What happened to Deerclops?

[HomShaBom]

Last winter I had the volume low and was listening to a podcast while playing so I didn't hear the Deerclops coming. But all of sudden when I had MacTusk, his 2 ice hounds, and a tall bird chasing me Wigfrid says "A wörthy föe appröaches" or whatever the line is. Then I heard the mouth breather. The screen shook. I could here him walking towards me. Then it stopped. The Deerclops was nowhere to be found.

I headed back to base to make sure he didn't spawn there and destroy everything while I was gone. There was no sign of him on the way there and everything was still standing at base.

I went back towards the walrus camps. I heard him again when I was halfway there but only for a second or two and then it was silent again.

Where did he go? Spring sucked not having an Eyebrella.

[Arlesienne]

The deer will spawn near the player; if there are more, it will choose the biggest group or the one(s) with the longest day count. Your deerclops could have either gone for other players or found something entertaining before reaching you, like pighuts to destroy. It's typical.

[Electroely]

If there are enough walruses they could have killed him. Otherwise you just made him spawn away from your base and now he's just wandering around your world.

[HomShaBom]

There were no other players. I was the only one in the server at the time.

There were 4 walrus camps, I already killed 3 of them and was working on the 4th when the Deerclops spawned, so it they couldn't have killed it.

I was in a weird corner of the map where there's nothing but a couple of spider low tier spider dens, 1 or 2 tall birds, and 4 (3 already killed) walrus camps. I had a small temporary winter base set up by the walrus camps. I thought the Deerclops would have shown up there but I never saw the thing. I heard him two different times but couldn't ever find him.

Does he ever despawn?

[ReubuxxInc]

26 minutes ago, HomShaBom said:

Does he ever despawn?

He will despawn once the season ends.

You can avoid that area until winter ends, if you really don't want to fight him.

[hkhm]

i have had nearly this exact thing happen. the deerclops growled several times and spawned, i could feel his stomping and then he just sort of vanished. i was also near my warlrus camp at the far northern end of the map, getting ready to read my tentacle book. there was literally nowhere else he could be but south of me and he was not there at all. no trees or structures destroyed, not one thing out of place, no pigs of spiders or anything that could have killed him. and, yes, i was playing (as usual) by myself. i have noticed that very occasionally, when hounds or worms are spawning and i am standing by the edge of the sea/void, i will get the messages that something is approaching but they never come after me. i suspect something like that must have happened with the deerclops.

[Auth]

Maybe he somehow spawned in the ocean and just ended up walking away from you and out into the eternal void of pain, suffering, and glitches shipwrecked

[hkhm]

6 minutes ago, Weirdobob said:

Maybe he somehow spawned in the ocean and just ended up walking away from you and out into the eternal void of pain, suffering, and glitches shipwrecked

i would be so fine with that.

i should build a few structures along the coast so he can impotently watch them exist from afar without being able to destroy them.

[Auth]

44 minutes ago, hkhm said:

i would be so fine with that.

i should build a few structures along the coast so he can impotently watch them exist from afar without being able to destroy them.

Specifically make signs that taunt him! Make an arrow sign that points towards your base that says "STUFF TO SMASH AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE!"

[fimmatek]

If I know well, Deerclops doesn't despawn before spring... however, I had once that it just despawned in the middle of winter while I left it to get some armor and food. As I got back it was nowhere, I even used c_gonext.

Then it came a few days later again, in the same winter. But in that case it didn't despawn as I run back to base for armor... strange. 

So maybe your Deerclops despawned because you got too far away (I know it usually doesn't, but maybe sometimes?) and didn't have the time to respawn?

[Rellimarual]

It seems much easier to lose track of Bearger and Deerclops, compared to single player. They often spawn rather far off from the player. If you're in unendurable doubt about his existence, I'd use the console to find him.

[CaptainChaotica]

Funny thing is, something very similar happened to me on almost my very first (proper) session!   I don't remember all the details, but I do remember that at one point, somebody asked "Where's the Deerclops? Let's kill him!"  and I'm like, "He's over here, to the northwest."

(we run northwest)

(we run more northwest)

(we double back a bit to make sure we haven't missed anything)

(we run still MORE northwest)

OTHER PLAYER:  Are you _sure_ you saw him around here?

ME:  I know I did, I saw him smash a spider nest!  Clopsy...Clopsy where aaaarrreee yoooouuuu...

OTHER PLAYER:  HOW do you lose something that large?!

I'm still wondering that to this day.  : P

Then a few days later, our feathery antlered friend spawned _really_ close to base, finally fulfilling our giant quota.  Never did find out where Deerclops went, though...

...Notorious

[GentlemanFridge]

Huh, mine rarely despawns. Although I do have a story which is quite the contrary.

't Was Autumn, Winter was at the door. I was heading to the base, knowing there was a scaled furnace waiting for me. Then, night hits. I was fairly close to the base, but not as close that I'd reach it in time. 

Then winter barged in the door, and it made quite the entrance. Immediatly after dawn begins, a loud moan is heard. Then, out of absolutely nowhere, the Doe of Destruction appears, right in front of me.

I was heavily unprepared, and fled... but it was following me... Then, I grabbed my 26% spear and went to battle with the monstrosity.

I lost.

 

Then another brave soul came to save my spirit, and lured the abomination away. I regathered my belongings, and headed to that promised scaled furnace... and man, did it feel good.

3 days later, another brave soul, the shieldmaiden, came to visit. After taking care of my wounds, we set off to kill the thing that had ruined my survival streak.

I died once more, because of a well-timed lagg spike. But then, the beast fell... And we feasted upon its flesh, and I wore its eye on my head. Where it still is to this day.

[Pyr0mrcow]

Heh, I had that happen once. Spawned while I was waiting by Dfly, I ran all over the area where I initially felt the stomps and couldn't find it. Kept feeling the stomps, kept trying to figure out where they were...nope.
After running way past it uncountable times, I eventually found it getting pestered by Hounds.