Our The Long Dark Guide Wolves details everything you need to know about how to deal with wolves in the game.
Wolves are one of the most troublesome beasts in the game and you will often get to deal with them, however with this The Long Dark Guide to Wolves, you will have no problems.
For more help on The Long Dark, check out our Healing Guide, Travelling between Different Areas Guide, & Survival Skills Guide.
The Long Dark Wolves
We have explained in detail the general wolves’ behavior, how they sense you, and different ways to deal with them. With the help of this Guide to Wolves, you will be able to deal with those vicious wolves without any problems.
Wolf Behavior
Generally, the pattern of wolf behavior is very easy to understand and you should have no problem understanding how they move around the game.
When the wolves are not interested in you, they will be simply roaming around their spawn points.
The game features different wolf spawn points that you can easily learn after some time in the game.
Be wary when you are near these spawn points as the wolves will be roaming these areas.
In this condition, the wolves will be just roaming around the area and they will not attack you because they are not aware of you yet.
The wolf used three basic senses to detect the player. These are the smell, sight, and sound.
If the wolf sees the player directly, it will enter the stalking phase and will start walking towards the player slowly.
If the wolf detects the player by sound or smell, it will enter the searching mode. It is possible to lose the wolf in the searching phase however in the stalking phase; the wolf has already seen the player.
In the roaming phase, the wolves will never leave their territory. However, in the searching phase, they will go to the point where they heard or smelled the player and if they see the player they will start following it, otherwise, they will return to their territory.
In the stalking phase, the wolf already has eyes on the player so it will not regard its territory anymore and it will follow the player, no matter how far the player goes.
In this phase, the only way to get rid of the wolf is by scaring it off, losing it, killing it or distracting it. Running away will not help much so we will not recommend running away from the wolves.
If the wolf is able to catch up to you, it will begin attacking you. It will trigger a minigame in which you must try to kill the wolf.
If you are unable to kill it, you can also run from it but if you are injured, you will not make it far.
Tips and Tricks
Avoid it!
The first and foremost thing you must try is to avoid the wolf at all costs. There is no point in getting involved in a fight with the wolf. Keep a lookout for any signs of wolves and try to avoid them at all costs. Keep away from areas that you know are spawn points for the wolves.
If a wolf suddenly appears at the front, deviate from the path and take another route around it. Never move fast when you know wolves are around.
Crouch and move slowly because even if the wolf is not in your sight, it can still hear and smell you and attract it towards your location. Try to be as quiet and stealthy as possible around wolves.
Lose it!
If it is too late and the wolf has seen you and is now following you, it is time to lose it. The wolf at this time is in stalking mode, and it will follow you while walking.
It will try to close the close the distance between you. The most important thing to remember at this point is to never run.
The wolf will also start running and it will be much faster than you so it will catch up to you quite easily and it will then attack you.
Walk normally like you do, and start walking towards something where you can be difficult to reach such as a building or a vehicle.
You must have a clear sense of how far behind the wolf is behind you so you can adjust your walking direction to increase it more.
If you start running or if you are injured, there is very little chance that you will lose the wolf so it will be better to think of some other way to deal with the wolf.
Scare it!
Another tactic that you can use against a stalking wolf is to scare it. There are different methods by which you can scare it.
The best way to scare it off is by lighting a fire. You do not even need to completely light a fire, simply start the process of lighting a fire and that will be enough to scare the wolf away.
Secondly, if you do not have matches or tinder, you can shoot anywhere to scare it off. The loud bang of the gun will scare the wolf away.
Also, if you have any flares and torches, use them. The bright light will also scare the wolf away.
However, flares and torches work only if you are facing towards the wolf, it may return to attack you so they are inconsistent.
Distract it!
Distraction gives you time to walk away from the wolf silently. You can use decoys and animals as baits to get away from a stalking wolf.
Set up decoys, which will be the strongest smelling food item in your inventory. Put it down, and back out. Make sure to keep it between you and the wolf.
The wolf will start eating it and you can easily go away from the wolf. Make sure you do not run at this point, you may attract the wolf’s attention again.
Another way of distracting the wolf is to use other animals as baits. Animals such as rabbits, deer or even a bear are easy distractions for the wolf.
The wolf will attack the rabbit or the deer instead while in the case of a bear, the wolf will run away from the bear but watch out, the ear may attack you instead.
Kill it!
If everything else fails and there is no other choice, kill the wolf by shooting it between its eyes. A well-placed shot will instantly kill the wolf.
However, the best time for it is when the wolf is stalking you. The wolf moves in a straight line so it will be easy to take the shot. Even if you miss the shit, the noise will make the wolf run away from you.
If the wolf has reached you and attacked you, you will enter a minigame where you will now fight with the wolf.
In such situations, you might end up dead or severely injured. If you are good, you may kill the wolf or it may also run away injured.
