Henry may owe his allegiance to Han Capon, but his true loyalty lies with Mutt, Henry’s beloved hound. Unlike Hans, Mutt actually reciprocates in kind, and where Hans creates messes Henry has to clean up (see the entire prologue), Mutt actually helps Henry by attacking bandits, chasing game and generally providing companionship the way only a very good boy can. Once you find Mutt - during the appropriately named quest Mutt - you’ll be able to make use of the Houndmaster skill, and this page will discuss what the Houndmaster skill does, how to level it efficiently, and what the best Houndmaster perks are in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.

Page Breakdown¶

Houndmaster Uses and Effects¶

To be able to use and level this skill, you need Mutt, and to find this faithful hound you much complete the side quest Mutt. Once you’re reunited you can make use of Mutt, who can be sic’d on enemies and game, distract enemies and find threats and treasures, to say nothing of the Houndmaster perks you can purchase. If Mutt takes damage, he’ll run off for a while, and if you neglect Mutt he may not heed your commands, but provided you keep Mutt healthy and happy he’s a great resource, making it easier to hunt and serving as a trump card in combat that can turn the tide of battle. Mutt attacking an enemy and leaving them vulnerable to attack is a huge boon. Leveling this skill makes Mutt stronger, more obedient and a more reliable hunting partner - better at doing everything you want Mutt to do, essentially.

Leveling Houndmaster¶

Leveling Houndmaster is pretty painless, assuming you enjoy the benefits Mutt brings to the table. Just about every time you interact with Mutt, you’ll gain Houndmaster EXP. This includes siccing Mutt on enemies or animals, getting Mutt to fetch, feeding Mutt, praising Mutt, and so on. Essentially using and maintaining Mutt’s obedience levels Houndmaster. Use Mutt, Mutt gets stronger. Hunting especially seems to be an effective way to level Houndmaster, as you can use Mutt to chase and recover game and feed Mutt some of your ill-gotten gains. The EXP you’ll earn isn’t stingy, either - each action can earn you dozens of EXP, and the process of hunting and fetching game, then feeding and praising Mutt can get you around 100 EXP. Just keep in mind that repeating actions (like praising Mutt several times in a row) will give greatly diminishing returns.

After unlocking the “Hunt!” perk at Houndmaster Lv 6, our leveling of Houndmaster generally goes like this:

• 1. Head to a hunting grounds
• 2. Sneak and shoot game with a bow
• 3. Sic Mutt on the wounded animal
• 4. Chase Mutt and the animal down if Mutt kills it, or wait for the animals to return and repeat steps 2-3 if Mutt doesn’t make the kill
• 5. Butcher the game
• 6. Give Mutt a piece of meat
• 7. Praise Mutt
• 8. If Mutt’s obedience is low (under 50), repeat steps 6-7, otherwise start over at step 1.

That’s it! You can expect to gain hundreds of Houndmaster EXP by completing all the steps above, which isn’t bad for a few minutes of hunting and bonding with Mutt!

Best Houndmaster Perks¶

Mutt is a great boon in-game, and he’s also got numerous useful perks that make leveling Houndmaster worthwhile even if you don’t care to put Mutt to work directly. Many of these perks unlock new tricks for Mutt and buff Mutt’s stats, or make Mutt easier to handle (lowering his obedience decline, causing him to return faster when he runs off, etc.). A few, however, benefit Henry, not Mutt, by boosting Henry’s Charisma, Intimidation, Presence, or by simply providing a warm, fuzzy, snuggle-buddy for when Henry has to sleep rough. The Houndmaster perks we recommend can be found below:

Hunt!¶

Mutt will faithfully attack bandits and other bipedal ape-creatures for you by default, but if you want to get Mutt in on hunting with/for you, you’ll need the “Hunt!” perk. This allows him to sic game, potentially killing it for you (usually smaller game, like hare, only bother siccing him on boars and deer if they’re injured) outright. He can also fetch small animals for you. While Mutt makes hunting easier, he’s not really required to hunt competently. Instead, the reason this perk is recommended is that it makes leveling Houndmaster so much easier, giving you many more ways to interact with Mutt. Not saying Mutt’s a useless hunter, but rather that the Houndmaster EXP gains along with Mutt’s hunting prowess are what really sell this perk.

Charming Companion¶

As long as Mutt hasn’t run off, Henry will enjoy +3 Charisma. A pretty solid, easy to maintain buff that will pay for itself with easier haggling and dialog skill checks.

Hellhound¶

Similar to the “Charming Companion” perk, it’ll make it easier for you to pass Presence and Intimidation checks, and it can cause enemies you’re fighting to become shaken or simply run away. You shouldn’t rely on it, as this perk’s pretty random, but the easier dialog checks are already a pretty solid selling point, randomly getting some easier fights is the cherry on top.

Rip and Tear¶

If Mutt makes an enemy bleed, they’ll bleed more. Making Mutt more useful in combat is always welcome, so this is a pretty easy pickup for Mutt enthusiasts.

Sic ’em!¶

Same as “Rip and Tear”, but the bonuses are even better - a flat 20% bonus to Mutt’s damage!
As for the “on the fence” perks, “Defender” will make Mutt take 10% less damage - he’s generally more helpful when he’s not forced to run away, so if Mutt is a major part of your offense… well, 10% is a pretty minor bonus, but it’s still something. The “Search!” command can help Mutt find game and objects of interest for you, “Loyal Companion” will reduce the time Mutt is away by 25%, “Bark!” will cause Mutt to cause a distraction you can use to sneak around, and finally “Faithful Companion” just makes it easier to maintain Mutt’s obedience - another fairly useful perk if you plan to use Mutt regularly.

With those recommendations out of the way, here’s a list of all the Houndmaster perks:

List of Houndmaster Perks¶