Surviving wolf attack

[Maikleeps]

Why am I sometimes surviving a wolf attack and sometimes not? I even tried not to fight fluffy. And it is the same result - I survived.

In my last game I survived almost 20 days before fluffy came by and I fought as good as I could and I died. This is very weird.

[bethany]

Depends on your condition and state when you initiate the struggle, and whether or not you have a weapon -- This will decrease the struggle time. If your condition is higher and you have a weapon equipped, you'll have a short struggle and a high chance of survival. If your condition is lower and you're fighting with your hands, the chance you will die (or be close to death) at the end of the struggle increases.

Once you consider all of the factors, there isn't really anything weird about it...Unless you're at 100% at the beginning of a struggle, only have a brief encounter, and then immediately die. That might be considered a little strange by current standards.

[octavian]

If the wolf struggle wasn't changed from .257 to .258 you can have a look at this.

[Maikleeps]

If the wolf struggle wasn't changed from .257 to .258 you can have a look at this.

Your post is very interesting and contains very helpful hints on fighting wolves. Thank you for your great effort.

Depends on your condition and state when you initiate the struggle, and whether or not you have a weapon -- This will decrease the struggle time. If your condition is higher and you have a weapon equipped, you'll have a short struggle and a high chance of survival. If your condition is lower and you're fighting with your hands, the chance you will die (or be close to death) at the end of the struggle increases.

Once you consider all of the factors, there isn't really anything weird about it...Unless you're at 100% at the beginning of a struggle, only have a brief encounter, and then immediately die. That might be considered a little strange by current standards.

I think I learned a lesson that fatigue plays a major role in fighting wolves. The higher fatigue is progressed (being tired) the more I have to fight the wolf (the more often I have to click). I surely will take this into account next time I go for a stroll

[TWM]

I could use some help here, because I get seriously chewed up by wolves these days (Desolation Point update).

However frantically I jam the left mouse button... the bar just doesn't seem to go up but a few clicks.

Did they change things back to dual tapping again or am I missing something else?

My clothing gets ripped significantly, my health takes a major hit...

When I got the hang of dual tapping, I understood what skill was needed, and once I got the hang of it, I did pretty well.

Single tapping - okay, not as much skill, but before the last update I managed it.

Last few days... I had three wolf encounters and the first one left me stuck in the Church while freezing. No fuel but coal... Oooops...

Next to wolf encounters... same result: I get chewed up big time! What the hell is going on?

[Maikleeps]

I have the feeling that wolves on Desolation Point are more agressive and they have a weird behaviour. They are running without a visible reason. And there are many wolves and they are everywhere. But I don't have the feeling that the fighting mechanic has changed. The only thing I can help you with is that it is of paramount importance that you are not tired and not exhausted. The more tired and exhausted you are, the more often you have to click. Clicking means hitting LMB only. There is no need of RMB.

[TWM]

I have the feeling that wolves on Desolation Point are more agressive and they have a weird behaviour. They are running without a visible reason.

I did notice that. I was standing at a really high vantage point above the stone church, and a wolf came running all the way up from somewhere down below. For no g*dd*mn reason.

But the other two times I got attacked was in Mystery Lake, there wasn't anything unusual about the attack itself, except the fact I didn't seem to do anything to the wolf, but it take a fair number of bites out of me.

Both times I were in the morning, when I had out of my hut recently and was traversing to another point (Trappers Homestead => Camp Office (got jumped mid-way at Clear Cut); Camp office => Carter Hydro Dam (got jumped at the river Southern Access).

So fatigue couldn't have ben a big issue.

My main problem with the current system is I have no idea what I'm doing. There doesn't seem any skill involved.

[PhantomV]

I agree with TWM since v265 I have no clue how the wolf fight works. I too have spammed the left button but the bar never rises above 10%, I even resorted to a keyboard (mouse) macro that sent a stream of LMB with a 10ms delay and the bar did not rise far and the fight still took 40% of my health. Do you have to spam LMB then RMB etc?

[Scyzara]

What you're observing is most likely Hinterlands solution for the abuse of said 10ms lmb makros. That being said, you need to accept the fact that the current handfighting system (not only since DP, but already since Deep Forest) is heavily rng- instead of skill-based.

Apart from a million other factors (most important your fatigue level, but probably also weapon kind & condition, your clothing - and possibly even the number of previously killed wolves!*) there is some random number calculator involved that seems to influence the damage (and the ailments) you take no matter how fast or slow you click. It's a system too complicated to reverse engineer it in a reasonable amount of time.

I for one couldn't tell that I find the DP wolves harder to fight than wolves on other maps. Sometimes a struggle brings me down to 80% condition and sometimes to 45%, but it's the same with Non-DP wolves. I haven't been killed by a DP wolf yet, but I'm usually not hand-fighting them when my fatigue level is high.

No idea how to improve your chances to survive apart from "only fight while in good condition" and "try to play voyageur, wolves are less deadly there", sorry. At least I can confirm that you still only need to smash lmb.

* The latter is just a guess based on my own (very subjective) feelings. Might be complete nonsense ofc, so please take it with a grain of salt.

[tog89]

I did notice that. I was standing at a really high vantage point above the stone church, and a wolf came running all the way up from somewhere down below. For no g*dd*mn reason.

In DP near the church there are rabbit spawns that the wolves are tracking and attacking. I have seen wolves in the churchyard as they follow one rabbit from the water and the next up the hill. Same on coastal highway, wolves will be in unexpected places as they stalk and chase the rabbits.

I have found that since the new wolf fighting mechanics came out in Deep Forest, the exhaustion/starvation strategy is less effective as you are now significantly at a disadvantage if you meet a wolf if tired. Well done Hinterland. I rarely venture out into risky situations anymore if I am tired. Not worth the risk.

[Maikleeps]

I like the new difficulty very much. The wolf's actions are difficult to predict now which makes the game more difficult. Still, we play in Stalker mode and this ought to be very hard.

[selfless]

The most powerful item in the game right now is the torch. I would say it is the most valuable, but they are practically free. Just start a medium size fire and pull some out. You start with matches, only need gather a few sticks.

From a single lit torch you gain warmth, light, defense from animals, and can continue to start fires and light other torches. No more useful tool exists.

To defend, you may choose to brandish your torch at a threatening wolf. Better to drop it instead. Animals currently stand transfixed in the presence of a dropped torch.

Still, the best defense against wolves is avoidance. Look for them, listen. Then don't go where they are. They must touch you to do damage. So don't let them. Perhaps you might even think of a way to increase the distance between you. Something that rhymes with fun?