Revision 2

Overview

The Wolf Trackers are a roaming band that scours Pywel in search of prey. They are not hunters who give thanks to nature, but butchers addicted to the thrill of slaughter. Their recent activities have focused on tracking a legendary wolf throughout the region, but they will attack anyone or anything that crosses their path.

Among the hostile factions players encounter in the open world, the Wolf Trackers stand out for their mobility. Most hostile factions hold fixed positions or occupy strongholds. The Wolf Trackers roam, which means players can run into them in unexpected places across the map.

Details

Behavior and Motivation

The Wolf Trackers define themselves through the hunt. They do not farm, trade, or hold territory in the traditional sense. They move through the wilderness tracking dangerous game, and they treat the hunt itself as the reward. The "thanks to nature" distinction in their description is important: these are not survivalists living off the land with respect for the ecosystem. They kill for the feeling of killing.

Their pursuit of a legendary wolf across Pywel gives them a specific objective, but that pursuit also brings them into conflict with anyone in the surrounding area. Settlements near the wolf's territory, travelers on nearby roads, and even other hostile factions are all potential targets when the Wolf Trackers pass through.

Territory and Blockades

While the Wolf Trackers are nomadic, they do establish temporary blockades that restrict access to certain parts of the map. The player's HUD displays a "Blockaded" indicator alongside the Wolf Trackers' name when entering an area they currently control. These blockades shift as the faction moves through the region.

The blockade mechanic ties into the broader Liberation System. Players can clear Wolf Tracker blockades through direct combat, or they can use the Dispatch System from the Greymane Camp to send allies ahead to weaken the Wolf Trackers' positions before engaging personally.

Combat Encounters

Wolf Tracker fighters are fast and aggressive, fitting their identity as hunters. They favor quick strikes and flanking maneuvers over heavy armor or defensive formations. Players should expect them to close distance quickly and attack from multiple angles.

Because they are a roaming faction, Wolf Tracker encounters can happen in the open world during exploration. This makes them different from factions that only fight in fixed stronghold locations. A player traveling between towns might stumble into a Wolf Tracker hunting party without warning.

Their camps, when found, tend to be smaller and less fortified than those of sedentary factions like the Bleed Bandits. Clearing a Wolf Tracker camp is usually a faster engagement but with enemies that hit hard and move unpredictably.

The Legendary Wolf

The Wolf Trackers' current obsession is a legendary wolf that roams Pywel. This creature has eluded them so far, drawing the entire faction across the region in pursuit. The legendary wolf may connect to quest content where players can choose to help or hinder the Trackers' hunt, though the full details of this questline have not been confirmed in pre-release coverage.

The pursuit of this single creature is what keeps the Wolf Trackers moving, and it is likely what brings them into the player's path. Whether the legendary wolf is a standard wildlife encounter or something more significant in the game's lore remains to be seen.

Relationship to Other Factions

The Wolf Trackers are one of several hostile factions operating in the Hernand region and across Pywel. Their nomadic nature means they do not have permanent borders or territorial disputes with other factions the way groups like the Southern Bandits do. They pass through, cause trouble, and move on.

Their blockades can overlap with territories controlled by other hostile factions, creating situations where the player must deal with multiple threats in the same area. The Wolf Trackers' movement patterns and the faction standing system mean that encounters with them can affect the player's reputation across regions they pass through.