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Dealing with predation is a set of challenges on top of providing food and shelter to one's litter of pups. Wolf pups face a number of predators from coyotes and bears to other wolves.
In WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition, wolf pups are vulnerable to attack from a variety of predators in the form of raids which usually take place at the active home site but certain predators may also attack while the player and their pack are nomadic. Some, but not all, will pose a threat to the litter throughout the episode. This article seeks to provide methods to help players learn how best to handle each situation.
In the Anniversary Edition, The following predators may occasionally intrude into the heart of the player's territory. When this occurs, they may trigger an attack at the pack's active den site or rendezvous site. The alert sequence will begin when the predator is within a certain radius of the active home site. If the player is observant and detects the threat before it begins, sending the pups into hiding will prompt the intruding predator into action regardless of distance.
When a predator has been dealt with -- achieved by fighting, chasing away from the home site, or killing -- the alert sequence ends, and the game continues as normal.
In the Anniversary Edition, when a predator attack starts, most wolf pups will continue playing as normally until a player woofs at them to hide in the den or tall grass. If a pup is near an attacking predator, they will enter their panic phase and run around erratically and they will not come to their senses, forgoing the hide command when it is issued by the player-wolf and generally being disobedient. This behavior is negated if there is a wolf with the Elder Authorityperk nearby.
Certain predators will cause pups to panic from further distances than others. Notably, golden eagles as of version 1.0.8 will induce the panic state in pups from a notably further distance than other predators, even when the raptor is in its neutral non-predatory state idling on the ground or feeding from carcasses.
Lost pups who are nearby by the den/rendezvous site will continue to act lost and are oblivious to the incoming attack. Though not directly targeted, if they are on the path of an incoming predator, they will likely be killed.
In the Anniversary Edition, grizzly boars have a chance to trespass into pack territory. Undetected, they will wander closer to the pack's den site. Only when they are close enough to begin their attack or when the player-wolf woofs, they will move into their second phase. All pups outside of the den are potential targets; the encroaching bear will randomly choose a pup and attempt to close distance. If he is successful, he will grab the pup he has targeted and he will then attempt to carry it away. A pup carried by a grizzly boar will endure rapid damage-over-time the longer it is being carried until he is forced to release his cargo by an attacking adult wolf, or until the pup finally succumbs to its injuries.
The bear may then return and repeat the process again until either he is chased off the pack's adult wolves or until all pups have died. If all pups are inside the den, he will stand and wait for one or more to emerge from the den until he can be driven off. (Higher risk of emergence if pack affinity is low.) If all pups are inside the den and no adults are home supervising, he will eventually grow bored and wander away, ending the encounter.
Sows will never initiate a den or rendezvous raid. Grizzly bears in this state are easier to scare away compared to when they are defending a carcass or their cubs. As a result, a few bites from either the player or their mate will most often result in the bear fleeing. This chance is higher when there are no pups to be seen. A bored bear is a bear who can't reach its target(s). Pups hiding in shelter are always safe; grizzlies will not dig out or attempt to force entry into the den.
Grizzly Bears are huge predatory animals that will attempt to eat a Wolf Pup. It is by far the most dangerous of the two. Just like with the coyotes, if it plans to attack a pup, it will show a skippable cutscene of the bear and which pup will be his potential victim. If it sees the player, it will run around crazily, but it will not flee the den like a coyote would.
Grizzly Bears are huge predatory animals that will attempt to eat a Wolf Pup. It is by far the most dangerous of the two. Just like with the coyotes, if it plans to attack a pup, it will show a skippable cutscene of the bear and which pup will be his potential victim. If it sees the player, it will run around crazily, but it will not flee the den like a coyote would.
In the Anniversary Edition, the best defense against grizzlies is to first immediately order one's pups to hide. While making sure all pups are moving to safety, running around the grizzly while growling will help increase its flight meter. Biting and letting go quickly before any damage is dealt will also help increase its flight meter while not causing damage to the player. If one's mate is already biting, biting at the same time will help cause the flight meter to rise faster. Once a few bites are delivered, the bear will likely flee.
Note that bears will not instantly kill pups upon contact and will instead carry the pup away. Once a bear has hold of a pup, the player is free to bite onto the bear without fear of retaliation. One bite is all it takes for the bear to drop the pup.
Chasing Off The Bears
Bears are highly dangerous to both the player and their pups. To chase them off, the player must chase after and attack a bear that is stalking one of your pups. After attacking him three times, he'll run away and despawn. The player shouldn't attempt to attack a bear if they do not have full health. It is recommended to eat a hare or an ungulate carcass on the way back to the den for the player's pups', and their own safety.
Chasing Off The Bears
Bears are highly dangerous to both the player and their pups. To chase them off, the player must chase after and attack a bear that is stalking one of your pups. After attacking him three times, he'll run away and despawn. The player shouldn't attempt to attack a bear if they do not have full health. It is recommended to eat a hare or an elk carcass on the way back to the den for the player's pups', and their own safety.
In the Anniversary Edition, cougars are cunning ambush predators. One who is fixated on wolf pups will patiently wait, making a slow and stealthy advance towards the pups' hiding place, always closing distance until an opportunity presents itself. Once it has decided on its target — generally any wolf pup who is exposed and is unprotected, it will immediately sprint towards the pup it has targeted to grab it and then they will flee. A pup carried by a cougar will endure rapid damage-over-time until it is forced to release its cargo by an attacking adult wolf, or until the pup succumbs to its injuries.
Despite their strength and clever approach, they are more prone to cowardice the further from the pups' hiding place they are; they are more likely to flee and abandon their predation attempt if an adult wolf runs or sprints directly at them and growls or snarls. The closer it is, the less cowardly it may be.
In the Anniversary Edition, once the player is aware that a cougar is attacking, they should immediately order the pups to safety while standing near them as they hide. Once all the pups are safely hidden, the player may begin searching for the cougar. If the cougar is seen, sprinting while growling at the cougar will always cause them to flee.
Since cougars will lie still and wait for a pup to come out of hiding, it is best for the player to be aware of the pups' hiding place whilst looking for the cougar. The player should be careful not to stray too far from home, as this will trigger at least one pup to come out of hiding. If a pup is seen leaving their hiding place, the player should immediately run back to the pup as the cougar will likely be already sprinting toward the pup that has come out of hiding.
Note that cougars will not instantly kill pups upon contact and will instead carry the pup away. A single bite to the cougar will cause them to drop the pup.
Predator wolves (or stranger wolves) reprise their role in WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition. They are further expanded upon and may either appear as a group who may work together as a team, or else as a solitary individual working alone. Any neighboring rival packs] with territory and strong hexes may encroach into the player-wolf's territory with the goal of targeting one or more of their pack's litter.
The player should be suspicious of yellow wolf scents in and around the heart of their territory, particularly if the scents originate from a patrol of stranger wolves and especially moreso than usual if the player maintains a large territory and does not normally see those scents so close to home; any of these can be indicative of there being an intruding patrol of rivals in the area who can be visible in the vicinity. If the player can see them, they are not immediately hostile and will not attack; the player can use this time to sleep if they aren't too close to disrupt it. The Woof command will always prompt predator wolves into attacking, potentially causing exposed pups to panic.
Once a predator wolf makes contact with a pup, they will be killed instantly. They take no prisoners and aim to kill immediately if they manage to close distance to their targets. Predator wolves will however sometimes confront and prefer to fight the adult wolves first, instead of going straight for the wolf pups such as coyotes.
In the Anniversary Edition, once the player is aware that predator wolves are attacking, they should immediately order all of their pups to safety while standing near them as they hide. Since predator wolves move extremely fast when they reach the player, prevention and awareness are key in allowing ample time for pups to hide before their arrival. Players can lessen the chance of predator wolf attacks by having at least two hexes over 50% as buffer between their home and the rival wolf pack. Players should make sure they are sleeping outside of their den, and with all pups outside and nearby the den. Before telling the pups to go back inside, players should look through the nearby areas and use scent vision for predator wolf scent spores. If spotted, telling the pups to go hide before the attack begins will greatly increase the chances of no pup being attacked.
If pups are unable to hide in time, players must engage in a skirmish against the wolves to protect their pups. Avoiding approaching the attacking wolves could give pups more time to hide in the den, as they will circle around for a short amount of time before attacking, unless provoked. Predator wolves will always first target pups if they haven't been attacked yet. Once the predator wolves are bitten by the player or their mate, they will shift their attention to them instead of the pups.
During the skirmish, the player should focus attacking on the same wolf as their mate. This ensures a 2v1 majority and increases the flight meter quicker. Once at least one wolf has decided to flee, all wolves in the attack will flee. The player should also make use of spamming their left and right movement, to shake off enemy attacks.
Care must be taken in chasing only one predator wolf away, as there likely is another wolf who is not fleeing, and is able to strike at the den.
If there are two or three predator wolves attacking and the player does not have a mate, it is extremely important to have a defensive mindset. The player should stay near the hidden pups to ensure they do not reveal themselves, while at the same time vigorously shaking off every attack. The player may not have enough health to bite down all wolves (especially on higher difficulties), so it is important to deal damage to the wolves while not being damaged in return by shaking off their attacks as they come. Once a wolf is low health, attacking the wolf until it dies will cause the rest of the attackers to flee. Since the player cannot attack, this type of outnumbered-defense is extremely challenging and will take patience to complete.
In the Anniversary Edition, coyotes share rival wolves' view of wolf pups as future competition. Hence, they are motivated to indiscriminately kill wolves' offspring to eliminate their competition before they can grow up enough to fight fairly. Coyotes will rush forward and attempt to kill wolf pups as quickly as possible, as only one bite will prove fatal. Coyotes in this state however are easily scared by an adult wolf growling and sprinting toward them, or biting them a few times. They are not stupid and will be even more inclined to flee when faced with multiple adult wolves.
Due to their speed, and their nature of rushing in toward the wolf pups, quick reactions and careful observation are essential in ensuring the survival of all pups.
Coyotes are small, lithe, yellowish wolf-like predators that will try to devour one of the player's pups. They are quick, and if they target one of the pups, it will show a short, skippable cutscene (press spacebar to skip) of the location of the coyote and which pup he plans to attack. If the coyote comes near the player, it will run away and double back to attack again.
Coyotes are small, lithe, yellowish wolf-like predators that will try to devour one of the player's pups. They are quick, and if they target one of the pups, it will show a short, skippable cutscene (press spacebar to skip) of the location of the coyote and which pup he plans to attack. If the coyote comes near the player, it will run away and double back to attack again.
In the Anniversary Edition, once the player is aware that coyotes are attacking, they should immediately order all of their pups to safety while standing near them as they hide. Since coyotes move extremely fast, prevention and awareness are key in allowing ample time for pups to hide before their arrival. Players should make sure they are sleeping outside of their den, and with all pups outside and nearby the den. Before telling the pups to go back inside, players should look through the nearby areas and use scent vision for coyote scent spores. If spotted, telling the pups to go hide before the attack begins will greatly increase the chances of no pup being attacked.
If pups are unable to hide in time, players must sprint and growl toward the coyote. Coyotes will generally flee once this occurs, especially if both the player and mate are sprinting toward them.
Care must be taken in chasing only one coyote away, as there likely is another coyote who is not fleeing, and is able to strike at the den.
If there are two coyotes attacking and the player does not have a mate, the coyotes will not immediately flee. In this scenario, coyotes are especially dangerous. In these cases, players must stand their ground near the pups and immediately attack any coyote that comes near. A coyote will always divert its attention to attack the player and not the wolf pup if it sees its partner under attack. It is important to make sure both coyotes flee in the same direction to ensure that no coyote is available to strike at the pups while the lone player is focused on one coyote.
Getting Rid Of The Coyotes
Coyotes are the less threatening of the two. They are easily removed, too. The player just needs to chase after them and bite them until they die. If the player's mate is nearby, too, she or he will run after and finish off the coyote while the player attacks.
Getting Rid Of The Coyotes
Coyotes are the less threatening of the two. They are easily removed, too. The player just needs to chase after them and bite them until they die. If the player's mate is nearby, too, she or he will run after and finish off the coyote while the player attacks.
In the Anniversary Edition, golden eagles are known to hunt wolf pups as a source of food either for themselves or to be fed to their chicks. When a golden eagle is out hunting the wolf pups, the player will become notified that an eagle is in the vicinity, urging them to switch to headcam to track the raptor. During this time, an eagle will circle the den site and eventually dive to snatch any puppy open to attack, and then immediately ascend with or without its catch. A puppy snatched away by a golden eagle is as good as dead from the moment its paws leave the ground, as a player's wolf is unable to interact with the golden eagle in any meaningful way that causes them to drop the pup.
This is a big, predatory bird that spawns when the fifth mission is accepted. Unlike the other four predators, the Golden Eagle gives no warning of which pup it is targeting, except for circling above the pup, until it is about to attack. It is relatively quick, and never ceases it's attack, however it will pause for a time after being driven off, or having had killed a pup. Plus, unlike the previous dangers, it can snatch a pup directly out of your maw.
The eagle is mainly untouchable. It has no health bar, and cannot be attacked. But when it swoops down and begins slowly gliding towards the pup it is about to steal, it is possible to run up to it and make it fly away. It will appear anytime after pups are born.
In WolfQuest Mobile, tested on single-player with a mate present and on multiplayer, if the eagle is not chased away, it will despawn randomly, and may/may not come back.
This is a big, predatory bird that spawns when the fifth mission is accepted. Unlike the other two predators, the Golden Eagle gives no warning of which pup it is targeting, except for circling above the pup, until it is about to attack. It is relatively quick, and never ceases it's attack, however it will pause for a time after being driven off, or having had killed a pup. Plus, unlike the previous dangers, it can snatch a pup directly out of your maw.
The eagle is mainly untouchable. It has no health bar, and cannot be attacked. But when it swoops down and begins slowly gliding towards the pup it is about to steal, it is possible to run up to it and make it fly away. It only makes its appearance throughout the Final Journey mission.
In the Anniversary Edition, during an eagle attack, it is important that the player does not panic. First, try to order all pups into shelter — some will go willingly and obediently in a calm orderly manner. In certain situations — determined by wakefulness and personality traits — a few pups will choose not to comply either due to curiosity or panic. What the player must do for any pups who have chosen death is to watch them closely in addition to keeping tabs on the attacking eagle's position.
Stay close to the pup the raptor is targeting. When it swoops low and transitions into its hunting glide, it is important to be as close to that pup as possible, if not blocking the eagle's direct path to it, otherwise it will be snatched up and carried away. It will scare easily from a close encounter, and it will immediately cease its attack.
Alternatively, on Easy or Challenging, if only one pup remains outside of shelter, it is possible to pick up that individual and carry them until the attack is over. An eagle will not attempt to snatch a pup out of an adult wolf's jaws, rendering its attack relatively short-lived depending on the wolf's stamina reserves. It is even easier to keep carrying a pup if the player-wolf stands on a boulder or any uneven terrain which will prevent the player from setting down their precious cargo. This strategy is not viable on Accurate, and it becomes less effective for wolves who possess a jaw injury.
While risky, it is possible to thwart an eagle attack without sending pups into hiding. This can easily go wrong if the player cannot determine the eagle's target or is unable to close distance if it has chosen a far away pup.
A pup who has been captured by an eagle is as good as dead from the moment its talons make contact and the pup's paws leave the ground. Note that golden eagles only attack pups during the Raise Pups mission. Their attacks cease permanently after the pups have reached 15lbs.
Strategic Formation
There is an easy way to chase off the eagle: pick one pup, preferably the one with the most health left. Then leave it out, and move yourself, the rest of your pups, and your mate away from it. If the eagle swoops down to attack, dash up to it, make it fly away, and retrieve your puppy. After having chased away the eagle, it will despawn for a while, and then come back no later than 9 minutes later, to hunt your pups again.
Strategic Formation
There is an easy way to chase off the eagle: pick one pup, preferably the one with the most health left. Then leave it out, and move yourself, the rest of your pups, and your mate away from it. If the eagle swoops down to attack, dash up to it, make it fly away, and retrieve your puppy. After having chased away the eagle, it will despawn for a while, and then come back no later than 9 minutes later, to hunt your pups again.
In the Anniversary Edition, feral or stray dogs can appear as potential predators only in the modern Lost River game map. A combination between rival wolves and coyotes in their predator state, dogs view wolf pups as future competition. Hence, they are motivated to kill wolves' offspring to reduce future competition in a fight they otherwise wouldn't win, rather than to eat them for a meal. Dogs will attempt to rush forward and attempt to kill wolf pups as quickly as possible, as it takes only one bite from a dog to kill a wolf pup. Dogs in this state however are easily scared by an adult wolf growling and sprinting toward them, or biting them a few times.
Due to their speed, and their nature of rushing in toward the wolf pups, quick reactions and observation are essential in ensuring the survival of all pups.
In Classic, there are no dog entities. They make no appearance and do not prey on the player-wolf's pups.
In the Anniversary Edition, once the player is aware that dogs are attacking, they should immediately order all of their pups to safety while standing near them as they hide. Since dogs can move very quickly, prevention and awareness are key in allowing ample time for pups to hide before they arrive. Players should make sure they are sleeping outside of their den, and with all pups outside and nearby the den. Before telling the pups to go back inside, players should look through the nearby areas and use scent vision for dog scent spores. If spotted, telling the pups to go hide before the attack begins will greatly increase the chances of no pup being attacked.
If pups are unable to hide in time, players must sprint and growl toward the dogs. Dogs will generally flee once this occurs, especially if both the player and mate are sprinting toward them. Dogs attacking by themselves without a pack with them will be usually be extremely skittish.
Care must be taken if chasing only one dog away, as there likely is another dog who is not fleeing, and is able to strike at the den.
If there are multiple dogs attacking and the player does not have a mate, the dogs will not immediately flee. In this scenario, dogs are especially dangerous. In these cases, players must stand their ground near the pups and immediately attack any dog that comes near. A dog will always divert its attention to attack the player and not the wolf pup if it sees its partner under attack. It is important to make sure all of the dogs flee in the same direction to ensure that none of them are available to strike at the pups while the lone player is focused on only one of them.
In the Anniversary Edition, these methods works for most predators. It is somewhat more cowardly, but it can be beneficial for those at low health, or insufficient stats to handle conflict well. Use it at your own risk.
Sleeping: Taking a nap just as you are able to see predators in the distance before their red icon appears will allow you to force time to continue and the predators to “teleport” away from your location. This method is useful for gaining some health back before engaging with a predator. It is also used to allow the player to pick a more favorable predator to fight with (sleeping when spotting a bear, in the hopes of dealing with an eagle after).
Moving Dens/Rendevous Sites: If you are willing to move to a new location, players can trigger a relocation while a predator attack just begins (when the red icon is first visible) to avoid conflict. Assuming the predators aren’t yet near near the pups, they will move away and not engage your pack once you choose to relocate homes.
If without a den, running away from a predator attack is only viable if the player has a single pup that they can carry on their mouth. Once the player and their lone pup has ran a good distance away from the predators, the predator attack will end. If there are at least two pups, the travelling pup(s) will not be fast enough to escape the predator attack, forcing a skirmish.
Away From Home: Spending time away from home during a predation attempt can be used against predators. If all pups are safely hidden (inside the den if occupying a den site or in the tall grass if nomadic or living at a rendezvous site) when the encounter starts, the player need only take their mate away and loiter somewhere outside of their home radius.If pack affinity is high enough or the player-wolf has the Elder Authorityperk, pups are more likely to stay put. The attacking predator will eventually grow bored and leave of its own volition, causing the encounter to fizzle out without ever having to deal with conflict.
It is possible to deal with multiple events of wolf pup predation. This is much more likely while a player is nomadic. This occurs when meeting naturally roaming predators (rival wolves) in addition with the predators that the game generates to strike at the wolf pups.
There are some exceptions to the dangers pups may face from other species.
Ungulates are passive provided sufficient distance is maintained. They will not hesitate to attack if passing pups come too close, so it's good practice to steer clear of large prey when the pack travels together.
Foxes will never initiate conflict, and will always flee if they happen to stumble upon the pack's active home site.
Bald eagles never hunt pups, so their presence in the skies or on the ground near the home site is never a cause for concern nor alarm.
Players themselves cannot reverse the role and become a predator wolf against stranger wolf packs' pups. NPC rivals do not birth litters of their own.
Classic Trivia
Legacy Trivia
References & External Links[]
↑Credit: Mizzi (important) on the official WolfQuest Discord server, #wq-spoilers channel. Message permalink.
![Uncommon alert that appears when two simultaneous predator attacks occur by two different species.[1]](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/wolfquest/images/2/23/WQ-AE_Pup-Predators_Two_Attempts.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/147?cb=20210926034905 "WQ-AE Pup-Predators Two Attempts.png (256 KB)")
![Uncommon alert that appears when two simultaneous predator attacks occur by two different species.[1]](/wiki/File:WQ-AE_Pup-Predators_Two_Attempts.png "WQ-AE Pup-Predators Two Attempts.png (256 KB)")
