Whether you're new to the game, or an expert trying to pick up some more tricks, this guide will provide you with all the assistance you could possibly need. This covers every quest in WolfQuest, from learning to hunt to reaching a rendezvous site! All along the way, this guide will offer tips and tricks to make your life easier, as well as teaching the basics. You can see a Table of Contents on the right hand side of the guide; if you're looking for something specific, use that to navigate with ease.

In WolfQuest, the very first quest that your wolf will be tasked with is learning to hunt by killing two elk. As this quest only requires you to hunt elk, this section will go into the most detail about them; however, a few pointers may be provided for other prey types as well.

Each type of prey in WolfQuest has a different food value, maximum amount of health points, and unique niches that are important to consider when choosing a battle with your wolf. The following table contains the essential information that you must know about each type of prey, and is ordered based on carcass food value.

"Young Calf/Fawn" refers to the calves that can be found, walking, in late summer, NOT newborns.



This table should help you determine what you should and should not attempt to hunt with your wolf. To give a brief summary of the conclusions that can be deducted from the graph, bison are the strongest prey items in the game. It's best not to hunt them unless you find a wounded one, but even then, they can deal upwards of 300 damage to your wolf in a single hit if you aren't careful. Moose held the title of strongest prey item before the introduction of bison to the game, and yet, they provide less food than elk unless you attempt to hunt a bull, which is rarely worth the risk.

Mule deer and elk are the best options for hunting on singleplayer, as the amount of food that can be gained from eating them is proportionate to the risk associated with hunting them. Players that put more of their physical attribute points toward speed and stamina rather than health and strength will find mule deer to be the much better option, while other players may prefer elk. In the end, it's up to personal preference- this particular quest, however, does require that you hunt elk as opposed to other ungulates.

Before you can actually get to hunting a herd of elk, you'll need to locate one. Herds can be found almost anywhere, though it is more common for them to be found on ridges and in forests during the autumn in Amethyst Mountain. The best strategy for locating a herd is either to roam around in scent view (accessed with the V key) or, if that doesn't work, sleep until you can smell elk in scent view. Elk scent spores are pink, with darker pink being the color of stronger types (bull elk, spikes, etc.) while lighter pink signifies weaker types (cow elk, calves, etc.).

Once you've located an elk herd, there are several ways that you can go about hunting them. It's ultimately up to you which elk you decide to take on, but as a lone wolf, your best options are to target either a weakened cow elk or a calf. This section will explain how to identify weak members of an elk herd, how to hunt calves, and how to hunt bull elk and spike elk if you choose to.

The average elk herd contains 1 bull elk (autumn only), and a varying number of spikes, cow elk, and calves. As spikes are very rarely hunted, they will not be covered in this guide.

Weak Elk Identification
As previously stated, a good choice of target is a weakened individual in a herd. Most herds will contain 1-2 elk who are less healthy than the others. Finding these elk may seem like pure luck to some, but in reality, there are quite a few methods that can be used to discover which elk will make for the easiest targets.

One way to find these elk is to keep your attention focused on the herd when you first approach. As you near them, it's likely that one or two individuals will be the first to flee, while the rest of the herd will then follow them. As soon as you've got the herd running, go straight for the ones that fled first. These are often among the weakest in the herd, and if you're lucky, you'll be able to take one down in no time.

Should the herd refuse to run from you, you'll need to attempt to intimidate them. Growls and other aggressive emotes (accessible using the E key) can be used to do this. If they still do not run from you, try biting an elk once or twice to show that you mean business. At this point, some should start running. A herd that takes a while to flee will likely contain stronger elk than herds that immediately run away, so even the weakest may put up a considerable fight.

Another telltale sign of a weaker elk is if an individual gradually begins to fall behind the rest of the herd. If you've been chasing the herd for a while and one elk is struggling to keep up, it may be worth biting it to see what its health is.

Hunting Strategy
When hunting elk, take into consideration your wolf's stats. If you've subtracted points from stamina and/or speed, your best bet is to try to end a confrontation as soon as possible using brute strength. To do this, you'll want to pick a target as quickly as possible - preferably one with lower health to begin with - and focus all of your attention just on dealing damage. Once an elk is below roughly 1/4 hp, it'll likely turn around and face you, giving you a chance to quickly get your stamina up and charge in for the kill.

Quicker wolves, or ones with more stamina, will find it most beneficial to chase down a herd instead of going straight in to bite. After running the herd for a while, the elk will begin to tire, allowing you easier access to whichever one you're targeting and potentially causing the elk to have lower damage outputs. Be wary of the fact that elk can deal trample damage, though, if you run into the middle of a fleeing herd.

When the elk turns around to face your wolf, it means that you've either completely tired it out, or it's weakened below 1/4 HP. If it's an elk that you haven't bitten or chased yet, that elk may just be strong and wishing to stand its ground. During this 'showdown', you need to be wary of the elk's attacks, because it will now be going on the offensive. Elk have two main attacks: a kick with their front hooves, and a kick with their back hooves (not counting the damage they deal when you're biting them). With cow elk, these attacks can deal over 50 damage depending on the difficulty, while bull elk can deal even more- so, it goes without saying that you should try to avoid them.

To bait it into missing, run quickly toward the elk and then away from it. It'll likely try to kick you, but fail, tiring itself out even more. When you can find an opening, try to charge in. Target its sides to avoid getting kicked- don't go for the throat until you've got it on the ground unless you're willing to risk taking a hit. You should also be careful of letting it kick you off, because if it does, your wolf will need a few seconds to recover during which the elk may choose to kick you. Instead, hold on for 2-3 bites (2 being less risky) and then let go and run out of range to avoid its attacks. Continue doing this until you've managed to kill it.


A herd of elk relaxing.

Calves
Elk calves behave differently from adult elk, and only appear during autumn and winter. Younger calves also appear during late summer, and newborns appear during mid-summer. This particular section, however, will only cover the older calves that can be seen during autumn/winter, since that is the season that it will be when the player is given the "Learn To Hunt" quest.

When the player is chasing a herd of elk, calves may sometimes panic and split off from the herd. In this case, its mother will follow it, but the player will be given an opportunity to hunt the calf with little risk of receiving punishing trample damage from the rest of the herd. Calves are slower than adult elk and thus easier for the player to catch up with; however, almost every calf has a mother, and you'll have to be careful of her if you wish to hunt her calf. It is recommended that, when you've bitten the calf, you turn your camera to see how close the mother is. If she's close, only bite the calf for 2-3 bites before breaking off, to avoid having a few-second-long recovery period when you cannot move your wolf. The mother will take advantage of this time to kick you, if you're unlucky.

After you've bitten the calf a few times, it's likely that they'll begin to stand their ground. At this point, your best bet is to dodge the mother, bite the calf 2-3 times, and then break off. Rinse and repeat until the calf dies. When biting the calf, make sure to bite it on the opposite side that the mother is standing on to give you a lesser chance of being kicked by her.


The player chases an elk calf.

It is not at all recommended that you attempt to hunt a bull elk during the actual "Learn To Hunt" quest, as a lone wolf has an extremely high chance of suffering extreme damage if not death when they attempt to hunt a bull. Should an opportunity present itself at a different time, however - such as when bulls are wounded from a brawl, which will occasionally occur during the autumn months - and you wish to take advantage of it, this section will teach you how.

Bull herds usually contain around 6 bull elk, and are present year-round. That said, they are more common during spring, winter, and summer. In autumn, a single bull may be observed in each regular elk herd.

Hunting Strategy
Hunting bulls, as previously stated, is a risky ordeal that requires patience and skill. Late fall through early spring are the best times to hunt bull elk, as there is a chance that they will be wounded due to the rut in autumn. The Lupine Bull Herd in particular is known to often contain wounded elk, and generally roams around the area near Crystal Pond.

Your best bet to succeed in hunting bulls is to bite one, hold on for a few bites (2 being the safest), and then release and back off. Bulls, in addition to having the kick attacks that cows have, can also 'ram' your wolf with its horns, causing large amounts of damage. Avoiding its front side is a good idea, and you should instead target its hind legs primarily. Biting only when other wolves are not also biting it may also prove beneficial, as biting while another wolf is can give you a chance of being kicked off the second you bite it, without even managing to deal damage.

Hunting bull elk in multiplayer will prove much easier (and more worth while) in multiplayer. If you're in singleplayer and come across a bull herd, you should probably move on and search for a herd that contains cows. Bull herds can sometimes be found trailing after regular herds, so it may also be worth checking the surrounding area if you locate one or the other.

Left: A bull elk during summer. Right: A bull elk during fall.

After proving your worth by hunting two elk, your wolf will be tasked with finding a mate. To locate a wolf that you may be able to court, you can howl (using the H key) and there is a chance that another wolf will howl back. Either you can try to seek out that wolf by following the sound of its howls, or you can howl and then go to sleep, leaving you a decent chance of waking up to find dispersal wolves who, like you, are in search of a mate. You can also try to find dispersal wolves by tracking them down in scent view, where their scent will appear yellow. Make sure that if you do this, though, you're following wolves of the opposite gender; dispersals who are the same gender as you may not be too happy if you manage to find them.

If you do manage to find receptive dispersal wolves, congrats! Now, you need to impress them. When they first appear, they will likely be hesitant of you. Approaching too quickly before you've earned their trust may result in them running away, so you're best off using friendly emotes (accessed with E) to assure the wolves that you aren't a threat. You'll get a pop-up once you've convinced them to get to know you better.

Once you've done that, the rest is simple! Mimic the wolves, or use other friendly emotes, to try to convince one to become your trial mate. All the while, though, you should be paying attention to the wolves' personalities, coat colors, and diversity. More details on these different factors can be found below. When you do acquire a trial mate, the next step is to continue using friendly emotes to raise your affinity (blue bar to the left of your wolf's stats, which are located in the upper left corner). It is also suggested that you hunt and fight with your trial mate to put its personality to the test, and see if it is a good fit for you. If not, you can always end the trial period by growling (G key) three times. When your affinity bar is full, you can choose whether or not you want to officially become the wolf's mate!

In Slough Creek, there are a number of emotes that you can use to instruct your mate to do certain things. Here is a brief list of them;
• Woof (While away from den) = Go back to the den
• Whine = Follow me
• Secondary Howl (While away from mate) = Come here
• Growl = Stop (Can be applied to different situations, not 100% effective)

In WolfQuest 3.0, genetics actually come into play when the game is generating your pups. Pups will take after their parents in terms of personality, coat coloration, and physical stats; the main concern with genetics, however, is the fact that the coat color of a pup's parents can actually determine how healthy that pup is, and how big a litter can be. This is due to the "K locus" that has been programmed into the game. Here's how it works.

Gray-colored wolves, in terms of genetics, may be anywhere from white to brown to gray. Black-colored wolves are any wolves that appear dark in color, and are usually quite easy to distinguish from their gray counterparts.

In the game, all adult black-colored wolves have the alleles "Kk", while all grey-colored wolves have the alleles "kk". The presence of at least one "K" allele will make a wolf appear black in color, since it is the dominant gene. However, a pup with the alleles "KK" will die either before or shortly after birth. This means that, when choosing your mate, you should keep in mind what their coat color is and what kind of litter you want to have. The following list explains what pairings will most likely result in what.

• Gray x Gray = Varying litter size (depending on diversity); lower resistance to disease
• Gray x Black = Large litters; slightly increased resistance to disease
• Black x Black = Small litters; highest resistance to disease

The player can see what color their wolf is, genetically, by going to the coat selection part of the character creation screen and looking in the bottom-right corner. Currently, there is no way to know what color your mate is, genetically, aside from making an educated guess based on how the mate appears.



The punnett square on the left shows the theoretical results of a black wolf mating with a grey wolf. The image on the right shows that this holds true in-game; a black wolf and a grey wolf have 3 black pups and 3 grey pups.

Each wolf has its own personality, and dispersal wolves are no exception. It is very important that you find a mate that is compatible with your playstyle, or else the quality of your playthrough will be lower than if you'd taken the time to find a wolf whose personality really suits your needs. Every wolf's personality is expressed on all three of the following scales: cautious to bold, social to loner, and lazy to energetic. Below, you can see a list that explains what different personality traits entail.

A (+) next to a bullet point means it's a pro, (-) means it's a con, and a (!) means that it's a way that you can tell a wolf has the personality trait.

Cautious
• Reduced odds of being wounded or killed during combat. (+)
• More vigilant, and anxious when danger is nearby (+) (!)
• Deals less damage during hunts and fights (-)
• More hesitant to get involved in conflict (-) (!)
• Less likely to assist the player in hunts or fights (-) (!)
• Take less time to back out of conflict (!)

Bold
• Deals more damage in both hunts and fights (+)
• Willing to engage in fights with threats (+) (!)
• More likely to get killed or wounded during fights (-)
• More likely to continue fighting even when wounded (!)
• Less frightened of predators (grizzly bears, cougars, etc.) (!)

Loner
• Will proactively hunt/scavenge for itself when hungry (+)
• Prefers to stay at the den when the player leaves (+) (!)
• Rarely initiates affinity-boosting actions (play bows, rolling, etc.) (-) (!)
• May keep its distance from others during courtship (!)
• Less active with friendly gestures during courtship (!)

Social
• Prefers to follow the player instead of staying at the den (+)
• Often initiates affinity-boosting actions (play bows, rolling, etc.) (+) (!)
• Does not proactively hunt/scavenge for itself when hungry (-)
• More active with friendly gestures during courtship (!)

Lazy
• Less likely to carry pups that stray from the den (-)
• Less likely to find missing pups (-)
• Less likely to feed hungry pups (-)
• Spends more time sleeping/resting (-) (!)
• May participate less in hunts (-) (!)

Energetic
• More likely to carry pups that stray from the den (+)
• More likely to find missing pups (+)
• More likely to feed hungry pups (+)
• Frequently consumes food to maintain its own health (-)
• Always active, rarely sits/sleeps (!)

While you're attempting to court dispersal wolves, you may notice that each of them has a different number of stars underneath their name. These stars indicate diversity, or how closely related a wolf is to yours. The less stars a wolf has, the more closely related to you it is, and the smaller your litters will be. Two achievements are also based on the diversity of the player's mate: "You have chosen... Wisely" for mating with a 4-star diversity wolf, and "You have chosen... Poorly" for mating with a 1-star diversity wolf. It is also possibly to mate with a 0-star diversity wolf, but it is extremely rare to find one.

As previously stated, the average size of a player's litter is affected by the diversity of the player's mate. The following is a rough estimate of how many pups are possible depending on the mate's diversity level;

• 4 stars = 5 to 7 pups
• 3 stars = 3 to 7 pups
• 2 stars = 3 to 5 pups
• 1 star = 1 to 3 pups
• 0 stars = 1 to 3 pups

If the player is genetically black-coated, it will be possible to meet 0- to 2-star diversity black wolves and 3- to 4-star diversity grey wolves. If the player is genetically grey-coated, it will be possible to meet 2- to 3-star diversity grey wolves and 3- to 4-star diversity black wolves. Currently, the only 0-star diversity wolf that has been found is Lamar Canyon 2M.



Left: A 4-star diversity wolf. Right: A 0-star diversity wolf.

Now that you've found a suitable mate for your wolf, it's time for you to make the journey to Slough Creek, where you will be instructed to claim at least 15 hexes of territory. Although 15 hexes is technically the lowest required amount, however, it has been confirmed that a "2 hex buffer" around the hex that contains your den is the most efficient at keeping stranger wolves out, while still not requiring an absurd amount of time to attain. What, exactly, does this mean? It means that two hexes worth of territory should be claimed on all sides of the hex that your den is in- and to ensure that you claim the proper amount of territory, it is recommended that you decide on a den before completely marking your territory. A map of the dens can be found in the "Find A Den" section of this guide.

Pressing "P" to pee twice in a hex will set up a 'scent post', which you are theoretically supposed to travel to and pee on every time you wish to mark that hex. A much more effective method of marking, however, is to just remake each scent post every time you remark a hex. You can only remark a hex every 4 in-game hours, though, which means that the first time you mark a hex you'll only be able to get it up to around 50-60%. To get it up to 100%, you'll need to come back to that hex at least 15-20 minutes later and remark it (unless you sleep, in which case this time will be reduced significantly).

The player is capable of taking over hexes from other packs, however, this requires you to travel to the predetermined scent post in the hex and pee on it once. Even that won't do the trick, at times, so you may need to pee or howl a few more times to actually take over the hex. During this time, you will be vulnerable to attacks from the pack you're attempting to usurp.

If you're playing in the challenging or accurate difficulty levels, it is recommended that you do not sleep or eat when marking your territory. The reason for this is because hunger and wakefulness simply does not decay fast enough to end up being a serious problem, and when you choose your den and the pups are born, both bars will automatically be restored to a good level. In addition, sleeping during the "Establish Territory" quest will result in many of your hexes having deteriorated overnight, forcing you to go and re-mark them before you can move on. Eating will also deplete your stamina to a certain degree.


An example of a territory with a 2-hex buffer around the den (the den being located in the central hex)

Territories that contain less deep water, as well as dens that are not too close to deep water, are recommended due to the fact that you cannot kill prey in the water and carrying carcasses through water will cause the player to drop them and be unable to pick them back up.

Although this quest only comes after the “Establish Territory” quest, the player must know how to locate dens in order to complete the previous quest, since you must locate at least 4 in order to finish it. This section will explain how the player can go about finding these dens, as well as providing a map of all dens in Slough Creek.

To start, there are several different kinds of dens that may be better suited for one playstyle or another. Each den can be either wooded or open, which has a significant impact on gameplay, as well as either a rock den, tree den, or burrow den, which does not. The only difference between rock, tree, and burrow dens are their appearances, while wooded and open dens have different predators that may attack your pups.

Wooded dens, though they are well-protected from eagle attacks due to the amount of trees surrounding them, have more places for cougars to hide and attack your pups. Open dens are the opposite; with a lack of trees, it is easy for eagles to target your pups, but there are less places for cougars to hide. This means that eagles rarely to never attack wooded dens, while cougars are almost never seen attacking open ones.

Below is a map of every available den in Slough Creek.



Key: "B" is a burrow den, "C" is a cave/rock den, "T" is a tree den. Dens with a star next to them have been recreated from WolfQuest classic.

It is recommended that dens near deep water are avoided, due to the fact that living in one will make later gameplay much more inconvenient. The player cannot carry carcasses through deep water, and attempting to do so will cause the carcass to be dropped in the water and impossible to retrieve. Prey items also cannot be killed while in the water.

If you wish to find a den naturally, or if you’re having trouble locating one of the dens on the map, it is recommended that you roam around the general area of the den that you’re looking for. When you’re somewhat close, an icon will appear on the left side of the screen, which indicates how close you are to a den. The darker this icon appears, the closer you are. At this point, you may also be able to smell the den in scent view. Following the scent will lead you to it.



The different stages of how close a player is to the den. The lightest icon (left) appears when the den is relatively far away, while the darkest icon (right) is visible when the player is very close to a den.


An example of what den scent spores will look like in scent view, without the Good Memory perk.

There are a number of reasons why a player may need to relocate their pack to a new den. Fleas are a persistent issue for wolves that may cause moving dens to be necessary, and they will worsen continually until the flea load in the den eventually reaches 100%, forcing the player to move. The more time the pups spend in the den, the faster the flea load will increase. Although the player technically does not have to move dens until the flea load reaches 100%, it is recommended that you move once it’s around 50-60%. This is due to the fact that as the fleas get worse, the player’s wolf will randomly stop and play a scratching animation during which the player cannot move more and more often.

Following heavy rainfall, there’s a slight chance that the player’s den may be flooded. If this happens, the pups will refuse to enter the den, and the pack will suddenly be forced to relocate. Each player may have different reasons for moving dens, but regardless, you will likely have to do so at some point during your playthrough.

When you do need to move dens, moving to one that is the close to your current den is recommended to prevent you from needing to mark a lot more territory- or, if you prefer not to mark very much territory in the first place, then it’s really up to personal preference how far you’d like to travel to get to another den. Once the player has moved out of one den, though, it is impossible to go back to. A different den must be chosen to settle down in.

During the journey, woof (accessed via the E key) to send your pups into nearby tall grass if you need to hunt, fight predators, or have some other reason to send them into hiding. It is still possible for predators to spawn to attack traveling pups, but the pups will also be in danger if you lead them into a naturally spawned predator, which may choose to attack them. Oddly enough, grizzly bears do not spawn to attack traveling pups.


An example of a den that has been flooded.

Raising your pups is the main quest in Slough Creek. For the rest of your playthrough, you will be responsible for feeding and protecting them. The following is a very brief list of the commands that can be used to control your pups;

• Woof = Go into the den/tall grass
• Squeak = Come out of the den/tall grass

These are currently the only ways that the player can control their pups, outside of picking them up and carrying them. Each pup is generated based on their parents’ genetics; coat color, personalities, and physical attributes are all influenced by this. There are also a few coat colors that can only be unlocked via breeding, and are not available in the character creation menu.

To see your pups up close, press shift+F to cycle through them! This does not give you control over your pups, however, and should be used carefully in case a predator attacks while you're viewing one of your pups. The player cannot move while using the 'puppy camera'.

When your pups are born, it’s your wolf’s birthday, too! To replace the XP system that is featured in WolfQuest 2.7 and previous versions, WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition allows the player to select three age perks when their wolf ages up. Each age perk falls into one of the following categories: physical attribute perks, clout perks, and wisdom perks. Physical perks can improve your wolf’s physical attributes by +1. Clout perks generally provide varying helpful bonuses that involve the influence that your wolf has, be it over competitors, pups, or other wolves. Lastly, wisdom perks unlock as your wolf ages, and - though they are not very helpful in terms of physical strength or vigor - are related to the knowledge that your wolf has gained over the years.

Each time your wolf has pups, you will be given the option of whether or not you would like your wolf to advance in age. If you do, you’ll have the new age perks that you’ve selected for the coming year in-game. After a wolf reaches Age 8, it will become an elder wolf. Elder wolves are automatically switched to ironwolf mode, meaning that your next death is your last. Even if you manage to evade death by natural causes, however, your life will eventually come to an end one way or another. In addition, elder wolves have one point subtracted from all physical attributes.

The following is a chart that shows the different age perks that are available year by year:



Key: Red = Physical Attribute Perk, Blue = Clout Perk, Green = Wisdom Perk

As a parent, it is your job to protect your pups from the various predators that may attack them throughout their lives. To a new player, though - or even a long-time player who has never quite mastered the art of fending off predators - this task may seem particularly daunting. This section will provide useful tips and tricks for each type of predator attack.

Stranger Wolves
Stranger wolves view the player's pups as competition- and, as such, they will occasionally attempt to attack your den and kill them. Unlike most other predators, an easy way to avoid having to deal with stranger wolves very often is to keep your territory large and well-marked. Doing this will reduce the frequency of stranger wolves attacking, however, there is no way to completely stop them.

When a group of wolves does attempt to attack your den, "woof" your pups into the den. From there, the best strategy for fending them off depends on your mate's personality. If your mate is bold and has a tendency to deal a good amount of damage in fights, the best thing you can do is to immediately charge the stranger wolves as soon as they appear. Start holding down the spacebar a little bit before you reach them in order to ensure that they do not bite you instead of the other way around, and continue doing this until they flee. When they break off to circle around you, take the opportunity to get your stamina back up so that you can attack again.

If your mate is lazy or very cautious and you're afraid that they will not defend the pups if you go on the offensive, stay near your pups and spam aggressive emotes at the intruders. When they run in to attack, run forward and bite them before they can reach you. The key here is to keep a close eye on your pups and not to let any wolf get close to them, since stranger wolves can kill a pup very quickly and easily if they get close enough.

Image shows the icon that will appear below the compass when a stranger wolf attacks.

Golden Eagles
Unlike all other predators in the game, golden eagles do not need to be attacked or even growled at in order to make them give up. The key to chasing them off is, instead, to simply be close enough to scare them off when they dive down and attempt to take a pup. Once you get the hang of it, they are very easy to deal with; until then, though, they pose a major threat to your pups. To drastically reduce the number of eagles that attack your pups, choose to make your home in a wooded den. This will have the tradeoff of increasing the number of cougar attacks your pack suffers, however, so choose wisely.

The best way to deal with a golden eagle attack is to immediately 'woof' your pups into the den, and then enter headcam mode by pressing "T". This will allow you to look up and locate the eagle that is targeting your pups. Instead of following your pups around, find the eagle in the sky and follow directly below it until it starts to dive. When it does dive toward you, stand still roughly in the place where you think it is aiming. If you're close enough, it will fly away without managing to grab a pup.

Image shows the icon that appears below the compass when a golden eagle attacks.

Cougars
Cougars are ambush predators, meaning that they will lie patiently in wait before actually attempting to attack the player's pups. Like grizzlies, cougars hunt wolf pups with the intention of eating them, so they will not immediately kill a player's pup; instead, they will pick it up and attempt to run away with it. This gives the player time to attack the cougar and make it drop the pup, but be warned that the grabbed pup will lose health steadily for as long as the cougar is holding it, meaning it will die eventually if the player fails to save it in time. Choosing an open den severely reduces the number of cougar attacks on the player's den, but this has the side effect of increasing the number of golden eagle attacks.

Should a cougar attack, the player should immediately "woof" their pups into the den before looking around for the cougar. If it is spotted, charging at it while growling will almost always cause it to flee. The player should be careful not to stray too far from the den, however, as the cougar will attack as soon as it sees a pup that is out of reach of its parents. If it does manage to pick up a pup, a single bite will cause it to drop it, but it may attempt to grab it again.

Biting the cougar and quickly letting go before damage is dealt will increase the cougar's flight meter without causing damage to the player. The player should be wary of the cougar's front end, as a blow from its paws can cause severe damage.

Image shows the icon that appears below the compass when a cougar attacks.

Grizzly Bears
Grizzly bears are the strongest predators in the game, capable of dealing over 300 damage in a single hit to an unfortunate wolf. As such, caution must be taken when one is attacking the player's den. There is no way to negate the number of grizzly attacks that occur, except for travelling; grizzlies do not spawn to attack pups while a player is travelling to a rendezvous site or a new den, but if the player runs into a grizzly on their travels, it may still attack.

Of course, the first thing that should always be done when a grizzly attacks is to "woof" your pups into the den. If all of the pups are inside of the den when the bear attacks, it will not attempt to dig them out or force entry; instead, it will wait for a little bit before eventually getting bored and wandering off. Should a player's pups not manage to make it to the den in time, the best course of action is for the player to bite its hind legs and quickly let go before any damage can be dealt to either party, as this will increase the bear's flight meter without the player sustaining damage.

Like cougars, grizzly bears attack wolf dens in order to eat the pups. This means that bears will grab a pup and attempt to run away with it instead of instantly killing it, but damage will be dealt to the pup for as long as it is being held by the bear and it will eventually die if the player fails to save it in time. Biting the bear once will cause it to drop the pup. A grizzly's front end should be avoided, since it can attack and deal extreme damage with its teeth and front paws.

Image shows the icon that appears below the compass when a grizzly bear attacks.

Coyotes
Last but not least, coyotes. These small canines attack wolf dens to reduce the amount of competition they have, meaning that they will kill wolf pups instantly instead of trying to carry them away to eat. As weak as they may be, they are dangerous and cunning in packs, and it is impossible to reduce the number of coyote attacks sustained by a player.

When a coyote pack attacks, the player - as always - should "woof" their pups into the den. Once the coyotes get close, charging at them while growling will usually be enough to scare them off; however, caution should be taken to ensure that the rest of the coyote's pack does not take the opportunity to attack the pups while the adults aren't paying attention. Wolves can deal much more damage than coyotes, so as long as the player stays close to the pups and is careful not to let the coyotes near them, it should be relatively easy to chase them off. A lone wolf without a mate may have more difficulty intimidating coyotes.

Image shows the icon that appears below the compass when a coyote attacks.

During your playthrough, there is a random chance that pups may become sick or lost. This section will cover the details of how to give your pups the best possible chance of survival should these events occur.

Sick Pups
Occassionally, a pup may become sick. While it is sick, its health will gradually drain until it either dies or recovers. Sick pups also travel noticeably slower than their healthy littermates, and may spend more time laying down. There are a few things that a player can do to increase the odds of a sick pup's survival, though it is, unfortunately, mostly governed by chance. To reduce the chances of a pup falling sick in the first place, refer to the "Genetics" section of this guide.

Once a pup has fallen ill, the player can spend time with it to increase the chances of it surviving the sickness. If the player is close enough to be considered by the game to be 'spending time' with a sick pup, the pup's paw print icon (visible in the top left corner) will have a yellow glow around it. The recommended time for a player to spend with a pup is 10-15 minutes, however, spending more time (20-30 minutes) will increase the pup's chances of survival even further. Playing on Easy mode will guarantee that a pup's health cannot drop below 10%, and they will always recover. The same cannot be said for Challenging and Accurate gamemodes.

Lost Pups
It is also possible for pups to wander too far away from the den and become lost. The nametags of lost pups will not appear, thus forcing the player to track them down via scent view. An easy way to keep pups from becoming lost in the first place is to simply pick them up and carry them back to the den when they begin to stray a bit too far, and to ensure that you always make them go into the den before leaving them alone. If pack affinity drops too low, pups may go missing while their parents are away from the den.

If a pup does go missing, the best course of action is to enter scent view and search for the paw prints of the missing pup. Then, follow its trail until you find it, at which point you should pick it up and carry it back to the den before it becomes lost again. If a pup is gone for too long, it will eventually die one way or another and never return.

It is possible for a player's mate to find lost pups, but the chance that they do is determined by their personality. If a pup's scent trail is particularly confusing or difficult to follow, sending the rest of the pups into the den and howling may cause the lost pup to howl back. This will allow the player to follow its howl.


The notice that appears when a player's mate finds a lost pup.

This section combines the "Journey to a Summer Home" and "Loaf at Rendezvous Site" quests. Once all of the player's pups have reached 15 lbs, the player must make the journey to a rendezvous site that they will spend the rest of the game living in. While living in a rendezvous site, fleas are not present to affect the blue arrow that indicates how low pack affinity has to be in order for the pups to wander out of hiding, but the blue arrow will remain at a consistent height that is relatively high due to the pups' curiosity about the world around them.

Below is a map of all rendezvous sites that may be claimed by a pack in WolfQuest.



In order to complete the game, the player must eventually settle at a rendezvous site. The site that is located just south of Little Butte is also present in WolfQuest 2.7, similarly to the Saddle Meadows, Bison Peak, and Aspen Heights dens.

In early summer, ungulates such as mule deer, moose, and elk will give birth to calves. While their offspring are newborns, elk and mule deer will splinter away from their herds and can be found idly standing around Slough Creek. When a mother cow elk or mule deer is standing alone and does not flee when the player approaches, the player can safely assume that a newborn calf has been hidden in the nearby tall grass. Killing one will mean a perfect portable meal for your pups - if you're able to kill it before the angry mother attacks.

There are several strategies that a player can use to make the most of a mother and baby herd, but the first step to all of them is locating the place where the newborn calf is hiding. Newborns do not emit scent, so the player must simply run through each patch of tall grass in the vicinity of the mother until a calf is found. If you do not want to hunt the mother as well, then simply press and hold spacebar when you find the calf to kill it. It is recommended that you then move out of the way, as the calf's mother may attempt to attack you even after the calf is dead.

Another option, however, is to leave the calf alive and stand next to it, causing the mother to run over and protect it. A mother ungulate will immediately enter a showdown with you if it reaches the calf in time, and will not flee until its health drops so low that it'll be easy to catch. This allows the player to easily hunt the mother with little concern about it escaping, and to still obtain a calf carcass to bring back to the pups. However, if the player chases the mother too far away, the newborn calf may despawn. This strategy is especially useful for wolves whose attributes favor health and strength over stamina and speed.


Left: A player with the carcass of a newborn elk. Right: An example of tall grass in which the player can find newborns, & the icon that will appear when one is found.

Moose, too, give birth in the early summer. Unlike mule deer and elk, though, they do not stash their calves in tall grass. Instead, the newborn calves will follow around their mother, presenting a difficult challenge for any player wishing to hunt them. The best strategy for hunting a moose calf is to avoid the mother's kicks at all costs, and to only bite the side of the calf that is facing away from the mother. Once the mother approaches, let go and back off to avoid sustaining major damage.


A mother moose and her newborn calf.

Note that if the player attempts to swim through deep water while carrying a newborn ungulate's carcass, it will be forced to drop it and the carcass will be impossible to retrieve.

If you've made it this far, thank you for reading! With luck, you will have now been taught anything and everything that you were hoping to learn. This guide took a very long time to write and polish, so a positive review, rating, or comment would be greatly appreciated.

I've also made another guide that includes several random generators, made by yours truly. You can check it out here:
https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2796791116

• Credit to the WolfQuest Wiki for some images
• Information learned through the WolfQuest Wiki, devblogs, and personal experience
• All content written by Purplepaw
• Icon art drawn by Purplepaw
• All charts/graphs created by Purplepaw