In this thread, I'll discuss the current issues plaguing the hideout system and what I think would improve it.
From my experience, Bandit Hideouts are the worst part of the current Bannerlord II experience and I desperately wish
to see changes to them.
Bandit Hideout Issues
- Spawn Rate: Hideouts spawn faster than the player can deal with. Regions like Aseria, Vlandia, and Kuzait can have dozens of hideouts spawn over time.
Even if the player dedicates time to destroying them, a new one will pop-up as soon as they eradicate one.
- Rewards are Poor: It is not worth the players time to eradicating hideouts apart from quests. The notable relation gain is measly and the trait gain makes no sense (honest trait?)
- No true impact: Hideouts don't do anything significant in the grand scale. They spawn parties that harass villagers and that is all. Why take the time to destroy them if they simply have a small impact on economy?
- Dissuade establishing caravans: Caravans have no chance mid-to-late game. There are hundreds of bandit parties roaming the map and the caravan size ensures it will be attacked. Combined with the low profits that caravans provide ensures the player most likely will not bother with this mechanic.
- "Uglify" the map: The hideouts spawn just way, way too many parties. Travelling to regions to just see dozens of small parties roaming the map is an eyesore. These parties also eat up the performance of the game.
- They never go away: This is the BIGGEST issue with hideouts. They simply never go away unless the player directly deals with them. They will just continue to spawn more parties who will eventually spawn even more hideouts.
Bandit Hideout suggestions
- Reduced Spawn Rate: Hideouts will only spawn by towns and will be limited to 1. After clearing a hideout, a new one will not spawn for 30 - 90 days.
- Rebalance Rewards: Increase the notable relation gain to +10, including settlement owner clan. Clearing the hideout also provides valor trait points (which as far as I can tell from 600+ hours of gameplay is a trait I can never obtain in-game, as well as calculating)
- Hideouts affect settlements: When a hideout spawns, it will reduce the town's security and loyalty daily. I suggest -4 security and -1 loyalty per day.
- Reduce bandit parties spawned: Maximum of 5 bandit parties per hideout, with 15-30 unit size.
- Disappear over time: Hideouts will only exist for 100 - 120 in-game days before they disappear, after which the cooldown timer will prevent immediate respawning.
This next part is a more radical proposal to the hideout system.
Bandit Kings
- Hideouts generate infamy over time, the longer they are in an area the more infamy they occur. Infamy is also generated by bandits in that area attacking villager and caravan parties.
- If enough infamy is accrued, the hideout disappears and a Bandit King minor faction appears.
- This faction will then declare war on the settlement's kingdom and begin raiding villages.
- All nearby bandit parties will be absorbed in this army.
- Once the army is defeated, the faction is destroyed.
- If they persist for a certain enough period, they become a permanent faction and make an attempt to take a settlement to start a kingdom.
Why I suggest this
- Hideouts are simply an annoyance and not a fun mechanic in the current game. They are not worth the time of the player to deal with, add nothing positive to the experience, and are a chore to deal with. No matter how much effort the player puts toward eradicating bandit hideouts, they will never make a dent in the sheer number there are of hideouts on the map.
- By increasing rewards, limiting their appearance, and increasing the detrimental effects a hideout can have; hideouts can be a worthwhile investment for the player.
- Implementing methods in which hideouts disappear over time is ESSENTIAL. I cannot stress how annoying it is that only the player can deal with these. If there is anything to take away from this suggestion thread, please add a method in which hideouts disappear over time.
From my experience, Bandit Hideouts are the worst part of the current Bannerlord II experience and I desperately wish
to see changes to them.
Bandit Hideout Issues
- Spawn Rate: Hideouts spawn faster than the player can deal with. Regions like Aseria, Vlandia, and Kuzait can have dozens of hideouts spawn over time.
Even if the player dedicates time to destroying them, a new one will pop-up as soon as they eradicate one.
- Rewards are Poor: It is not worth the players time to eradicating hideouts apart from quests. The notable relation gain is measly and the trait gain makes no sense (honest trait?)
- No true impact: Hideouts don't do anything significant in the grand scale. They spawn parties that harass villagers and that is all. Why take the time to destroy them if they simply have a small impact on economy?
- Dissuade establishing caravans: Caravans have no chance mid-to-late game. There are hundreds of bandit parties roaming the map and the caravan size ensures it will be attacked. Combined with the low profits that caravans provide ensures the player most likely will not bother with this mechanic.
- "Uglify" the map: The hideouts spawn just way, way too many parties. Travelling to regions to just see dozens of small parties roaming the map is an eyesore. These parties also eat up the performance of the game.
- They never go away: This is the BIGGEST issue with hideouts. They simply never go away unless the player directly deals with them. They will just continue to spawn more parties who will eventually spawn even more hideouts.
Bandit Hideout suggestions
- Reduced Spawn Rate: Hideouts will only spawn by towns and will be limited to 1. After clearing a hideout, a new one will not spawn for 30 - 90 days.
- Rebalance Rewards: Increase the notable relation gain to +10, including settlement owner clan. Clearing the hideout also provides valor trait points (which as far as I can tell from 600+ hours of gameplay is a trait I can never obtain in-game, as well as calculating)
- Hideouts affect settlements: When a hideout spawns, it will reduce the town's security and loyalty daily. I suggest -4 security and -1 loyalty per day.
- Reduce bandit parties spawned: Maximum of 5 bandit parties per hideout, with 15-30 unit size.
- Disappear over time: Hideouts will only exist for 100 - 120 in-game days before they disappear, after which the cooldown timer will prevent immediate respawning.
This next part is a more radical proposal to the hideout system.
Bandit Kings
- Hideouts generate infamy over time, the longer they are in an area the more infamy they occur. Infamy is also generated by bandits in that area attacking villager and caravan parties.
- If enough infamy is accrued, the hideout disappears and a Bandit King minor faction appears.
- This faction will then declare war on the settlement's kingdom and begin raiding villages.
- All nearby bandit parties will be absorbed in this army.
- Once the army is defeated, the faction is destroyed.
- If they persist for a certain enough period, they become a permanent faction and make an attempt to take a settlement to start a kingdom.
Why I suggest this
- Hideouts are simply an annoyance and not a fun mechanic in the current game. They are not worth the time of the player to deal with, add nothing positive to the experience, and are a chore to deal with. No matter how much effort the player puts toward eradicating bandit hideouts, they will never make a dent in the sheer number there are of hideouts on the map.
- By increasing rewards, limiting their appearance, and increasing the detrimental effects a hideout can have; hideouts can be a worthwhile investment for the player.
- Implementing methods in which hideouts disappear over time is ESSENTIAL. I cannot stress how annoying it is that only the player can deal with these. If there is anything to take away from this suggestion thread, please add a method in which hideouts disappear over time.
why whould bandits abandon a not-threatened hideout? 
