- Main article: Enemies (Dungeon Siege)
Bandit Archers are a type of enemy in Dungeon Siege. They are among the very few evil-aligned Humans in the game. Bandits are encountered in the Dark Forest of Ehb and in an analogous setting on the Utraean Peninsula, the Cloud Forest. This article describes the ranger-class bandit. The Bandit classes are:
- Bandit
- Bandit Archer
- Rogue Bandit (miniboss)
- Bandit Boss (miniboss)
History[]
When times are desperate, or in the cases of those not cut-out for honest work, humans may resort to banditry. They will form organized gangs in places that promise human traffic while offering concealment from the long arm of the Legion— ideally, in forests. So it was, when adventurers encountered these bands of merry men in the forests of Ehb and the Peninsula.
Archer bandits deployed behind their fighter comrades and could back them up with a constant hail of arrows aimed at their victim. But adventurers with magic spells and superior tactics and gear proved more than the bandits could handle; their leaders were slain, the followers scattered, and the forests were rendered safe for a time.
Physical Description[]
The bandit ranger wore pieced-together woodland garb of fur and leather. They used Long Bows to afford maximum range from the scene of melee. Like fighters, the rangers had de-humanizing masks covering their faces. This was a uniform, to an extent, which marked them as part of a group effort and made them highly intimidating.
Archers were always encountered in the company of fighters. They assist in ambuscades and in guarding the bandits' troves of stolen goods. They never issued threats or negotiated; taking their cue from the savage fighters, they get right to shooting.
Combat[]
Bandits are a significant relative step up in difficulty from foes previously encountered. Bandits are the only evil-aligned actors in the official release of DS and DSX that share the base_farmboy template (the human model) of NPCs and playable characters. The Bandit Archer therefore has same physics of a hero, with fast overland speed and the potential for a sustained arrow volley.
While the melee bandits get in the player's face, the archers will provide reliable damage from a distance. Tactics for engaging groups of bandit fighters and archers will vary depending on party composition. For a lone mage character in the multiplayer setting, the tactic is simply not to do it. Use a very long-ranged spell, like Explosive Powder, to pull them into range one or two-at-a-time.
Thanks to the wonders of artificial intelligence, it is possible to retreat from bandits when in need of a breather. Even though they move exactly as fast as a player, they will disengage.
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