I play as a solo dwarf in Deep Rock Galactic: Survivorarmed with weapons, I run through the mines of Hoxxes IV in search of valuable minerals. I shoot down hordes of monsters, dig up supply caches, and upgrade my weapons to fire even more hot death. But there’s one thing that always catches my attention and turns me into a homing missile. It’s a silly little snail, and it brings me so much joy.
Known as the Huuli Hoarder, the snail functions similarly to the Treasure Goblin from the Diablo series. It appears without warning and its presence can be the highlight of a run. When the snail spots a dwarf, it lets out a shrill little scream, wiggles its butt, and flees the screen. There’s a built-in risk/reward here; chasing and killing the snail is rewarded with a large amount of experience and a random upgrade. But the snail will flee wherever it pleases – often toward environmental hazards, large masses of monsters, or a tiny corner of the map.
Each level only lasts a certain amount of time; the time you spend chasing a snail could it’s worth it…or it could result in a general loss of resources as you abandon mining nodes and experience on the map. You are, after all, a corporate employee digging beneath the crust of a hostile planet to kill aliens and make a profit. It’s a pretty cramped situation, and positioning is very important if you want to stay out of reach of the endless alien swarms.
This video by YouTuber RubyWeapon shows the Hoarder in action, and I hope you enjoy his quiet screaming and wiggling as much as I do. He can’t even attack! He’s just a scared pacifist in a lonely cave, endlessly trying to run away.
Players have been bullying this little snail for years in Deep Rock Galacticbut I find the solo nature of Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor makes the process of snail hunting more personal than the original four-player game. Sorry, buddy, I’m not trapped here with you – you’re with Me.
Sometimes it makes tactical sense to prioritize hunting the Huuli Hoarder because it can provide augmentations or a huge amount of resources. But unfortunately, I’ve ended many runs because I was overwhelmed by the lust for the snail and chased the thing into a choke point, where I was subsequently surrounded and murdered. I must admit that I don’t always think about the long-term game. Sometimes just a fleeting glimpse of a Huuli Hoarder activates part of my primal reptilian brain and I lose all control. I have to go after it. I have to secure the snail.
The Treasure Goblin-style monster isn’t that rare in games; it’s more of a fun surprise attack thrown at players. But there’s something so pathetic about the Houli Hoarder that it lives on rent-free in my head. Its quiet cries, useless fidgeting, and utter cowardice appeal to me. In many ways, I’m a Houli Hoarder myself.
Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor has been quite successful as a spin-off, and it helps that there is already a full rogues gallery from the main co-op game. I haven’t been able to reliably round up a full squad of four players, but I can always get a round or two Survivors between other commitments. It’s a simple pleasure, punctuated by delightful high points – like meeting and breaking open a silly little Houli Hoarder.
