Night stalker

	Fallout: New Vegas creature Night stalker
	Location Mojave Wasteland X-8 Research CenterOld World Blues Z-9 Crotalus DNA preservation labOld World Blues Variants Night stalker Legendary night stalker Young night stalker Den mother Shadis

 

Night stalkers (sometimes spelled nightstalkers) are creatures living in the Mojave Wasteland and Big MT in 2281.

Background

Night stalkers are the creations of Dr. Borous at Big MT, being genetic hybrids of rattlesnake and coyote DNA. Dr. Borous created nightstalkers in order to preserve the DNA of rattlesnake, which was on the verge of extinction. However, his memory was unclear, and he also suggested that it may have been because of a dare with Dr. Calis at X-13.

The creation of night stalkers proved to be a risky gamble. The shipping department of the X-8 research center suffered a large number of fatalities; all but one employee (Skippy) was killed by the night stalkers. However, Dr. Adam Figgis thought the executives in charge of X-8 could salvage the mishap in shipping and decided to let the night stalkers loose into the X-8 testing area to study their behavior.

Characteristics

Biology

Night stalkers growl, howl, and whimper like regular coyotes, but hiss and rattle like snakes. Their bodies are mostly dog-like, covered in a combination of fur and scales. Their head and tail are that of a rattlesnake, including fangs and a forked tongue. They even consume food like snakes by attempting to swallow their prey whole. A night stalker's right eye is blue with a round pupil, while the left eye is yellow with an elliptical pupil, like a rattlesnake's. They lay eggs which can be used to prepare mushroom cloud and their blood is prized as an ingredient in antivenom and hydra.

Night stalkers create dens in caves across the Mojave Wasteland and can be found both inside the cave or in the nearby area, behaviors they share with coyotes. Packs of night stalkers can be frequently seen hunting at night east of Morning Star cavern near the nest with the radscorpion queen, south of the Broc Flower Cave, and northwest of the cap counterfeiting shack. Night stalkers' original breeding ground is the Z-9 Crotalus DNA preservation lab, located in Big MT.

Gameplay attributes

When they detect the player they strike with a leaping attack and a venomous bite or snap at the player without leaping. While the venom is not as potent as their main competition (the cazador), it can be a problem if multiple bites are received and untreated. They can pose a particular threat in low visibility, at night (when they are active) or in caverns. They are especially dangerous inside their dens; packs are usually large in numbers, and twisting corridors make it difficult to detect exactly where they are.

All night stalkers, including named ones, are affected by the Animal Friend perk. With this perk, the player can pickpocket them, but they hold no items.

Night stalkers found in Charleston cave and the lower level of the X-13 testing facility have the ability to cloak, making them especially dangerous. The ones in Charleston cave gained this ability from chewing on a Stealth Boy (found on a dead nightkin at the end of the cave), while the ones in the X-13 testing facility naturally have this ability. As with any other cloaked enemy, these night stalkers can only be targeted in V.A.T.S. with the Enhanced Sensors companion perk provided by ED-E. Fighting without ED-E can be done by free-aiming at the light distortion around the cloaked night stalker, similar to the appearance of a cloaked nightkin.

Night stalker packs can be found in:

• Bloodborne cave
• Charleston cave
• Morning Star cavern
• Walking Box Cavern
• Great Khan supply cave
• Z-9 Crotalus DNA preservation lab

Variants

Night stalker

Night stalkers are the size of coyotes with a canine body but the head and tail of a rattlesnake. Night stalkers nest and hunt in packs and are found in or near their cave nests.

Name (Base ID)	Statistics	Behavior	Abilities	Items
Night stalker 00156788 0012bd37	Level 15 Experience points 150 Detection 9 Health points 110 Damage threshold 0 Damage resistance 0%	Fist Very aggressive: Will attack enemies and neutrals on sight. Confidence Foolhardy: Will never flee or avoid anyone. Group Helps allies: Will help allies.	Attack Melee (70 Damage) Attack Night stalker poison (5 Poison/sec, -2 END for 60 seconds)	Dead 50% Night stalker blood 25% Night stalker blood 25% Night stalker egg 50% Night stalker tail
Night stalker (Jacobstown) 00144bc4	Level 16 Experience points 160 Detection 8 Health points 120 Damage threshold 0 Damage resistance 0%	Fist Very aggressive: Will attack enemies and neutrals on sight. Confidence Foolhardy: Will never flee or avoid anyone. Group Helps allies: Will help allies.	Attack Melee (70 Damage) Attack Night stalker poison (5 Poison/sec, -2 END for 60 seconds)	Dead 50% Night stalker blood 25% Night stalker blood 25% Night stalker egg 50% Night stalker tail
Night stalker (Pit fighter) 00144bc4	Level 15 Experience points 150 Detection 9 Health points 120 Damage threshold 0 Damage resistance 0%	Fist Aggressive: Will attack enemies on sight. Confidence Foolhardy: Will never flee or avoid anyone. Group Helps nobody: Will not help anyone.	Attack Melee (70 Damage) Attack None	Dead 75% Dog meat 25% Dog meat 50% Dog hide
Nightstalker Old World Blues 00000000	Level ? Experience points ? Detection ? Health points ? Damage threshold ? Damage resistance ?	Fist Unaggressive: Will not initiate combat. Confidence Cowardly: Will always avoid combat/flee. Group Helps nobody: Will not help anyone.

Legendary night stalker

The legendary night stalker is a very large and strong night stalker found in Bloodborne cave, west of Bitter Springs. In appearance it is visually identical to standard night stalkers and differs only in size, being about the size of a bighorner. It is normally encountered in a pack with several regular night stalkers and can kill a low level character in seconds.

It has the least amount of health out of all of the legendary creatures, but can kill a player under level 20 with about two to three bites. It is also the only legendary creature in the game that can be friendly towards the player, if the player has acquired the Animal Friend perk.

Name (Base ID)	Statistics	Behavior	Abilities	Items
Legendary night stalker 00167efe	Level 15 Experience points 150 Detection 10 Health points 250 Damage threshold 0 Damage resistance 0%	Fist Very aggressive: Will attack enemies and neutrals on sight. Confidence Foolhardy: Will never flee or avoid anyone. Group Helps allies: Will help allies.	Attack Melee (100 Damage) Attack Night stalker poison (5 Poison/sec, -2 END for 60 seconds)	Dead 50% Night stalker blood 25% Night stalker blood 25% Night stalker egg 50% Night stalker tail

Young night stalker

In appearance, young night stalkers are visually identical to fully grown night stalkers but are smaller in size and have weaker attacks. Although relatively weak, they are a nuisance when fought in groups of other young night stalkers and their fully grown brethren.

Name (Base ID)	Statistics	Behavior	Abilities	Items
Young night stalker 0014f476 0015678b 00164a6c 00164ef7 001616ec 00166dfd	Level 9 Experience points 90 Detection 8 Health points 70 Damage threshold 0 Damage resistance 0%	Fist Very aggressive: Will attack enemies and neutrals on sight. Confidence Brave: Will avoid/flee from threats only if severely outmatched. Group Helps allies: Will help allies.	Attack Melee (45 Damage) Attack Night stalker poison (5 Poison/sec, -2 END for 60 seconds)	Dead 50% Night stalker blood 25% Night stalker blood 25% Night stalker egg 50% Night stalker tail
Young night stalker 001689d8	Level 9 Experience points 90 Detection 8 Health points 70 Damage threshold 0 Damage resistance 0%	Fist Very aggressive: Will attack enemies and neutrals on sight. Confidence Foolhardy: Will never flee or avoid anyone. Group Helps allies: Will help allies.	Attack Melee (45 Damage) Attack Night stalker poison (5 Poison/sec, -2 END for 60 seconds)	Dead 50% Night stalker blood 25% Night stalker blood 25% Night stalker egg 50% Night stalker tail

Den mother

In some night stalker nests, such as Morning Star cavern, the pack will be led by a den mother, a slightly larger female night stalker with a stronger attack who looks after the young.

Name (Base ID)	Statistics	Behavior	Abilities	Items
Den mother 001532ff	Level 18 Experience points 180 Detection 9 Health points 170 Damage threshold 0 Damage resistance 0%	Fist Very aggressive: Will attack enemies and neutrals on sight. Confidence Foolhardy: Will never flee or avoid anyone. Group Helps allies: Will help allies.	Attack Melee (85 Damage) Attack Night stalker poison (5 Poison/sec, -2 END for 60 seconds)	Dead 50% Night stalker blood 25% Night stalker blood 25% Night stalker egg 50% Night stalker tail

Shadis

Main article: Shadis

Shadis is a unique and very strong night stalker living in Big MT's Z-9 Crotalus DNA preservation lab in 2281. Shadis guards the Auto-Doc Upgrade: Implant Y-3 item.

Name (Base ID)	Statistics	Behavior	Abilities	Items
Shadis xx014459	Level ? Experience points ? Detection ? Health points 675 Damage threshold 0 Damage resistance 0%	Fist Very aggressive: Will attack enemies and neutrals on sight. Confidence Foolhardy: Will never flee or avoid anyone. Group Helps allies: Will help allies.	Attack Melee (80 Damage) Attack Night stalker poison (5 Poison/sec, -2 END for 60 seconds)	Dead 50% Night stalker blood 25% Night stalker blood 25% Night stalker egg 50% Night stalker tail 100% Nightstalker squeezin's

Related quests

• Bleed Me Dry
• Guess Who I Saw Today
• X-8 Data Retrieval Test
• Fight Night

Notes

• Similar to other canine enemies, night stalkers have a stationary bite attack. During this animation, night stalkers will not move, allowing the player to easily backpedal and avoid the attack.
• Night stalkers lay eggs, even though coyotes and rattlesnakes bear live young.
• If night stalkers are close enough to bite you, attempting to shoot them in V.A.T.S. mode may be completely ineffective, causing all your shots to miss.

Appearances

Night stalker appear only in Fallout: New Vegas and its add-on Old World Blues.

Bugs

• PC PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Walking through the Mojave Wasteland, it is possible that the player may see a night stalker with several heads and legs. This is actually a bug in the respawn. It happens when several spawn in the same place, resulting in a number of night stalker models within each other and bound in place. Because they cannot walk they can easily be killed.
• PC PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Attempting to aim at the night stalker's head (in realtime or V.A.T.S.) often results in your shots missing. Possibly there is something off with the night stalker's collision/hit detection around its head, similar to what happens with evolved centaurs. For best results (and to avoid all of your shots missing in V.A.T.S.), target the body instead.
• Xbox 360 The legendary night stalker may become stuck in the floor of the cave near the egg pile, this makes it very easy to kill as it can not attack.

Gallery

• 

  Night stalker.

• 

  Night stalker side view.

• 

  Night stalker crouching to attack.

• 

  Night stalker's tail

• 

  3D render by Kevin Manning

Trailer

• 

  Two night stalkers as seen in the Fallout: New Vegas E3 trailer.

• 

  Night stalker up close and personal.

• 

  One pounces before attacking.

References

Creatures Humanoids Ghost people · Ghoul (Feral ghoul · Glowing one) · Human (Dwarf · Lobotomite) · Mole miner · Super mutant (Mariposa super mutant · Nightkin · Vault 87 super mutant · Institute super mutant) · Spore carrier · Swampfolk · Trog · Tunneler Mammals Bear (Mono-headed bear · Two-headed bear · Grizzly bear · Yao guai) ·) Bighorner · Brahmin (Brahmiluff · Brahmiluff Shorthorn · Brahmiluff Longhorn) · Cat · Coyote · Dog (Cyberdog) · Donkey · Dolphin whale · Fox · Giant rat · Horse · Mole rat · Mutant hound · Opossum · Pig rat · Rad rabbit · Radstag · Rat ·Sheep · Squirrel · Wolf Reptiles Deathclaw · Gatorclaw · Gecko · Iguana · Lakelurk · Swamplurk queen Arthropods Bark scorpion · Bloatfly · Bloodbug · Bloodworm · Cave cricket · Cazador · Fire ant · Fly · Fog crawler · Giant ant · Hermit crab (Hermit crab hatchling) · Honey beast · Mantis · Mirelurk  · Radroach · Radscorpion Birds Chicken · Rad chicken · Raven · Vulture Fish and amphibians Angler · Barnacle · Fish · Frog · Giant catfish · Gulper · Radtoad Plant-based mutants Spore plant Abominations and Cryptids Alien ·Abomination · Alien squid · Alien worm · Centaur · Flatwoods Monster · Floater · Grafton Monster · Mothman · Nightstalker · Sheepsquatch · Snallygaster · Wendigo · Zetans Creatures outside the main continuity Cut from Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas Lamprey floater · Manowar tendril floater · Mutant wanamingo Fallout Tactics Giant wasp · Hairy deathclaw · Komodo dragon · Boom bug Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel Experimental deathclaw · Radbug Van Buren Cattle · Electro-beetle · Desert stalker · Giant leech · Gehenna · Molech · Mutant cannibal · Radtoad · Venus mantrap · Tiger · Two-headed rattlesnake · Weedling Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2 Mutant crocodile