lot more entries than just the iconic creatures. As any dedicated fan knows, the lore of this franchise can get extremely strange. To that end, here are some of the most obscure and lesser-known creatures in the Fallout world, and a look at what role they play in the lore of the series.

Horned Kangaroo

An Enigmatic Skeletal Beast

Appears in: Fallout, Fallout 2

Mutated animals are a common sight in the world of Fallout, but some are much rarer than others. The elusive Horned Kangaroo is one example. Skeletal remains of this strange creature can be found in the first two games, but they’re never so much as mentioned again.

The presence of these strange creatures raises a lot of questions. Kangaroos are hardly a common sight in the pre-apocalyptic United States, after all. The fact that these creatures developed strange horns is, in the end, just about the least surprising thing about them.

Ghost People

Tragic Silent Killers

Appears in: Fallout New Vegas: Dead Money

These terrifying creatures only appear in Dead Money, one of the DLC campaigns for Fallout: New Vegas. Their frightful appearance as they lurch toward the player, eyes glowing behind the lenses of their gas masks, means that few Fallout fans are likely to forget them. What makes them even worse is how difficult they are to kill, as they only stay dead if their limbs are chopped off.

Of course, the Ghost People aren’t just faceless monsters. They’re the mutated employees of the casino where the DLC is set. The unique circumstances of their origin means it’s unlikely that Ghost People will show up elsewhere in the Fallout wasteland. Consequently, most people in the world of Fallout are blissfully unaware of the existence of these haunting killers.

Rad-Rat

Frightful Mutated Vermin

Appears in: Fallout 4: Nuka-World

Mutated rats are common throughout the Fallout series. Rad-rats, however, are unique, as they only appear in the Nuka-World expansion for Fallout 4. These rats appear to be almost totally hairless, like their relatives, the mole rats. These creatures are much tougher than mole rats, though, and the legendary versions explode after death.

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Rad-rats are some of the more menacing rat creatures players can encounter in the Fallout series, and their rarity is just about their only saving grace. These nasty vermin are a prime example of the fact that even relatively mundane creatures can pack a nasty punch if they aren’t taken seriously.

Lakelurk

An Unexpected Aquatic Menace

Appears in: Fallout: New Vegas

Mirelurks are decently well-known creatures in the Fallout world. These giant crustaceans are a menace to any wastelander who strays too close to shore. One might expect to be safe from these monsters in the Mojave Desert setting of Fallout: New Vegas, but Lakelurks are waiting to prove that theory wrong.

As the name suggests, these grotesque fish men lurk near lakes and similar bodies of water throughout the game. They look and act similarly to the Mirelurk Kings that prowl around Mirelurk colonies in other Fallout games, but they’re much rarer due to the relative lack of suitable environments for them. They’re very uncommon, and it’s not impossible to get through an entire playthrough without meeting one. This makes it all the more surprising when one rears its ugly head.

Night Stalker

A Deadly Desert Crossbreed

Appears in: Fallout: New Vegas

The Night Stalker is a perfect fit for the desert landscape of Fallout: New Vegas, as it’s a cross between the desert’s two most quintessential carnivores: the rattlesnake and the coyote. These monsters are the result of genetic engineering, and by traveling to the Big MT in the Old World Blues expansion, the Courier can learn about their origins.

While Night Stalkers are far from the most dangerous inhabitants of the Mojave Desert, their sinister background makes them extremely noteworthy creatures, as well as a fundamental part of the landscape of Fallout: New Vegas. Even though they’re virtually unknown outside the Mojave, these creatures are still worth keeping an eye out for.

Iguana

The Secret Backbone of the Economy

Appears in: Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, Fallout Tactics

Iguanas are perhaps the most ubiquitious creatures in Fallout canon, even though a live one has never been seen in-game. Some of the most common foodstuffs in the Wasteland are made of iguana, and yet the creatures are never actually seen. Iguana meat is simply taken for granted.

In the first Fallout game, there’s a merchant selling human flesh in the guise of iguana meat, which casts even more doubt on the nature of this elusive food animal. Some NPCs will refer to pet iguanas, and deathclaws are sometimes even referred to as iguanas as an insult, but despite being everywhere in the Wasteland, these mysterious reptiles are never actually seen.

Floater

Eerie Airborne Mutants

Appears in: Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 76

The Forced Evolutionary Virus has a long and horrifying history in the Fallout franchise. It’s best known for giving birth to the Super Mutants, a race of aggressive green humanoids that have had a tumultuous relationship with the humans of the Wasteland. But it’s also created some truly grotesque creatures, and Floaters are a viscerally unpleasant example.

These eerie creatures can be encountered in the first two games as grotesque fleshy monsters with wide mouths and a distinctly alien aesthetic. The Floaters of Fallout 76 are much different, sporting tentacles, a roughly humanoid face with gnashing sideways jaws, and a swollen, balloon-like sac on their heads. Whatever the variant, though, Floaters are particularly frightful examples of the capabilities of FEV.

Spore Carrier

Contagious Plant People

Appears in: Fallout: New Vegas

One of Fallout: New Vegas’ most memorable sidequests involves venturing into Vault 22, which has been overgrown by flowering vegetation. There, the player will come face to face with spore carriers, plant-covered humanoids that ambush prey from patches of greenery. As the Courier explores Vault 22, they’ll learn more about the sinister fungal infection that brought these creatures to life.

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Even more spore carriers can be found in the Big MT, a massive science compound that serves as the setting of the Old World Blues expansion. The contagious spores that bring these monsters to life got their start here. While the player can conclusively deal with the threat of the spores in Vault 22, they can also hand over the research that led to their creation, paving the way for even more horrors.

Ghoul Whale

A Legendary Sea Monster

Appears in: Fallout 4

There is only one member of this elusive race of creatures that’s ever been mentioned in the canon of Fallout. A nameless NPC tells the tale of her grandfather seeing such a creature, who she refers to as Ol’ Peg. The creature is clearly being introduced as a post-apocalyptic take on the classic tall tale spread frequently among fishermen.

However, in the lore of the game, there are already numerous animals that are as bizarre as a blue whale turned into a ghoul, if not more so. Dead whales are a relatively common sight in Fallout 4 already, so the idea of an undead whale isn’t that much harder to swallow. It’s entirely possible that a truly massive creature is waiting just below the surface of the ocean.

Gatorclaw

A Primal Menace

Appears in: Fallout 4

The Deathclaw is a creature that needs no introduction. This towering menace is possibly Fallout’s most well-known monster. The Gatorclaw, on the other hand, is a much less common threat. These hulking monstrosities appear exclusively in the Nuka World DLC for Fallout 4, where they were genetically engineered by a mad scientist struggling to survive on his own.

These Gatorclaws are the focal point of a questline that sees the Sole Survivor shut down a machine that is constantly producing new Gatorclaws. With the machine successfully disarmed, Gatorclaws will likely never rise to the level of their more iconic counterparts. However, the existence of the technology used to create these monsters is a lingering existential threat to everyone who calls the Wasteland home.

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