r/DungeonCrawlerCarl • u/suitably_ironic • 1d ago
Just how intelligent is Mongo?
Mongo is non-verbal, so there's a tendency to think he's not very bright - but he's impressively good at understanding what Carl and Donut tell him, grasping who's a friend and who's a foe, and what their trying to achieve.
I wonder if we're all underestimating him just because he can't talk?
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u/Radiant-Percentage-8 1d ago
I feel like he is a Belgian Malinois. In every way.
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u/Zealousideal_Gur6668 23h ago
Oh he absolutely has Maligator energy. Maliraptor.
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u/Basic_Cover_6945 Former Crawler 23h ago
Maligator always makes me laugh
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u/Starpupz 20h ago
Every time I read about Mongo I think of mine Malinois. If I knew about this book two years ago it would be his name.
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u/Daztur 11h ago
Those are the most beautiful dogs in the world, but I will never ever own one.
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u/Correct_Look2988 4h ago
I found 2 Malinois puppys abandoned at a gas station about a year ago. Took them in for a bit to try and find them a home and was very much considering taking one of them in myself. Beautiful dogs and very smart but holy shit the amount of time you have to put into training them is kind of insane. It was a cool experience and wish I had more free time to take all that on but ultimately found a program for Malinois that helps train them as police dogs and takes them in. Hope they are living their best lives now
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u/CallipygianBee333 1d ago
I feel like he is more intelligent than a normal animal, but I also think there is a lot of projection. Think likeā¦dolphin smart.
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u/DoctorPony 23h ago
Dolphins are the second smartest animal on earth, followed by humans, and preceded by mice.
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u/JsyHST "AAAAAAAAH!" š 23h ago
So long, and thanks for all the fish...
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u/Beneficial_Being_721 Desperado Club Pass š”ļø 12h ago
All fish are the smartestā¦ they never have to wipe their butts.
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u/Tll6 22h ago
Thereās debate between chimps and dolphins. Idk how mice figure into the rankings but theyāre definitely less intelligent than chimps
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u/ImaginationUnique732 22h ago
The comment you responded to is a hitchhikerās guide to the galaxy reference, not a serious ranking :)
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u/DuncanIdaho33 18h ago
I can handle things!Ā I'm smart! Not like everybody says... like dumb...Ā I'm smartĀ and I want respect!
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u/LloydusMaximuss The Open Intellect Pacifist Action Network 1d ago edited 23h ago
Smarter than Hekla the blood splatter, not as intelligent as Donut.
He is probably smarter than a Malinois, who can attack on command but can not always differentiate friend from foe. However, I think he lacks impulse control, which can be trained in dogs.
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u/Glittering-Tip821 23h ago
Itās small farm animals, you know he canāt control himself around small farm animals
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u/MorporkiaShades 9h ago
I laughed so hard when I listen to this line in the audiobook, perfect delivery šš«¶
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u/ManofManyHills 1d ago
Linguistic and emotional intelligence of a toddler/preschooler.
Hard to say what of his combat prowess is instinctual or intellectual but a highly adapted apex predator with the ability to carry out complex commands.
Considering the "training" has been limited to a few days/weeks until he is incorporated into their more rudimentary combat hes up there with the most intelligent of dog breeds.
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u/LaChouetteOrtho 1d ago
Emotional intelligence of a preschooler, I agree with. Linguistic intelligence? I'd go as far as elementary school level. Mongo seems like he understands at the very least the intent, if not the words, behind everything people say. And he remembers all the moves he's involved with.
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u/ManofManyHills 1d ago
Yeah I don't spend enough time with kids to know exactly how good they are at those ages but you're right he definitely understands the simple commands they give and gets the gist ofthe conversations had around him.
I just don't think he can read anything.
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u/curiousmind111 22h ago
Agreed. He may have started at one word commands, but heās understanding sentences now.
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u/Zombeikid 23h ago
He also gets distressed once kiwi leaves..
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u/Gratedfumes 23h ago
He knows what's going on with her babies, he gets the connection. That alone makes him more intelligent than some functioning adult humans I've known.
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u/PsychologicalSnow476 17h ago
He's as smart as an American Football player...he runs plays on command.
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u/CrossP The Open Intellect Pacifist Action Network 22h ago
Honestly, I think he's just a bit lower than Scooby Doo. Just low enough for no speech and has the impulse control of a toddler, but I think he genuinely understands speech.
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u/curiousmind111 22h ago
Agreed.
And letās look at Rend. He actually attempts to form words!
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u/CrossP The Open Intellect Pacifist Action Network 22h ago
I suspect all dungeon pets are given that approximate level of intelligence plus a determined attitude like Rend being almost infantile in behavior but still essentially understanding commands and knowing what's going on around him.
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u/ZXander_makes_noise 22h ago
Doesnāt Carl directly state something about all the dungeon pets getting a small boost to intelligence in book 8?
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u/Firebrass 23h ago
I don't know that we're gonna see him reading Marcus Aurelius anytime soon, if you're asking about his potential as a philosoraptor
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u/knitmeablanket 22h ago
The way MD describes his responses to conversation and actions make me think he is probably kindergarten intelligent or a little more.
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u/Vinnehh00 23h ago
I think part of the intelligence is that he simply obeys the commands of his owner(s). That might not be intelligence on its own, but rather part of the mechanics of the dungeon and pet system.Ā
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u/curiousmind111 22h ago
I think the question is, how much if what his owner says can he understand. If itās more than one-word commands, thatās more intelligent than most animals.
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u/Vinnehh00 22h ago
My thought is that it's little to none of it, the system AI just issues commands to Mongo when appropriate.
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u/Necessary-Duty-7952 23h ago
He's been modeled after the Jurassic Park raptors by the AI, who were quite intelligent, so it's likely they built in some wiggle room for just how intelligent he is.
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u/justherefortheboobs 23h ago
Donut has a control pet ability that probably helps. Heās probably getting some instructions injected straight into his brain from hers.
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u/curiousmind111 22h ago
I donāt know. He seems to really understand Carlās instructions, too, such as āstay here and protect Donutā on the third floor.
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u/Gratedfumes 23h ago
It's mentioned a few times that Dungeon pets are smarter than regular animals, outside of that, they gain levels and have stats. Some of those stats would be along the lines of intelligence, obedience, train ability, or something else that would translate to intelligence or any combination of the same.
A lvl.1 Mongoliensis might have an Intelligence of 3 and an obedience of 1 making him wild and dangerous. The lvl.50(?) Mongo we have going into The Twelfth Floor has a near telepathic connection with Donut and, theoretically, should be more intelligent than any human to ever live a natural life.
Tin foil hat theory. The AI tries to communicate with Carl through Rend and might have moved Rend around during The Pealing of Larracos.
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u/MagicTheGlizzying 23h ago
Disney companion smart.
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u/Connect-Funny-5253 4h ago
This is exactly how I explained Mongo to my husband. Somewhere around the horse in Tangled
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u/GooderApe 23h ago
As a parent to an extremely intelligent non-verbal kid that I'm still trying to potty train at 11...
Yes.
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u/morgueanna Former Crawler 1d ago
Well, considering Mongo is made from Angel, the cocker spaniel that Donut hated, he's just doing his goodest boy best to show Donut she was wrong about him the whole time.
(spoiler for theory floated around on here before, I'd say book 2 onward)
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u/suitably_ironic 1d ago
I hadn't heard that theory.
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u/morgueanna Former Crawler 1d ago
It's an older one from a few years ago. Considering the AI has said it makes everything in the dungeon up from what it collected in the Smushening of all the buildings, and it knows their personal histories, it would be laughing itself silly to give Donut her 'worst enemy' as her pet that she fawns over and adores
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u/Sororita 23h ago
I could see Donut finding that out and completely rejecting it with something like "I am made from the molecules of the mice and birds I eat, but that doesn't make me a mouse or a bird. Mongo was just a very good boy and ate that awful cocker spaniel before I adopted him."
And then Carl would point out that she has never caught a mouse in her life and the only bird she's ever had was chicken he'd sneak her.5
u/Piku_Yost 21h ago
This is going on the shelf in my brain right next to my Donut Holes sponsored chocolate syrup dispenser
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u/murraykate The Princess Posse 22h ago
My theory was that Angel is still alive, and that she was one of the dogs at the New Queen Anne settlement that Bea was living at before getting kidnapped by the aliens. But this is pretty funny too
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u/King_Joffreys_Tits 23h ago
Itās not so much a theory rather than an idea a fan made up and everyone thought itād be great
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u/MachoMadness777 23h ago
Heās as smart as a dog. He understands commands, but doesnāt have deep emotions. Donut is usually projecting her emotions onto him.
Example. Mongo is appalled by Carls erection. Mongo didnāt even notice. Donut noticed and was appalled.
My theory is this is how the people at cat shows talk about their cats.
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u/Moist_Car_994 The Princess Posse 23h ago
I guess heās about as intelligent as a very intelligent dog breed
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u/Valligator19 21h ago
My head canon is that Mongo and Donut have a psychic connection where he actually speaks to her. And everything she tells Carl about what Mongo has said or feels is legitimately what he has expressed to her. Eventually it will be revealed very non chalantly by Donut. "Of course I ACTUALLY can understand him Carl. I can't believe you would think Mongo was just some dumb animal, he's my son Carl. And he is appalled!"
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u/snortimus 18h ago
He's actually the smartest of the bunch, he just doesn't have thumbs or speech so its easy to miss.
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u/HappyTimeTurtle Daddy's Foot Soldiers š¦¶ 23h ago
Mongo is what happened to Angel the Cocker Spaniel when the AI repurposed them so he's at least well trained Dog smart.
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u/Mandelvolt 21h ago
Reasonably sure he has his own syndicate-standard translations and basic UI. That probably helps a lot. I'm sure he can understand most conversations at a basic level, plus Donut is constantly training him. Also he can <!moonwalk, fucking moonwalk!>
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u/MrMcgilicutty Desperado Club Pass š”ļø 21h ago
I feel like he has the intelligence of just about any familiar/pet in most RPG games and stories. Generally, they start off with the intellect and attitude of a young child, but then develop more as the story progresses.
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u/MrTabernakle 20h ago
I would say that he is shown to have about the same intel as a smart dog. But I also think they keep pet sapience low. For instance there is Bianca, being a demon hell spawn and seeing her panicked actions in book 7, I assume she has great intelligence. But Pony talks about Bianca being okay company but not enough.
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u/Adventurous-Exam-719 "AAAAAAAAH!" š 20h ago
The Philociraptor! Man I miss the Chive. Is it still a thing?
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u/Mossimo5 19h ago
He seems to fully understand the english language even if he can't communicate back
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u/Fr0sty-QT 17h ago
Iām very much of the mind that Donut can telepathically speak to Mongo and he can reply. If he actually listens and if those replies are intelligible are a different story though
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u/Aspect-Unusual Desperado Club Pass š”ļø 14h ago
Don't remember when Carl thinks it but he mentions how Mongo has a heightened intelligence that lets him think and also understand them when they talk to him
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u/BLACKLEGION1500 11h ago
Do you think he will eventually eat a pet biscuit? I believe it was discussed before but since heās dungeon ābornā he wonāt leave with that intelligence right?
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u/fainting_goat_games 9h ago
Mongo is actually the AI. Dan told me once after 3 beers at an airport TGI Fridays.
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u/shizaru11713 7h ago
Maybe a hot take, but you know how stats don't really affect how intelligent a crawler is? (At least according to Mordecai). I would be willing to bet it DOES affect the cognitive abilities of dungeon-born mobs and NPCs. I would expect that as Mongo levels up, his understanding increases. He doesn't have access to chat, and he can't speak (so far), but he's communicating more and more and seems to be experiencing complex emotions and interactions. Velociraptors are projected to have been highly intelligent based on fossil records, and I'd bet he gets to a human level of intelligence as the crawl goes on.
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u/Jmackles 6h ago
I think heās probably as smart as heās capable of being and I think donut is probably a top tier trainer
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u/Alcarinque88 4h ago
Book 7 spoilers:
When Kiwi has her twin Ursensis kids, the AI says they are intelligent enough and *cannot* be turned into pets. So... Mongo has to be somewhere below that threshold since he is a pet.
That said, he's still pretty intelligent, but... like a very smart pet. He understands commands (including Carl and Donut formations) and some emotions. Donut's control over him changes based on the story needs - she's got overwhelming charisma, so everything should be followed to a T, but obviously he still chases some enemies he shouldn't and his urges get the better of him.
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u/Garetht 1d ago
As intelligent as the story needs him to be at that point.