So you’re wandering through the wilderness of Don’t Starve, minding your own business, when suddenly—howling. Your screen shakes. A pack of hounds descends, led by a snarling, oversized wolf with glowing eyes. Congratulations! You’ve met the Varg, the game’s most chaotic party crasher. Let’s break down why this beast is a nightmare and how to turn its bark into bite-sized loot.
What Even Is a Varg?
The Varg is a boss-tier mob that spawns during hound waves or via Suspicious Dirt Pile hunts. Think of it as a demonic wolf CEO leading a corporate retreat of hellhounds. Key stats: - Health: 1,800 - Damage: 50 per bite - Special Move: Summons 2–8 hounds per howl
Why It Sucks: The Varg isn’t just a tanky damage sponge—it’s a hound factory. Ignore it, and you’ll drown in a sea of teeth. Try to fight it head-on, and you’ll get swarmed. Classic Kobayashi Maru scenario.
The Varg is a formidable foe, leading a pack of hounds.
5 Ways to Kill a Varg Without Losing Your Sanity (or Life)
1. The Beefalo Bait-and-Switch
Reddit’s favorite cheese tactic: Lure the Varg into a Beefalo herd. Beefalo deal 34 damage per hit and tank the hounds, letting you swoop in for the kill.
Pro Tip: Use a Pan Flute to sleep the Beefalo first—they’ll wake up pissed and aggro everything.
2. Tooth Trap Minefield
Set up a grid of 20+ Tooth Traps. Kite the Varg through the gauntlet while the hounds impale themselves.
Math Time:
- Each trap deals 60 damage.
- Varg’s 1,800 HP ÷ 60 = 30 traps needed.
But since hounds drain traps, double it. Yes, grinding Hound’s Teeth sucks. Worth it? Absolutely.
Setting up Tooth Traps can help deal significant damage to the Varg.
3. Gunpowder Nuke
Craft 10 Gunpowder (1 Rot + 1 Charcoal + 1 Nitre each). Drop it near the Varg, light the fuse, and run.
- 10 Gunpowder = 1,000 damage.
- Finish it off with a spear. Just don’t blow yourself up (cough Wendy mains cough).
4. Houndius Shootius Farm
Late-game strat: Trap the Varg with statues/fossils and let Winona’s catapults or Houndius Shootius turrets shred it.
Blueprint:
-- Pseudocode for a Varg farm
1. Build a stone wall pen.
2. Teleport Varg inside using Telelocator Staff.
3. Surround with catapults/turrets.
4. AFK and collect loot.
5. The "I’m Not Even Mad" Strategy
Avoid fighting altogether. Vargs persist forever but despawn if you leave the area. Perfect for players who value their 100-day worlds over pride.
Varg vs. Varglet: Spot the Difference
New players often confuse Vargs with their smaller cousins, Varglets. Here’s the breakdown:
| Feature | Varg | Varglet |
|---|---|---|
| Spawn Source | Hunts, hound waves | Late-game hound waves |
| Health | 1,800 | 600 |
| Hound Summons | 2–8 per howl | 1–3 total |
| Drops | 4–6 Meat, 1–3 Teeth | 1–2 Meat, 1 Tooth |
TL;DR: Varglets are diet Vargs—less HP, fewer minions, easier to solo.
Advanced Tactics: Farming Vargs for Fun and Profit
Why kill a Varg once when you can farm it indefinitely? Here’s how top players turn this menace into a loot piñata:
Case Study: The Infinite Hound Farm
- Trap a Varg in a pen using fossils/statues.
- Place bait (e.g., a Rabbit Hutch) to keep it aggro.
- Let it spawn hounds nonstop.
- Use Tooth Traps or Houndius Shootius to auto-kill hounds.
Result: Infinite Hound’s Teeth, Gems, and Monster Meat. Works best in Winter/Summer for Ice/Fire hounds.
This setup allows players to farm Vargs indefinitely for loot.
The Lunar Gambit: Possessed Vargs
In the From Beyond update, Vargs can become Possessed Vargs during Lunar Rifts. These deal extra planar damage and summon Horror Hounds.
How to Counter:
- Use Brightshade weapons to stun them during breath attacks.
- Kill Horror Hounds first—their death explosions hurt.
Possessed Vargs present unique challenges during Lunar events.
Real-World Analogies: What If the Varg Was…
- A Toddler: Demands attention (hound spawns), destroys your stuff (base raids), and won’t leave until you give it candy (death).
- A Toxic Boss: Micromanages you (constant aggro), brings extra work (hounds), and only leaves after HR intervenes (your spear).
Final Tips Before You Face the Furball
- Armor Up: Log Suit + Football Helm reduces damage to 10%.
- Heal Smart: 2 Pierogis offset 5–6 bites.
- Kite Rhythm: Attack 2-3 times, dodge, repeat. Hounds have a 1.5s attack delay.
Resource List:
- Varg Wiki Page
- Possessed Varg Breakdown
Now go forth, stab the hellhound, and remember: if all else fails, blame the devs. Klei knew what they were doing.