Starved Hounds are enemies in Dark Souls III.
Description[]
A common enemy across Lothric and beyond, Starved Hounds initially appear lethargic but they are fast, vicious opponents that should not be underestimated.
Most hounds are white and hairless, but some have a light covering of gray fur. Gray hounds are tougher than their white counterparts, with the exception of a gray hound in the Untended Graves, which actually has less health than the surrounding white hounds.
In a cave beneath the Road of Sacrifices, a duo of hounds can be found near some miracle-related artifacts from Carim. One is a normal gray hound, and the other is a unique variant with a bloated, festering abdomen, and can vomit poison. This unique variant also has a special pounce and grabbing attack (tap 
, 
/ 
, 
rapidly to break free).
Locations[]
- A lone hound is found on the path to the right of Firelink Shrine's entrance, guarding an Ember.
- A pair of hounds can be found pacing along the alternate path that leads from the High Wall of Lothric bonfire to the first Pus of Man.
- A trio of hounds are set loose through a gate by a Peasant Hollow at the beginning of the level to devour all other lesser hollows in the area.
- Two more are found feasting on a corpse behind a broken carriage located in the opposite direction of said gate.
- About four hounds can be found scattered along the big open area in front of the Curse-rotted Greatwood's boss room, one of them guarding the entrance to the sewers where Irina is held captive.
- Two hounds are hidden behind a house after crossing the stone bridge that leads to the Giant Archer's tower. They guard some Alluring Skulls.
- A couple of hounds can be found in a hidden path located below a cliff before reaching the Halfway Fortress, one being a special variant that boasts a bloated stomach and has the ability to spit poison and perform a special grab attack.
- A lone hound is found besides its hollow owner near the far-end shore of the marshlands.
- Another hound can be found ready to ambush the player if they attempt to pick up a Fading Soul found near the Crucifixion Woods bonfire.
- Five hounds are scattered along the landscape after walking past the exterior gate of the cathedral. Three crossbow-wielding Devouts are also positioned on the upper ledges to provide ranged support.
- Several hounds are scattered along the initial area of this level. All of them are initially found lying down and will only attack if provoked or if the player walks near them.
Strategy[]
Although they have low vitality, Starved Hounds are agile creatures that will often evade attacks and retaliate with a leaping bite. They are weak against fire and will writhe around in agony if set alight, which offers an opportunity to attack them unmolested.
They are also notoriously frail, and if attacked with enough force, they will be sent flying back and knocked down. Depending on the situation, this can be either an advantage or a disadvantage, as they can be momentarily disabled and give the player a breathing room, or perhaps it may be more convenient to defeat them as quick as possible to prevent other enemies from gathering.
Notes[]
- Affected by Alluring Skulls.
- Immune to Rapport.
- They can be found in two sizes in some areas, the larger variant boasting slightly more health.
- None of their variants have any drops.
- The larger variants have the same running animation as the smaller ones, making them faster due to being able to cover more ground. this often can result in a visual glitch where unloaded Hounds don't load in when they should and instead randomly appear in the camera's view. This has been referred to as "Teleporting".