Polar Bear

The Polar Bear is one of the heaviest hitters in the Snow Biome and a genuine boss-tier threat for a mid-game team. With a massive 500 HP and 50 damage per hit, it can two- or three-shot an unarmored survivor, and its walkspeed of 28 means it will run you down if you try to flee on foot across open snow. This is hostile by default, so treat any sighting near the Polar Bear Cave as a fight you need to plan, not stumble into.

The payoff for winning is solid food security: it drops 7-8 Morsel and 3-4 Steak, plus a chance at a Polar Bear Pelt (0-1) you can sell to the Pelt Trader. That pelt makes it doubly worth hunting once you can handle the damage.

Tactically, never solo this with a melee axe at low gear. Bring a gun and ammunition, stack armor, and ideally have a teammate kite while others deal damage. If you would rather not fight, it can be tamed with Rib x5, Stew x5, and Swordfish x5, turning a deadly bruiser into a powerful guardian for your camp.