Diamond Dogs

An army of outcasts forged by the man who sought to free soldiers from chains.

Diamond Dogs is a private military company established by Punished "Venom" Snake following the destruction of Militaires Sans Frontières (MSF). Operating from Mother Base in 1984, the group is led by Snake as he ventures into Soviet-occupied Afghanistan and the Angola–Zaire border region to exact revenge on those who destroyed his forces and almost killed him during the climax of Ground Zeroes. The organization recruits enemy soldiers and prisoners, using the Fulton surface-to-air recovery system to transport captured personnel and resources back to headquarters, allowing for base expansion and technology development.

Quick Facts

Leader: Punished "Venom" Snake
Base of operations: Mother Base
Key member: Quiet

Lore & Background

The faction emerged following the events of Ground Zeroes, after MSF was destroyed and Big Boss fell into a coma. Nine years later, he awakens and helps lead a new mercenary group, Diamond Dogs. Adopting the codename "Venom Snake", he ventures into Afghanistan during the Soviet–Afghan War and the Angola—Zaire border region during the Angolan Civil War to track down the people responsible for MSF's destruction. Along the way, he becomes reacquainted with his former rival Ocelot and encounters Quiet, an assassin and sniper with supernatural abilities. While he and Kazuhira Miller are initially driven to exact revenge, Snake unearths a plot by the Cipher organization to develop a new model of the Metal Gear system known as the ST-84 "Sahelanthropus". The game features a base-building system that allows players to develop weapons and items from their headquarters, Mother Base. Recruitment of enemy soldiers and prisoners has returned for this purpose, allowing the base to grow through organization. The Fulton surface-to-air recovery system, an item introduced into gameplay in Peace Walker, returns as well, with players able to transport captured soldiers and other objects such as animals and vehicles back to Mother Base. An in-game currency called GMP is used for upgrading Mother Base's defenses and technology, and can be collected from objects found all over the map, such as rough diamonds, shipping containers, and special blueprint boxes, as well as sending recruited soldiers on combat missions around the world.

Reader's Guide

Diamond Dogs is a private military company led by Punished "Venom" Snake in 1984, nine years after the events of Ground Zeroes. The group operates from Mother Base, a headquarters that can be expanded through the recruitment of enemy soldiers and prisoners using the Fulton surface-to-air recovery system. Players can develop weapons and items from Mother Base, using GMP currency collected from objects like rough diamonds, shipping containers, and special blueprint boxes, as well as by sending recruited soldiers on combat missions around the world. Snake can call on one of a few AI "buddy" companions: D-Horse, a horse capable of wearing armor and hiding Snake during travel; D-Dog, a wolf pup raised to assist Snake in the field; Quiet, a mute female sniper with supernatural abilities; and D-Walker, a piloted, highly agile mobile weapons platform that can provide heavy weapons support. The companions' abilities and their effectiveness depends on the player's relationship with them. The game includes two separate multiplayer modes: Metal Gear Online 3 and Forward Operating Bases (FOBs). The latter mode allows players to develop FOBs, which can then be invaded by other players. These facilities can be used to generate resources and income for the single-player campaign, and can be attacked by other players in a player-versus-player mode.