Do you love your pixelated fur children and wish for more quality time with them? Do you hate dividing your time between maintaining a massive territory and going on long, tedious hunts? Are you fond of long walks and sleeping in bushes? If so, grab the kids, pack the car and don’t look back. I’ve got a new way for you to experience the Slough Creek missions that is sure to entertain you for two hours and/or change your life. Introducing… The Longest Journey.

The Longest Journey is a playstyle for the Slough Creek missions that involves constantly moving from place to place with pups in tow, with the aim of traveling from one end of the map to the other. It is a lifestyle of constantly conquering new territory and letting your old hexes wither away. Think of it as a cross-country roadtrip, without the sketchy gas station bathrooms.

If fun is not a sufficient incentive for you, there are plenty of other advantages to constantly being on the move. Since you’re maintaining the smallest possible amount of territory hexes, you don’t have to spend an entire in-game day traveling from one end of your territory to another. Since you can travel with your prey and you’re regularly stumbling across carcasses anyway, you don’t have to spend hours searching out one elusive herd. Since the bulk of your time is spent with your pups anyway, a sick pup doesn’t require you to stay at your den while your territory goes undefended and your pups go hungry. Lastly, if you’re vain (guilty), gorgeous screenshot opportunities abound.

First, I would recommend you select a mate that sticks close to you (there will be little opportunity to be separated from your mate) that is genetically predisposed to have smaller litters with your wolf. Long journeys are difficult with seven pups.

During the territory mission, pick a starting point, an endpoint and a vague route to get there. You might want to go from one corner of the map to the other, or if you’re ambitious try to travel in a wide loop across the entire map (this will take you into the Endless Summer mission). The den you select will be your starting point and the hexes you mark will be the first part of your route, so mark the longest territory you can. If you plan on going from den to den, it’s helpful to either find as many as possible beforehand or consult a den map like the ones you can find on the Wolfquest Wiki.

When your pups are born, scout out your next den and grab enough food to fill them up. As soon as they’re fed and well-rested, you’re off. Every moment counts if you’re trying to get to your destination before the Slough Creek missions are done. The choice is yours if you prefer to travel from den to den or exclusively sleep under the stars.

You can almost get by solely on hares and stray carcasses, but at times it will be necessary to hunt. Since you won’t stay in one place for very long, anything bigger than a mule deer is too much food and effort. When summer comes, you will stumble across more fawns and calves than you’ll know what to do with. I’ve generally found that prey is more plentiful in open areas, rather than in dense woodland.

You’ll almost certainly have to claim territory as you go. The best way to do this is by leaving your pups in a bush or den and knocking out what you need a hex or two at a time. Avoid fights at all costs; they’re too costly on the road.

Of course, the logistics aren’t what makes this playstyle special. In some ways, it’s easier than staying in one place. Take the opportunity to explore every nook and cranny of the map, find your all-time favorite den, and take scenic screenshots. At its heart, it’s a more laid-back way to play Wolfquest without constantly juggling elk hunts and chasing away strangers.

Unless laid-back isn’t what you’re looking for at all.

If you don’t want a laid-back playstyle, there’s tons of ways to spice things up.
- Mark all but one of your hexes in a random part of the map you don't plan on going to, just to complete the requirements of the territory mission. Your final hex will be the only hex you actually use, so you should let it be at your starting den. In order to make any progress you’ll have to continuously mark new hexes or travel through stranger territory.
- When hunting, don’t go back to hexes you’ve already passed through
- Travel with seven pups on a high difficulty
- Cross as little land as possible; swim your route exclusively in creeks and rivers.
- Choose to only eat a specific kind of prey, or only carcasses.
- Only claim territory if you’ve fought with the pack and won
- Travel with no mate. If you’re feeling morally dubious, pick up new mates and off them as you go with the help of a few bison.
- Find every human impact spot on the map
- Stay in every den or rendezvous site on the map
- Pick one type of den (burrow, tree, cave) and only stay in that one type
- Stay in no dens or rendezvous sites
- Never send your pups into tall grass for any reason (and somehow still keep them alive)
- For peak chaos, travel exclusively through stranger wolf territory. It's pure madness. Enjoy.

So, will you do it? If so, comment on this guide and tell me how it goes. I’d especially love to see screenshots and videos of your adventures. Any suggestions for tips or challenges? I’d love to hear!