Hideouts are Aggravating.

[Moosicorn2]

Hideouts are easily one of the most frustrating mechanics on the campaign map. You have a large army, capable of conquering ones larger than it with a line of shields, spears, swords, arrows, crossbows, etc...

When you go into a cave or clearing, it's a roulette whether you'll get those shields needed against forest bandits spam, sea raider javelins or your worthless peasants that always come out wounded versus a gang of looters.

It sucks losing due to this RNG. It doesn't seem to care much about your party positioning, and just sends in whatever it feels. There needs to be a button to allow yourself to MANUALLY choose a selection of troops to go with you into hideouts, as then you can actually plan ahead and go in with a considerable, well-thought out force of troops. I refuse to believe out of my 20 shielded infantry units, only 1 of each type is "able" to follow me into an infantry based scenario.

The looting system isn't too bad though. Sometimes you get a handful of good stuff (food/weapons/horses/etc.), or maybe a block of cheese and a mail coif. I'm not entirely sure if this is tied to the size of the hideout, as it's certainly a RNG-based event when looting bandits on the field (got a 18K+ denars worth of javelins from 8 mountain bandits, cheese and a pitchfork from 20+ looters).

And please, if you do get killed/wounded in these hideouts, please have your troops charge. I got hit by an arrow during the final part of a forest bandit encounter, had 5 shields who stood there because I asked them to initially stay as a shield wall beforehand. I ended up losing 2 of them to 2 forest bandits, who used up all their ammo on said shields, then walked in and began stabbing.

 

[Owen Wulfson]

I concur that this medieval SWAT concept is poorly done. The most effective way I deal with hideouts is swing by the nearest town and drop off companions while ensuring all my troops are top tier because Calridic Gods Forbid that one gormless recruit in your army should take the place of one of your heavily armored killing machines.

Certainly more troops and better control over who you would bring constitute substantial steps to making the system more bearable.

Alternatively, we should have the option to just siege the hideout and lower the bandit numbers until they either charge out for an all out battle or surrender. This, I think, might actually be a good way to allow a player to level engineering before becoming a vassal. Perhaps by building palisades?

 

[Memento]

i totally agree,they could do it like if you capture prisoners( pull ur wanted units with you in the hideout.
well also they could add more different options how to deal with a hideout,like burn it out try to skneak in lay a bait etc etc

 

[Bob Gnarly]

Instead of picking random party members to go into hideouts, it should let you select who comes or at least choose the members at the top of your party list.

I usually do these solo though just to level my skills.

 

[TheChewieShow]

I just downloaded a mod that lets me take 40 people into the hideout. No problem since then lol But your ideas are good!

 

[Ananda_The_Destroyer]

I find it less annoying now that I can actually catch the steppe bandits on the map (thanks to Khuizat trait) and prevent 40 man pile ups, but I think hideouts seem very out of place in the game. They're too punishing for new party and not worthwhile for a leveled up party. They could just be a peace time activity for you when you have a faction.... but by then the rewards are very diminished. Even getting reputation with locals is not as useful once you have an army built allready.

 

[Kharille]

Strange bug I get with this. Apart from the first tutorial this mission teleports me in front of the bandit leader. Hope they can resolve that soon.

 

[Dionaea]

Hideouts are my favourite xp, loot, money farms. If you take it easy and always march a bit forward with your guys always putting them in a good position, and then run forwards on your own to lure one or 2 bandits to attack you and then rush back to your men who will javelin the bandits (or shoot them with arrows or crossbows) rinse and repeat and allow your men to pick up javelins/arrows/bolts as you march on and in the end you take the precious loot.

Right now I'm playing a horse archer character, I'm clearing out steppe bandit hideouts with up to 27 bandits in them without losing a single person, just placing my guys in a good firing position, sneaking forwards a bit, sniping one or 2 bandits and rushing back and watching my men unleash a few volleys and then going forward a bit and repeating that step a few times. (I'm still staying away from forest bandit hideouts though until I have a khans guard only army)

I's fun it gave me a bit of a sneaking around as the stealth archer in Skyrim vibe


It's useful to attack them when you forgot to keep an eye on your food or when you bought too many horses to trade and you won't be able to pay your troops wages. Detouring to the nearest hideout saved me quite a few times

Alternatively, we should have the option to just siege the hideout and lower the bandit numbers until they either charge out for an all out battle or surrender. This, I think, might actually be a good way to allow a player to level engineering before becoming a vassal. Perhaps by building palisades?

If you clear out bandit parties in the area the bandits in the hideout will leave it to start patrolling eventually.

What you can also do is attack, kill a few bandits, retreat, wait until nightfall and attack again, kill a few more bandits, retreat again attack again the next night etc... in the end you'll have less loot though because I think it depends on how many bandits are present when you attack and finish them off in the same go

 

[drallim33]

I like hideouts. They are a good change of pace and optional. The give me a chance for some actual combat where most of the time I'm too busy babysitting a cretinous army to do actual fighting. They are actually easy and relaxing once you know how.

 

[black_bulldog]

My biggest issue with hideouts is you clear them out then magically 2 or 3 bandits appear outside of it, and a few seconds later they go right back in and poof new hideout. Even Warband was smart enough to randomly spawn a new camp somewhere else.

 

[NordicWill]

My biggest issue with hideouts is you clear them out then magically 2 or 3 bandits appear outside of it, and a few seconds later they go right back in and poof new hideout. Even Warband was smart enough to randomly spawn a new camp somewhere else.

Yeah that would piss me off. I havent played in a minute but sounds like its not been fixed yet.

 

[black_bulldog]

Yeah that would piss me off. I havent played in a minute but sounds like its not been fixed yet.

It's lazy game design that's what pisses me off. I guess I expect better from TW, maybe it'll get changed maybe it won't be is sure as **** breaks immersion.

 

[derfuchs13]

My favorite type are Forest Bandits hideous, so much fun.... not

 

[derfuchs13]

Usually i just send a companion with some guys to do them for me in 10 days

 

[kweassa]

It's just the forest bandit hideouts, could maybe use a terrain feature or section to split the enemy groups up a bit more definitvely.

The other hideouts are fine, be it 5 bandits or 50, usually about 3 nights raid and they're done with minimal losses. The only real pain are forest bandits with all their campfires at easily aggrod distance from each other, in a plain, open field.

 

[VanHoven]

Strange bug I get with this. Apart from the first tutorial this mission teleports me in front of the bandit leader. Hope they can resolve that soon.

no bug, if there is only 1 party in the hideout, its the bandits leaders party and you fight him instantly

 

[johncage213]

hideouts are repetitive and boring anyway, did anyone want to play a medieval battlefield sim just to do this weird cringey wannabe stealth gameplay

 

[Beau Vine]

Like some others I like doing them, but I've also not experienced a big problem some of you are having: troop composition.

It is 100% not random. Put the guys you want on top of your party list. It'll take your companions and then draw from spot 1 mostly. There is some other aspect because I also got a single low tier unit in the mix - but only when most of my top units were wounded.

I've seen every combination of A and B are OK, but C is sooo OP! C is easy, but D will get you! Here's a thought - different players have difficulty with different types. I consider Forest Bandits the mid-field - arrow refills and no spears.

If you can't finish them - send the companion for 10 days, it'll also let you give him as many troops as you wish, giving you 10 days of training without risking top tier units.

 

[Moosicorn2]

Alternatively, we should have the option to just siege the hideout and lower the bandit numbers until they either charge out for an all out battle or surrender. This, I think, might actually be a good way to allow a player to level engineering before becoming a vassal. Perhaps by building palisades?

This is an amazing idea! there's no other way I know of to level engineering without hitting castles/towns, which isn't possible for most until mid-game. I'd say if this was done then the cost would be less loot, as it'd give them time to send out some bandits out some sort of a backdoor with whatever they can carry. Maybe there would be a chance with good scouting to even catch these bandits running off post-raid?

 

[Moosicorn2]

Strange bug I get with this. Apart from the first tutorial this mission teleports me in front of the bandit leader. Hope they can resolve that soon.

Happens a few times with me, I think it's to do with the hideout being empty when you enter it, so it automatically puts you to the leader. Usually see this when a group of 3 bandits make a hideout right after I kick them out their former one.