The Howler is one of Fortuna III’s most menacing PvE threats—a winged terror that stalks the skies, dropping deadly darts and unleashing sonar screams that disorient and punish careless Prospectors. Whether you’re looking to avoid it, survive its wrath, or hunt it for its rare resources, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know.

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Howler Behavior and Patrol Patterns

The Howler patrols the skies on both maps, occasionally emitting a sonar pulse to scan for movement below. If you’re caught within its sonar range, stand absolutely still. As long as you don’t move, it won’t detect you unless you’re very close. Its visual detection range is limited to close-to-medium distances, so giving it a wide berth is often enough to stay safe.

While patrolling, it occasionally drops Howler Honey Pellets, which can be picked up and stored in your safe pockets—a safe and easy way to earn money. When it reaches a nest, it might land and rest for a short period. This is your opportunity to either sneak away or ambush it.

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Nests and Howler Eggs

At nests, you’ll find Howler Eggs scattered around. Walking near them too quickly will trigger them to explode, damaging everything nearby and releasing a swarm of aggressive Howler Bugs. To avoid this:

• Crouch-walk to eggs
• Hold F to search and potentially collect more Honey Pellets
• Be cautious, even the ambient area has scattered danger

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Combat Breakdown: Attacks and Counters

When engaged, the Howler performs a variety of attacks depending on proximity:

Close-Range Attacks:

• Claw and Chomp: Moderate damage melee attacks if you’re underneath it.

Ranged Attacks:

1. Exploding Dart Salvo: Fires 5–9 large darts that embed into surfaces. If approached or damaged, they glow and explode after a delay, dealing around 25% of your health per blast.
   • Counter: Avoid them, or deliberately trigger them at a safe distance.
2. Light Dart Barrage: Accurate but lower-damage projectile spam. These chip away at health and armor over time.
   • Counter: Strafe and stay in cover to reduce damage.
3. Regular Scream Attack: Mid-tier damage AoE blast.
   • Counter: Break line of sight to avoid it entirely.
4. Heavy Scream (Triggered at Half HP): Massive damage, disorients your vision and audio for a short time.
   • Counter: Break line of sight or stand still if you can’t escape to minimize damage.

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Weak Spots and Damage Boosts

The Howler’s glowing belly is its weak spot. Aim here to deal significantly increased damage. If you can sustain hits in this area for a few seconds, you’ll melt its health pool quickly. Precision here is key.

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Loot and Rewards

On death, the Howler drops:

• Howler Honey Pellets (guaranteed)
• Howler Darts (up to 2)
• Howler Syrinx (rare drop)

These materials are used in end-game crafting such as tonic-tier armor, and some are required for missions and upgrades. Consider keeping them instead of selling for quick profit.

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Recommended Strategy and Loadout

1. Never fight it solo (unless you’re very experienced). It’s too tanky, eats ammo, and attracts third parties.
2. Bring a partner or squad. Use rare-tier weapons or better. The Phasic Lancer and ICA Guarantee perform well here.
3. Engage in areas with cover—rooftops, small buildings, and indoor cover reduce exposure to darts and screams.
4. Clear exploding darts after each Howler movement. Deliberately trigger them from range to maintain safe zones.
5. Use the ping-pong method:
   • One player draws aggro
   • The other unloads into its weak spot
   • Swap roles to conserve armor and distribute damage

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Ammo and Cost Management

The Howler has a huge health pool, and using epic or rare ammo can become expensive quickly. Manage costs by:

• Running efficient ammo types like medium rounds
• Focusing fire on weak spots
• Rotating aggro to avoid wasting armor durability

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Final Thoughts

While intimidating, the Howler can be managed with the right preparation and teamwork. Understand its attack patterns, maintain control over the battlefield, and be deliberate with positioning. With the right tactics, the skies of Fortuna III won’t seem quite so deadly.

Good luck hunting, Prospector—and remember to look up!