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🐺 Pack Challenges

Five working packs, five jobs, and the real dogs behind each one.

Kennel Keeper's Manual

Why these dogs?

A pack is a matched team. The leader and every follower must be the same breed, at the same level. Each focus asks for a specific leader breed, because each breed is built for a specific job. This page explains what each pack does, why that dog fits, and why the others don't.

Unlocks at Player Level 9. The 🐺 Pack tab stays locked until then, no matter how many Lv 6 Bloodhounds you already have. Level 9 also unlocks the 📦 Pack Recruits sub-tab — where most of the actual pack-building happens.
Kennel Keeper's note
The breed history on this page is real. The missions are the game's. Where the game stretches a fact for gameplay, the note says so.

📋 The five packs at a glance

FocusLeaderLineageLevelFollower traits
👃 SmellBloodhoundHoundLv 6Keen Nose / Hunting Nose
💨 SpeedGreyhoundHoundLv 5Swift Paws / Lucky Paw
💪 StrengthRottweilerWorkingLv 5Strong Jaw / Deep Bond
🛡 GuardBoxerWorkingLv 4Deep Bond / Strong Jaw
🐾 TrackBeagleHoundLv 4Keen Nose / Herding Instinct
Guard and Track are the cheapest entry points — both need a Lv 4 dog. But "easiest" isn't "best value": Track has three missions paying 620🪙 total, while Guard has two for 260🪙. If you're picking a first pack for coin income, Track wins. Guard is a cheap second — it shares the Working line with Strength, so the same breeding effort feeds both.
Not every dog can join a pack. The Bully lineage has no pack — those dogs are for Court, Market sales, and the Pitbull-ban news cycle. Wolves can't join either: there is no wolf focus, no wolf leader breed, and followers must match the leader's lineage. Take wolves to the Wolfkeeper in the Court instead — he pays 650–1,100🪙 across repeat deliveries, escalating with each one.
Focus · 👃 Smell
Leader: Bloodhound · Hound lineage · Lv 6

"Something is in that cave."

A nose that can follow a cold trail into a dark place, and not lose it when the air turns to dust and stone.

Why the Bloodhound The Bloodhound descends from the St Hubert hound, bred by monks in the Ardennes around the 8th century. It has an estimated ~300 million scent receptors — a human has about 6 million. Its long ears funnel scent toward the nose, its loose jowls trap it, and its long snout warms the air before it's drawn in. It's a following dog, not a hunting one.
The two traits that work 👃 Keen Nose — the nose itself is exceptional. Follows a scent it has never met. 🦴 Hunting Nose — built to follow prey specifically. Knows what a living animal smells like.
Why not another Hound? A Greyhound is a Hound — but a Greyhound is a sighthound. It runs by eye, not by nose. It can't follow a Lv 6 Bloodhound leader, and it can't lead a Smell pack because it isn't a Bloodhound. The pack is a matched team.

🎯 Missions this pack takes:

🕳️ Cave of Whispers Hard · score 85 · 280🪙
To build this pack: Merge Hound dogs up to Lv 6 (a Bloodhound). Do this twice, opposite sexes, and breed them in 📦 Pack Recruits — each pup is another Lv 6 Bloodhound. Give the leader any trait (worth +15 regardless), and breed every follower for a Keen Nose or Hunting Nose — followers without a focus trait can't join at all.
Focus · 💨 Speed
Leader: Greyhound · Hound lineage · Lv 5

"It's already running. Catch it."

A dog fast enough to close the gap before the rabbit reaches the hedge, or the stag reaches the treeline.

Why the Greyhound One of the oldest identifiable breeds — depicted on Egyptian tomb walls from around 4000 BC. It's the fastest dog on earth, reaching roughly 45 mph, with a "double suspension gallop" and a flexible spine that lets it stretch. Its deep chest holds the lungs it needs for the sprint. It was bred for coursing — chasing prey by sight, not scent. It runs. That is the whole job.
The two traits that work 💨 Swift Paws — literally speed. The dog closes distance faster. 🍀 Lucky Paw — timing. A lucky dog catches the thing that should have got away.
Why not a Bloodhound? A Bloodhound is a Hound, and it would happily follow a stag's trail. But it's built to track, not to catch. By the time a Bloodhound reaches the treeline, the stag is two counties away. Speed needs a dog that runs.

🎯 Missions this pack takes:

🐇 Chase the Rabbits Easy · score 40 · 100🪙
🦌 Hunt the Great Stag Medium · score 70 · 180🪙
To build this pack: Merge Hound dogs up to Lv 5 (a Greyhound). Breed two in 📦 Pack Recruits for Lv 5 pups. Give the leader any trait; breed every follower for Swift Paws or Lucky Paw.
Focus · 💪 Strength
Leader: Rottweiler · Working lineage · Lv 5

"It has tusks. You have a dog."

Something is charging. Your dog is the thing in its way.

Why the Rottweiler Descends from Roman drover dogs — the mastiff-types legions used to drive cattle and guard camps. In the German town of Rottweil, butchers used them to pull carts and guard money. They weigh 95–135 lbs, with a broad skull and a genuinely powerful bite. They were bred to push large animals and refuse to let go of an intruder.
The two traits that work 💪 Strong Jaw — raw stopping power. The dog can hold its ground physically. 💞 Deep Bond — the dog will not leave you. It stands its ground because it's yours.
Why not a Boxer? A Boxer is a Working dog, and it's brave. But a Boxer is Lv 4, and a Rottweiler is Lv 5. A Boxer can't follow a Lv 5 leader. The pack is built to the leader's level, not to the other dogs you happen to own.

🎯 Missions this pack takes:

🐗 Fend Off the Boar Easy · score 40 · 110🪙
🦖 Fight the Great Beast Hard · score 90 · 320🪙
To build this pack: Merge Working dogs up to Lv 5 (a Rottweiler). Breed two for Lv 5 pups in 📦 Pack Recruits. Any trait on the leader; Strong Jaw or Deep Bond on every follower. Since Guard also uses Working dogs, the working line does double duty across two packs.
Focus · 🛡 Guard
Leader: Boxer · Working lineage · Lv 4

"Nothing gets past the fire tonight."

The fire is low. Something is moving at the edge of the light. The dog is already on its feet.

Why the Boxer Descends from the German Bullenbeisser ("bull-biter"), a dog used for centuries to grip and hold large game while hunters closed in. As that sport faded, Boxers became butcher's dogs, then guard dogs, then military messengers in WWI. They are alert, protective, and famously reluctant to back down. Tied with the Beagle for the lowest level requirement of any pack — the Boxer is one of the two easiest first leaders to grow.
The two traits that work 💞 Deep Bond — the dog guards because you are its person. Loyalty is the whole job. 💪 Strong Jaw — the dog can physically back up its nerve.
Why not a Rottweiler? A Rottweiler is a Working dog and would make a fine guard — but a Guard pack leader must be a Lv 4 Boxer. A Lv 5 Rottweiler can't lead a Guard pack, and it can't follow a Lv 4 leader. Guard and Strength are two different packs, with two different leaders.

🎯 Missions this pack takes:

🕯️ Night Watch Easy · score 25 · 90🪙
🐺 Wolf Pack at the Ridge Medium · score 55 · 170🪙
To build this pack: Merge Working dogs up to Lv 4 (a Boxer). Joint-lowest entry point of any focus (tied with Beagle/Track). Breed two for Lv 4 pups in 📦 Pack Recruits. Any leader trait; Deep Bond or Strong Jaw on every follower.
Focus · 🐾 Track
Leader: Beagle · Hound lineage · Lv 4

"The trail goes cold in the fog."

A scent on the path. The dog follows it even when the trail leaves the path and the fog closes in.

Why the Beagle Beagles were bred for beagling — hunting hare on foot, in a pack, following scent rather than sight. They are pack hounds: they work best in a matched group, and they do not give up on a trail. The name is debated; it may come from the Old French beugler ("to bellow," for the way a pack speaks on the line) or the Old English beag ("small").
The two traits that work 👃 Keen Nose — the dog's scenting is exceptional. Follows what nobody else can. 🐑 Herding Instinct — the dog can steer what it's following. Useful when the trail crosses a flock of sheep and the sheep are now in the way.
Why "Herding Instinct" on a Hound? This is the game's one stretch — a Beagle with herding instinct is a design choice, not real breed history. The idea is that a tracking dog that can also move a target (rather than just follow it) is more useful on a hard trail. Treat it as an in-world skill, not a real one.

🎯 Missions this pack takes:

🌿 Follow the Trail Easy · score 25 · 80🪙
🌲 Forest Ambush Medium · score 55 · 160🪙
💎 The Lost Treasure Hard · score 100 · 380🪙
To build this pack: Merge Hound dogs up to Lv 4 (a Beagle). Breed two for Lv 4 pups in 📦 Pack Recruits, then breed for Keen Nose or Herding Instinct on every follower. Any leader trait. Track is the best-value first pack — three missions totalling 620🪙, tied with Guard for the lowest level requirement.

📊 How pack score works

Your pack's strength is a single number. It decides which missions you can attempt, and how likely they are to succeed.

ContributorPointsTrait requirement
Leader's levellevel × 10—
Leader has a trait+15Any trait — leader's doesn't have to be a focus trait
Each follower's levellevel × 3 (×4 followers)—
Each follower has a trait+5 (×4 followers)Must be a focus trait — followers with any other trait can't join

Example: a Lv 5 Greyhound leader with any trait (Swift Paws here), plus four Lv 5 Greyhounds each with a Swift Paws or Lucky Paw → (5×10) + 15 + 4×((5×3) + 5) = 65 + 80 = 145. That clears every Speed mission at the 95% success cap.

Leader vs follower traits. A leader only needs some trait to earn its +15 — Keen Nose, Silk Coat, whatever. A follower needs a trait that matches the focus's list (Keen Nose / Hunting Nose for Smell, Swift Paws / Lucky Paw for Speed, etc.) or it can't be added at all. So the +5 per follower is really a "met the eligibility check" bonus, not a generic trait bonus.
Overkill is free; failure is not. Mission odds are ~50% at the target score and +2% per point above it, capped at 95%. To reach the cap you need to be about 22 points over the target. A full pack of traited dogs always does that. On a failed mission, each member has a 50% chance of losing a level — which can break the "same level" requirement and dissolve the pack's eligibility. Never send an undersized pack.
Focus traits also gate your Player Level. Level 9→10 requires 3 unique focus traits; Level 10→11 requires 5 unique focus traits. The pool is seven traits (Keen Nose, Hunting Nose, Swift Paws, Lucky Paw, Strong Jaw, Deep Bond, Herding Instinct) — so this is a breeding-diversity challenge, not just a pack-building one. Dogs anywhere count — meadow, Kennel, Vet, or Recruits — so a scattered shelf of traited dogs helps even if they're not all in a pack.

🎮 Open the Pack tab 🎯 Strategy guide