During Bethesda’s E3 presentation, Todd Howard stated that the developers had turned to West Virginian folklore for inspiration when creating new monsters for Fallout 76. Monsters like the Snallygaster, Grafton Monster, and Mothman were all drawn from state folklore. However, one strange creature which appeared in trailers was some form of giant sloth. There’s no folklore concerning a creature like this. However, the Fallout 76 Mega Sloth is actually much more realistic than it seems.

Why a Mega Sloth?

There aren’t any folk tales or old legends about giant sloths in West Virginia. However, that’s because these creatures died out some 10,000 years ago. The Fallout 76 Mega Sloth appears to be based on a species of mega-fauna called the Megalonyx Jeffersonii; otherwise known as Jefferson’s Ground Sloth. While it might seem odd for Bethesda to pick one long-extinct creature as a monster in Fallout 76, the ground sloth has a particularly link with West Virginia. In an effort to promote the earth sciences in the state, the ground sloth was designated the West Virginia state fossil in 2008; “Affording an opportunity for special studies in American, state, and natural history for the students of the state.”

The fossils were first unearthed in a limestone cave in Monroe County in 1797. From there, they were acquired by President Thomas Jefferson, in whose honor they were named in 1799. The scientific name, “Megalonyx”, means “Great Claw”; it’s obvious why. The ground sloth has huge curved claws on its forelegs. The creature was alive during the Pleistocene period, during the Ice Age. That epoch ended around 10,000 years ago, and they have been extinct ever since.

The Fallout 76 Mega Sloth

It’s unclear what the background of the Fallout 76 mega sloth is. It seems unlikely that the nuclear fallout would somehow have brought an ancient fossil back to life. It may be that it’s implied to be a mutated form of a regular tree sloth, perhaps residing originally in one of the state’s zoos. Whatever the case, these huge creatures now seem to be roaming the irradiated wilderness of West Virginia.

Just like the Megalonyx Jeffersonii, the Fallout 76 sloth features huge, curved claws. (Although the claws look even larger on the Mega Sloth!) Like the Grafton Monster, it seems likely that this monster will be a front-line bruiser; relying on its great strength and bulk to weather small arms fire and get in close against its enemies. It’s unknown thus far exactly how dangerous these creatures will be. Given its size, it could be quite a powerful enemy. While sloths are typically docile creatures, it’s possible that this mutated beast is more aggressive. (It certainly looks it.) Nonetheless it’s possible that it could feature as a large but lower-level opponent compared to something like the Grafton Monster.