Overview
A basic overview of the Mountain DLC, along with a few tips and secrets.
Intro
I haven’t seen a guide for the Mountain DLC yet, so I’m going for it. For now it will be a little bare bones as I haven’t fully explored it yet or found all of its secrets. Still, it might be enough to give new lynx mothers an edge on thier first ventures into it.
Lay of the Land
As suggested, the mountain is mountainous. There is very little level ground, and your field of view will be obstructed by boulders and trees. There are a number of cliff overhangs which do offer great views of the territory and will make finding both prey and danger a bit easier. The area is also exceptionally diverse; forest clusters, a small swamp by the river, barrens of stone, and caves. No grassland however, not like the one that’s present in the den territory or the tundra/plains (snowflake icon).
Occasionally, you can also find plateaus similar to those found in the plains, the hills that you use to escape the wolves. Now, while wolves do not live in the mountain territory, something else does…But I’ll get to that later.
The biggest ‘trouble’ with the map is the river. It is bisected by one running Northeast to Southwest, and as far as I can tell there is no way across it save for waiting for it to freeze over in winter. Otherwise, you’ll have to use the different entrances to the area depending on which side you want to investigate. The northern side is reached via the plains, and the southern side from the den territory.
What’s for supper?
Prey for the most part is similar to other regions, though I find that the mountain region is the most diverse, having all prey animals present. As usual, there are voles and hares living in the grassy areas, down by the river you can find frogs, and in forested areas you can find pheasants and owl eggs. I have found that there is a clearing higher up the mountains that almost seems to be a breeding ground for pheasants, based on their number and the number of nests scattered around.
The big prize are the deer. I find them most commonly on hills crests. However, they are extremely alert and aware, and sneaking up towards them must be taken very slowly. If you’re lucky, they will be close to a cliff edge, which cuts off one escape route. If you’re super lucky, launching an attack while they are near the edge will cause them to panic and head straight back to you and into your jaws.
Like in all the other territories, the number of cubs these prey items feed remains the same:
1 vole/frog feeds 1 cub
1 hare feeds 2 cubs
1 pheasant feeds 3 cubs
1 deer feeds 4 cubs
Trouble…
…which starts with a ‘T’, which rhymes with ‘B’, which stands for BEAR! Actually, the bears are the least of your worries…
Bears, while big and scary, are easy to deal with. Brown bears live in the mountains, and polar bears can be found on the plains. You’ll know if one is near you if the music and all sound of wildlife suddenly stops, usually accompanied by the sound of low ponderous drums. Scenting the air will reveal where it is if you already don’t see it. However, bears are pretty peaceful. Give it some space, and it will leave you alone. This is assuming, of course, that you haven’t already entered into its area of aggression. When you do, it will rear up, roar, and then the chase is on. You and your cubs cannot out run it. I’ve been running under the assumption that if you can get to one of those plateaus, you’ll be safe from the enraged bear. Problem is, those are few and far between. I’ve never made it to one in time.
More troubling are foxes and hawks. The DLC adds these two to the den territory, if not the others as well. Both will attempt to steal your cubs, though they have different tactics.
A hawk has appeared when you hear a mandolin accompianed by its cry. It will circle once or twice, then swoop down to pluck up a cub. I haven’t found a way to prevent this from happening. All is not lost though. The weight of your cub will impede the hawks ability to fly for a short moment, giving you a chance to line up, give chase, and pounce. If successful, you will kill the hawk, saving your cub and giving all of them a meal. Yep, hawks feed all four cubs.
*Edit* You might be able to avoid the hawk if you go statue still instead of running for cover. I’m not sure as it’s never worked for me, but I’ve gotten a report that this sometimes works.
Foxes are more annoying. There are two varieties: arctic in the plains, and red in all other territories. These guys follow you, worrying you and your family. One is trailing you when you hear random, loud twigs snapping. Take a look around and it will more than likely be right behind you. They are very cowardly, and if you start after them they will flee. Sadly, that won’t deter them for long, and they will be back just as quickly as they ran. The only way to get rid of them is to kill them. When chased, they run in a straight line, and are as fast if not faster than deer are. It is possible to catch it, but you will need either a lot of stamina, or boulders blocking its path. If it does manage to grab a cub, much like the hawk, it will be slowed down by their weight, giving you a chance to catch it and kill it. Again, one fox will feed all four cubs.
*Edit* It does seem that if you chase them off 3 times, they will leave you alone. I’m not 100% sure that this will always work, so you may want to kill it anyways to make sure.
Predators aren’t the only danger in the mountains. Lightning storms can lead to forest fires. This can happen in all territories save for the plains. It is possible to out run it, but it’s tricky. Be careful that you aren’t running to a dead end, and double check on your young cubs. They are slower than you, and sometimes one will become paralyzed with fear, forcing you to go back and pick it up. Fortunately, these seem to be rare, so if luck is on your side you’ll never run into one. Be wary, though, as lightning is sometimes known to strike a cub. It may be best to hunker down in a cave and wait it out, assuming of course that cave doesn’t belong to a bear…
Rare Collectables *SPOILERS*
The DLC adds 5 new rare collectables, all of which are in the mountain territory.
Snake Skeleton
Entering from the den territory, you’ll find this at the northeastern corner of the map. There’s a group of dead trees, all angled in towards one another, like the pole structure for a tepee. They are standing in a pile of loose dirt, with some other skeletons strewn about. Inside this structure is the snake skeleton.
Fossil
Again entering from the den territory, you’ll head down the mountain side and then make a left. Heading along the wall, you’ll find a plateau at the edge of this dead end area. Jump up and the fossil is there.
Meteor
Still on the same side of the river as the previous 2, there’s a bluff that’s sort of in the center of the south side of the river. You’ll find a huge impact crater (also marked on the map with something that kind of looks like lightning striking the ground) and this little tiny meteor is in the center of it. Just goes to show what massive speed can make up for.
Egg
This is found at the very center of the map on a little patch of land that juts out into the river. It seems you can only reach it in winter. It’s just sitting on the center of that little island/spur.
Sea Shell
This one also seems to only be accessible in winter. If you enter from the plains, head down the hill and make a right. There’s a small pond at the top of the map which shrinks in winter (it seems to be fed from a spring above it, so when that freezes, the pond drains down into the main river). Once the pond’s shoreline recedes, the sea shell will be revealed.
And now a picture of the map. Item locations are circled.
Red = Egg (winter only)
Yellow = Meteor
Green = Snake
Blue = Seashell (winter only)
Purple = Fossil
That’s all she wrote. For now.
Thanks for reading through this, and I hope it helps. If you’ve got any advice for cleaning this up, extra tips, or anything else, feel free to add it into the comments and at some point I’ll integrate it.