Radroaches are creatures descended from cockroaches that live in the Commonwealth in 2287. They are the first encountered, and least harmful, enemies in the game.
These mutated Great American cockroaches, colloquially called "radroaches" or simply "giant cockroaches," are enlarged versions of the pre-War species that have increased in size, presumably due to atomic fallout caused by the Great War.
Characteristics
Biology
The radroach has evolved, for now it can use wings to leap off and attack its enemies. The radroach has also become much bigger than its traditional decendants. However, it is still weak to most physical attacks. They also have a limited ability to climb walls.
Gameplay attributes
Unlike in the previous games, the player character suffers from slight radiation damage when hit by a radroach.
Radroaches can sometimes be found infesting seemingly empty rooms, hiding in and behind desks or other furniture as well as on walls or ceilings. They will emerge and attack when the player character enters close proximity. Sometimes glowing radroaches are stuck under the flooring usually characterized by a green glow on the floor seemingly from nothing. The radroach can be dislodged if the player character uses a melee attack on the glowing part of the ground.
Radroaches come in many different physical sizes, large and small, but this does not seem to relate in any way to their toughness -- one will encounter small tough radroaches and large weak radroaches, and vice versa. Radroaches are also sometimes found to have considerable extra health compared to other radroaches of the same level, even at level 1; when it happens, this extra health does not seem to correlate in any way to their physical size, appearance or the resistances displayed in V.A.T.S.
Variants
Radroach
The basic variant of the radroach is the weakest one and are most often encountered at lower levels.
Similar to glowing ones, glowing radroaches have a distinctive glow, even after death, and inflict more radiation damage than their basic variant. They are often encountered among regular radroaches and are generally larger, but do generally not pose much more of a threat and can easily be disposed of.
The legendary radroach is the highest leveled of all the variants. Like its predecessors; it can usually be easily disposed of. Often accompanied by smaller roaches; They can be a tough enemy in survival mode.
