The Deer in 99 Nights in the Forest: Full Guide

The Deer is the main monster you have to avoid in 99 Nights in the Forest, and it's an unkillable beast that will relentlessly chase you each night. It may seem terrifying at first, but you'll be coasting once you learn all its behaviors and weaknesses.

Here's everything you need to know about it!

The Deer

The Deer is a nocturnal monster, which means that it can only appear at night. Whenever you hear the sound of rustling leaves, be ready to run, as it will spawn in a random spot nearby.

It will get stunned and leave whenever the sun rises. The campfire will also temporarily cause it to run away and despawn, but it will spawn once more if you venture out while it's still nighttime.

Escaping the Deer

While it's active, the Deer will continue chasing its target until the player is either dead or has reached a safe spot. It's completely impossible to kill, so all you can do is run away from it.

The Deer starts off slow, but it will gradually gain speed as long as it's chasing somebody. It's best to run straight for the campfire, as it's the only "official" safe spot that causes it to despawn.

If you have a flashlight, you can point it at the Deer to stun it for a brief moment. Flick it on and off at its face to save battery.

Going Out At Night

Despite being a relentless chaser, the Deer can easily get stuck behind or under certain structures. It's too large to fit through doors in most buildings, and it will get stuck and run in place if you enter during a chase. It won't try to path around most objects either.

With that said, buildings aren't always entirely safe. Whenever the Deer gets stuck like this, the game will try to compensate by spawning wolves (regular or alpha, depending on your location) to force you out.

In a pinch, however, running into a building can save your life. Just be ready to fight or quickly find an alternate path to avoid the Deer outside.

Unofficial Safe Spots

Aside from the campfire, there are a few "unofficial" safe spots where neither the Deer nor the wolves that the game spawns can reach you. Here are some notable examples:

• The Cultist Stronghold - There is a rare bug where the Deer can spawn inside, but it's usually safe.
• Ladders - Enemies can't touch you while staying at the middle point of tall ladders (e.g. water towers and treehouses).
• Barns - Stand in the box on the second floor and point your back towards the open window. This will cause wolves to spawn outside.
• High Rooftops - The Deer can't climb, so roofs on high buildings are generally safe. Point your back towards the edge so wolves can't spawn on you.
• Watchtowers - Stand on the railings up top and point your back towards the drop. Wolves will simply fall down when they spawn.

Special Mechanics/Exceptions

The Deer isn't always as simple as it may appear. There are some mechanics that can either make it more threatening or completely prevent it from appearing.

Hungry Deer

At random points throughout your run, the game may announce that "The Deer is hungry tonight". Whenever that message pops up, the next time the Deer spawns, it will gain a massive speed and damage boost. It'll also have blood red eyes and will be running on all fours.

While it's not impossible to avoid in this state, you'll need a flashlight on hand to ensure your safety.

Cultist Attacks

Every few nights, cultists will attack your base. When they arrive, the Deer will also be present. Fortunately, all it will do is stand there and watch. You can scare it off with a flashlight, but it's completely harmless in this state.

With that said, it will still spawn and chase you as usual if you try to venture too far from the campfire. This will also be the case if the attack starts while you're too far from the base.

Other Monsters

Depending on what biomes or events are currently active in your run, there's a chance that other monsters may spawn at night instead of the Deer. For example, the Owl might spawn on some nights if you have a Snow Biome on the map.

There isn't really a way to predict which days they'll appear, so you'll always have to be ready to deal with all of the monster types in the game.