Scary Wolves

[Carbon]

 And when you do kill one, don't harvest everything. Leave a kilo of meat in there and it won't respawn for a while longer. My wolf graveyard...they were there for a long time...

[Rada_]

23 minutes ago, Carbon said:

 And when you do kill one, don't harvest everything. Leave a kilo of meat in there and it won't respawn for a while longer. My wolf graveyard...they were there for a long time...

Never thought about that

[JoE Smash]

I too am freaked out by the wolves, I started a similar thread about it, but I asked for less wolves/wolf packs in Voyageur. This was a poor choice on my part, becuse it caused me to be verbally assaulted with ridicule from other players. Including I obviously suck at the game and don't know how to play.

Anyways I agree with you, the wolves are sketchy. When you aggro them they come in hot and zig zag, and the aiming mechanic is slow, touchy, and awkward. I still have to try shooting while backing up.

My preferred method is to save in the closest house and then try to get lucky sniping them with the bow, and quitting out of the game before they reciprocate, if I fail.

Dropping bait and then shooting them as they wander off is my second favorite. Some say you can shoot first and save the bait, but I am not sure where the sweet spot is....because as you stated if you aim at them with a weapon, it insta-aggros them. I try to avoid having them run me down and having to struggle with them. Obviously if you end up in a wolf struggle it's because you had an accident.

 

[JAFO]

2 hours ago, JoE Smash said:

Dropping bait and then shooting them as they wander off is my second favorite. Some say you can shoot first and save the bait, but I am not sure where the sweet spot is....because as you stated if you aim at them with a weapon, it insta-aggros them.

If they are target-fixated on the bait, they won't notice you taking aim at them. For several good examples of "shoot first and save the bait", see @GELtaz's latest video. I've set it to start at the relevant part, 16 minutes 15 seconds in.

 

[JoE Smash]

6 minutes ago, JAFO said:

If they are target-fixated on the bait, they won't notice you taking aim at them. For several good examples of "shoot first and save the bait", see @GELtaz's latest video. I've set it to start at the relevant part, 16 minutes 15 seconds in.

 

Thanks m8, I wasn't sure but now that's confirmed. One less thing....

[JAFO]

8 minutes ago, JoE Smash said:

Thanks m8, I wasn't sure but now that's confirmed. One less thing....

The entire video is well worth a look.. another of his discoveries is that the trajectory of arrows is now a bit flatter than it was before.

[JoE Smash]

18 minutes ago, JAFO said:

The entire video is well worth a look.. another of his discoveries is that the trajectory of arrows is now a bit flatter than it was before.

Roger.

[Kraeto77]

I thought about dropping bate like a few have said but not tried it yet. I had success when attacked by wolf by lighting a torch and when the wolf walks towards you or stops, draw your rifle and go for head shot. You drop the torch when drawing so still  seems to hold him at bay.

[Kraeto77]

On 10/07/2017 at 3:37 PM, Kraeto77 said:

I thought about dropping bate like a few have said but not tried it yet. I had success when attacked by wolf by lighting a torch and when the wolf walks towards you or stops, draw your rifle and go for head shot. You drop the torch when drawing so still  seems to hold him at bay.

Might have to recant what I said . I tried similar response with a bow but the wolf charged forward past the torch and jumped me. Maybe my timing is off but still struggling to aim at wolf when he is upon me. Wolf does vear to the right/ left when charging. Trying to predict this behaviour so I can achieve a headshot. Not easy, need practice.

[Thrasador]

So @CalNieDaGtarGuy, I was late to this thread. How is the wolf phobia going? I recently just got over mine. I can tell you what did it for me.

So first cook some meat of whatever animal you feel safe killing, even fish. Over the next day or so eat the meat canceling before you finish eating it, leaving you with leftover meat pieces under .10kilos so it doesn't matter if you lose the meat to a wolf. Get like 5 pieces, because 6 definitely registers a smell bar. You probably still smell slightly with 5, but at least it doesn't register a bar.

Put on your best protective clothing, get your hatchet, knife, and bow and bring 10 arrows at least. Also bring at least 3-5 bandages and a bottle of antiseptic or 3-5 old man's beard....the hatchet and first aid is so you are covered even if you end up in a wolf struggle. The plan is not to end up in a struggle, but you will be covered even if you do.

Then go to where you know wolves are, preferably an area with more than one, but one where you also have a clear line of sight to all of them. A good spot is the frozen water in the area in front of the coastal town in Coastal Highway. I often see 3-4 wolves on the ice between the log sort and the coastal town.

Then practice seeing how close you can get to a wolf before it notices you. Once it does, it will typically bark like a dog and then start trotting in your direction and growling.

Start backing up, while keeping eyes on the wolf. Press the drop bait button to drop a piece of bait on the ground. Back up a bit more from the bait, so the wolf doesn't feel threatened comming to take the meat. Don't go really far away though because you want a good shot.

Get your bow out. Get the dot lined up with the wolf in the direction he is going twords the meat. He should be comming right at you, but the bait is between you and him. When he's about 5 feet away or two seconds from grabbing the meat draw and try to shoot him in the face. As long as you hit him somewhere....which you should because he isn't far, you are not panicking, and you lined up the shot, he'll either die immediately or be wounded and run around until he dies. Hopefully it will die where you can get to him, but if not no big deal.

Light a fire and harvest him if you like, but if you do drop the guts and hide nearby in a fishing hut or some other storage if you don't want an increased smell indicator.

Keep doing it with the other wolves around. Practice dropping bait, backing up, lining up shots, and shooting wolves.

Always leave the house with a few pieces of bait, and at least the bow and several arrows (because the gun is heavy). At some point it will become second nature to start backing up when you hear a wolf bark, dropping bait, and shooting it in the face.

I did that today, and I realized I didn't panic. I heard a wolf and thought, "I guess some wolf wants me to kill it and eat it"

That's what happened too...

[CalNieDaGtarGuy]

Thanks to everyone's advice on the topic, I will definitely get around to using it once the game is fixed for me. As for now, there is a very annoying bug preventing me from playing any difficulty except for Pilgrim. Now, whenever a wolf gets into a struggle with me, I can't fight back; I simply have to sit back and watch him tear me to pieces. I don't know how many people have the same problem as me but I am getting a new computer which could (hopefully) correct it so I can enjoy the game again.

[Thrasador]

4 minutes ago, CalNieDaGtarGuy said:

Thanks to everyone's advice on the topic, I will definitely get around to using it once the game is fixed for me. As for now, there is a very annoying bug preventing me from playing any difficulty except for Pilgrim. Now, whenever a wolf gets into a struggle with me, I can't fight back; I simply have to sit back and watch him tear me to pieces. I don't know how many people have the same problem as me but I am getting a new computer which could (hopefully) correct it so I can enjoy the game again.

Wow, how the heck did that happen?

Obviously you tried changing your key bindings right?

Or do you use a gamepad?

[JAFO]

8 hours ago, Thrasador said:

Also bring at least 3-5 bandages and a bottle of antiseptic or 3-5 old man's beard....

More than 2 bandages & OMB is unnecessary. You might survive two consecutive wolf attacks. You won't survive a third. 

[Thrasador]

31 minutes ago, JAFO said:

More than 2 bandages & OMB is unnecessary. You might survive two consecutive wolf attacks. You won't survive a third. 

Did they remove the mechanic where you can get more than two afflictions per attack if you put up a poor offense/defense?

[JAFO]

Just now, Thrasador said:

Did they remove the mechanic where you can get more than two afflictions per attack if you put up a poor offense/defense?

Hmm.. good question. And a good point, also.

I mostly manage to avoid wolf struggles, so I'm not certain, to be honest. It's just been a weight-saving policy of mine for a long time now, based on my experiences of never living long enough to need bandage number 3.

Perhaps I ought to reconsider it.

[Thrasador]

6 minutes ago, JAFO said:

Hmm.. good question. And a good point, also.

I mostly manage to avoid wolf struggles, so I'm not certain, to be honest. It's just been a weight-saving policy of mine for a long time now, based on my experiences of never living long enough to need bandage number 3.

Perhaps I ought to reconsider it.

To be honest on a normal hike, I bring two bandages and two doses of antiseptic....if I am not going wolf hunting. I was just having Cal stock up to cover worst case scenarios, lol...it may have been a little excessive.

On another note though, I typically play Voyager and my last wolf struggle I got 0 bleeding wounds and lost 10 or 11 condition (which is really lucky). It was probably a pretty weak wolf, but I also have decent protective clothes and a good knife.

What you say about not surviving three attacks in a row is most likely true on Stalker and/or Interloper. On Voyager you theoretically could survive three back to back weak wolf attacks as long as you quickly treated the bleeding in between....and got lucky. You would be in rough shape though if that did happen.

My worst luck so far was in FM with two attacks in rapid succession (but it was almost 4, lol). I was on the ice heading to the farm and the wolves were between me and the farm and I didn't know because I was on lower terrain and it was foggy. I was really close to the farm and excited to get there, and they almost got me.

I heard the bark, didn't know from where....but I assumed it was in front of me. I stop for a second and panic (because I was going there to craft arrowheads and didn't bring a gun because it is so heavy), and out from over the mound of snow in front of me and the fog obscuring him comes the wolf and he was charging me.

So obviously wolf struggle. I bandage up and see another coming from my right. I start backing up to the left and drop some bait. He ignores it....probably because I'm hurt. While backing up I notice the house that is caved in and broken in half behind me. Before I even get to there, that wolf pounces. I bandage up and see TWO more comming out of the fog behind where he came from. I am at about 40-50 condition and know I can't survive two more attacks.

I back into a corner of the colapsed house and crouch to make a fire. Half way through I hear the wolves panicking, of course I fail...but I start again immediately after and succeeded. I throw a few sticks in, grab a torch, and scramble to the farm...or where I think the farm is in the fog (I had never been to FM).

I manage to find it before the torch burned out....

Got a new fire going in the forge with the torch, made sure I treated everything, drank a herbal tea and slept until I was back to 80 condition, lol.

I think that early encounter in my playing of this game is what instilled my wolf fear in the first place. I was never afraid of one wolf I could see, it's the other 3-4 I might not know about yet....

[Timber Wolf]

50 minutes ago, JAFO said:

I mostly manage to avoid wolf struggles, so I'm not certain, to be honest. It's just been a weight-saving policy of mine for a long time now, based on my experiences of never living long enough to need bandage number 3.

Perhaps I ought to reconsider it.

I've been in hundreds of wolf struggles (on .426 Stalker) and have needed to deal with as many as 2 blood loss, 2 infections and 2 sprains from one attack.  I have also survived as many as 4 consecutive struggles, if I am wearing clothing with good protection stats.

[JAFO]

14 minutes ago, Timber Wolf said:

I've been in hundreds of wolf struggles (on .426 Stalker) and have needed to deal with as many as 2 blood loss, 2 infections and 2 sprains from one attack.  I have also survived as many as 4 consecutive struggles, if I am wearing clothing with good protection stats.

Thanks.. that was enough to confirm I should start packing more first-aid supplies!

[Timber Wolf]

5 minutes ago, JAFO said:

Thanks.. that was enough to confirm I should start packing more first-aid supplies!

I should add that these are the extreme cases.  It's best to assess each situation individually to determine what supplies you should be carrying. 

For example, if you are trying to move a heavy load of stuff between locations, then I would recommend bringing extra meds because you will be moving slower and thus an easier target for the wolves.

[Thrasador]

11 minutes ago, Timber Wolf said:

I should add that these are the extreme cases.  It's best to assess each situation individually to determine what supplies you should be carrying. 

For example, if you are trying to move a heavy load of stuff between locations, then I would recommend bringing extra meds because you will be moving slower and thus an easier target for the wolves.

So on a short trip, not planning on crossing wolf territories two bandages and two doses of antiseptic are like my minimum for "just in case purposes."

I also always carry two doses of antibiotics and two doses of pain killers. I recently decided that two doses of pain killers is no longer adaquate, as I have been getting numerous sprains walking on flat terrain while slightly over-encumbered (like ~35 kilos).

At this point if you are going anywhere you need at least 8 pills or 4 cups of rose hips for 4 sprains. Depending on how unlucky you get, you may still run out. I've had to sleep my last three sprains off, because I only have two pills left on me (the rest are back at base). I am saving the final dose for an emergency running situation, lol...

[SpoonyMass]

I always keep a decoy on me (gut or a partially eaten thing of meat) drop it down when I hear a wolf and just back up a bit.  Wolf smells the food, is no longer agitated, and is walking at a predictable line for perfect rifle/bow killing, once the wolf is killed I pick up the decoy and harvest.  So far it's a technique that's honestly foolproof up to this point. 

I don't fear wolves..., bears on the other hand.  Yeah, bears are still scary...,    

[Thrasador]

55 minutes ago, SpoonyMass said:

I always keep a decoy on me (gut or a partially eaten thing of meat) drop it down when I hear a wolf and just back up a bit.  Wolf smells the food, is no longer agitated, and is walking at a predictable line for perfect rifle/bow killing, once the wolf is killed I pick up the decoy and harvest.  So far it's a technique that's honestly foolproof up to this point. 

I don't fear wolves..., bears on the other hand.  Yeah, bears are still scary...,    

Yup, we covered that one. I actually told him to go practice doing just that, until he gets comfortable with it. Doing that regularly is what broke my fear. Once that becomes second nature, wolves are just another thing on the menu...

[CalNieDaGtarGuy]

10 hours ago, Thrasador said:

Wow, how the heck did that happen?

Obviously you tried changing your key bindings right?

Or do you use a gamepad?

I didn't change anything, it's all default, but no matter how hard I click, my character won't fight back. It's kinda depressing. I was once on my best Hopeless Rescue ever until I ran into a wolf and died on the spot.

I still want to feel that the wolf is dangerous and should be careful of them, and not turn them into yet another mundane task like eating or sleeping, but I would like to be able to work up the courage to travel through a wolf zone instead of taking the long way around just to avoid them.

[Thrasador]

9 minutes ago, CalNieDaGtarGuy said:

I didn't change anything, it's all default, but no matter how hard I click, my character won't fight back. It's kinda depressing. I was once on my best Hopeless Rescue ever until I ran into a wolf and died on the spot.

I still want to feel that the wolf is dangerous and should be careful of them, and not turn them into yet another mundane task like eating or sleeping, but I would like to be able to work up the courage to travel through a wolf zone instead of taking the long way around just to avoid them.

I meant as far as troubleshooting the problem goes....have you tried changing your button bindings around? Maybe you can get another button to work? Or maybe just changing it to something and then back again might fix it.

Obviously it would help to know if you are using keyboard and mouse, or are you using a gamepad through Steam, or are you playing on console? Have you tried the technical issues forum? Maybe there is a work around to fix the issue.

I'm messing with my key binds via Steam all the time trying to get things smoother....lol.

[CalNieDaGtarGuy]

Yeah, I'm playing keyboard and mouse, but I haven't tried switching stuff around yet.