- For the With Fire & Sword version, see Looter (With Fire & Sword).
- For the Bannerlord version, see Looter (Bannerlord).
Looters are a type of bandit and among the weakest enemies in the entire game. They are also some of the most common bandits, similar to Forest and Mountain Bandits, at least at the start of the game. Armed with cheap blades, clubs, and stones, they only pose a threat to the weakest, most unprotected and inexperienced player.
Parties of these bandits can spawn in groups of 3 to 45 troops.
Looters were once known as "River Pirates" in pre-release versions of Mount&Blade (Warrider).
Quotes[]
Looters will say one of the following if they attack your party (like all bandits other than Sea Raiders, you'll only hear their dialogue if they chase after you rather than the reverse).
- "I'll tear you limb from limb!"
- "You'd better not be a manhunter!"
- "I'm going to break your legs... nice and slow!"
- "What's this, then, eh?"
- "Your money or your life."
- "My men would like a word with you about your personal belongings."
Tactics[]
Looters will throw stones from afar until approached or out of ammo, and/or then charge and swarm. Some will throw stones at you again if you move out of melee range while they still have ammo. Looters will always try to swarm you and knock you out to capture you.
Looters who hold throwing stones will stay back from the rest of the group and attempt to pummel you with their weak projectiles. A well-armored adventurer will be effectively invulnerable to thrown rocks, allowing you to ignore them until you get closer or they run out of stones while dealing with the others. On higher difficulties, thrown stones can be dangerous to players without a helmet though, as a well-aimed rock can do quite a bit of damage, sometimes even knocking the player out.
As a commonly available weak troop, Looters are often used to train low-tier recruits and can be engaged confidently even without support troops. Once engaged, Looters highlight the power a horse gives a combatant, allowing mounted troops to move freely in and out of reach of their weapons. The rocks they throw tend to be inaccurate and inflict extremely limited damage to even the most poorly-armored of troops. These attacks can instead be considered more of an annoyance than a threat. However, Looters can also demonstrate some of the potential weaknesses of mounted troops. If they can stop the horse, a cluster of them can bring down a horseman. The better armor the horseman has, the longer their incapacitation will take.
Against lone players on foot, Looters present somewhat more of a problem as it becomes important to control how many of them are in range. Players with low Athletics should avoid engaging large groups of Looters, as they will likely be swarmed and overcome much like a stopped horseman.
When soloing Looters, the least risky tactic is to employ a horse and ranged weapon. Simply ride into range, stop and fire, then move when they get too close. If the Looters are particularly tightly bunched, firing into the mob while at a full gallop can quickly raise ranged proficiencies.
A slightly riskier tactic is to engage them in melee from horseback. Ideally, you never stop moving, and use a lance to attack from a relatively safe distance. The primary risk is that you get stopped by misjudging your course and then get swarmed. As a melee attacker, you will be exposed to both missile and melee attacks. The primary advantage of a melee engagement is speed, and combat will be decided far more quickly with a horse and a skilled rider.
Development[]
Looters can only be recruited from prisoners. This can be done if you have taken them as prisoner and recruit through the camp menu, though this way will inflict a morale penalty on your party and a good percentage will flee from your army during the first night. The second, and more reliable way, is to recruit these units from prisoners held by your enemies.
When Looters gain enough experience, they can be upgraded to Forest or Mountain Bandits. Since Forest Bandits upgrade to Swadian Recruits and Mountain Bandits upgrade to Rhodok Tribesmen, this gives you a rare chance to determine the type of troops to which they can upgraded. They are practically useless without upgrades, as can be discovered when in a fight against them.
Stats and Equipment[]
Looter - Default Stats and Equipment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bandit Troops |
---|
Mount&Blade — Looter • Forest Bandit • Mountain Bandit • Steppe Bandit • Sea Raider • Deserters Warband — Bandit • Brigand • Desert Bandit • Taiga Bandit With Fire & Sword — Looter • Bandit • Brigand • Rebel • Tatar Raider Viking Conquest — Ruffian • Bandit • Footpad • Brigand • Robber Reaver • Highwayman • Bandit Leader Vikingr • Danish Elite Vikingr • Northmathr Vikingr • Svear Elite Vikingr |