Attacks on sight Aggression: Frenzied: Will attack anyone else. Assistance: Helps allies: Will help allies. Confidence: Cowardly: Will always avoid combat/flee.
An impressive example of the mutations caused by the Great War, the bloatfly is an evolution of the Tabanus genera of biting horse fly. Tentatively classified as part of the Tabanidae family in the order Diptera, class Insecta, phylum Arthropoda, and kingdom Animalia, it is a major divergence from its evolutionary forebears. It is significantly larger and more tenacious, although its size inhibits its flight characteristics and agility, making it impossible to feed like pre-War horse flies did. Instead, it uses its engorged stinger and pupae gestating within its abdomen to incapacitate prey. The stinger is capable of launching mature larvae with a barbed sting at the end. These latch onto the target and deliver a neurotoxin capable of incapacitating larger prey, allowing the bloatfly and its larvae to feed. Its neurotoxin is ineffective against humans and larger targets, with localized necrosis being the only larger complication. As a result, the bloatfly is frequently prey, rather than predator, particularly among wastelanders who learned how to prepare its meat (or can stomach eating it raw).[1] Some are noted to explode upon death.[2] Bloatflies can resort to scavenging in situations where prey or other sources of food are scarce.[3]
Characteristics[]
Bloatflies are typically encountered in groups of 2-3. For the most part, they are little more than a nuisance, though legendary and higher level bloatflies can be a little more dangerous if caught off-guard. They only have one method of attack; given their small mass, slamming would be next to useless, so they propel bloatfly larvae into their enemies, irradiating the target with every successfully landed projectile. VATS is the most reliable method of taking bloatflies down, due to their erratic movement patterns.
Festering bloatflies are rather hardy for mere flies; they do not deal extra damage from their other variants, but can take quite a few more hits.
↑Enclave field terminals; Enclave Field Research Terminal, Field Entry: Bloatfly: "Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Diptera Family: Tabanidae Genus: Tabanus Linnaeus Field observation suggests that the Bloatfly is a mutation of the Tabanus horse fly with provocative advances. These evolutionary forebears possessed neither the significant body mass, nor projectile sting of the Bloatfly. Dissection has revealed that this stinger is engorged with living pupae and neurotoxins. These projectiles are capable of incapacitating large prey on which the bloatfly and it's gestating young can freely feed. These neurotoxins are only nominally effective on humans, but can cause localized necrosis at the wound site. This observation is contrary to earlier assumptions that the Bloatfly was primarily a scavenger. The Bloatfly can be dispatched easily with light weapons, but nonetheless present a threat to field operatives, especially when encountered in numbers. They are hostile and can strike before the target is aware of its presence."
↑Fallout 4 loading screen hints: "One of the Wasteland's most disgusting creatures, the Bloatfly shoots its maggots as projectiles, and often explodes upon death."
