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For the boss enemy, see Wendigo colossus. |
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Wendigos are creatures encountered in Appalachia in Fallout 76.
Quick Answers
What is the backstory of the Wendigo creatures in Appalachia?
Where can you find the Progenitor Wendigo in Fallout 76?
What is the connection between Morris Stevens and the Wendigo creatures?
How does one transform into a Wendigo in the Fallout 76 universe?
What are some known locations of Wendigo spawns in Fallout 76?
Background
The first recorded sightings of the mutated humanoids called wendigos in post-apocalyptic Appalachia occurred mere days after the bombs fell.[1] Individuals such as Morris Stevens are known to have transformed in a manner connected to their indulgence in the act of cannibalism.[2] Pre-War urban legends surrounding the wendigo cave within the region later known as the Savage Divide became a reality when the mutated Stevens made its home there, becoming known as the "progenitor wendigo."[3]
While there are various locations known to be inhabited by wendigos in Appalachia, only a handful of cases can be specifically traced to a named pre-mutation human. With each person that mutated having largely unique circumstances leading to their transformation, the only constant in each scenario is the consumption of human flesh prior to the transformation. However, this does not explain why they have thus far only appeared in Appalachia, or why wendigos were not commonplace before the Great War. One possibility is that the introduction of nuclear radiation served as the catalyst for the mutation; Earle Williams became a cannibal after being locked in the Monongah Mine by Hornwright Industries in 2076, occurring before the dropping of the bombs, but it's unclear when his transformation happened. Additionally, many of the recorded cases involve mental degeneration shortly before transformation, though it is unknown if that is a requirement for the mutation to take hold, or merely a symptom exhibited before turning.
There are some implications that wendigos may be a subtype of ghoul, or a similar type of mutant. As seen during raids into Vault 79, a wendigo can be found among the populace of feral ghouls, implying that it may have mutated alongside them. Feral ghouls can also be found working in tandem with wendigos in various locations and display no hostility to one another.
Characteristics
Wendigos are aggressive and can quickly deal a high amount of damage. Their melee strikes are powerful enough to stagger even those wearing power armor. Wendigos will not run away if the player character climbs onto objects or furniture but will continue to screech. During combat, wendigos may let loose a piercing shriek that may attract a horde of feral ghouls to their location.
Though rare, one can occasionally witness wendigos perched atop tall and out-of-sight locations, which allows them to ambush prey. One such example can be seen with wendigos that perch on trees overlooking the central roads of the Mire. At higher levels, wendigos will frequently appear as a boss-type enemy for groups of ghouls. They reliably drop up to eight loose screws, with a rare chance of dropping up to 11 screws. Feral ghouls and wendigos are friendly to each other, and will not become hostile to one another.
Biology
Wendigos are gaunt, emaciated humanoids with ashy gray skin, long bony arms, and a large, distended abdomen. Their arms and legs are long and slender, and though they typically hunch close to the ground, they are capable of standing. Their skull-like face has short strands of long, stringy hair, sunken, blackened eye sockets, and a mouth filled with long, jagged teeth. Their hands are large, with fingers tipped by sharp claws. They have a similar Radiation Resistance to that of feral ghouls and are sometimes found among small groups of them. Acid can be harvested from their teeth.
Wendigos are carnivorous and often hunt prey and do not discern between human or animal.[1] They emit audible raspy exhalations when alerted, and they have the ability to let out a signature piercing scream to intimidate and stagger their prey.
Variants
Wendigo
The base variant of the creature, with most of the attributes described above.
| Name (Form ID) | Base Statistics | Behavior | Abilities | Items | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wendigo 00015583 |
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Ravenous wendigo
A more powerful wendigo variant with a reddish, fleshy appearance. Its darker, muddled colors can easily make the creature blend into dimmer or more urbanized environments.
| Name (Form ID) | Base Statistics | Behavior | Abilities | Items | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ravenous wendigo 003CBC5F |
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Glowing wendigo
One of the strongest variants, it bears a charred appearance and has a soft green glow. This variant also has a chance to spawn in a wendigo horde made up of two or three wendigos.
| Name (Form ID) | Base Statistics | Behavior | Abilities | Items | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glowing wendigo 003CBC61 |
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Scorched wendigo
A charred, fleshy wendigo with dark red eyes infected with the Scorched Plague. All regular wendigo variants have a corresponding Scorched variant with the same stats, abilities, and items. They may become Scorched when attacked by scorchbeasts or the scorchbeast queen, becoming allies with other Scorched creatures.
| Name (Form ID) | Base Statistics | Behavior | Abilities | Items | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scorched wendigo 00015583 |
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| Scorched ravenous wendigo 003CBC5F |
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| Scorched glowing wendigo 004EC623 |
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Wendigo spawn
The strongest variant, it is identical to the glowing wendigo. They appear almost exclusively alongside wendigo colossi, and are called to support them in battle. Three of them can be found inside Monongah Mine by themselves during the event A Colossal Problem.
| Name (Form ID) | Base Statistics | Behavior | Abilities | Items | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wendigo spawn 005751A0 |
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Wendigo colossus
Locations
A wendigo can appear in the following locations:
- Pylon ambush site
- Willard Corporate Housing
- Garrahan Estate
- Fort Defiance
- In the solitary confinement block of Eastern Regional Penitentiary
- Haven Church
- Lewisburg
- Freddy Fear's House of Scares
- In the R&D section of Garrahan Mining headquarters
- Big B's Rest Stop
- KMAX Transmission
- Seneca Rocks Visitor Center
- Watoga Emergency Services
- Drop Site C2
- Drop Site G3
- Firebase LT
- Sal's Grinders
- AMS Testing Site
- One may appear in Lake Eloise's surroundings.
- Wendigo spawns will appear in extremely high numbers during A Colossal Problem.
- Up to three consistently spawn on the road south of Abbie's bunker, by the truck suspended by vines.
- Groups of wendigos can appear between the Whitespring Golf Club and a fissure site.
- There is a possibility for a wendigo to spawn at Hawke's Refuge. It is one of three creatures that can spawn in a small cavern off of the main cave. The other creatures that may be found there are a withered feral ghoul or a putrid glowing one. It will always be one of these three.
- Reliably found inside the wendigo cave.
- The Nightstalker (legendary glowing wendigo) will always appear at the end of the One Violent Night event.
Two can be found inside Shining Creek Caverns.
Related quests
Challenges
- Kill a wendigo in the wendigo cave (daily).
- Take a camera picture of a well-fed player inside the wendigo cave (daily).
- Possum: Photographer - Take a camera picture of a wendigo (lifetime).
Named wendigos
- Morris Stevens - the former leader of the Gourmands raider gang who devolved into the "progenitor wendigo" following his exile from the gang for eating fellow members.
- "The Nightstalker" - a legendary glowing wendigo that slaughtered the Sons of Dane at their compound.
Camp counselor Nia - a unique wendigo encountered during the Campfire Tales event; she was a former member of the Pioneer Scouts.- Scott Conroy - a former cryptid hunter-turned-wendigo, encountered in the sunken church as a leveled diseased wendigo.
Notes
- A miscellaneous quest is available in Fallout 76 to kill a Wendigo while wearing a clown costume. Completion of the quest requires wearing both the clown outfit and clown hat. Although the quest marker suggests going to the wendigo cave, killing any wendigo encountered elsewhere will count toward the challenge.
- Edie's note, found on a woman's corpse in the wendigo cave, tells of her and her partner, Morris Stevens, committing cannibalism. After being exiled from the Gourmands for eating fellow gang members, a short amount of time later he became greedy (in folklore, a sign of becoming a wendigo), and began to watch her hungrily. She is later found dead, and Morris can be found alive, having devolved into the "progenitor wendigo."
It was previously possible for a wendigo to spawn in or around Mountainside Bed & Breakfast.
Appearances
Wendigos appear only in Fallout 76.
Behind the scenes
- In Algonquian folklore, a wendigo is a malevolent spirit frequently associated with winter, cold, famine, and starvation. It possesses and transforms human beings who have committed sins such as selfishness, greed, gluttony, murder, and especially acts of cannibalism. The spirit then forces them to further consume human flesh, turning them into a monster with an insatiable hunger for it. The wendigo is also part of the traditional belief system of many Algonquin-speaking cultures, such as the Ojibwe, Eastern Cree, Saulteaux, Westmain Swampy Cree, Naskapi, and Innu peoples. Though the folklore among cultures varies somewhat, the wendigo is commonly seen as an evil, cannibalistic, supernatural entity.
- Traditionally, some indigenous people believe that to discuss this being is to give it power. It is considered a symbol of trauma and loss, sometimes associated with settler violence against indigenous people.[Non-game 1]
Gallery
.jpg "FO76WA Scott Conroy (Wendigo).jpg (370 KB)")
.png "Wendigo in Mire tree (day).png (2.98 MB)")
.png "Wendigo in Mire tree (night).png (2.88 MB)")
Video
References
Non-game
- ↑ DeSanti, Brady (2015). "The Cannibal Talking Head: Portrayals of the Wendigo 'Monster' in Popular Culture and Ojibwe Traditions". Journal of Religion and Popular Culture. 27 (3): 195.