| “ | The Hounds are the top dogs, they run the show around here. They done a good job of getting' hemp to grow in the swamps... whether they've been makin' sacrifices to Narko or they just got green goddamn fingers, who the hell knows. Either way it's got em' a pretty big standing in the smuggling trade, they're the most powerful of the clans. Their leader, Grim, she's about as smart as she is crazy... | ” |
–Swamper Barman | ||
The Hounds are the most powerful gang in The Swamp. They are the continent's primary growers of Hemp, which is the main ingredient of Hashish, a narcotic substance illegal in all three major nations. Their leader Big Grim is purportedly "crazy," but also clever enough to maneuver her gang to the top of the swamp hierarchy. The Hounds have a Faction HQ building located within Shark and a village within The Swamp named Rot.
Characters[]
Joining the Hounds[]
If you build a base inside The Swamp, a pack of Hounds may come to visit you and tell you that, if you want their protection, you should talk to Ears.
Ears[]
Ears can be found in the Dancing Skeleton bar in Shark. Ears says that he can help your faction "get noticed" by Big Grim for a price. After paying Ears 2,000 Cats, you can now speak to Big Grim.
Note: You don't have to build a base within The Swamp in order to join the Hounds. You only need to to find Ears roaming within Shark.
Smuggling Hashish[]
Big Grim can be found in the Hounds faction headquarters (the other swamp dome next to the casino). Grim says you can join her gang if you do a task for her. If the player accepts, they will receive Hashish to smuggle into the United Cities. (Notably, this is one of the very few tasks in the game that resembles a traditional video game quest.)
The closest United Cities city is Clownsteady. In order to sell illegal goods (Hashish) to a vendor in the city, characters must find a Thief Fence inside of a Shinobi Thieves tower or there is a chance to find one in a local bar. To trade in a Thieves Tower, players must be allied with the Shinobi Thieves.
Players don't need to actually sell the Hashish in order to complete this task. Players simply need to return with the money.
After a day or two, return to Big Grim and pay her the money which you received (or would have received) for selling the hashish. You are given the option to pay the full amount of c.4,000 or come up short with only c.3,000. Grim is not forgiving when players come up short. After this payment, you are allied with the Hounds and village called Rot becomes green on your map.
Farming Hemp[]
If the player speaks to Big Grim again, Grim will give them the task of creating a base out in The Swamp to farm more Hemp for their operation. Grim will give the player 10 Building Materials to start them out.
After picking any location in The Swamp, set up your base. Swamp Raptors will come to eat your hemp farms so you should build walls and other defenses.
The Red Sabres will launch a Base Assault, but the Hounds will also immediately send reinforcements to help with this. When reinforcements arrive, they will patrol your base for an entire day and then leave. The Hounds will easily defeat the Red Sabre Assault, as the generic NPC Hounds typically have twice the combat stats of the Red Sabres.
The Hounds will also send groups to check in with your base. These groups will warn you about the Stone Rats and collect Big Grim's cut of c.2,000. Reinforcements and check-ins will be made up of Hound NPCs exclusively.
Locations[]
| Zones |
|---|
| Hound patrols can spawn in The Swamp. |
| Towns |
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| These towns, outposts, and other locations are controlled by this faction. |
| Town Overrides |
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| Depending on World States, these locations can be controlled by this faction. |
Trivia[]
- The Hound Skeleton character was most likely intended to be another possible spawn for the faction. However, this character was not implemented.