What's the deal with the Irish Wolfhounds? Are they actually making it into the final game? Are they companion animals? Can they BE companion animals? Are they at all common? Can/do they actually hunt wolves in-game (total awesomeness if so!)?

So...yeah. Wolfhounds. In my favorite game franchise. That's pretty much tied with unscripted AI dragons for awesome-factor for me. But I'm weird and fanatical, or so I've been told I say eccentric and passionate, but...tomato/tamahto

Enquiring minds (and real-world Irish Wolfhound owners such as myself) want to know! BTW...as far as I can tell, this is the first time EVER that Irish Wolfhounds have been in a video game. I could be wrong, and wold love pointers to other appearances.

[img]http://uesp.net/wiki/File:SR-TownScene_wLegal.jpg[/img]
[media]http://uesp.net/wiki/File:SR-TownScene_wLegal.jpg[/media]
(am I missing some trick on embedding images?)

I don't see them as a random thing, so I can see them make it into the final version

There's no way to embed images in posts (not without a user script, anyway), but http://images.uesp.net/a/ac/SR-TownScene_wLegal.jpg.


I don't know anything about the real animals, but the hound in that screenshot looks great. I very much doubt that they would be cut from the game, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if one or more hounds can become companion creatures (we know many NPCs can follow you into battle, at any rate).

The most important question about Skyrim? You must mean, "Are dragons romanceable?" Well ... Todd said they're not all hostile.

Judging by that screenshot, they did spend quite a bit of time getting it just right, and they got it (nearly) perfect! Instantly recognizable from a distance, and the mannerisms look spot-on in that shot. That's a good sign that they're in.

Referred to as Gentle Giants, tallest dogs in the world, often said about them "Gentle when stroked, fierce when provoked" (campy, but ancient, as well as true...terrible guard dogs for house etc., completely non-agresssive in general, but raise your voice or a fist to a wolfhound's bonded person, and you'll lose the fist or more.). Surprisingly, fantastic apartment dogs, extremely patient with kinds, ungodly fast and graceful at a full run, total goofballs at times (my boy's nicknames include dogzilla, muppet, and dog-tard). Highly intelligent, often frustratingly so; highly independant and co-dependant at the same time (they do their own thing, but never leave your side willingly). Very, very low energy, no need to play for hours on end; 5 minutes a day of spontaneous sprinting (referred to as "getting the zoomies") and the rest of the time is laying down in whatever room you happen to be in. Hunted wolves to extinction in Ireland, now often used to hunt Irish Elk (which are 6 foot tall at the shoulders!) in Europe or moose and caribou (in North America), not to flush the prey, but to actually bring it down, usually hunting in groups of 3 or less (think about that a minute). Unique fighting/killing style with wolf-sized prey; where most killing dogs eviscerate or take the throat, wolfhounds grab by the scruff of the neck and 'shake it til it breaks'; think about that one, too

Now you know a little about the real animal, and it pretty much is the ideal canine for a fantasy setting. And as for the one in the screenie...don't just call it a hound. It's a Wolfhound. There's no other dog anything like it (okay, that's a lie, there are two others that are similar, but there's NO mistaking them for a Wolfhound) (Not trying to be snobby by saying it's not a hound it's a Wolfound; it'd be like just calling a Lamborghini a car. Yes, it is a car, but some things just need to be called by their proper name )

Well, there were dogs in Oblivion. I don't know if there will be other breeds but I would imagine they picked the Wolfhound because it is huge and it has a rugged look about it. I would like to see Husky type dogs in the more icy parts of Skyrim, or maybe just tamed wolves!

There were people in Oblivion who had pet dogs.
Hell, plenty of Bandits had them, it makes sense they'd be in Skyrim, as well as being more developed.

Sir, I too love the Irish Wolfhound... :foodndrink:. Though I'm not an owner, I intend to be after I finally graduate... But, I do hope that our canine companions indeed play a larger role this time around.

The lack of non-combat pets won't be a deal-breaker for me, but their inclusion would be greatly appreciated. I'd like a loyal mutt to hang out in my house - keep my wife company... so long as she doesn't start hurling fireballs at it.

After she drinks her marksmanship potion and tries to do some reading :shrug:....

Woah, are those things real?! If that guy in the screenshot gets an uber-beast like that, then I should be able to get a bear. And ride it. And buy armor for it.

:icecream:

How sad would it be though if you had a companion pet wolfhound and it got killed in battle? It's sad enough when they kill your horse, let alone a way cooler animal. If they put more breeds of dogs in I'm hoping for Great Danes. They originated in either Germany or Denmark and were bred to hunt boar. Also, the world's tallest dog is a Great Dane.