Horse Mercenary factions just glorified bandits?

[caledoni]

In my games I see very similar patterns with merc factions. The infantry focused ones tend to join factions but the horse based ones do not. They just tend to stay independant and be at war with bigger factions which leads them to constantly raid my caravans. Sometimes I am losing caravans 2 days after I create them. In my current game I have lost 2 within a week of starting them. As well as the 45k lost with pretty much no return (a fair bit in very early game) having to chase my companion around as they randomly spawn in different cities is also a pain.

So for some reason they are at war with Southern Empire. Mercenaries would surely be looking for work rather than staying independent and attacking big factions? This is just making them glorified bandits. Should they not be with a faction until they get a better deal?

Anyway the only way I can deal with them is executing them. I killed 2 of them and off course I am now 'Devious' with -mercy and a bunch of random lords from all corners of the map dislike me. None of these know me or have any connection with the dead merc's. Also surely constantly attacking caravans should gain these merc's -honor?

I like the merc factions but it would be better if they actually performed a bit more like mercaneries and not just glorified bandits. It is also making Caravans completely pointless. As stated I don't get as much trouble from the infantry ones and they seem to be more likely to be part of another faction.

As a side note one of my companions is still a prisoner but the merc that took her is dead. So a neutral faction is holding one of my companions prisoner because some random merc dropped her in their dungeon?

Anyone else had similar experiances?

 

[five bucks]

Mercenaries would surely be looking for work rather than staying independent and attacking big factions? This is just making them glorified bandits. Should they not be with a faction until they get a better deal?

I like the merc factions but it would be better if they actually performed a bit more like mercaneries and not just glorified bandits.

I agree for you on the most part, but some of them are actually intended to act like bandits. For example, Brotherhood of the Woods is a Robin Hood-style faction according to their lore, they "rob from the rich and give to the poor," and "is little different from the other organized bandit groups in Calradia".

Company of the Golden Boar, Embers of the Flame, Hidden Hand, Jawwal, Karakhergit, Wolfskins and Lake Rats are also described as acting like bandits in the encyclopedia.

With that said, the ones described in-lore as independent mercenary companies do need to act more like it, yeah.

 

[caledoni]

I guess they are all just acting the same as each other for now. The ones I have had bother with are the Eleftheroi while playing as empire and the Ben Zilal while playing as Aserai. The former at least seem to start at war with all the imperial factions.