Why are looters so annoying?

[Rosh+]

I've played M&B for years, pendor, all of it. I always spend the start of the game running around soloing groups of looters, sea raiders, forest bandits, etc, but predominantly looters because they're the easiest to find.

Why in the hell are they so tough?
I can kill a group of 20 sea raiders because their projectiles are slow and they have limited ammo, then I can just kite them full invasion style with a spear or a swinging weapon with some reach.

It takes me 20x the time, and is far more dangerous to do the same to looters because they carry 15 each of a projectile that's faster than all other thrown projectiles in the game(making them very accurate), that same projectile uses the best damage type in the game for armoured foes, and they have some sort of innate damage resistance I can't explain. A fully armoured Sea Raider Chieftain will take maybe 2-3 stabs from my lance and go down. A looter in rags will take anywhere from 3-6...why?

I actually refuse to engage large groups of looters solo these days when I play just because I have to spend 90 minutes kiting rocks in a circle until they run out unless I wish to potentially be domed and instantly knocked out in my full lamellar by a man in rags equipped with rocks.

I choose to spend the early game soloing groups of Sea Raiders for easy levels in the early game cause expending their ammunition takes 1/4 of the time, and I often survive at least a couple harpoons to the face in my full lamellar before I go down, if they can even hit me past my shield with their inaccuracy.

Seriously, why did they make looters so much more irritating to fight than Sea Raiders?

I dunno, maybe I just have PTSD from being pelted with rocks and knocked down with modded full plate during early access back when they were even MORE annoying to fight.

[Action Man]

Are you using mods? In my games, Looters have tissue paper armor. Sea Raider shields make them more difficult to fight for me.

[MasterShake]

Originally posted by Rakshasa:

the problem I've found with soloing bandits is that early game it's too difficult

You have a bow and a horse - it's a park stroll, no matter how many there are.
You don't - well, irl it will be "difficult" to not be beaten to death solo by the angry mob, no matter how cool and knighty you think you are (and early game you are actually not).

Rocks were discussed many times. They are hard to be balanced due to how damage calculations work. Once in the youth I've managed to cause a serious head trauma to a standing still opponent with a single rock throw from like 10-15 meters, Without a sling.

[MasterShake]

I came to simply state that you have lied (in quoted statement precisely, no more, no less), good sir. Whether the reason is ignorance or incompetence (yet), that's up to you.

If you have a bow and a horse you simply empty your quiver in their heads, retreat from battle, repeat until over.
If you try to solo a dozen of men on foot early game, which means without ludacrous advantage in arms, armor and athletics skill, and as a result get beaten to pulp - the balance works perfectly as it should be. Irl you would be also smashed in such a situation.

[MasterShake]

Suit yourself.

There's simply nothing to reply to OP in my opinion, because they came here whining about looters. The looters! As I check from their post, OP already made their mind or maybe as they stated it is a PTSD from early access, which has nothing to do with current state of game. There's nothing to discuss, the throwing stones are too stronk.

You on the other hand said "the problem I've found with soloing bandits is that early game it's too difficult". W/o context It's a direct lie. Report whatever you want, I don't know you personally and don't care to harass you or namecall, or whatever else your fantasies include.

Originally posted by Rakshasa:

why don't you find something more productive to do than starting arguments and namecalling strangers online?

Why don't you go around and tell your family, relatives of friends, what to do in their spare time?

[Clovis Sangrail]

Originally posted by Rosh+:

Why are looters so annoying?

Probably because you do not know what you are doing.

My little band of Battanian archers and I never have any problem with them.

[Ruffio]

Originally posted by Clovis Sangrail:

Originally posted by Rosh+:

Why are looters so annoying?

Probably because you do not know what you are doing.

My little band of Battanian archers and I never have any problem with them.

OP is a one man band -)

[Clovis Sangrail]

Originally posted by Ruffio:

Originally posted by Clovis Sangrail:

Probably because you do not know what you are doing.

My little band of Battanian archers and I never have any problem with them.

OP is a one man band -)

That's his problem. If he chooses to handicap himself in that way, any problems he encounters are on him, not the game.

[xao2099]

Maybe it's just me but,i get upset that i can't find big enough looter parties to solo in early game and end up kiting a bunch of groups together till i get 25 or 30 or more,so it's worth the time to get the renown/influence that i need to level up.I hate only getting 1 or less points from smaller bandit parties,and it's very fun getting a few groups of different kinds together(forest bandits and sea raiders with mountain bandits) feels like fighting a bandit army.In the early game i only have the crappy starter bow and 3 quivers of arrows and sell all other gear including civilian gear and trade sumpter for midlands palfrey,Usually no saddle at first,just don't let the looters get close enough to throw the hand missiles in the first place,i tend to kite them around from horseback but,you can just ride really far dis-mount and you shoot as many as you can till they get too close,jump back on your horse and repeat,just DO NOT STAND next to your horse while you are shooting at them cause that stupid horse loves walking in front of your arrows... won't say how i know this. xD

[Rosh+]

I have tried to make this post a few times now, but Steam mobile sucks.

Perhaps I was not clear enough. I don't find looters HARD to fight, I find them ANNOYING to fight. Of course if I bring an army or use a bow on horseback, literally anything is easy. That's not what I am talking about.

Let me lay it out in terms even an idiot could understand.

Sea Raiders
Higher loot quality.
Higher prisoner quality.
Fewer projectiles.
Less time kiting means less time taken with each party.

Looters
Low loot quality.
Low prisoner quality.
3x Projectiles.
Far more time kiting means way more time spent on each party.

Why compared to Sea Raiders do Looters have to be such an unattractive option for anybody farming renown, gold and equipment solo in the early game? In Warband looters are literally so pathetic that if you have a coat of plates and accessories you can stand there taking 0 damage from a horde of them.

Why did Taleworlds make them such an unattractive option compared to Warband?

Let it be known that if any moron comes in here and tells me to 'git gud' and suggest an exceedingly obvious tactic even after reading this post, I'm going to ignore their post due to their lack of reading comprehension.

[xao2099]

WOW,ur name in latin must mean "I 'm A D I C K

[Action Man]

A fully armoured Sea Raider Chieftain will take maybe 2-3 stabs from my lance and go down. A looter in rags will take anywhere from 3-6...why?

This part makes it sound like Looters are harder for you. I don't experience this in my games. Looters go down like tissue paper. Their danger relies on their numbers. Sea Raiders can do more damage per shot. Good on you for dodging their projectiles - not too difficult because they're aren't too many of them. However their shields make them harder to kill than Looters.

In Warband looters are literally so pathetic that if you have a coat of plates and accessories you can stand there taking 0 damage from a horde of them.

In a game like this, the player should never be immune to any damage source. HP is the most valuable resource on the battlefield, and being able to negate damage from any source - even weak ones - is bad design.

[Rosh+]

Originally posted by xao2099:

WOW,ur name in latin must mean "I 'm A D I C K

The post wasn't specifically targeted towards you, don't feel attacked.

Originally posted by Action Man:

This part makes it sound like Looters are harder for you. I don't experience this in my games. Looters go down like tissue paper. Their danger relies on their numbers. Sea Raiders can do more damage per shot. Good on you for dodging their projectiles - not too difficult because they're aren't too many of them. However their shields make them harder to kill than Looters.

No, if you know the combat AI responds to positioning, Sea Raiders are not more difficult than looters. Dodging their projectiles is not a factor at all, as you can just circle clockwise with a shield up on horseback and they'll miss 2/3s of all their throws.

I'll try to capture some video of the damage disparity phenomena between looters and Sea Raiders.

I'll elaborate about positioning, If you ride just out of range and spear thrust over your back left to hit enemies with shields there, they do not raise their shields and take the full thrust. You can do it with swings, but that requires specific movement or a ton of weapon skill, and a weapon of minimum length.

[MrMinMax]

There is a reason why looters are called the "holy laser guided rock throwers". TW is just trolling players who is used to solo looters in Warband to level up.

there was a topic here on editing xml files to remove the rocks.

[EmotionallyBroken]

Originally posted by Action Man:

Are you using mods? In my games, Looters have tissue paper armor.

What mods are you using where they have armor?

[Action Man]

Originally posted by EmotionallyBroken:

Originally posted by Action Man:

Are you using mods? In my games, Looters have tissue paper armor.

What mods are you using where they have armor?

I'm not using any mods that change Looters. Hence my reference to 'tissue paper' armor. As in, the rags they wear are worthless as armor.