Robbers quest - any new ways to find them?

[StefanPravda]

Hey guys

Any bullet proof way to find them? I`ve already spent 1 real time hour trying to find them and this is getting annoying to the point of deleting the game from the library. The hard part of the quest should be fighting 4-5 robbers not walking around between trees which is extremely annoying after a while given the movement system.

Thank you

[Labtop 215]

I'm assuming you know what their icon looks like right?  They are indistinguishable from adventurers.  Other than that, on the world map, go to higher places to see units from farther away.  In particular, mountains > hills > lichenous forest > heathland > coniferous forest > spruce mire > pine mire > open mire which is the same as open fields.

Also, some places provide cover to units on the map, the aforementioned coniferous forest and spruce mire tend to do a good job of hiding units on the world map, although not always.  Bigger groups like robbers tend to be easier to spot.  Also, your eyesight plays a big role in spotting units on the world map.

[StefanPravda]

I walked the area, tracked the area of the quest, no robbers. I am redoing the area now to see if I missed some spots and it's absolutely annoying. Beside animals, traders and adventures there are no robber icons on the map in the quest area.

EDIT: After almost 2 hours I managed to find them. I hate this quest so much, I did it years ago and it's still the same time waster.

[Plotinus]

If you're at work and you're given some time wasting assignment that you hate, you do it because you're getting paid. If you're playing a game and you're given some time wasting assignment that you hate, but you're not getting paid and there's no penalty for not doing it and you could ignore it and do something you really enjoy instead, like fighting njerpez or building a really big house or whatever your favourite part of the game is...

You don't have to do the quest. You can get the reputation increase through gifts instead. The 100 squirrel hides reward is pretty neat but if the village has something you want to buy, you could just buy it with the spoils of your hunting or your conquest.

[PALU]

Labtop 215's advice is of little use, as the robbers you're looking for in robber quests rarely or never are visible on the overland map. I believe I've only found robbers on the overland map while doing a quest search once, and that turned out to be ANOTHER group of robbers (at that time there was a bug that spawned too many robber groups), that, to add insult to injury, had the same tribe association as the ones I was supposed to look for: the only indication something was off was that there was the wrong number of them (one too many, I think).

[StefanPravda]

I needed to do the quest because I wanted to kick their arses, which I did But the quest certainly needs some improvements, because it's tedious.

[StefanPravda]

Sven Today at 4:34 AM
Good idea for the robbers quest is to zoom in every third tile or so with a couple dogs leashed and wait 30 minutes or so. They can detect you from 2 or 3 tiles away, so let them come to you and just have your dogs alert you to their presence
If you don't find them in a tile, mark it as checked in F6 and repeat in a grid pattern until you've covered the entire search area
It'll save you a lot of tile checking in the long run. Just be systematic and let the ai do your job for you

[Edico]

In another thread for the wounded adventurer quest someone mentioned walking the tree line looking for tracks, seems to work for this quest for me, they seem to take up residence just inside the woods, or maybe it's just my luck

[PALU]

In another thread for the wounded adventurer quest someone mentioned walking the tree line looking for tracks, seems to work for this quest for me, they seem to take up residence just inside the woods, or maybe it's just my luck

Just your luck... They can be found in open terrain as well. Walking through every tile in the search area would work, but it takes an eternity for the player.

[Ara D.]

"Hey Jussi, sure has been easy pickings robbing these woodsmen and hunters, huh?

"Ya Tapio, it sure has. It's good thing we know how use woodcraft to stay hidden since we certainly are wanted men by now. Hey where did Matti get off to now?"

"Oh I saw him over in the clearing building a fire which will last till afternoon tomorrow, and banging our pots together while singing we are robbers come and get us."

"Why in the name of the forest spirits would Matti do that?"

"He said something about the challenge is in the fight not in finding us."

"I swear Tapio ever since Matti took that arrow to the knee and gave up beining an adventurer he has not been right. Did he even listen to the quest giver? I specifically told that villager that we knew how to hide ourselves. This just makes us  look completely unprofessional. I swear I'm lodging a complaint with the robbers guild in Oulu."

[Labtop 215]

Labtop 215's advice is of little use, as the robbers you're looking for in robber quests rarely or never are visible on the overland map. I believe I've only found robbers on the overland map while doing a quest search once, and that turned out to be ANOTHER group of robbers (at that time there was a bug that spawned too many robber groups), that, to add insult to injury, had the same tribe association as the ones I was supposed to look for: the only indication something was off was that there was the wrong number of them (one too many, I think).

Really?  They are a group of people, and are more visible since they travel as a group instead of as a single entity.  They share the same icon as adventurer's.  Furthermore, there can be multiple groups of robbers on the map in the same area.  I've actually run into multiple groups of robbers and the like.  Eyesight plays a big role in weather or not you spot units on the map or not.  As well as how high the terrain you are standing on vrs the terrain they are traipsing over.  Coniferous forest and spruce mire will also hide units more often than not, but you can still sometimes see units on the world map.

[Tom H]

I have heard before on this Forum that robbers look similar to other characters in the game. I could swear that ROBBERS appear different from anyone else. I've never mistakenly approached someone in the wild and found that they were robbers, not ever. I've never seen anyone in a village that has their appearance, either, not adventurers, woodsmen, hunters, etc.

Is this so for anyone else?

[PALU]

The icon for robbers on the overland map has been the same as the one for adventurers for as long as I've played, though I haven't confirmed that it is still the same with the latest version. In the past I've had multiple cases of approaching "adventurers" on the overland map only to run into a robber band.
At the zoomed in level robbers look the same as adventurers from the corresponding tribe (I'm using Jaredonians pack: they may all look the same otherwise).

As mentioned, I've certainly seen confirmed robbers on the overland map, with the same group seen multiple times (under the assumption that an "adventurer" seen in the same area as a confirmed robber band actually is that band: I've never bothered to approach then again), but never ones I've been quested to deal with (which doesn't rule out that it can happen).

[Plotinus]

i've seen robbers with both the "adventurer" and "woodsman" icons, and i've also seen real adventures/woodsmen with those icons

[PALU]

i've seen robbers with both the "adventurer" and "woodsman" icons, and i've also seen real adventures/woodsmen with those icons

Interesting. I've never encountered "woodsman" robbers, so I've been wary only of "adventurers". Sounds like it's time to be more careful when looking for "lost in the forest cover" quest giving woodsmen, then.