Dog

The Dog guild (also known as the Canine guild) is a recent yet very successful guild. They debuted in the Oligocene expansion, but they really hit their stride during the Miocene because the devs nerfed the dominant herbivore guilds that had previously been untouchable. Canines had great matchups against the new, less tanky herbivores like Deer, Cows, and Horses, and were able to expand from North America and become a part of the meta on every single server other than Antarctica.

## Dog Builds

### Maned Wolf

First up is the Maned Wolf at the bottom of the tier list. Now it's hard to not look at this build and think, "Wow, that's really cool." The maned wolf is the tallest canine in the current expansion, which gives it an advantage on stealth because it can see over tall grass. It's also the only one with a mane, a rare attribute usually only seen on horses and lions. And while manes do provide some protection on critical hits, it doesn't do much else. The Maned wolf is also the biggest outlier of the dog guild as it has a completely solitary playstyle. As a result, it doesn't have the same PvP potential that other canines do. Despite being the tallest of canines, it has to hunt for small targets. Since those are a relatively poor source of XP, it has to make up for it by eating lots of plants and fruits. It's good that it's omnivorous, as being able to function as a scavenger is great, but there's no ignoring that this build could have much higher potential if it utilized team strats. Generally, it is F tier.

### Coyote

Next up, there is the Coyote, or for the non-American players, the Jackal. This build only needs a slight buff in order to be strong, but at the moment isn't in the greatest spot in the meta. Even with solid team play, Coyotes just don't do enough damage to score eliminations on targets that aren't already weak. If Coyotes were to spec into some longer, more dagger-like teeth, they would be a better build, but for now, they just aren't threatening enough. They tend to have equal or possibly favorable matchups against Lynx and Bobcat players but lose hard against Cougars. This puts them at the high end of D tier definitively.

### Red Fox

Next up, there is the Red Fox. They don't have as much power or defense compared to Canis builds. However they do have a few unique abilities of their own. They have extremely strong perception abilities that allow them to deal with Stealth strategies employed by their targets. Their Precision Pounce attack is also extremely useful for picking off targets they discover hiding under snow. While their higher agility can help them avoid land predators, their smaller size does make them a target for Raptors. Red Foxes belong in C tier.

### Wolf

The Wolf is one of the cornerstones of the forest meta and pioneered the technique that most pack hunting builds use today. The Wolf hunting technique has been dissected and analyzed to an incredible degree. The basic Wolf strategy is a five-step plan that utilizes every ability in the Wolf's arsenal, and it goes like this:

1.Locate prey: Use perception abilities such as Smell, Hearing, and Footprint Tracking to locate a potential bounty.

2.Stalk prey: Go into Stealth mode and attempt to get as close as possible to the target without alerting it.

3.Startle prey: Use intimidation abilities and moves to weaken the target's resolve, hopefully causing it to flee.

4.Chase prey: Chase after target player and attempt to isolate them from a group if their in one.

5.Defeat prey: Use the Bite attack to damage and eventually eliminate the target. If the target is a mid-weight, go for a critical hit by attacking the throat. If the target is a heavy, attack the hindquarters repeatedly until inflicting the bleed status effect.

Although the Wolf strategy is very effective, there are counterplay options available. The first is to spec into high-level Stealth abilities and stop them at step one. Wolves actually have a relatively weak Smell ability, so camouflage is actually really useful against them. If Stealth doesn't work, you can stop the hunt by detecting them during their Stealth phase. Strong perception abilities will easily cause the Wolf's mediocre Stealth to fail against you. But if they do manage to sneak up on you, the most important counterplay option is to stand your ground. Wolves will only move to their attack phase if their target opts to flee. A player who opts to defend drastically increases their chances of success since the Wolf's option at that point is to use its rather weak intimidation abilities. If Wolves had access to the Roar ability, like Lions and Tiger do, they'd be really tough to deal with, but since they don't, it's easy to resist the intimidation attempts, especially in a group. In fact, a heavy player can end the encounter quickly by using their own intimidation abilities, like Charge. So even though Wolves do have a solid offensive strategy, a player with good fundamentals and matchup experience will easily thwart their plans most of the time. Because of this, Wolves, much like Birds of Prey, function as the gatekeepers to the higher tier and are placed solidly in A tier.

### African Painted Dog

The highest-ranked Canine build, other than Domestic Dogs, is the African Painted Dog. This build follows a very similar strategy to the Wolf but has stats and abilities much better suited for it. Its higher stealth allows it to get closer before being detected, and its higher speed reduces the chance that its target outruns it. Their sharper teeth deal more damage, and their highly sophisticated social structure is actually built around propping up the weaker members rather than simply funneling the best loot to the highest-ranking members. Considering that these players succeed in a meta that contains some of the most powerful builds in the game, it's tough to deny that African Painted Dogs are S tier.