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For an overview of feral ghouls in the Fallout series of games, see feral ghoul. |
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Feral ghouls are creatures found in the Capital Wasteland in 2277. They are ghouls who have lost their sanity and ability to reason, making them aggressive to anyone who isn't a ghoul. Feral ghouls are partially responsible for human wastelanders' discrimination toward ghouls who have retained their mental faculties. They are referred to by Three Dog in one of his broadcasts as "mindless zombies".
Characteristics
Biology
The degeneration into a feral state (referred to as ferocious post-necrotic dystrophy) is not fully understood. It is known that it is a result of a degeneration of the brain (which is not affected by the regenerative mutation of the spinal cord) and emerges following the atrophy of higher brain functions, accompanied by an increased level of aggression and appetite. When the loss of capacity for thought is complete, a ghoul is considered feral.[1][2] The factors that may cause a ghoul to enter this state are unclear, but anti-social or isolated ghouls are more susceptible to it.[3] Exposure to intense radiation may also be a factor; feral ghouls have no body heat and emit lethal levels of radiation, indicating that feral ghouls are for all intents and purposes dead, their functions sustained only by their high irradiation. This allows them to survive for centuries, relying only on the energy provided by radiation, at the expense of a horrifying, emaciated appearance. The process is irreversible.[4][5]
Gameplay attributes
Feral ghouls often give a loud low-pitched screech or growl before attacking enemies. This can be helpful in dark places or areas with objects blocking the player's view, especially in the metro system and the Dunwich Building. As with normal ghouls, ferals are extremely resistant to radiation; this makes a glowing one especially dangerous when encountered with regular ferals, as they constantly emit radiation which will heal the others.
Feral ghouls attack in no particular hierarchy; they rush foes in one massive onslaught. At first, they attack with a running over-the-head strike. When close to an enemy, they will swipe at it horizontally.
Variants
Feral ghoul
The basic feral ghoul variant in Fallout 3 wears only a pair of tattered shorts and is noticeably weaker than standard human opponents. They are easily dispatched with one or two headshots, or a solid hit with a decent weapon in close quarters combat. Despite their noisy shrieks and remarkable speed, they are not much of a threat unless they outnumber the player, or when their character is at a low level.
Some feral ghouls come in different colors as well as different types. Some are a "healthy" pink color, while others are a grimy gray color. Their skin colors are different depending on what ethnicity they were prior to ghoulification.
Notably, feral ghouls can drop the rare pass cards in blue and red colors, and they have the highest chance in the game for a creature to drop them, 1.5%.
| Name (Form ID) | Statistics | Behavior | Abilities | Items | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feral ghoul 0009FAFA |
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Feral ghoul roamer
Wearing the remains of pre-War combat armor commonly used by the National Guard and US Army, roamers are likely ghoulified troops who were deployed in the DC area when the bombs fell. The majority of them can be found in abandoned Metro tunnels and buildings, where people who couldn't gain entrance to vaults often sought refuge.
Although what remains of their armor gives them some protection, roamers can still be brought down quickly with most weapons. However, they do have a tendency to appear in small groups and can be dangerous to a low-level player.
| Name (Form ID) | Statistics | Behavior | Abilities | Items | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feral ghoul roamer 00072B79 |
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| Feral ghoul roamer 0009FAFB |
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Feral ghoul reaver
Feral ghoul reavers, introduced by the Fallout 3 add-ons Broken Steel and Point Lookout, are extremely strong ferals clothed in what appears to be the remains of metal armor. Reavers' skin may, upon close inspection, appear to bubble and burn, emitting radiation and dark green smoke. If a reaver is killed by a critical hit from an energy weapon, the smoke will continue to emanate from the remains.
Tougher than other ghouls and more than twice as durable as a sentry bot or deathclaw, reavers are one of the most formidable enemies in the game. They are extremely quick, and their lunge attack can knock the player back some distance. Even high-level players may, if not careful, be quickly crippled or killed by a reaver's powerful melee attacks.
Reavers have the unique ability to throw pieces of their own body at a target. These chunks, thrown with deadly accuracy, explode like a grenade and can easily cripple limbs.
Reavers (unlike deathclaws) seem to be highly perceptive and can detect player characters in Sneak mode, even while wearing a Stealth Boy or Chinese stealth armor. The feral ghoul reaver can be a massive threat to low level players, easily killing them in a few hits.
Notes
- A non-hostile feral ghoul reaver named Atom's Champion can be found in the Holy Light Monastery (if the Fallout 3 add-on Broken Steel is installed).
- Feral ghoul reavers have no swimming scripts or animations, so they "walk" underwater.
| Name (Form ID) | Statistics | Behavior | Abilities | Items | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Feral ghoul reaver  xx00103E |
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Glowing one
Glowing ones are feral ghouls that have absorbed massive amounts of radiation. Their irradiated skin is a pale translucent green that continually produces a soft glow. Their legs are draped in similar rags that the standard version of a feral ghoul would wear. They are reportedly "looked down" upon by other ghouls.
In battle, they sometimes release a massive burst of radiation, severely injuring and irradiating enemies and healing any other nearby feral ghouls. When killed, standing close to their corpses will irradiate the player (usually at a rate of one rad per second).
| Name (Form ID) | Statistics | Behavior | Abilities | Items | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glowing one 0001CF7B |
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Swamp ghoul
Swamp ghouls are ferals that inhabit the swamps of Point Lookout. Swamp ghouls wear a tattered pair of shorts commonly worn by tribals, hinting that they were once tribals who didn't eat their punga fruit. They exhibit the same characteristics as Capital Wasteland ghouls, but are paler in color and considerably weaker, most likely due to Point Lookout's dark and cloudy environment.
They can be found in various locations in Point Lookout with high concentrations at Turtledove Detention Camp and Ark & Dove Resting Grounds along with the other types of feral ghouls, including feral ghoul reavers and glowing ones.
| Name (Form ID) | Statistics | Behavior | Abilities | Items | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Swamp ghoul  xx0116F6 xx008807 xx009C09 |
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Notable ghouls
- Stefan - caged glowing one in Red Racer factory
- Meat and Ethyl - tame glowing ones in The Chop Shop
- Samuel - hostile glowing one near Isabella Proud's camp
- Sun of Atom
- non-hostile glowing one in the Holy Light Monastery - Atom's Champion - non-hostile reaver in the Holy Light Monastery
Notes
- When the player passes through a certain doorway early in the Forsaken Dunwich Ruins section of the Dunwich Building, they will have an hallucination of pre-War times and see a man in front of themselves. The player will then come back to reality and see that the man is a glowing one. This glowing one is one of the few that are encountered regardless of level.
- No variants of feral ghouls will be hostile to a player that is wearing the ghoul mask.
- If the player remains undetected by feral ghouls for a while, the ghouls will begin to fidget and convulse inexplicably.
- They are commonly found in the D.C. metro tunnels, certain areas of the Capital Wasteland, and places with high raditation.
Appearances
Feral ghouls appear in Fallout 3.
Bugs
- Feral ghoul reavers may become invincible for a short period of time. While they can be successfully targeted in V.A.T.S, all shots fired will miss. If this happens, shoot for the legs or make use of grenades. Ghouls affected by this glitch may begin shaking vigorously.
- When the feral ghoul reavers throw radioactive gore, it may explode, and they will keep throwing it.
- If a feral ghoul reaver is killed using a plasma rifle and the body disintegrates into a goo pile, then it may keep the green aura that surrounded the reaver prior to its death.
- In some cases, ghouls will be non-hostile when not wearing the ghoul mask and will not attack unless provoked.
- Some reavers may be glitched in the presidential metro during the quest Who Dares Wins and will seem to have infinite health. This can be avoided by using a ghoul mask or crippling the reaver's legs.
Sounds
- Aware feral ghoul
- Glowing one emitting radiation
Gallery
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- ↑ Fallout 4 loading screens: "While they can easily be mistaken for zombies, Feral Ghouls are actually horribly irradiated humans whose brains have rotted away, causing madness."
- ↑ Tenpenny Tower terminals; Exploration Database, Feral Ghouls
- ↑ Underworld terminals; research terminal, Study Of Ferocious Post-Necrotic Dystrophy
- ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "I need more details... What's the breach all about?"
M.A.R.Go.T.: "Internal visual sensing equipment is detecting numerous unidentified persons in the southeast tunnels area. The individuals have damaged metro equipment and refused dialogue with our security units. In accordance with U.S. Security Statute A567/B, the use of deadly force has been authorized."
The Lone Wanderer: "Can you tell me more about these unidentified persons?"
M.A.R.Go.T.: "My apologies. My sensing equipment in that area must be damaged. My equipment indicates the persons possess no internal body heat and are emitting lethal levels of radiation."
(M.A.R.Go.T.'s dialogue) - ↑ Little Yangtze terminals; Little Yangtze Log Terminal, Elijah's Journal - Day 2