
The design of Deathclaws changed slightly throughout the series. A decoration of the creature was located in the offices of Interplay when the developers of Fallout were looking for inspiration for the Deathclaw's design. The inspiration for the final design of the Deathclaws came from the Tarrasque, a Dungeons & Dragons monster. However, this design was rejected as having "way too much hair". Development ĭeathclaws were originally concepted as a mixture of wolverine and brown bear. The Wasteland Workshop DLC of Fallout 4 allows the player to capture and tame Deathclaws, as well as the "Wasteland Whisperer" perk in Fallout 76, although it has been noted to suffer from glitches causing the deaths of the tamed animals. Goris, a rare, highly intelligent Deathclaw, is a player companion in Fallout 2. While Deathclaws normally feature as enemies since their debut appearance in the first Fallout, they have also been player companions at various points in the series.

The Deathclaw has a fearsome reputation as they are usually some of the strongest enemies found within the in-game universe. They exhibit a hunched posture, and their feet have a sickle-shaped claw similar to that of a velociraptor. Able to walk on two legs, they also possess five clawed fingers and opposable thumbs.

They are typically 20 feet long, with rough, scaly skin and a pair of curved horns, and possess several humanoid features. Deathclaws are bipedal, genetically engineered carnivorous reptiles based on the Jackson's chameleon.
