The Bear is a big, heavy wild animal that lives alone and keeps to its own patch of ground. It minds its own business until you come too close or strike it. Then it rears up and roars, charges, and fights with bites, paw swipes and a ground slam. Its kind depends on the land: a brown bear in the woods, a grizzly in the highlands (or, far out there, a polar bear), and a black bear in the tundra and the haunted wood. There are none in the desert.
CONTENTS
Where and when
- Out in the wild, day or night, in every land but the desert. Bears don't leave at dawn.
- Now and then (every 70 to 120 seconds there is a chance) a pack of wolves or a bear turns up near you. The chance is lower close to where your world began, and none come while another wild wolf or bear is already near, or while you are in or near a Goddess's land (A Goddess's Land).
- In the woods, 4 in 10 of these are a brown bear; in the highlands, 45 in 100 are a bear (a polar bear only more than 4000 px from where your world began); in the tundra, 1 in 2; in the haunted wood, 1 in 4.
- A bear you leave far behind (more than 1100 px away) goes its own way.
Health and damage
Its health and damage grow with the number of Jewels you hold (Jewels): each Jewel adds 70% of its base health and 40% of its base damage. Health is rounded; damage is before your defence lowers it.
| Jewels held | Health | Swipe damage |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 63 | 37 |
| 1 | 107 | 52 |
| 2 | 151 | 67 |
| 3 | 195 | 82 |
| 4 | 239 | 97 |
| 5 | 284 | 112 |
Attacks
Damage below is with no Jewels.
Rear and roar
The first time it turns on you, it rears up on its hind legs (0.62 seconds), roars (0.9 seconds), then brings both paws down in a ground slam (below).
Swipe
It rears up (0.62 seconds: the tell), then lurches in and brings a paw down across the front of it. It does 37 damage and throws you aside.
- Parry: press right-click or R as the paw lands. It staggers and the blow does nothing.
- Block: a guard held up earlier blocks it, and you take 12 damage instead.
- For 0.6 seconds after a swipe, hit or parried, your blows do 30% more damage.
Ground slam
It rears up (0.62 seconds), then drops both paws to the ground in front of it. A shockwave rolls out up to 34 px round that spot and does 29 damage to anyone on the ground.
- Jump: Space over the shockwave as it reaches you.
Maul
From all fours, it lunges jaws first at you (0.42 seconds) and bites for 29 damage, pushing you back.
- Parry: press right-click or R as it bites. It flinches and the bite does nothing.
- Block: a guard held up earlier blocks it, and you take 10 damage instead.
- Jump: the bite only lands if you are low to the ground.
Charge
If you are 30 to 160 px away, it charges at you (for up to 3 seconds) and goes straight into a maul when it reaches you.
Behaviour
- It only notices you within 70 px, and only if it can see you, so you can walk round one at a distance.
- Up close, it picks one of its attacks: a swipe 45 in 100 times, a slam 25 in 100, a maul 30 in 100.
- It won't follow you more than 240 px from where it lives: past that, it gives up and walks home.
- A blow makes it flinch only while it is standing, walking or wandering, not in the middle of an attack.
- In a peaceful world, bears still come, but they never turn on you, even when struck.
How to fight it
- When it rears up, get ready: either parry the swipe or jump the slam. You can't tell which from the rear alone, so watching it closely matters.
- After its swipe it is open for 0.6 seconds and takes 30% more: hit it then.
- If a fight goes badly, run: it stops chasing once you are far from its home.
Taming
Bears can also become companions: if you carry fish, berries or meat and walk up calmly, a wild bear lets you near. See Taming and the Bear companion.
Drops
Each one you defeat leaves:
| Item | Amount | Chance | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|
 Hide | 3 | ALWAYS | Leather, Runner's Raincoat, Tank's Raincoat, and more |
 Raw Meat | 3 | ALWAYS | Any Fat, Lamp Oil, Fox Treat, Frog Treat, and more |
 Bear Claw | 2 | ALWAYS | Any Tooth, Warrior's Raincoat, Fighter's Charm, Ironclad Battle Plate |
Spirits and experience
When it falls it lets go of 6 Earth and 3 Fire spirits. You gain experience in:
As a companion
The champion: slow to start, but its swipe and bite land like a falling tree, and it stuns what it hits.
- Eats: any fish, Wild Berries, Raw Meat
- Loves: bear treats
- Names it may come with: Bruno, Honey, Ursa, Barley, Boulder, Hazel, Kodiak, Bramble
See Taming and Companions.
