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For other uses, see Livestock ranch.

The Cattle ranch is a fictional location encountered across all revisions of WolfQuest with differing implementations. Like the name implies, it is populated by a herd of domesticated cattle.

For the walkthrough, see Cattle ranch/Guide#Anniversary Edition.

In WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition, the cattle ranch is a vastly improved reincarnation of the instanced zone from its predecessors. It returned as of update 1.0.9 albeit locked behind paid add-on content. Under the cover of night, the player-wolf may visit this location for an opportunity to sneak around. If they are capable of killing its hardy prey, the resulting carcass is an uncontested meal safe from all competitors and scavengers. However, this activity is not without risk; ranchers may resort to extreme measures to thwart clever wolves if they detect or suspect the presence of unwanted predators visiting their land to prey on their livestock.

The ranch itself is at last contiguous with the rest of the game map. It is no longer a separate instanced location with a single static entry and exit portal, instead being approachable from virtually any direction within the game's normal boundaries. This change opens it up to both single-player and multiplayer. New to this edition is a perceived progressive level of difficulty: the more cows or calves killed, the more cunning and determined the ranchers' approach will become in their fight to protect their remaining livestock and thwart against intruding predators.

Culling livestock naturally attracts unwanted attention. A single successful kill each night will gradually increase the difficulty with each return, steadily leading up to the later nights growing progressively more dangerous through continued visits. The exact system at play is not fully understood; it may be scripted or else is based on a mixed bag of luck and randomisation.[1] The first few night-time visits always guarantee a low level of risk. Later nights almost always end up being highly dangerous, bordering on impossible.

Being far outside of any protective range for wolves, there will be some risk to the player-wolf should they decide to try their luck hunting livestock instead of abundant wild prey. Players should be aware that the consequences can prove harmful if they are lucky enough to make a narrow escape or fatal if they overstay their welcome. We advise to proceed with caution if you are new to this activity.

For the walkthrough, see Cattle ranch/Guide#Classic.

In WolfQuest: Classic, the cattle ranch is an instanced location set outside of the boundaries of its normal game map, somewhere beyond the park's protection. It provides an alternative, easily sustainable source of prey other than moose, elk, and hares for the player-wolf to hunt, giving themselves and their growing pups a stable supply of food. True to its namesake, it is occupied by a herd of domestic cattle and one (1) calf.

In-game, it is a purely fictitious location.

For the walkthrough, see Cattle ranch/Guide#Legacy.

In Legacy versions of WolfQuest, the Cattle Ranch is an instanced zone which provides an alternative, easily sustainable source of prey other than elk and hares for the player and their growing pups. Here, the player will find a herd of domestic cattle and one (1) calf.

In-game, it is a purely fictitious location set outside of the normal game world.


Locations

Lost River

In the Anniversary Edition, there are two Lost River maps.


Lost River (Anniversary Edition)

In the modern Lost River game map, there is only one (1) cattle ranch. It can be found in the lower-right area of the world map in the south-easterly region of the in-game map where it is marked with a visible word label of its own. The hexes in its immediate vicinity are dark gray in color to represent that they cannot be claimed nor disputed and are deemed "human territory". They lack scent posts.

Named Crooked Creek Ranch, Lost River's cattle ranch comprises of a huge plot of land. When entering the area, the first barricade and main perimeter marker the player-wolf will encounter is a tall barbed-wire fence secured by wooden posts driven deep into the earth — this serves as the first line of defense to ward-off any would-be trespassers or predatory animals. Beyond the barbed-wire fence lies a vast outer grazing pasture exposed to the elements with lush feeding grasses fit for consumption year-round that appear especially ripe during the spring and summer rolling across forested hilly terrain with varying degrees of steepness and swathes of clear, flat land. In the depths of its territorial hexes, a homestead complete with garage, house, and barn has been built; surrounding them on all sides is an unpainted wooden fence with openings secured by closed metal gates. The area beyond the wooden fence is inaccessible to the player-wolf and completely impenetrable in the latest releases of the game — it is utilised as a temporary safe inner paddock. An old road cuts through the eastern portion of the ranch and goes out-of-bounds further up the map. It splits off to form a connection to the garage through the second gate.

An ornery family of ranchers who have ignored the evacuation order to remain behind are the occupants to the homestead. They are responsible for maintaining their land and continuing to fulfil their role as working ranchers guarding, upkeeping and rearing their herd of domesticated cattle.[2]

There are 3 achievements associated with this specific location.


Lost River (Classic)

In the classic Lost River game map, there were no ranches in its original predecessor. No new ranches were ever implemented nor appear in its ported counterpart.

In Classic, the original Lost River game map does not have any ranches.

In Legacy versions, Lost River does not exist.


Slough Creek

In the Anniversary Edition, the ranch on the outskirts of the classic Slough Creek game map was fictitious. While initially added as an activity to have an alternative hunting ground, loboLoco went on to acknowledge that there are no ranches anywhere near its portal's original location. Because it was by no means realistic in the Yellowstone setting and in order to maintain accuracy, it did not return when the map underwent a complete redesign using geographical data. Today, its general position is believed to have been taken up by McBride Lake.

In Classic, the ranch takes place in an instanced location set somewhere along the outskirts of Slough Creek. Its access point exists along east edge of the world and in-game maps, on the north side of the titular creek, indicated on the compass with a white Wqcl-ranch icon64 barbed-wire fence icon.

Because it is set outside of the park's protective range, it is protected by a rancher and their guard dog. These factors make it a dangerous area for predators. Going there even under the cover of night presents some risk to the player-wolf.

In Legacy versions, the ranch takes place in an instanced location set somewhere along the outskirts of Slough Creek. Its access point exists along east edge of the world and in-game maps, on the north side of the titular creek, indicated on the compass with a white Wqcl-ranch icon64 barbed-wire fence icon.

Because it is set outside of the park's protective range, it is protected by a rancher and their guard dog. These factors make it a dangerous area for predators. Going there even under the cover of night presents some risk to the player-wolf.


Requirements

In the Anniversary Edition, the ranch has no prerequisites. It can be entered anytime — as early as from the beginning of the game, while solitary, with a mate only, while raising pups or having left pups at the active home site, or as late as the end of the game. Furthermore, the player-wolf may visit during any season whether on their own or together with other packmates. The only imposed limitation is that it can only be accessed after sun sets at dusk, lasting through the night until early dawn. If the player-wolf makes any attempt to enter during the day, a notification warning them of the danger will appear and the player-wolf will be forcibly turned away.

For Lost River, the only requirement on the player's part is to own the paid add-on content to unlock the full map. It is inaccessible in the free preview map, being very far outside of the allowed play area.

To make the trip worthwhile, it is advisable to live somewhere nearby — whether at a den, rendezvous or as a nomadic pack does not matter.

In Classic, the ranch is only accessible after the pups have been born. It cannot be visited before reaching this milestone. The player-wolf may choose to visit the ranch at any time of day thereafter, no matter which den site was chosen. However, taking into account the distance to get to and from the ranch, the player will benefit by settling at the Aspen Heights, Bison Peak Cutoff, or the unlockable East Creek sites due to their close proximity to the ranch entrance zone.

Settling at Saddle Meadows will require a longer journey there and back, but the odds of the pups succumbing to starvation are low if they are fed before departing and that they do not dawdle on the way back.

The ranch will remain open until the player chooses to start their pack's Final Journey. When this mission is marked as active, the ranch portal will close.

In Legacy versions, this area is only accessible during the single-player campaign. The earliest possible time that it can be visited is from the start of the third mission, while the latest is before starting the sixth and final mission.

After the pups have been born, the player may choose to visit the ranch at any time of day, no matter which den site was chosen. However, taking into account the distance to get to and from the ranch, the player will benefit by settling at the Aspen Heights, Bison Peak Cutoff, or the unlockable East Creek sites due to their close proximity to the ranch entrance zone.

Settling at Saddle Meadows makes it the longest journey to the ranch and back to the den site, but the odds of the pups starving are low if they are fed before departing. Provided the player doesn't dawdle, they can make it there and back before their offspring will succumb to starvation.

The ranch will remain open until the player chooses to start their pack's Final Journey. When this mission is marked as active, the ranch portal will close.


Entry

In the Anniversary Edition, the cattle ranch can be approached from almost any direction within the game boundaries. Entering (and escaping) requires the player to find a break in the barbed-wire fence along the outer perimeter of the ranch. It is too tall and cannot be jumped. The location of the broken fence changes every day and will reset after every visit. It seems the broken segment is predetermined.

It is advisable to mark the broken segment on the world map by temporarily placing a custom marker. This will make it far easier to find again if the player wishes to leave or else during the escape.

In Classic, to enter the cattle ranch, it is important that the player looks closely at the compass. If sufficient progress has been made, a white Wqcl-ranch icon64 barbed-wire fence icon will have appeared. Following it until it is opaque leads the player-wolf to a hardcoded point of coordinates along the east side of the world map on the northern creek a short distance north of the word label "Creek" on the world map. Upon entering the trigger area, the player will be asked if they wish to visit the ranch.

If they choose 'yes', they will be transported to this instanced zone. It will always be night-time here, no matter which time of day was set while departing Slough Creek, and it's not possible to sleep in this instanced zone. Exiting the ranch and returning to Slough Creek will always revert the time back to day/afternoon.

In Legacy versions, to enter the cattle ranch, look closely at the compass. If sufficient progress has been made, a white Wqcl-ranch icon64 barbed-wire fence will have appeared. This leads the player to the east side of the map on the northern creek a little ways north of the word "Creek" on the world map. Upon entering the trigger area, the player will be asked if they wish to visit the ranch.

If they choose 'yes', they will be transported to the instance. It will always be night-time, no matter which time of day was set while departing Slough Creek. However, returning will always force the time back to day/afternoon.


Restrictions

In the Anniversary Edition, the cattle will be temporarily moved into the inaccessible homestead paddock for safekeeping. This event only occurs on the next night after one of the cattle have been killed. During these visits, the player-wolf will be unable to reach them and cannot hunt them during that visit. These nights are not wasted; the player-wolf can still use their time to return to and consume from the carcass of their latest ranch kill. Moreover, killed cattle do not respawn in a single session, implying that the player's wolf is thinning the herd with each successive kill.

Cattle should be considered an emergency supply only and the player should take care to kill in moderation so that they are a long-lasting resource! It is both unnecessary and wasteful to kill more than one or to kill in excess outside of multiplayer. If a new game is started or upon progressing to the next year, felled cattle will respawn as normal.

In Classic, this area is only accessible in single-player for the Slough Creek campaign. The earliest possible time that it can be visited is from the start of the Train your Pups mission]], while the latest is before starting the Final Journey mission. After staring the Final Journey, it is inaccessible.

In multiplayer, it is completely disabled in all game types including the entirety of the Raise Pups episode arc.

This location cannot be visited at all from Amethyst Mountain, nor from the Lost River location.

In Legacy versions, this area is only accessible in single-player for the Slough Creek campaign. The earliest possible time that it can be visited is from the start of the Train your Pups mission, while the latest is before starting the Final Journey mission. After staring the Final Journey, it is inaccessible.

It was completely inaccessible in multiplayer, and it cannot be visited at all from Amethyst Mountain.


Traps

Main article: Traps#Anniversary Edition

In the Anniversary Edition, traps are utilised by the ranchers to help keep predators at bay. The first trap(s) will only be deployed once the player-wolf has succeeded in killing one of the cattle. If player leaves without or fails to kill during their visit, regardless of whether the ranchers have been alerted (either causing them to open fire with hunting rifles or else signalled by a change of music to its intense counterpart) or not, escaping alive won't spawn any traps if it was the player-wolf's first visit, or new traps for the next visit if they have already visited and killed on a previous night. Additionally, the herd will not be confined to the inner paddock on the player's next visit.

The difficulty coincides with the deaths of cattle — more visits paired with successful kills and escapes will cause the ranchers to up the ante by laying progressively more challenging traps, which in turn become harder to outwit when they combine and overlap.

One kill per night will trigger new safeguards the next time the ranch is visited. While we may never know the exact mechanics at work behind the scenes, excess culling will not make the ranchers' attempts to keep wolves at bay any more aggressive; safeguards are capped at a single increment for the first kill per night. Occasionally, two safeguards may spawn instead of just one. If a new game is started or upon progressing to the next year, all traps and deterrents will be reset to their normal low risk level.

In Classic, there is no progressive difficulty level and therefore no traps. The barbed-wire fence, adult cows and barking of unseen guard dogs are the only deterrent. The only danger is being fatally shot by a shotgun.

In Legacy versions, there is no progressive difficulty level and therefore no traps. The barbed-wire fence, adult cows and barking of unseen guard dogs are the only deterrents. The only danger is being fatally shot by a shotgun.


Audio

Anniversary Edition Audio

Anniversary Edition • Cattle Ranch Audio Clips
Type Volume Clip
At the Ranch
OST: Ranch Bandit
Low
At the Ranch
(intense)
Loud
Loud Music
Metal / Hard Rock genres
Loud

Classic Audio

Classic • Cattle Ranch Audio Clips
Type Volume Clip
Ambience Low

Legacy Audio

Legacy • Cattle Ranch Audio Clips
Type Volume Clip
Ambience Low


Gallery

Anniversary Edition Gallery

Contributions for Cattle ranch in the Anniversary Edition are welcome in this gallery!


Pre-Release

This gallery houses pre-release teasers and early previews. They are sampled from developer's blogs and videos posted by the developer.

Classic Gallery

Contributions for Cattle ranch in Classic are welcome in this gallery!

Legacy Gallery

Contributions for Cattle ranch in Legacy versions are welcome in this gallery!

Pre-Release

This gallery houses pre-release teasers and early previews. They are sampled from developer's blogs and videos posted by the developer.


Bugs

Anniversary Edition Bugs

  • When the rifle is fired, the sound of it carries far. It can be heard across a long distance in the game world.
    • In single-player, this could be replicated by taking the mate to the ranch and commanding it to go home. As it generally couldn't find the broken segment of fence, it would get stuck. If the player -wolf then returned home and the rancher had opened fire, they would be able to hear the gunshots ringing out even if far enough away that they shouldn't be audible.
    • In multiplayer, this could be replicated by a player voluntarily staying in the ranch zone whilst dying and reviving. Players far enough away would be able to hear the gunshots, even if far enough away where it should not be audible.
  • It is or was once possible for the herd to spawn outside of the ranch, past the barbed-wire perimeter but still within the ranchers' detection and shooting radius.

Classic Bugs

  • It is no longer possible to perform the kill timer skip exploit. Running into a cow will not trigger the chase-off message.
    • A new workaround is to go to the portal and trigger the stay or leave prompt. Declining will cause the kill timer to end abruptly. This suggests any prompt interfaces cancel it out.

Legacy Bugs

  • If the player runs into an adult cow after the calf carcass despawns, the kill timer will stop. The player will then be allowed to stay in the ranch without consequence. However, they won't be able to hunt another calf until they leave and re-enter.
    • A new workaround is to go to the portal and trigger the stay or leave prompt. Declining will cause the kill timer to end abruptly. This suggests any prompt interfaces cancel it out.
  • Every time the ranch is exited, the mate is always teleported to the player. As soon as gameplay is resumed they will almost immediately turn around and run home.


Trivia

Anniversary Edition Trivia

  • Both the adult cows and the calves are potential prey.
    • Like bison, adults are difficult to kill; the difficulty of calves changes with the seasons. They're especially vulnerable during the spring and reach their hardiest come fall.
  • Culling several cattle in one night does not incur additional danger, although doing so is both wasteful and a waste of time against the hidden rifle timer. It is generally recommended that only one be killed per night.
  • Carcasses felled by wolves are not disposed of by the ranchers. They will persist for a period of time and their position can be marked with a primary howl. (At the cost of accelerating detection.)
    • This allows the player-wolf to return for a couple of nights afterwards to consume from their kills without harassing any more cattle. However, It's possible for the herd to congregate close to or directly on top of a previous night's kill.
    • Per normal carcass logic, unattended carcasses will slowly decay while time is spent away from them. It is unknown if ravens will flock to the site to pick from them.
  • Herd positions are somewhat randomised for each visit.
  • Howling seems to alert the ranchers more quickly to the player's presence. Be prepared to flee after marking a carcass!
  • The ranch is named Crooked Creek Ranch, as seen on the homestead barn.
    • All ages of cattle are branded with two interlocked C's (identical to those painted on the barn), referencing this name.
  • It's possible Crooked Creek Ranch cropped up during the late 1870's, either during or following soon after the founding of Templeton. Owing to the distance between the two locations, it's very possible the ranchers provided some of their produce to the residents and businesses in Templeton in exchange for money or goods and services.
    • There is a clear worn dirt road on the east edge of the map extending out of bounds within the ranch perimeter. Where it leads is unclear as it cannot be followed far, and part of it can be seen extending into the homestead by its garage. It may lead to another place for the ranchers to conduct their business; it might once have been used by the ranchers to transport produce from their homestead to the people and businesses of Templeton, and later to Lost River after Templeton became a ghost town.

Classic Trivia

  • There are no dog models in-game, nor are the farmer's dogs ever seen. The only indication of their presence is the sound of barking.
    • This is the first and only warning cue to leave the ranch. Failure to acknowledge this will result in unavoidable death.
  • Much like the dogs, the ranch owner has no in-game model. They are never seen, but can only be heard a set period of time after the dogs have started barking. They will never shoot before the barking starts.
    • Both the barking and gunshot do not play from a set location or area of the map; the sound is global in the same way as the game's soundtrack. This would imply that the rancher and their dogs are very close even though no visible house or shack is seen in the surrounding environment. It could be more of a cost-effective option the team decided to go with, though it is unrealistic to say the least.
    • The rancher owner or a rancher will never miss the avatar; their shot will always result in a one-hit instant death.
  • It's advised to play with audio turned on in this particular zone in order to hear the auditory cues. Don't play with volume too loud to avoid being startled!
    • This may be a problem for deaf players who won't be able to hear the first warning cue; the alternative cue to watch for is the calf despawning. This visible indicator occurs once the dogs have begun barking and can be used by deaf players to know when this warning event has started.
  • Death by the rancher is one of few deaths that doesn't result in a game over. Instead, the autosave that is always generated upon entering this zone will be reloaded instead.

Legacy Trivia

  • There are no dog models in-game, nor are the farmer's dogs ever seen. The only indication of their presence is the sound of barking.
    • This is the first and only warning cue to leave the ranch. Failure to acknowledge this will result in unavoidable death.
  • Much like the dogs, the ranch owner has no in-game model. They are never seen, but can only be heard a set period of time after the dogs have started barking. They will never shoot before the barking starts.
    • Both the barking and gunshot do not play from a set location or area of the map; the sound is global in the same way as the game's soundtrack. This would imply that the rancher and their dogs are very close even though no visible house or shack is seen in the surrounding environment. It could be more of a cost-effective option the team decided to go with, though it is unrealistic to say the least.
    • The rancher owner or a rancher will never miss the avatar; their shot will always result in a one-hit instant death.
  • Screen shot47

    Development image. Early phase(?) of the cattle ranch zone.

    This area was originally set to be the only mission to take place at night, as cited by the team during a Q&A held while the second episode was being developed. With the introduction of time and weather in the Survival of the Pack Deluxe Edition update, this is no longer the case as any of the story missions may take place during any time of day if the player so wishes to do so.
    • Stalking is believed to have been originally intended for the Cattle Ranch. The fact that the mission takes place at night and the lack of sound made by the avatar while in the area supports this theory. It's possible the animation was assigned outside of the area for technical reasons or limitations, though this is only player theory and speculation.
  • Originally, plans indicated a sheep ranch. This was scrapped because sheep aren't accurate within the setting of Yellowstone. The concept remained the same with cattle replacing them instead in order to keep the setting accurate and realistic.[3]
  • Colliding with a cow after killing and consuming a calf will quickly and effortlessly transport your avatar to the exit portal, allowing a relatively easy escape.
    • In doing this, the ranch will also be reset. The dogs will stop barking and your wolf will not be shot, but the calf does not respawn in light of this circumstance; you would need to quit the ranch and re-enter in order for the calf to respawn if you wish to continue hunting.
  • It's advised to play with audio turned on in this particular zone in order to hear the auditory cues. Don't play with volume too loud to avoid being startled!
    • This may be a problem for deaf players, who won't be able to hear the first warning cue; the alternative cue to watch for is the calf despawning while consuming it. This visible indicator occurs once the dogs have begun barking and can be used by deaf players to know when this warning event has stated.
  • The cattle calf appears to be disproportionate when killed, as its neck is unnaturally elongated or stretched. This may be an oversight due to the calf's original shrunken cow elk placeholder. It likely reuses idle cow elk animations.


References & External Links


Episode 2: Slough Creek
Wolf Packs Packs Druid PeakSpecimen RidgeSlough Creek
PacksRival TerritoriesSocial arena
Wolves Predator wolfStranger wolf
Player's pack Home Sites Dens: Saddle MeadowsAspen HeightsEast CreekBison Peak Cutoff
Rendezvous: Douglas Fir Slopes
Packmates MateWolf pups
Exploration Miscellaneous AchievementsCollectiblesEaster EggsHuman ImpactsLandmarks
Lost River
Revisions Dollar ModernClassic
Wolf packs Modern Rival Pack 1 LuckyRival Pack 2 Lost RiverRival Pack 3 Van Winkle
Classic Rival Pack 1 Lost RiverRival Pack 2 Van WinkleRival Pack 3 Elevation
Other Dispersal wolves (groups) • Stranger wolves (packs, territories)
Exploration Landmarks Allison AcresBCE FacilityCemeteriesCrooked Creek Ranch • Dams (human, beaver) • DowntownGrant's GlenHank's DitchHilltopHunting LodgeJ.J's CabinLil' YellowstoneLost Luck MineTempletonThe Two-Step
Miscellaneous AchievementsBuildingsCollectiblesEaster Eggs (MotL) • HomesteadsHousesHuman InfluencesTheories & Speculation
Guides
Episodes Amethyst Mountain MapQuests & SubquestsCourtship
Slough Creek MapQuests & SubquestsLivestock ranchTerritoryDen sitesRendezvous sites
Non-Episodic Lost River FloppyMapQuests & Subquests
Miscellaneous
Multiplayer Game TypesQuests & Subquests
Survival CompassPredatorsPrey (Hunting) • Rest (Sleep) • SustenanceWakefulnessWolf badge
Extras AchievementsCollectiblesEaster EggsHuman InfluencesLandmarks
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