The perks of age change dramatically over the course of a wolf's life. Young wolves are bursting with vim and vigor.  Elder wolves have lost that youthful prowess but gain wisdom and insight into the ways of the world.

In WolfQuest, your wolf can enjoy those perks too. The Age Perks system offers a selection of physical, clout, and wisdom bonuses for each year of your wolf's life.  Once a year, you have the option to advance your wolf in age by one year and select from a new set of perks.

Annual Perks

On your birthday (in April, just before your pups are born), you will be presented with the Age Perks menu, where you can view all of the Age Perks available at each age. You can select up to three new Age Perks if you wish to advance to the next age. This choice only presents itself once per year, so be sure to think carefully about your decision.

Each age offers a unique set of Age Perks. Younger ages have more Physical Attributes bonuses, representing wolves in their physical prime, as well as Clout perks. Older ages have access to more Knowledge perks, representing the experience that mature wolves possess, even as they lose some of their physical prowess.

Only one age's worth of Perks are active at any one time. Your wolf only gains the benefits from the Age Perks you've selected for your current age. If you choose to advance in age, you lose access to the previous Age's Perks in favor of the Perks you select from the next age.

You are not required to advance in age. If you fear the effects of age, you can remain as a two-year-old wolf, or even a three- or four-year-old wolf, for as long as you like. But, if you choose to advance in age, it is a permanent commitment. Wolves cannot grow younger, after all.

Age Perks

Physical Attributes

Strength: Do more damage when attacking prey and competitors.

Health: Boost your maximum health by 75 health points.

Speed: Trot, gallop, and sprint faster.

Stamina: Boost your maximum stamina by 10%.

Clout

Territorial Might

  • Howling boosts your claim on all your hexes more. (In multiplayer, each player with this perk gets this bonus.)
  • Territory strength drops more slowly. (In multiplayer, this applies to the entire pack if any player has the perk.)

Youthful Prowess:

  • More likely to have a larger litter of pups next year.
  • Sick pups are more likely to recover.
  • Competitors are more likely to flee. (In multiplayer, this applies to the entire pack if any player has the perk.)
  • Competitors are more frightened when you snarl and growl at them. (In multiplayer, each player with this perk gets this bonus.)
  • Prospective mates are more interested in you when you meet. (Single-player only)
  • More rival wolves are courtable.  (Single-player only)

Fun Parent

  • Social and Play emotes boost Pack Affinity faster. (In multiplayer, this applies to the entire pack if any player has the perk.)
  • Pups never get tired of socializing (no cooldown period).

Elder Authority:

  • Pups will stay in den during a predator attack.
  • Pack Affinity rises faster when you are at the den. 
  • Pack Affinity decays more slowly. (In multiplayer, this applies to the entire pack if any player has the perk.)

Knowledge

Knowing Nose:

  • Floating scents reveal distance to herd or animal, or to the scent tracks where they originated. (In multiplayer, each player with this perk gets this bonus.)
  • Carcass scents reveal distance and how much food remains.  (In multiplayer, each player with this perk gets this bonus.)

Health Perception:

  • Reveal health of an animal by locking onto them for several seconds, without biting. (In multiplayer, each player with this perk gets this bonus.)

Good Memory

  • Your pack's scent posts appear on the map. (In multiplayer, each player with this perk gets this bonus.)
  • All dens that you discover while at Slough Creek this year will stay discovered next year, so you don't have to find four dens to complete Establish Territory. (In multiplayer, all players see these dens if any player has the perk.)
  • Each type of den (burrow, rock, tree) has its own icon in scent view.

FINAL YEARS: Elder Wolf

At age of seven, on your next birthday, you can choose to advance to age eight and become an Elder Wolf. This is a distinct age from the others, since eight is old for a wolf! Many wolves don't live this long, and those that do certainly can't expect to live much longer.

Remember, if you choose to advance to age eight, your wolf will die at some point from a variety of causes. If you do not wish to finish your wolf's life story, don't advance to this age! You can always remain at one of the previous ages if you wish to keep playing with a given wolf.

If you advance to age eight: Elder Wolf

  • "Elder Wolf" mode will be activated. Similar to Ironwolf mode, this allows only one save file, so your wolf's next death will be its last.
    • Elder Wolves are not playable in multiplayer games.
    • You can't create a new game with an Elder Wolf.
  • Your wolf will grow slower and weaker, losing one point on all physical attributes, representing the decline in physical prowess.
  • Death will come, in some form, sooner or later. When the end is near, you will be given the choice of dying peacefully, at a time and place of your choosing, or seeing what fate awaits you when you next sleep.
  • Once your wolf has died, it will be marked as "Dead" in My Wolves, and it won't be playable again.

Fate of Mate and Pups of an Elder Wolf:

  • If your mate survives you, they will continue to raise your pups and some of them will survive, so they will appear in the Family Tree.
  • If you die without a mate, those pups will perish.

REMINISCE MODE

You may have saved games from the years before your wolf became an Elder Wolf. If you load one of those, you will activate Reminisce mode. This lets you relive your wolf's younger days (though with your Age 8 Perks), revisiting your old mates and pups -- but you cannot save your game.

DEVBLOGS about Age Perks

FAQ

How do I age up after completing Slough Creek?

Once you have completed the Slough Creek quests and reached Endless Summer, you can then start a new year in the life of your wolf and have a new litter of pups. In the main menu, start a new game and go to Amethyst Mountain (if you want to find a new mate) or Slough Creek (by choosing an existing mate). Once back in Slough Creek, after establishing a territory and finding a den, you will have the opportunity to advance in age on your birthday -- right before your new litter is born. 

What is the difference between Elder Wolf and Ironwolf?

Elder Wolf is very similar to Ironwolf: You can have only one save, and death is permanent. Your wolf becomes an Elder Wolf when you advance to age eight (rather than when creating a wolf and making it an ironwolf).

Will my mate age up too? Do mates get Age Perks too?

Your mate will advance in age whenever your wolf does. They do not get any Age Perks. They do not get slower or weaker if they advance to Elder Wolf at age eight.

What if my mate is older than me? Do they become and Elder Wolf at age eight? Can they die first?

When your mate reaches age eight (regardless of your age), they will become an Elder Wolf, and at some point will die in their sleep. You'll also have the option to enable Mate Permadeath so other dangers can kill them during gameplay, but that is completely optional.

Will my wolf's appearance change as I age?

The coats of real wolves do change as they age. Unfortunately, this does not occur in the game, due to technical and aesthetic challenges. We would like to add it at some point in the future.

Can I age up in multiplayer?

No, you can only age up in single player. But if you play with a wolf that has certain Age Perks, they may benefit your wolf while playing in multiplayer. See  Age Perks descriptions above for specifics.

Can I play an Elder Wolf in multiplayer?

No. Elder wolves (age eight) are on their final journey and can only be played in single player.

How did WolfQuest choose the causes of death?

We reviewed the many ways that Yellowstone wolves have died over the past 25 years and chose a representative selection.

Read the annual Yellowstone Wolf Project Reports: https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/wolf-reports.htm