| “ | English, French -- it does not matter. They were here, captain Slew, the criminal Rahma is close and while god may be merciful, I have no need for such weakness! | „ |
| ~ Commodore Vanderkill in response to Captain Slew -- Skull & Bones: Savage Storm #2 |
Commanding the formidable man-o-war Wolvenjager, Commodore Jonas Vanderkill is a murderous mercenary known across the seven seas as "The Wolf Hunter." Vanderkill is greedy and ruthless but above all else a merciless enforcer of the Dutch Merchant Company, willing to kill anyone who gets in his way, whether they be English, French, or Pirate. Commodore Vanderkill plays a key role in the Skull & Bones: Savage Storm comics.[1][2]
Countless rogues have met their end at the hands of Commodore Jonas Vanderkill. But his recent movements across the Indian Ocean suggest he is on the trail of something more valuable than any bounty, however. Whatever it might be, he would surely be loath to see it fall into the hands of pirates.
As part of season 4, Jonas Vanderkill becomes available as a Bounty target. Upon first completion of the bounty, earn Upgrade Kits, Vanderkill's Locker and Silver! From Vanderkill's Locker captains can obtain the epic minor furniture Strange Elixir: which Increases Crew Ability Range by 25% while crew stamina is above 50%, crew attack charge rate by 15% and reduces crew stamina Depletion from Bracing by 5%. Sinking the Wolf-Hunter and obtaining Vanderkill's Locker also earns the "Wolvenjager" ship vanity set consisting of: Blood Rain" (Sail Pattern), "Vanderkill's Insignia" (Sail Emblem), "Foul Play" (Sail Colour), "Cold Façade" (Hull Colour)
The Schaduw[]
When the Dutch Merchant Company heard of a powerful artifact promising unworldly powers to whoever possessed it, they dispatched their most vicious commodore, the ruthless and much feared Captain of the Schaduw, Jonas Vanderkill, to find the artifacts warden -- a woman known as Mira -- on behalf of the DMC and Willem the third.
Eventually Vanderkill was able to trace rumors of the artifact back to a small fishing village along the coast of India, where he took Mira's husband the humble fisherman Vikram Rajan captive. Accusing Vikram of piracy, Vanderkill interrogated the fisherman to find the location of the trinket, however Vikram didn't know about the artifact or that his wife Mira was the warden of it. Only wanting Mira's wife's secrets and having no use for her husband or the rest of the village, the Commodore took her aboard the Schaduw and burned the rest.
However despite Mira didn't reveal the secrets of the artifact and after many months, Uricko Freeman and his crew attacked the Schaduw in what would be later remembered as the legendary Schaduw's Heist. However the Dutch had been forewarned of the coming attack thanks to an embittered John Scurlock manipulated by Vikram, to whom he fed the details of the heist plan which were passed on to the DMC and as such, there were a lot more Dutch soldiers than the pirates had expected.
The battle that followed would result in the sinking of the Schaduw and it's artifact, although Vanderkill would narrowly escape the wreck. The Commodore would resurface a few years later, the merciless DMC pirate hunter now commanding the Wolvenjager under Captain Slew, which was tasked with tracking Admiral Rahma after her alleged coup attempt. Vanderkill would successfully apprehended both Rahma and Scurlock on a remote, unnamed atoll, although this triumph would be short lived...
The Events of Savage Storm[]
| “ | This is wonderful to hear for I shot my own bookkeeper. He was stealing from me -- a matter of a few coins. But one must have standards, no? I am commodore Jonas Vanderkill of the Dutch Merchant Company, charged with patrolling these waters. | „ |
| ~ Commodore Vanderkill -- Skull & Bones: Savage Storm #2 |
Many years ago, Admiral Rahma and her unbound did battle with the Dutch Merchant Company. However the battle was cut short by a storm, driving off most of the Dutch ships, allowing the rebel Rempah to escape by sailing into the storm, before landing on an island on the other side to make repairs -- encountering John Scurlock and the crew of the merchant Sylvia.
However even as the groups faced off on the opposite side of the island, they heard distant thunder. The missing escort for the merchant ship Sylvia, the guardian, had not been struck by the typhoon, rather, it had been attacked by The Wolf Hunter, who knowingly attacked the ship flying an English flag and massacred the crew even after they surrendered.
After finding no information about Admiral Rahma aboard, Vanderkill executes the last of the crew and orders the nearby islands searched, but not before the escort ship was looted and scuttled. After finding the wreck of the Sylvia he has the crewmen there massacred as well, before encountering Maria and Mister Hubble. From them, he gains a map leading to the missing cargo of the Sylvia, as well as learns that John Scurlock and Admiral Rahma were both on the island.
He then uses Maria to trick Rahma, Scurlock and the remaining crew of the Sylvia into moving the merchantman's cargo down to the beach, where crew ambushes and captures them all. However they are saved when the storm starts up again, with the Commodore having to move the Wolvenjager further out to sea or risk her floundering. He then returns to his ship to wait out the storm, leaving behind a force on shore to keep an eye on the prisoners who he planned to use as labor to load the launches before killing them, merchants included -- the only exception being Maria, who had earned the honor of unloading the crates onto the ship.
However after the storm gets worse, the Commodore decides the launches can wait until the storm blows over and signals the ground force to wait it out and kill the prisoners. However reading a message requires patience and a good eye, but most of all a beating heart as unbeknownst to the Commodore , Maria didn't want to see her crew be massacred, not even to save herself and untied both Rahma and Scurlock. Not only that, but both suspected that a double-cross was coming -- had both their first mates move their ships to the other side of the island. By the time his message was sent, his ground force had already been slain and the remaining prisoners freed.
Before the Commodore can suspect anything is amiss Machmud and Margareta attack the vessel, and whilst they are unable to damage the Wolvenjager, they do provide the distraction that they need for Rahma, Scurlock, Maria and their respective crews -- disguising themselves in Dutch uniforms -- to use the landing ships to get close and board, taking the Commodore by complete surprise.
After briefly dueling Admiral Rahma, the Great Wolf-Hunter runs into the hold, with Rahma and Scurlock about to follow until Maria points out that the flaming mast of the vessel just went through the magazine. They and their crews then abandon ship, just before the Wolvenjager's gunpowder stores detonate. Whilst the fate of Vanderkill is unknown, Rahma does take his ships flag and gifts Maria his jacket. Many years later however, it is revealed that The Wolf Hunter survived and prowls the Indian Ocean once more...
Shadows of the Deep[]
| “ | Countless rogues have met their end at the hands of Commodore Jonas Vanderkill of the DMC. His recent movements across the Indian Ocean suggest he is on the trail of something more valuable than any bounty, however. Whatever it might be, he would surely be loath to see it fall into the hands of pirates. | „ |
| ~ Elite Warship: Jonas Vanderkill -- Skull and Bones: Shadows of the Deep |
Following the events of Savage Storm, Jonas operated from the shadows. However with rumors spreading of the Schaduw sailing the Indian Ocean once more, Vanderkill would return once more, commanding a new Wolvenjager and determined to restore his tarnished reputation as well as reclaim the once lost artifact -- even if it means selling his own soul.
Knowing that the treasure Vikram held was far more than mere silver and trinkets, the Commodore knew better than to underestimate his power and that the Schaduw would not be easily subdued. As such, Jonas would travel to Laar to study an ancient document that might hold the answers that he needed to restore his honor. In the meantime he ordered his captains to find and destroy a strange orb sighted in the East Indies, which seemed to be drawing cursed ships to its presence.
Sure enough, the document turned out to be an ancient script, filled with cryptic symbols, which spoke of a power tied to the Sea People -- a force that could overcome the Schaduw. However the surviving sea people, loyal to their ancestors, would not share their secrets as he had torn apart Vorona Falls to find the text, even so he did manage to uncover one clue. The ritual centers around an outpost with three rock formations, where the flames guard the souls of the dead. But without a full translation, the commodore was grasping at shadows and running out of time as others sought out the treasure.
Vanderkill was right to be worried as John Scurlock had deduced that as the Schaduw's former helmsman, he'd know how to track it down and permanently sink it. The Kingpin's former protege would hunt down the Commodore's captains, discover his missives and then raid Laar, stealing the text and his research notes in the process. With all his research on the ritual to counter the Schaduw gone and the Dutch forces in disarray, Vanderkill was forced to pull back and regroup. By the time the time his forces were ready once more, Vikram's Shadow Legion had been driven back to the depths along with Jonas' chance to regain everything he'd lost.
The Wolvenjager[]
The Wolf Hunter encounter shares similarities with other DMC elite warships like the Opwelling in regards to sailing behavior and the use of reinforcements. However it has some unique attacks which make the fight special and can turn the fight quickly if ignored. These unique attack and patterns can be summarized as following:
1. Speed Torpedos[]
Its regular attack features 3 waves of 4 torpedoes that after being armed (indicated by a white light) pick up speed and home in on their targets. Upon impact they inflict a moderate amount of flooding damage and when being armed also add a status effect that likely reduces the player's armor. These torpedoes are very similar to the Dahaaka torpedo, which players also have access to, however this has not been officially confirmed.
2. Torpedo Spam[]
During this attack huge amounts of regular torpedo are fired while the Wolvenjager is slowly turning resulting in a fan of torpedoes. Each one dealing flooding damage. However as they are not homing and don't have any other special effects, they can be tanked with the right armor, like the Rhapsody of the Deep, or evaded if the player positions themselves far enough away.
3. Mine Throwing[]
It may seem at first glance like bombard shots, but those shots are mines that cause a moderate amount of explosive damage when hitting you directly, the same when hitting them afterwards in the fight. While they individually not do a lot of damage the mass thrown by the Wolvenjager can add up quickly, especially as its normally used in combination with attack #2 or #3.
4. Anchor Shot[]
This attack consists of a mortar shot fired at the player with no visible effect on the water or other visual indicator. However if hit the player will, if they continue sailing, be pulled back to the spot where the shot did land for several seconds. The effect can be compared with the Vortex spawned by the Hubac Twins in the Chorus of Havoc world event, where the player is also pulled into the center of it. This can feel and look like rubber-banding, but this is the intended behavior.
With these attacks in mind, the following should focused when fighting the Wolf Hunter:
1. Target the weakpoints[]
As the ship doesn't have a lot of health, the weak points can appear optional, however it is highly recommend to target them as much as possible. This is because destroying them can end the fight quickly, without any reinforcements being called in. This is beneficial as the reinforcements will repair the Wolvenjager and also attack with a barrage of mortars causing the flooding status to quickly build up if being hit.
2. Stay very close[]
It can be helpful to stick close to the ship to avoid the armed effect and damage of torpedoes, as without them being armed even a regular DPS load-out can soak up a lot hits. When hull to hull with Vanderkill, its recommended to position your vessel so that his weak points can still be attacked, either by sailing on his side or by chasing his tail. If you are good at aiming over long ranges, this can also be an option, but for most players it will likely cause the fight to take longer, which again will result in reinforcements being called in. It's also more likely to get hit by the torpedoes in this case.
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