The Howler is a large flying creature with an elongated body and wings similar to those of a firefly. It roams the skies of Fortuna III. It is blind and utilizes its scream to echolocate Prospectors or as a way to daze its enemies.
Behaviour
The Howler is a roaming and flying mob which means it has no fixed spawnpoints but moves through the whole map, usually roaming between its nests, which can be found in several of the map's locations. The Howler will rest in its nest for around 30sec. From time to time the Howler will use its echolocation ability to locate nearby players. While doing so, a sound wave originating from the creature will be visible. If the Howler detects a player, it will switch to its combat phase and attack them.
The Howler will not aggressively seek out players, and can be avoided relatively easily if there's no wish to fight it. It is also easy to escape from during combat. Waiting out of Line of Sight in an enclosed space is usually enough for it to lose interest.
Combat
The Howler may also shoot a salvo of darts. Each individual dart deals low damage, but they're fired in rapid succession.
The Howler can shoot missile-like projectiles that stick to whatever they hit, exploding on player proximity or after being damaged. If they hit a player, they detonate instantly.
By screaming, it has the ability to daze players around it, similar to the effect of a stun grenade. This daze ability also deals damage.
If the player is too close to the monster, it may approach and perform a melee attack.
Once the Howler is at half of its health, it will become enraged and scream loudly, dealing heavy damage
During its second stage the Howler will attack more frequently (Needs checking)
Loot
Killing a howler has the chance to drop some Loot. If the creature was high in the air when it was killed, the dropped loot should gravitate towards the player that dealt the final blow.
Item | Chance | Chance (storm) | Amount | Amount (Storm) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Howler Ichor Bulb | 100% | 100% | 2 | 2 |
Howler Ichor Bulb (3rd) | 20% | 30% | 1 | 1-2 |
Howler Dart | 100% | 100% | 1 | 1 |
Howler Dart (2nd) | 20% | 30% | 1 | 1-2 |
Damaged Howler Syrinx | 3% | 10% | 1 | 1 |
Attacks
Rapid-fire Dart Attack
- 25 Penetration
- 5 Direct Damage per dart
Proximity Missile Attack
- 25 Penetration
- 10 Area Damage per Missile
Scream Attack
- 25 Penetration
- 30 Direct Damage
- Dazes the player for a few seconds
Melee Bite Attack
- 25 Penetration
- 40 Direct Damage
Deafening Scream Attack (Gets triggered when the Howler reaches half health)
- 25 Penetration
- 40 Direct Damage
Howler Structures
The Howler has made Fortuna III its home, and has built several nests in the playable maps.
Feeding grounds littered with creature and human corpses can also be found.
Finally, as a hostile creature, the aftermath of its attacks to NPC prospectors and the factions' field agents can be seen in the form of small, permanent, and often gruesome changes in certain areas of the map.
Howler Nests
Howler Nests are the largest of the Howler's map changes and can be found in some of the named locations in all three maps, like Science Campus in Bright Sands. The area claimed by the Howler is covered in a brown substance of undetermined origin. Scattered around this area are Howler Eggs, red balls covered in spikes, that will explode if the player gets too close or if they're damaged, freeing the critters inside it and leaving behind a cloud that will deal damage over time for as long as the player stands in it. Prospectors can avoid triggering the explosion by crouch-walking. They can also attempt to harvest the eggs by approaching them and interacting with them for several seconds, although they're not guaranteed to get resources every time. Exploding eggs also have a chance to drop materials, but at a much lower rate.
Image Gallery
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