Wolves! Help!

[paz]

Questions:
a) How do I keep a companion from suiciding with wolves around?
b) Is there any way to keep a reindeer safe with wolves on the map?
c) Does fire scare wolves? Can they be scared away at all? Before wounding most or all of them that is...
d) Can dogs attack (or at least defend themselves) when they are on the leash? They didn't seem to do anything when I told them to attack without unleashing them.


The little story behind the question:

Wolves are seriously terrorizing me. My first and 2nd reindeer got killed by a group of 3 wolves when I first encountered those nasty fellows -- and my guy has killed 3 bears already, so he is a good hunter. The 3 wolves also killed my companion eventually, and I do hate it when that happens.

On this first encounter with wolves I solved the situation by trapping the forest and got 3 nice furs for my trouble, enough to buy a new (and even bigger) reindeer, plus a dog for good measure.

Couple of weeks later I have 3 dogs, plus my reindeer, plus a new companion, who is (was) a master with spears. We're going on a "lengthy adventure", when we run into a bunch of wolves again while exploring. I wound the first wolf on sight, but keep the dogs on the leash, I don't want the 3 of them chasing after an unknown number of wolves. The plan is to get the wounded one only. But ... my companion however, well, he promptly rushes away. I find him dead on the ground a couple of minutes later, sorry pal... I told you to come back, but you wouldn't listen...

Since trapping worked so well, and since I don't have a base in the region we are in, I decide to trap that stretch of forest and stay there until the wolves are dealt with. But first I take the dogs (and a corpse) back to the coast, make some spikes, to load on my ren and to haul my important stuff to the last known location of the wolves. I've got 3 dogs with me, and wolves are cowards, right? So we'll be fine, right?

Turns out we are not. When we arrive, it is evening, and we start to build a trap fence in the hopes of keeping the wolves away until the next day. In the middle of the night, I wake up, the wolves are here. It is winter, I can't see my own hands, I don't have a fire, and my reindeer and the 3 dogs are kept on the leash, and we are most likely surrounded by wolves. I still don't unleash the dogs, but try to retreat to a corner of the trap fence, spear in hand. Surely we can hold until morning?

There's a lot of barking, grunting, bawling, yelping, while I wield my spear while making sure not to drop any of the leashes. We wound at least two more wolves, but my reindeer is bleeding everywhere.

We retreat with the reindeer barely alive (and barely able to walk) and the plan of healing up and coming back in a week or two, in the morning, first light. So we can hopefully get the traps done before the pack homes in on my poor, heroic reindeer.

[davidor]

a) How do I keep a companion from suiciding with wolves around?
No.
b) Is there any way to keep a reindeer safe with wolves on the map?
Kill the wolves fast enough
c) Does fire scare wolves? Can they be scared away at all? Before wounding most or all of them that is...
No. Generally Wolves won't attack well equipped unwounded character but the present of livestock = effective wolf magnets
d) Can dogs attack (or at least defend themselves) when they are on the leash? They didn't seem to do anything when I told them to attack without unleashing them.
Yes but the idea of letting them fight with the leash is bad. They cannot leave you and will get exhausted fast if you leave them in aggressive state.

Just don't mess with the wolves, smaller packs (~4) are as dangerous as robbers and traders and larger packs (~8) are more deadly than the equal amount of robbers. The strength of the wolves is not just in numbers but also the tactics. They are the master of hit-and-run combat and there are no other npc/predators using this tactics as well as the wolves can.

The best way to deal with the wolves is to zoomout asap.

[PALU]

a) Leave before the companion get aggravated, i.e. before there are any hostilities.
b) Leave ASAP.
d) I've lost one dog to a Njerp while the dog was leashed and I tried to withdraw. The dog didn't achieve anything. However, I leashed a dog to a tree while chasing a badger around. Eventually the badger got into range of the dog and was torn to shreds, so no the skin became a harsh one. Thus, they can attack, but don't do it well.
Ah, yes, I had one character who was on an injured adventurer quest and got attacked by the wolf. The character backed away, but the wolf still attacked. A missed javelin throw (75% effective chance), a missed javelin thrust (same chance), and a failed dodge (same chance) later the character fainted when bit in the arm and never woke up. The leashed dog appeared to have done nothing... I've decided to unleash the dog the next time I encounter a similar situation. Better the dog than my character...

As mentioned, wolves apply very effective hit & run tactics where one of them attacks from behind. Wolves can handle fences (I've seen them slaughter pigs inside a fence in a village), but are probably lazy enough to walk around (into the trap fence traps) most of the time. I lost the character witnessing the wolves raiding the village pigs with the villagers doing nothing to defend their pigs as I tried to help. That's when I decided not to interfere in wildlife killing village livestock again...

I agree with davidor: there are risks worth taking, and there are those that are not. This is a not case.

If your character is big and strong and have the highest level of armor covering everything that can be covered, the character may be able to fight wolves off if backed into a corner so there's a limited and visible field from which they can attack, preferably one at a time. However, they'll probably retreat when injured, and if you go after them one or more of them may attack from the rear. Also note that the eyes cannot be fully protected, and losing the sight of one eye leaves you blindsided.

I still recommend retreating.

By the way, I haven't found traders to pose any risk at all 
Quite possibly because I don't attack them, and I doubt they would attack your character without provocation.

[zer0lis]

In the last week, I had one of the Best urw experiences.

Traveling towards njerpez, with 1 pig and 1 dog, i encounter wolves: i counted 6-8 before zooming out.
Marked the spot, equipped myself better and rallied companions.

We were 4 with 4 dogs, 2 pigs.

When we arrived at the spot, i realised there were 10+ wolves, never seen so many. I believe there were 15 wolves.

It was warlike. Chases, barks, hit and runs, spears and arrows flying everywhere. It was my most intense moments of urw.

After the epic fight, which lasted almost a day, all my 3 companions were dead and only 1 in 4 dogs lived. The next day i killed more wounded wolves.

I had 9! Wolf furs, but we killed more not to be found. I only found 2 dead companions and only 1 dog of 3. I killed 1 pig by mistake( got into sight when i fired an arrow).

So much loot and fun, and more importantly I lived( their attacks rarely pierced my armor fine mail armors)

As a conclusion, wolves are pesk just like they were/are IRL. I wound gladly fight a big bear than 4 wolves. Any number higher is almost certain suicide. Avoid wolves!!!

[paz]

Haha, there seems to be some kind of agreement to better not mess with wolves. I think I just underestimated them. Thanks for sharing your suggestions!

In the meantime, when I returned to my place with the wolves, I found one of them, the one I wounded, dead. I was happy, briefly, and started to skin the beast. And then: "You hear a ROAR from the south-east." WHAT?! Game, are you serious? Aren't those guys supposed to sleep in winter?! -- Okay ... now it was time to leave that place. I will return in summer, when I don't have to worry about freezing, the darkness, and when I can actually dig some holes in the ground.

[Dungeon Smash]

I've had numerous characters killed by wolves.  My first was a female, she was going with her dog to get water, zoomed in on the map... boom, wolves.  She saw one up ahead, unleashed the dog and tried to back away.... a second, unseen wolf grabbed her by the shoulder from behind, pulled her to the ground, and bit her throat out.

Second character was a well-armed Northern tribesman, doing the "Wounded adventurer" quest.  After some searching, he found the bloody shelter, and the lone wolf was still lurking nearby.  It looked wounded, so he thought maybe he could take it.  He threw one javelin, wounding it, and the wolf ran over.  On the first hit, it ripped open his abdomen and spilled his guts everywhere, killing him.

[Edico]

I agree with the anti wolf sentiments.  On my characters that are well geared and highly skilled in combat, I generally don't fear going against anything too much....except wolves.  They're the only things in game that don't have absolute crap ai in combat.

[Shadowdweller]

Wolves are amongst the most dangerous enemies in the game.  They can easily instakill you if they get you from behind.  Best way IMO to hunt them is to use ranged weapons from a raft or punt away from the shore if they're near water.  Or set traps along the periphery of their territory if they're not.  Always presume there are several around...so even once you catch one in a trap you'll want to scout around a bit (very carefully); then kill the trapped wolf with thrown rocks or other weapons; then drag the carcass somewhere safe to skin and butcher.  Fortunately wolf corpses aren't too heavy.  Wolves respond quite well to meat bait.