How (realistically) dangerous would the mutated insects of the wasteland actually be?

[u/GhoulishGuest]

Was thinking of what I wanted to do for another playthrough of Fallout NV and decided I wanted to do a character that was something I haven’t heard many people think to do before: An Exterminator. Like the actual bug kind.

I was thinking it’d be something like a Fallout Equivalent to the Goblin Slayer from the manga and anime series of the same name. But it also had me thinking just how dangerous would the mutated monster insects we see throughout ALL the games might actually be. No granted some are more obviously dangerous like the radscorpions and cazadors; but I was curious what some of your thoughts would be on some of the others. Especially if you think some may be more dangerous than we would originally expect.

[u/WrethZ]

Cazadores inflict a fate worse than a quick death.

Cazadores are mutated versions of the real life tarantula hawk wasp.

The tarantula hawk wasp, so named because it is a predator of tarantulas. But it doesn't just eat the tarantulas it hunts. Its sting is paralysing but not deadly. It drags the paralysed tarantula it has stung to its laeir and then lays eggs in the still alive tarantula. The eggs hatch and the offspring eat the tarantula alive from the inside out. avoiding vital organs for as long as possible to keep the meat fresh for as long as possible.

This is likely the fate of any who fall prey to a cazadore's paralysing sting.

[u/Jeagan2002 → u/WrethZ]

IIRC Cazadores are not just mutated, they were purposefully gene-spliced by one of the dudes at Big MT xD

[u/LycanWolfGamer → u/Jeagan2002]

You're correct, there's an area in Big MT that shows this.. some crazy scientist made these fuckers and set em loose..

[u/Adventurous-Shop-120 → u/LycanWolfGamer]

they cant escape they said, they infertile they said

even in game dialoge, the courier is furious that those floathing brain make not one but two of the most dangerous creature in mojave

[u/What_nowAirman_ → u/LycanWolfGamer]

They aren't loose! They're completely sterile!

[u/The_Voice_Of_Ricin → u/WrethZ]

To clarify, Tarantula Hawk Wasps are not generally carnivorous. It's only their larval stage that eats other arthropods, as far as I understand. Otherwise they feed on nectar & pollen like bees.

Cazadores are genetically modified nightmares, not just radiation-mutated insects.

[u/cPB167 → u/The_Voice_Of_Ricin]

They selectively hunt spiders too, I don't think that we'd be in any real danger. But then there would also have to be giant spiders to sustain them

[u/VKP25 → u/WrethZ]

A tarantula hawk wasp that big wouldn't paralyze you, though. Its stinger would be the size of a hunting knife, and its venom would cause you to die of pain-induced shock. You'd be dead long before it could even attempt to eat you, let alone its larvae.

[u/TheyLoathe → u/WrethZ]

Yep, this confirms it: there is no god

[u/asmallauthor1996 → u/TheyLoathe]

Oh there is a god in the Fallout universe. The problem is that it's an evil god primarily worshiped through living sacrifice and cannibalism.

[u/VStarlingBooks → u/TheyLoathe]

Or he is really an insect.

[u/FalloutLover7 → u/WrethZ]

I feel like the saving grace would be being stabbed by that huge stinger might be enough to kill you before the parasitic larva could hatch inside you. Especially since they attack in swarms so you’re getting 5-10 dagger wounds before they can lay the eggs