Xbox One, basic newb questions re: fighting wolves

[StealthMonkee55]

I'm a Long Dark newb and am having issues fighting wolves (playing xbox one). I started out as a Voyguer but get killed by a wolf every time by day two. Can you even fight a wolf hand to hand? Do I mash the A button or R trigger when attacked? I've had a hunting knife, hatchet, crowbar and hammer but have not been able to figure out how to equip any of these tools as a weapon. I like that there is no "hand holding" in this game but have resorted to playing as a Pilgrim to really test the survival mechanics without getting killed and starting from scratch each time. I love the game so far but definitely need the fear factor that wild animals bring to the game to really enjoy it. Any suggestions especially from console players would be greatly appreciated. Thx

[GroggyNoggin]

Hi, I am also on XB1, and love this game! I won't bore you with the old mechanics, they just changed recently. Now, it's all about spamming that A button. You don't need to do anything special to ready a weapon. When I hear the growling, and I know it's about to happen, I face the wolf and even get started spamming A before the wolf gets on me. I feel that if you have both the hatchet and knife, it uses the best one. Keep antibiotics around and bandages!

[StealthMonkee55]

Thanks Groggy, tried it out and survived a wolf fight (finally) on my first try. This game is awesome!

[sierra 117]

Hi guys, just wanted to put out another tip, i find a gd way to stop having to worry about wolves all the time is , always carry 1/2 pieces of cooked meat with you ,then you can drop it for a distraction and run away, or once u have a gun/ bow, its a great tactic for hunting wolves, basically what i do is get a wolf to chase me ,then i'll lead them as far back toward my house or temp home and drop the neat just before they catch you, means youve got less to travel back and forth to harvest. Hope this helps dude, and keep on enjoying the learning curve, i know i did/do even after multiple 200+ days runs youll still make mistakes, but thts whats great about this game, no spoon feeding , like too many other games these days.

[Thelek]

I would say that sense a wolf only has about 12 pounds of meat, you should be able to harvest it all at once without the trouble of leading it back to your base. Wolves run faster than you and often twos or threes. However, that might be a good tactic to use on a bear.

[sierra 117]

Yeah i have tried that , and its even easier with a bear, even on stalker mode you just have get his attention then when he starts to follow just lead him home, you can basically get it right outside your house , however i do think this makes stalker too easy and would be better if you had to keep distance or it would charge as soon as you get close enough for him to spot you. Also if you want to do some exploring of wolf infested areas get him to follow you and it will deter wolves, but as i said this bear behaviour will likely/hopefully change. As it makes it too easy.