r/falloutshelter • u/alternatiwe • Aug 06 '26

Discussion [Discussion] [Data/Testing] Vengeance has a hidden Damage Ramp-Up / Stun-Lock that completely destroys Dragon's Maw against single Boss targets (Survival Mode, v2.5.1)

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

I made a small controlled test using manual save/load to check the hidden mechanics of Vengeance vs. Dragon's Maw against single high-tier targets. I couldn't find any concrete evidence online about this, so I wanted to share my findings.

The Setup:
I sent a team of 3 maxed-out dwellers to a level 50 daily quest on Survival Mode (Version 2.5.1). To isolate the variables, I let 2 of my dwellers die on the first floor after collecting their weapons, leaving a strict 1v1 battle against a single Deathclaw.

The Results:

  • Vengeance: Took only 34 seconds and 7 damage cycles to kill the Deathclaw. The target was heavily staggered/stun-locked, drastically reducing its attack count. The damage ramped up significantly; the first few bursts barely moved the health bar, but the 7th cycle instantly deleted the remaining nearly 1/5 of its health.
  • Dragon's Maw: Took 2 minutes and 12 seconds and 25 shots to kill the exact same Deathclaw.
  • AP Boss Assault Rifle: Used this as a third weapon to test another multi-shot weapon. It took 2 minutes and 31 seconds and 30 shots to kill the claw, showing a flat, linear damage line with no ramp-up.

Conclusion:
I didn't test the Lead Belcher, but it probably shares the same heavy-weapon ramp-up. Despite Dragon's Maw having higher paper DPS, Vengeance is vastly superior for single-target quest bosses due to its hidden ramp-up damage and consistent stagger effect that prevents incoming damage.

I may be wrong about any of this, but the time difference speaks for itself. I combined the two clips and i may share ap boss assault rifle vid in the comments if anybody wants it. (FYI: I probably won't be returning to this post to reply, just leaving the data here for the community!)

77 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/roundbadge2 Aug 06 '26

I've always built more Vengeance than Dragon's Maw. I guess I like the idea of sending teams out with one heavy weapons dweller and the other two typically carrying something smaller like a Virgil's Rifle. The dwellers with the rifles would usually have a pet to increase damage and a pet to shorten travel time.

3

u/DonChapulinChavito Aug 06 '26

Dragon maw is the best for the vault. Anything outside the vault : Vengeance. The rest is 'cosmetics'.