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Den Sites (or Dens) are locations encountered by the player-wolf and their packmates. The implementation differs between major revisions; in general, they are a temporary home site for the protection of newborn and young pups.


For the pack's home site later in the summer, see Rendezvous Sites.

In WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition, there are over a dozen potential den sites scattered throughout the game world. Unlike past incarnations of the game, the player must first explore the world map to find them. The compass itself offers no assistance with locating undiscovered dens. Both the map and the compass will display den sites, but only those which have been found and approached at least once. After the Establish Your Territory mission has been cleared, den sites will then be made available to choose and settle at, and will serve as temporary homes and shelter for to accommodate the growing newborn and young offspring of the player-wolf and their mate whilst in their most vulnerable form.

While it is potentially useful to do so, players are not required to find all sites. The pros of finding more than the required amount are to the benefit of the pack in case of scenarios beyond a player's control, though four will often be enough to last experienced players or those playing on difficulties below Accurate. An aged wolf with the Good Memory perk will remember any dens they found in a previous playthrough along with a unique icon representing den type, negating the need to find potential den sites so long as this perk is active.

After locating and choosing to settle at a den site, provided it is inside of the player-pack's territory, that shelter will be considered the pack's home site until they relocate later in the summer.


Finding Dens (Modern)

When a player is within range of a potential den site, a pale gold icon of a den pops up under the compass. The icon grows darker as the player moves through the active area towards the location of the den. All of these are indicated by their designations in the table and captioned map.

There are three distinct den categories: Rock, Dirt, or Tree.


If a den is outside of the player's pack-claimed territory hexes, it cannot be established as their home site until the player pack has staked their claim in its hex or thwarted its active occupants and driven them out to take over.


Den Locations (Modern)

See also: WolfQuest Wiki:Interactive Maps.

There are multiple den sites to be found in the game. Due to the size of these tables and the variety of options in their presentation, we have moved them into their own dedicated standalone articles linked in each sub-section.


Amethyst Mountain (Modern)

Main article: Den Sites/Amethyst Mountain#Anniversary Edition

Not yet implemented. Dens in Amethyst will be implemented as part of the WolfQuest Saga update.


Slough Creek (Modern)

Main article: Den Sites/Slough Creek#Anniversary Edition

There are a total of thirty potential den sites available in Slough Creek! Only three classic den sites make their return. Prior to 1.0.8l, there were twenty-seven den sites in total.


Tower Fall (Modern)

Main article: Den Sites/Tower Fall#Anniversary Edition

Not yet implemented. Dens in Tower Fall will probably be implemented during its development to support the WolfQuest Saga update.


Lost River (Expansion)

Main article: Den Sites/Lost River#Anniversary Edition

Not yet implemented. Dens will be present in the Lost River expansion, meaning it can be used to progress the WolfQuest Saga.


Creating Dens (Modern)

Although it has been a somewhat common suggestion since the initial introduction of Survival of the Pack, it is not currently possible for a player to dig out a den anywhere of their choosing in the game world. It is unknown if such a mechanic is planned.

Only dens that have been abandoned by foxes, coyotes, or other wolves can be selected by the pack. Abandoned burrows are the only digging spots, being too small to accommodate a wolf and its litter left as-is. The process of selecting (and digging out a den, if a dirt den is chosen by the player) occurs as part of the Find a Den mission.


General Tips (Modern)

  • Potential den sites carry a distinct scent (gold den icons) carried on the wind.
  • All dens possess a green or yellow highlight in scent view.
  • Pay attention to the wind direction. When downwind, scent spores blow towards a player making easier to find dens. All potential den sites are identified as abandoned dens of wolves, coyotes, and foxes.
    • Consider circling the area when the den radar detects a den in the "hot" or "close" phase. If the den is nearby, the player should at least manage to find the site's scent spores if they are having trouble.
  • Pay close attention to the environment. Wolves establish their dens in or beneath rock, trees, or within burrows abandoned by other animals.
  • Though there are a lot of suitable spots not marked as potential den sites, the player cannot establish a den site in a place of their own choosing. Players are restricted to the pre-determined sites implemented by the developer. It's unknown if this can or will change in the future.
  • During the winter season, many den entrances will be obscured by snow. Scent vision will be a huge help in locating their glowing entrances.
    • If the player bides their time, the game calendar will enter early spring, and the snow obscuring affected den entrances will thaw. Come summer, the sparse covering of grass will have regrown and depending on the location, a sprinkling of flowers may have appeared in or around the area.

It's a good idea to locate desirable den sites before deciding on the pack's home when the player isn't too busy juggling between their own needs, their mate's needs, territorial claim, and pups' needs. This will help somewhat if the player finds themselves in a pinch later on.


Rock Caves (Modern)

Main article: Den Sites/Rock#Anniversary Edition
  • Shelter set inside or underneath stone.
  • Be on the lookout for crevices, cracks in or gaps underneath large rocks and boulder outcrops, cliff faces, mountain rock, and rockpiles.
  • Can be part of a cliff formation or free-standing.


Dirt Burrows (Modern)

Main article: Den Sites/Dirt#Anniversary Edition
  • Mound of sand or earth, leading to an underground shelter.
  • All dirt or burrow entrances use the same model.


Tree Burrows (Modern)

Main article: Den Sites/Tree#Anniversary Edition
  • Shelter set beneath the roots of large trees. Stumps, broken, or fallen trees.
  • These sites are larger than their surrounding trees.
  • Unique model for each tree den.
  • There are no fully-grown standing tree dens like the ones present in Classic and Legacy.


Environment (Modern)

Dens throughout Slough Creek fall into one of two environmental categories.


Open

WQ-AE evaluate-den open
Open den sites offer little to no tree or ground cover. The lack of tree cover provides an advantage to eagles if they do happen to swoop in and prey upon the player's litter, while the sparse or non-existent ground cover offers cougars little to help them hide and ambush unsuspecting pups.


Wooded

WQ-AE evaluate-den wooded
Wooded den sites offer plenty of coverage from trees and lots of surrounding grass. Eagles may have a harder time spotting pups to hunt. However, cougars can use the ground cover to their advantage.


Interiors (Modern)

Anniversary Edition sees the introduction of players being able to enter den sites for the first time in WolfQuest history.

The ability to enter the den becomes available as soon as the litter has been born and named. To enter, approach the entrance. When the den enter icon appears, press Spacebar or, if using a controller, Xbox A or PlayStation X. This new shelter serves only to spend time resting with the pups and sleeping to refill the wakefulness meter. Sleeping inside or near the den guarantees a dream at the cost of increasing the chosen site's flea load.

Interiors use one of two zones. Tree dens and dirt burrows both share the same "underground" interior, while all caves use the "rock" interior. The player may only enter a den if it is their active home site; they cannot enter the shelter of an uninhabited site. Pups' sleeping poses vary while inside the den.


Relocating (Modern)

Main article: Move to a New Den

After the litter has been born and the pups have emerged from the den for the first time, a player may choose to relocate from their initial den to another site. This can be done at any time without a cooldown for any number of reasons.

Certain scenarios may prompt a player to leave their established home voluntarily, such as fleas; others may render the den unfit for habitation, forcing the pack to move out. Natural disasters such as flooding are one such documented example. Regardless of the reason, moving sets the entire pack into a semi-homeless state. Be prepared to deal with predators and hazards during this time.

To begin the moving process, return to the current active den site and open the pack info panel. Where the current named site is listed, press the button to move to a new den. Triggering this side quest will display icons for previously discovered den sites on the compass. The litter will be entirely dependent on the player to command them, and upon both parents to defend, feed and potentially carry them until the new destination has been reached. Only when the litter has approached the new potential den site will the player be prompted to choose whether they want the pack to settle at the new location.

Players should be warned that a den they have previously abandoned or moved out of cannot be moved back into. When the pups lose their dependency on the den, the player can no longer relocate to another den-sheltered site. Their pack will instead spend their days at one of many open rendezvous sites.

Find den
For the pack's home site later in the summer, see Rendezvous Site.

In WolfQuest: Classic, there are a total of three den sites available from the start of the episode. A fourth site is unlocked after attaining enough experience as a wolf before migrating from Amethyst Mountain.

Officially, there are four dens:

Players are able to select their den site during the first mission, however once chosen, it will not possible to relocate from the current den site to another later on. Three dens are unlocked by default when starting the second episode. The East Creek territory will only unlock after gaining 7,500 experience points or more prior to starting the episode. Sufficient experience can be attained during the previous episode, by replaying the current episode, or through any game type sessions during online play.


Territory (Classic)

Each den is surrounded by territory that the player must remember to mark frequently to maintain a secure location for their pups to grow and prosper. The territory can be marked by peeing in the surrounding area or by initiating an uninterrupted howl while within any area of the player's territory. The territory meter is the yellow bar with a pink hue (when low) as displayed in the heads-up display on the lower-left corner of the badge. It will fill as the player marks their territory, but will slowly decrease over time.

If the player's territorial marking wavers at any time, the likelihood of stranger wolves and predators appearing in the player's chosen territory increases. The lower the meter, the more chance there is of predators and stranger wolves intruding into the player's territory.

It has not yet been confirmed whether intruders spawn closer to the main den site as the meter reaches 0%. Only the aptly-named predator wolf pose a risk to the player's pups.


Intrusion (Classic)

All dens have their pros and cons, which also depends on exactly where the player chooses to make their den. No matter where the player chooses to settle down, there is always the risk of predators and stranger wolves intruding into your territory. Both may pose a threat to your pups if left unguarded. To prevent and decrease the chance of predators and stranger wolves from entering your den frequently, it is strongly advised to maintain a strong territorial marker of at least above 70%.


Hunting zones (Classic)

Further pros and cons of den site selection are the distances between the den, elk hunting grounds, and the cattle ranch. Closer hunting zones means less time spent traveling between home and prey. The cattle ranch zone is only ideal if the player is able to travel a reasonable distance there and back.

For the pack's home site later in the summer, see Rendezvous Site#Legacy.
Find den
In Legacy versions of WolfQuest, a den site serves as the player's pack's temporary home, where the pack's pups will be raised for the first few months of their life.

There are officially four dens:

Players are able to select their den site during the first mission, however once chosen it is not possible to move from the current den site to claim another territory. Three dens are unlocked by default when starting the second episode, with the East Creek territory unlocked as a reward through gaining 25,000 experience points or more, attained during the previous episode, Amethyst Mountain.

There is a bug in-game that allows players to easily and quickly accumulate experience points.[1]


Territory (Legacy)

Each den is surrounded by territory that the player must remember to mark frequently to maintain a secure location for their pups to grow and prosper. The territory can be marked by peeing in the surrounding area or by initiating an uninterrupted howl while within any area of the player's territory. The territory meter is the yellow bar with a pink hue (when low) as displayed in the heads-up display on the lower-left corner of the badge. It will fill as the player marks their territory, but will slowly decrease over time.

Wq2 denrender

Pre-release beta tester screenshot.

If the player's territorial marking wavers at any time, the likelihood of stranger wolves and predators appearing in the player's chosen territory increases. The lower the meter, the more chance there is of predators and stranger wolves intruding into the player's territory.

It has not yet been confirmed whether intruders spawn closer to the main den site as the meter reaches 0%. Wolves who do appear inside or around the player's territory will not harm the pups in any way; they are simple social encounters.


Intrusion (Legacy)

All dens have their pros and cons. No matter where the player chooses to settle down, there is always the risk of predators and stranger wolves intruding into the player's territory. Both may pose a threat to pups if left unguarded. To decrease the chance of predators and stranger wolves intruding, it is strongly advised to maintain a strong territorial marker of at least above ~80%.


Hunting zones (Legacy)

Further pros and cons of den site selection are the distances between the den, elk hunting grounds, and the cattle ranch. Closer hunting zones means less time spent traveling to and from home. The cattle ranch zone is only ideal if the player is able to travel a reasonable distance from the den and back.


Tips (Legacy)

Settling in a den like Saddle Meadows and Aspen Heights, with hunting grounds nearby, is a wise decision due to the amount of live prey to hunt as well as the abundance of carcasses. It is easy to gather food and feed pups in those dens, however players should be on their guard as the plentiful supply of carcasses is guaranteed to attract unwanted competitors. The former is a good choice of territory, being close to food yet far from other wolf territories. Food is fairly easy to come by and any intruders that dare trespass are at a disadvantage.

While Aspen Heights and Bison Peak Cutoff have food close by, both are close to wolf territory. Naturally, there will be more intruders. If the player settles at East Creek, they may optionally benefit from the nearby cattle ranch. There will still be complications due to the glitch causing pups to constantly wander away from the den.

Anniversary Edition Den Guides


Classic Den Guides

  • Feel free to contribute to this section.


Legacy Den Guides

  • Feel free to contribute to this section.

See also: WolfQuest Wiki:Interactive Maps.


Anniversary Edition

Contributions for Den Sites in the Anniversary Edition are welcome in this gallery!


Bugs

  • In Legacy versions...
    • There was once a glitch with the East Creek territory which would force pups to roam away from the den endlessly, hence why it was not recommended to settle there due to numerous other glitches which made gameplay much harder. These issues have since been fixed.


Trivia

  • Wolves only rely on shelter during their early life. Their fully-developed coats offer sufficient protection against the elements. Dens aren't utilized by adolescent, adult and elder wolves. They don't need to rest or sleep in sheltered spaces if they aren't nursing or otherwise raising a young litter.
  • Real wolf dens are so small that they generally only support one adult at a time and a litter of pups.[3]
  • In the Anniversary Edition...
    • The mate being shown in the den while the pups are newborn was likely done as a design decision. The player's own wolf is lying in the small space opposite, with the perspective of them looking at their family.
      • If the mate has died and the player hasn't found a new mate prior to their pups' birth, their own wolf will be seen in the mate's usual place next to the newborn litter instead with no one opposite him/her.
    • Scent vision indicates which animal previously inhabited a potential den site. Current scents include foxes (rare), coyotes (common), or wolves (uncommon).
      • 1.0.6b: In scent view, dens marked as abandoned coyote or fox dens are sometimes indicated with a yellow highlight, while wolf dens have occasionally been indicated by a green highlight.
        • Foxes and coyotes are each commonly represented with lime green and green highlighting and scents, respectively.
        • Wolves are commonly represented by yellow highlighting and scents. With the exception of a player's pack in both single-player and multiplayer, other colors representing wolves only apply to established NPC packs.
        • It's unknown if either of these occurrences are intentional, a mistake, or simply an oversight.
      • In the quest interface, the game does mention badger and ground squirrel dens.
    • Some dens overlap into the nodes of another nearby den. This may result in a confusing readout from the den radar.
    • Dirt dens or burrows are by far the most abundant den type in Slough Creek with a total of fifteen dens throughout!
      • Rock dens or caves are the second common den type, with a total of nine to be found.
      • Tree dens are the least common den type. Only three could be found in Slough Creek before patch 1.0.8l. After patch 1.0.8l, there are a total of six dens.
      • There are more open dens than wooded dens. Overall, 21 dens are open. Only 9 are wooded.
      • From release up to and including patch 1.0.8k, there were a total of 27 dens in Slough Creek. As of patch 1.0.8l, three new den sites were added, making the new total 30.
      • There are no dens in Amethyst Mountain or Lost River. It is unknown if this will ever change.
    • The original three Classic/Legacy locations are loosely referenced.
      • Graced with a rockpile formation, Rock/Cave #1 sits downhill from the hilltop formerly occupied by Saddle Meadows.
        • This den site used to emit old den icons from the legacy/classic editions of Slough Creek, as seen in the find a den mission objective and compass icon. This was the only site to do so, which could mean they were reused as placeholders during the episode's early stages of development for testing/debugging purposes.[2] Speculation: cave #1 could be one of the earliest den sites implemented in the Anniversary Edition rendition of Slough Creek, or if not, that it is one of the earliest dens to receive a den scent identifier and spores.
      • While not quite as impressive as it's predecessor's pine, Tree #1 sits in the vicinity of the Bison Peak Cutoff location.
        • Slightly further north and keeping to the southern side of Slough Creek was the location for the now-defunct East Creek territory. Currently this is the only absent classic den.
      • Rock/Cave #2 sits downhill from the spot formerly occupied by the Aspen Heights territory.
    • If a player claims a den while their pups are hiding in tall grass, they will come out of hiding.
  • In Classic...
    • Wq2 denrender

      Pre-release beta tester screenshot.

      While the player, their mate and their pups cannot directly enter the den, the pack's pups will stay near it after being trained. In the absence of adults, pups will stay close to the den in a laying down position. Any intruding predators who enter the territory while there are no adult wolves in the vicinity will be queued near the den until the player (or one or more players in an online session) have returned to the territory to continue supervising and feeding the pack's pups.
  • In Legacy versions...
    • While the player, their mate and their pups cannot enter the den, pups will stay nearby after being trained.
    • There is a glitch with East Creek which makes puppies wander away from the area endlessly, hence why it's not recommended to settle at this territory. It features numerous other glitches which makes gameplay much harder.
    • Keep in mind that once the player is transported out of the cattle ranch zone, their mate will also be teleported to the player. This leaves the den site and its pups completely vulnerable. This applies regardless of which territory was chosen at the beginning of the episode.
    • The dens like Saddle Meadow is much easier to settle in. It provides a flat surface where the den is and is a good distance away from wolf territory.
    • None of the dens can be entered due to the lack of an interior zone, which the devs couldn't justify adding, either due to time/budget constraints or the lack of ideas to make it useful or interesting. This was a particularly challenging aspect for the dev team; real wolf dens are very small cramped spaces only just big enough for one adult and pups. In this version of the game, pups will stay close to the den in the player's absence.
  • In Classic and Legacy...
    • A den level was not added to the game due to real wolf dens being small and cramped. This is why it's not possible to enter the dens of any territory.
      • The devs had begun to consider it come Classic; they were still working from the old legacy codebase and hadn't yet come up with a way to make it useful or interesting, which wasn't enough reason justify adding a new zone at that point in time.
  • In all versions...


References & External Links

  1. Further information may be available in t he Experience Points (2.5)/Cheat or Cheats articles.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Reused old den icon asset from legacy/classic as it appeared in the Anniversary Edition.
  3. Koa#8696 on the Official WolfQuest Discord: generally wolf dens are only big enough for a mother and her pups. if present, other pack members may enter the den if another adult is not present. Cited source: Wolves: Behavior, Ecology and Conservation by L. David Mech.


Anniversary Edition Saga
Wolf Packs Wolves Dispersal wolfPredator wolfStranger wolf (packs, territories)
Player's Pack
Areas Hexes (home) • TerritoryWedges
Family Mate • Offspring: Pups, Yearlings, Subadults, Adults (dispersers)
Home Sites Den sitesRendezvous sites
Modes WQ-AE Hex-Yellow map-legend Single-playerWQ-AE Hex-Yellow map-legend Multiplayer
Objectives Quests Learn to HuntFind a Mate (Courtship) • Explore Lost RiverEstablish Your TerritoryFind a DenRaise Pups
Journey to Summer HomeLoaf at Rendezvous SiteEndless Summer
Subquests Find a New MateMove to a New DenHunt Newborn Ungulates!Livestock ranchMove to New Rendezvous Site
Exploration Miscellaneous AchievementsCollectiblesEaster EggsHuman InfluencesLandmarks
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
Home Sites
Dens
WQ-AE den outline Anniversary Edition WQ-AE den outline Amethyst MountainSlough CreekTower FallHellroaring MountainLost River
Wqcl-den icon Classic & Legacy Wqcl-den icon Aspen HeightsBison Peak CutoffSaddle MeadowsEast Creek
Rendezvous WQ-AE Rendezvous site outline Anniversary Edition WQ-AE Rendezvous site outline Amethyst MountainSlough CreekTower FallHellroaring MountainLost River
Wqcl-den icon-star Classic & Legacy Wqcl-den icon-star Douglas Fir Forest
Miscellaneous Categories Den Sites: WQ-AE dirt den scent Dirt/BurrowWQ-AE rock den scent Rock/CaveWQ-AE tree den scent Tree
Related Articles AchievementsInteractive MapsGray wolf pups (yearlings, dispersed, non-dispersed) • PackmatesPack (territory)
Survival
Vitals & Senses Health (disease, injury) • Energy or Stamina (rest) • Hunger (sustenance) • Wakefulness (sleep) • Scents (view, spores, posts) • Wolf Badge
Skills & Stats AffinityAttributesCommandsExperience (elder, perks, ranks) • Hunting (scavenging) • Personality
Game Modes CampaignSingle-playerMultiplayerIronwolf
Sustenance CarcassesHydration
Territory Den sitesPack (territory) • Rendezvous sitesWolvesWolf PacksWolf territories
Environment TimeVegetationWeather
Interfaces CompassHeads-Up DisplayMap (world map) • Pack InfoPack StatsTutorial
Technical
Configuration Graphics QualityLauncherShaders
Features AccountsAchievementsAge perksCustomizationElder wolfExperience pointsFriendsHuman ImpactsMultiplayerPackRestSleep
Game Files Add-onsAudioModelsMusicTextures
Game Mechanics AffinityAIAuto-saveCompanionshipDeathDifficultyFondnessScent viewSpawnersWeather
Interactive AnimationsCarcassCourtship (Anniversary)Den sitesEmotesNPCsHuntingMapPack RallyRendezvous sitesSocial arena (Classic/Legacy)TimeZones
Interfaces User InterfacesHeads-up DisplayPack Stats (Legacy/Classic)Pack Info (Anniversary)Tutorial
Miscellaneous Bugs and GlitchesCheatsDevelopment buildsDeveloper shortcutsSkyboxTroubleshooting
Operating Systems LinuxMacintoshWindowsIOSAndroidKindleStorefronts
Versions Legacy (1.1.0-2.5.1)Classic (2.7.X)10th Anniversary
Update historyHidden updates
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