Wolf Spawn in Response to Smell?

[Lenny Rat]

Do wolves spawn out of thin air if you increase your smell?

My understanding to date was that wolves spawn and patrol various areas in response to your movements, and they certainly will be drawn out of those patrols by hunting wildlife or hunting you based on sight or smell. I had a very surprising experience today.

On Loper about 30 days in; I'm at Trappers and have the bear wandering around in the front. After he leaves I go to the barn to harvest and cook the deer carcass. I run with 2 pieces of meat and the guts to the cabin and drop them. All is good. Stand inside for a few minutes to warm and then dash back out to the barn for the water and one more piece of meat. I wait for my full burst circle, grab the water and meat, and run for the cabin again...no bear in sight.

A wolf literally comes from right next to the cabin door and nails me. No time to react, bad fight, lost 90% of my heatlth and three articles of clothing.

In dozens of runs, I have NEVER seen a wolf on the bunny hill behind Trappers, nor patrolling anywhere CLOSE to the path that leads from the front to the back of Trappers. There is no way that wolf ran down from the hills above Trappers to me as fast as I sprinted across that field.

Shocked!

[IFIYGD]

That wolf at Trappers is not common to see, but has been in the game for a looooooong time. I have only run headlong into him 3 times, between XBone and Steam. Last time was months ago. Met me almost at the door to the cabin. Rare, but not a new wolf spawn.

[jswilliams]

Nice. That must be the wolf tethered past Max's Last Stand> Near as I can figure he tracked your Scent and his AI path took him behind Trapper's, past the Milton cave and behind the cabin to the rabbit area.

Ironically, I think you moved so quickly that his tracking was broken once you were indoor but his slow walk kept him in the area back there. You come back out, but he's too far to hear the door. But as soon as you picked up Scent his AI path must've led him back around Trapper's to the front door and unfortunately put him on the best possible intercept.

Or

His original Scent path led him following your trail right to the door. You're still inside getting in a desperate hand of solitaire and his return path back to his tether had him go behind Trapper's instead of out to the front lawn, and then everything unfolded as above.

I think this second option is true because when wolves pick up your Scent, they a) move much more quickly and b) move to intercept based on where they smelled you THEN start following your trail.

[gnusjunkie]

That sounds like a bad encounter. FWIW, I've certainly encountered a wolf at least twice on the 'bunny hill' behind Trappers - not immediately where the bunnies are, but on the slope up the hill, past where the saplings sometimes spawn. If you were smelly near Trappers, that's certainly close enough to draw that wolf away from its established range, I reckon.

[PowerOn]

An wolf in Trappers door is not a common sight, but happens, is the wolf that patrol the first hill* between Trappers and Unnamed Pond, sometimes came attracted by smell or by sigft.

* You see an wolf there in game main menu.

[Lenny Rat]

Oye...when I saw him come for me, I almost just "opened my arms to the afterlife"...but then I decided to beat the living snot out of the little beast with my prybar...how dumb was I not to be carrying my hammer!

Never again...

[mf187doubleg]

Actually there are 2 wolves - 1 that can come from the left hill when you go out from Trappers and the other comes from Max's spot. The one form the left killed me a few times on this hill and he is coming very rarely to the bunny hill. The one from the right is quite easy to spot when he is moving. I bet you encountered the one from the left hill.

[Lenny Rat]

Yeah...I have encountered the one from behind the left hill a few times when going for firewood up there...probably was him...