As if it wasn’t scary enough dealing with the in-your-face threats inLethal Company, you’ll now have to deal with another entity that prefers stalking its prey silently, and this one prefers the outside to the inside. The planet-hopping Vain Shroud plant has reached our available moons, and with it comes the Kidnapper Fox, a predator who uses them for cover.

With their symbiotic relationship, one isn’t usually going to be seen without the other, but no matter what, you had better keep watch on big groups of Vain Shrouds. If you don’t, it might mean the Kidnapper Fox ruins your quota, and makes you its next meal too.

Player employee standing next to a spikey red Vain Shroud and scanning it for data in Lethal Company.

The Kidnapper Foxhas temporarily been removed from the game as of update V60!

Where To Find The Kidnapper Fox

The Kidnapper Fox can befound on most moons, such as Artifice, but itsspawning is rather uniquecompared to other entities – in order for a Kidnapper Fox to spawn, the moonmust also have Vain Shrouds spawn. Due to this, theirspawning and moon distribution is directly based on the Vain Shroudand how they spawn.

Vain Shrouds appear aslarge, spiky red bushesandhave their own bestiary entrydespite being a plant, but are otherwise harmless on their own.

Player employee watching a Kidnapper Fox hide in a singular Vain Shroud plant in Lethal Company.

Artifice

Yes

Initially, on the moons they appear, the Vain Shrouds will justappear as a single plant, and it will stay this wayduring the entirety of your first quota. If youhaven’t gotten rid of the plantswith Weed Killer, they’ll continue to grow andmore plants will appear as you complete quotasuntil there are massive groups of them.

Kidnapper Foxes can only spawn ifat least five or more Vain Shrouds have spawned in proximityon the moon, and this is because thelargest groupof the plants will essentiallyserve as their home base.

Player employee being dragged into Vain Shrouds by a Kidnapper Fox in Lethal Company.

Kidnapper Fox Behavior

The Kidnapper Fox is anambush predatorandacts similarly to the Bracken, but isfar less lethal overalldue to how it works and attacks employees. If there areenough Vain Shrouds, then asingle Kidnapper Fox will spawnon the moon, and willstay on the moon until you leave, or it’skilled by you or another employee.

Once spawned, Kidnapper Foxes willbegin roaming the moonandsearching for potential prey, but they’ll mostlystay close to their home Vain Shrouds and the ship, andsneak between both locationsdepending on the distance between them.

Player employee using Weed Killer to make Vain Shrouds shrink and disappear in Lethal Company.

No matter how many Vain Shrouds there are,only one Kidnapper Fox can spawn per moon, and no more will spawn once it’s dead, or you’ve removed the spawned Vain Shrouds.

For the most part, whether you’re solo or in a group, theKidnapper Fox will initially act very skittishand frequentlyhide in Vain Shrouds,behind trees, or nearby rocks if youlook at it or approach it. It’ll alsorun back to its home base if you get too closeto it, andattempt to scare you awaywith the occasional scream.

Player employee approaching a Kidnapper Fox and making it run off in Lethal Company.

When the Kidnapper Fox hasselected an employeeas their prey, or youstay too close to oneon a hunt, they’llsneak up on themandgrab them with their tongue, thenattempt to drag them backto their home to actually kill them.

If you or your group cansuccessfully fight the Kidnapper Fox offduring its hunt, it willretreat and try again once you’ve separated, though itoccasionally attempts to immediately drag another playerback.

Player employee approaching a Kidnapper Fox with a shovel to kill it in Lethal Company.

You canfight back against the draggingand make it take longer to drag you back byattempting to walk or sprint backwards.

How To Deal With The Kidnapper Fox

You’ve got acouple of ways to handlethe Kidnapper Foxwhether you’re solo or in a group:getting rid of the Vain Shroudson the moon andpreventing them from spawningentirely,preventing its kill, or outrightkilling it with a Shovel or other tool.

How To Prevent Kidnapper Foxes From Spawning

Thebest methodto handle them is tokeep them away entirely, but thisrequires both credits and preparation.It’s not always feasibledepending on the moon’s weatherand if anything else has spawned.

To get rid of Vain Shrouds, you’llneed some Weed Killer, which arepurchaseable from the ship’s Terminalfor around40 credits on average, and to bring it along if you’ve seen there are enough Vain Shrouds to spawn the entity.

Thespawn location of Vain Shrouds is determined when the moon loads, and they will be in their randomly generated location as soon as the day begins.

Equip the Weed Killer in your hand, thenapproach and use it on the Vain Shroudto make it wither away and disappear.

Since theirspawn amount is based on how high your quota is, you may use the Weed Killer toend their spread earlyandkeep Kidnapper Foxes from ever spawningon your current run.

Avoiding The Kidnapper Fox

If you’rerunning solo, yourbest defense is going to be avoiding the Kidnapper Foxor using one of the stunning items to stun it before it can get to you. They’resusceptible to being stunnedby Homemade Flashbangs orStun Grenades, as well asthe Radar Boosterandthe Zap Gun.

Both the Zap Gun and Radar Boostercan really only beused to their best potential in a group, soif you’re solo, you’ll want touse one of the stunning grenades instead.

You can alsoavoid the Kidnapper Foxfor the most partby watching or approaching them, as this willmake them retreat back to their homebase of Shrouds, and get them off your back briefly.

There is arisk with this strategythough – if theirhome is near your ship, you will end updealing with them every time you approach, and this can make escaping difficult, especially if other enemies have already spawned.

Similar to Snare Fleas, the Kidnapper Fox willforce you to drop all your equipmentand scrap if you get grabbed by them.

Killing The Kidnapper Fox

Thankfully, like most entities, it’spossible to kill a Kidnapper Fox. Due to their method of killing and insta-kill damage, yourbest bet for killing them safelyis thelong-range Shotgun if you’ve got one, especially if you’re solo.

Shovel or Sign

7 to 8 Hits

7 to 9 Hits

Shotgun

2 to 4 Hits (Depending on bullet spread)

If you’rein a group, you’vegot multiple options to deal with the entityas long as one of you is alive, and you’ve got some equipment.

You canuse one of the various stunning itemsto stun itthen attack itwith whatever you’ve got, or you canintentionally bait the Kidnapper Foxinto grabbing someone,whack its tongue to stop the attack, thenrush in as a groupand attack it before it can retreat fully or while its running.

As Kidnapper Foxes prefer to go after lone employees,staying in a group will also help prevent attacksand allow a quicker response if one of you gets grabbed.