The Deathclaw in Concord is the first significant challenge in Fallout 4. It usually requires a minigun to defeat quickly, but it can still be defeated with lesser weapons if you manage it.

One of the early missions in Fallout 4 involves rescuing a squad of Minutemen and the survivors of the Quincy Massacre trapped in Concord. In addition to defeating the Raiders that lay siege to the Museum of Freedom, you’ll have to kill a Deathclaw that arrives later.

This Deathclaw is more powerful than any Raider or Wasteland Beast you may have encountered at this point in your playthrough. Fortunately, the Deathclaw in Concord can be defeated by any weapon you currently have in your arsenal with patience and perseverance.

Retrieve the Fusion Core

After helping Preston Garvey defeat the Raiders that have entered the Museum, you’ll initiate a dialogue that informs you of the existence of a pre-war Power Armor near the fallen Vertibird on the Museum’s roof. However, that Power Armor is inactive because no Fusion Core has been inserted.

Preston is busy holding off the Raiders, so you’ll have to descend to the basement to retrieve the Fusion Core. Retrace your steps and enter through the broken segment of the floor to reach the basement, where you’ll find a chamber locked by a computer. Solve the terminal puzzle to find the password, and grab the Fusion Core.

Find the Power Armor

The Power Armor is essential in surviving this encounter with your first Deathclaw. Before the beast arrives, you will need to defeat several Raiders lurking outside the Museum, and its extra hit points can keep you from dying from their bullets.

The Power Armor is in the room adjoining the one where you meet Preston Garvey, his Minutemen, and the survivors from Quincy. With the Fusion Core on hand, you only need to step out of the room, turn left to enter the other room and activate the Power Armor.

Credit: Bethesda

With the Armor powered up, you can either walk downstairs back to the entrance or step out onto the roof. A few Raiders will be shooting at you and Preston, so you’ll need to kill them before you can jump down to street level.

Find and kill any more Raiders at street level. When the streets are quiet, move towards a crossroads a few meters from the Museum and meet the Deathclaw for the first time.

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How to Engage the Deathclaw Without a Minigun

The first thing you must understand about the Deathclaw is that it will leave you alone if you don’t get too close. Stay a comfortable distance away with your pipe gun or pistol, and use VATS to fire the first shots.

Target areas that make the Deathclaw vulnerable or, at the least, slow it down. To start, go for the head and legs. Watch out because, after you fire your first shots, the Deathclaw will turn towards you and attack.

Speed and mobility are the two deadly weapons of the Deathclaw. One swipe of its claws will cripple your character, so you won’t be able to run away to set up your next VATS shot. The Power Armor can only delay that, but even the Armor is no match for a Deathclaw at close range.

As soon as the Deathclaw starts moving, duck into the nearest open store. Despite its bulk and ferocity, Bethesda did not program the Deathclaw to wreck doorways. This will give you a respite until the Deathclaw runs away.

With the Deathclaw a comfortable distance away, you can rinse and repeat your VATS attack many times until it is dispatched.

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If You Need Quick and Decisive Help…

Dealing with the Deathclaw without the minigun requires patience and plenty of ammunition. If you'd like a more decisive approach, grab the minigun from the Vertibird atop the Museum.

The minigun’s damage is considerable against the Deathclaw, but it will take most of the clip to defeat it. Make sure to conserve its ammo until you meet the big bad guy, and use your other weapons against the Raiders or, if you can, use melee attacks with VATS to dispatch them.

Credit: Bethesda

Always maintain a distance from the Deathclaw with an open doorway nearby, and you should be fine. Don’t go all rock and roll on the minigun either, or you will run out of ammo before killing the Deathclaw.

The Deathclaw is the last obstacle between you and one of the most fruitful distractions in Fallout 4: settlement building. Once it is defeated, you can lead Preston Garvey and the Quincy survivors to Sanctuary, where you can begin developing your first settlement.

Rescuing the trapped survivors in Concord also allows you to join the Minutemen, if you like, as its new General. This gives you an additional side quest of liberating settlements at the behest of Preston Garvey, whom you can also add as a companion if you’d like.

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