Wolves and bow on interloper... help needed

[bad_ism]

I just crossed over 500 days on Interloper.. but there's one aspect of the game I can't master. Have become pretty decent with the bow long range after tons of practice but can't kill wolves when they charge. Seen a lot of streamers just shoot them in the face after triggering charge by aiming bow, but even after 500 days (and thats just this run), I can only kill them with fire as a safe guard. This is becoming really annoying as have to walk about with a torch constantly. I get that you are meant to move sideways and backwards, matching the path the wolf takes (left or right then he straightens out), but the damn things never straighten out! Am on PS5 and wondered is this easier with mouse and keyboard? The amount of hours I've put in to trying to get this working is ridiculous! Thanks in advance for any pointers! 

[conanjaguar]

@bad_ism

Well, I have noticed that the wolves will begin a struggle from about two meters away. I do not have much/any experience with the bow, but I do know that one must stay calm and aim slightly ahead of their path, aiming at the point just outside of struggle range.

I have done this successfully a few times with a rifle, and sometimes I kill the wolf, but still get knocked down.

[bad_ism]

@conanjaguar yeah - I think staying calm might be part of it ha... I've only been using bow since going loper... was in stalker for ages using rifle, wish I'd used bow from day 1 no matter what the difficulty level, it's by far the best weapon imo. It's funny cause timberwolves are easier to kill for me than a normal wolves (without fire / torch that is) Am really starting to think it's the extra precision / accuracy you get with mouse aim vs controller.. sounds like excuses, bad workman blaming tools lol, but have studied you tube vids and can't fathom what I'm doing wrong.. Need someone who plays console and pc versions to chip in!

[conanjaguar]

@Leeanda used to do console, from what I gather.

I personally am on PC, but it does not work too good; most settings need to be low for TLD to run smoothly. I feel that the sensitivity of your mouse can play a big role in lining up a perfect shot.

[Leeanda]

I am on console,but I'm afraid my bow skills are appalling. I can hit a bear long distance occasionally and miss him when it's two foot away. So I'm probably not the best person to give advice I'm afraid.  Good luck though.. 

 

[bad_ism]

@Leeanda Thanks for reply anyhow man - good to hear from a fellow console player - feel like 90% of TLD players are on PC, am glued to PC for hours each day working so like gaming on console for change of scene. Took me ages to get good with bow long shots, guess I'm gonna have to get on the ice at CH and try and crack this wolf thing by grinding it out 😐

[Leeanda]

Just now, bad_ism said:

@Leeanda Thanks for reply anyhow man - good to hear from a fellow console player - feel like 90% of TLD players are on PC, am glued to PC for hours each day working so like gaming on console for change of scene. Took me ages to get good with bow long shots, guess I'm gonna have to get on the ice at CH and try and crack this wolf thing by grinding it out 😐

No problem.   I'm sure we aren't the only two on console though,so I'm sure someone can help.  Good luck.🙂

[conanjaguar]

8 minutes ago, bad_ism said:

@Leeanda Thanks for reply anyhow man - good to hear from a fellow console player - feel like 90% of TLD players are on PC, am glued to PC for hours each day working so like gaming on console for change of scene. Took me ages to get good with bow long shots, guess I'm gonna have to get on the ice at CH and try and crack this wolf thing by grinding it out 😐

First of all, @Leeanda is a woman.

And good luck with your wolf battles.

[Leeanda]

Just now, conanjaguar said:

First of all, @Leeanda is a woman.

And good luck with your wolf battles.

No worries.  I'm not fussed what you call me. As long as it's civil🙂. 

[conanjaguar]

@Leeanda and @bad_ism

I apologize if that came out wrong.

[Leeanda]

It's ok. No need for any apologies whatsoever 🙂

[bad_ism]

apologies @Leeanda should pay more attention to user names!

[Leeanda]

Just now, bad_ism said:

apologies @Leeanda should pay more attention to user names!

No need to apologize🙂. Actually my name came from an old western film and it was the lead man's characters name.  

[conanjaguar]

1 hour ago, Leeanda said:

No need to apologize🙂. Actually my name came from an old western film and it was the lead man's characters name.  

Very interesting. What was the name of the movie?

[Leeanda]

5 hours ago, conanjaguar said:

Very interesting. What was the name of the movie?

I wish I knew. My mum could never remember it.  

[James Hickok]

On 7/22/2022 at 9:40 PM, bad_ism said:

I just crossed over 500 days on Interloper.. but there's one aspect of the game I can't master. Have become pretty decent with the bow long range after tons of practice but can't kill wolves when they charge. Seen a lot of streamers just shoot them in the face after triggering charge by aiming bow, but even after 500 days (and thats just this run), I can only kill them with fire as a safe guard. This is becoming really annoying as have to walk about with a torch constantly. I get that you are meant to move sideways and backwards, matching the path the wolf takes (left or right then he straightens out), but the damn things never straighten out! Am on PS5 and wondered is this easier with mouse and keyboard? The amount of hours I've put in to trying to get this working is ridiculous! Thanks in advance for any pointers! 

Hello survivor !

I had similar problems with the wolves back in the day. Now i feel like i mastered it. On my current loper run im on day 606 and had only 1 wolf attack and over 200 wolves killed so i'd say im good.

First thing - Yes playing on keyboard and mouse is way easier to aim than on controller. I play on xbox myself.

The way that worked for me is lowering the sensitivity from 50% (default i think) to 30 %. It sucks when you want to turn around and look fast but its way easier to aim on the wolf that goes your way and makes turns left and right. At first i was moving left and right and backwards but now i just stand my ground aim a little below the wolfs head, adjust aiming when he turns and when he is about to attack realease the arrow. When i can i mostly shoot them from distance crouching. Other interesting thing is when aiming to a wolf from a distance when you start to pull the arrow and aim while the cursor/dot is on the wolf he will change direction. However if you pull the arrow aiming in front of his path that he is heading and not directly on him he will not change direction and follow his route.

And yes - the bow is the best weapon in game hands down with unlimited amunnition (beachcombing).

[Sgt Socks]

On 8/18/2022 at 12:26 PM, James Hickok said:

And yes - the bow is the best weapon in game hands down with unlimited amunnition (beachcombing).

I wish I could agree, I *want* to love the bow for all the reasons described.

However I'm with @Leeanda . I am absolutely abysmal (and I'm a pretty good gamer and a decent shot). Even with hours and hours of trying (been playing TLD since 2016) I cannot get the hang of it. I've come to the conclusion it simply isn't for me. Plus I just love my rifle, she's my baby 😊

[bad_ism]

@James Hickok

@Sgt Socks

Thanks for replies on this - I posted a while ago and since then have moved to PC... and taking out wolves is no longer a problem - It's like a different game! To get decent with bow I made a custom game with wind / cold turned right down and max wolves / highest aggression, then forged like 60 arrow heads and based up on the ice at CH. Put in a few hours a day and all good. I really enjoyed my time playing on the console but to really master certain aspects of the game I feel like you have to go PC due to the speed and precision it offers. I highly recommend doing this for anyone struggling with the bow on console - not dissing PS5 version at all just to be clear, but it was the issue.

[Sgt Socks]

9 minutes ago, bad_ism said: I feel like you have to go PC due to the speed and precision it offers. I highly recommend doing this for anyone struggling with the bow on console - not dissing PS5 version at all just to be clear, but it was the issue.

 

I'm glad you've managed to work it out and the bow is now paying off for you.

I had to chuckle though, I'm on PC and still can't get the hang of it. Quite clearly I'm just pants with the bow 😄

[bad_ism]

24 minutes ago, Sgt Socks said:

I'm glad you've managed to work it out and the bow is now paying off for you.

I had to chuckle though, I'm on PC and still can't get the hang of it. Quite clearly I'm just pants with the bow 😄

Honestly, don't try to master it during normal gameplay - I can get the custom game code I built later and upload here, which is basically stalker with warm weather and higher wolf count (also added higher wolf damage so there was more on making the shots). Go CH and save in fishing hut with loads of wolves / deer around, load up 50 arrows and when they spent just re start the save. You can literally just stand there taking pot shots for hours, honing skills, without worrying about losing a proper save file.. after a couple of weeks you'll be a proper sniper!

[ChillPlayer]

On 7/22/2022 at 9:40 PM, bad_ism said:

 Have become pretty decent with the bow long range after tons of practice but can't kill wolves when they charge.

First off, is your bowhunting skill at 5? It's much harder to kill charging wolves below that. Next, best way to deal with charging wolves is to not let them charge you. You can get quite close while crouching and at skill 5 most shots will kill it if you hit the head or the area above the front legs (side or front). You can also try to kill them from above ledges, luring them to you with stones or smell but you have to kill them when they are still at least ~10m away because since a few releases, they know that something is funny and run away once they notice they can't get to you.

Now if you really have to kill a charging wolf: aim down about 30°, turn in the direction it's coming at you and when it is 5-6m away, release. It takes a bit of practice because you have to let go of the arrow just before the head gets into the imaginary line between arrowhead and ground but after a few tries it becomes second nature. It's also quite safe if you don't wait for it to get too close because even a body shot will at least scare it off bleeding, letting you to collect the meat later.

Also, if it starts charging you and you don't want to take any chances, shoot an arrow somewhere close in front of it, this will usually scare it off too.

Edited September 30, 2022 by ChillPlayer

[Christopher Billman]

I'm late to the convo, but I pretty well have this skill down on Xbox.

First  - I choose my environment.  Wolves will either run straight, or curve.  If you set up an area where they are in a fatal funnel, they will eventually be forced to come straight on.  Pick a point they MUST run through to get you.  Don't aim for the wolf, aim for that spot.  Then as they cross, you fire.

[James Hickok]

19 hours ago, ChillPlayer said:

. Next, best way to deal with charging wolves is to not let them charge you. You can get quite close while crouching and at skill 5 most shots will kill it if you hit the head or the area above the front legs (side or front). You can also try to kill them from above ledges, luring them to you with stones or smell but you have to kill them when they are still at least ~10m away because since a few releases, they know that something is funny and run away once they notice they can't get to you.

Golden words. Thats how I do it mostly.

[Glflegolas]

Since TFTFT was released, I couldn't find a firearm cleaning kit in the Forsaken Airfield region at all, making the revolver very unsustainable. So I ended up using the bow for dealing with wolves, even though I'm on Voyageur.

I am playing on PC. The method I use is not to shoot until the wolf is very close. In my experience that usually results in a headshot and instant kill. Overall, I think I manage to hit a charging wolf ~90% of the time. It's also best to try and lead the wolf towards relatively flat ground. If the terrain is rough, wolves can start zigzagging towards you, which makes hitting them quite difficult.