Merchant Alliance, Sloops, and Outpost Squatting

I had a similar problem, also at Dagger Tooth, we waited patiently behind some rocks at Isle of Lost Souls (or whichever is the next one over surrounded by huge rocks). In the end as the time was running out we went in lights on cannons up and circled once, then I shot myself onto the island with my lantern to parley. Turns out there was no-one there, dunno if there's a problem with ships not despawning or summat, but my advice is just risk it. Sure it's annoying as hell to lose all that progress, but long time parkers are just as likely to be drinking at the pub or gathering crates/bananas as they are to be hostile, just be careful and announce your intentions, most people I play with would let you dock if we knew you weren't hostile. On the other hand I've met plenty that would sink you out of spite so I understand your concerns, but nothing ventured nothing gained as they say, fortune favours the bold! You never know, you might just meet some merchant friends or even OoS friends willing to provide an escort, we've certainly escorted our share of merchants, in exchange they keep an eye out for us, teamwork makes the dream work!

@reedski That's fair for most cargo offloads like Gold Horders and Order of Souls, but the Merchant is right there on the dock, often almost next to where boats are docked. Like you say, there are always ways around things like this, but given the lengths you have to go to complete Merchant Alliance missions, their relative complexity compared to Gold Hoarders/Order of Souls, but similar payout, this seems like something more easily fixed than worked around by the player.

Having NPCs in the middle of outposts works because we can run in at any angle to make the drop off, but the docks have very limited approach vectors / cover and the payload can be killed. A second merchant, you know, standing next to a pile of crates with a clipboard in hand in the middle of the island next to he other merchants would be an easy fix.

You make good points though! We didn't think they were griefing either, probably just trying to load supplies or put a crew together or just had a particularly long or difficult bathroom break.

But you can never trust the damn bloody pirates.

Christopher Means
www.christophermeans.info
Twitter: @christoph_means

@medviah good point mate, especially precarious when delivering gunpowder, a simple move of and/or additional merchant drop off would help immensely

@john-hatter I approve of that idea sir, dropping off to region gives two options, allows for drive by's if chased as well, good suggestion!

This is why you get the big bucks doing Merchant missions. Animals are worth more than their respective chest/skull counterparts - villainous skulls excepted, I believe.

I usually go scouting for sunken ships or stop off at a fort for GP barrels and resupplies while I wait. I’ve never had a docked ship result in the time running out for me.

@john-hatter That would be an even easier fix, good idea! Specificity in delivery is a factor in what makes Merchant quests more difficult. A longer voyage to one of two location in a different region would iron that issue out and maintain difficulty.

Bonus, merchants would move more around the map, which would give you the added feeling of hauling cargo to far off places.

EuroTruck Simulator of the high seas.

UPDATE: I had this happen again yesterday. I was on a Merchant Alliance mission and a legendary pirate was simply griefing players on Ancient Spire. We waited for him to leave, we thought he did, but he scuttled his ship to make it appear like we were gone.

The big difference this time was that he BOARDED THE S**T AND SHOT THE ANIMALS. There was no point other than to make it harder for us. We logged out after that.

Merchant Missions need two dropoff points.

Why wait 30 minutes? Just go in there and hope they are friendly, heck try talking to them explaning you're just doing merchants and they can check your ship for actual loot. Pigs snakes and chickens are worthless.

If they kill you you can start a new mission and at least have 30 minutes not wasted waiting and if they let you go you'll have done your mission.

I've never met anyone who was outpost camping. It's usually just a galleon with someone on it who is waiting for friends or someone AFK/ on the ferry trying to get an armada together.

Give it time , give it time ...your bound you run into campers I was killed while buying a new hat ! F*s , some of these players have mass murder tendency’s lol ,good luck and watch your back .

Disgusting how many of you want safe zones. They really need to start locking these threads immediately. No safe zones ever. Takes away the entire aspect of the game. Criticize me if you want but I believe you guys are all soft. The only time I get my stuff taken is when I get caught Slippin. My own fault always. Never the attackers. They didn't materialize next to me with some invisibility cloak. There's no way everybody's having that bad of luck every single time they play it. Sometimes you got to jump off and just sell one at a time. If you're getting caught by campers all the time chances are in real life you're walking into Street lamps, phone poles and anything else that's in front of you. I'm done ranting... Be more pirate.

Aaaarrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhh

@john-hatter Safe zones, passive, anything that takes away from the PVP and the risk of having loot on board......is a safe zone. Unless I'm just stubborn... Chances are. No matter how you look at it that's a safe zone

NOT ASKING FOR SAFE ZONES, TO CHANGE THE GAME DRAMATICALLY,, OR THAT I"M AFRAID OF BEING ATTACKED OR ATTACKING.

Just to be perfectly clear.

Just one additional optional location for drop offs on Merchant quests would be fine. I'm fine being attacked, jumped, ambushed, whatever, but the dramatic disadvantage is specific to Merchant quests, making them less fun than OoS or GH. It gets to the point where I don't want to do them at all when the other quests give me options on turn in.

I don't think that's a huge ask.

I mainly solo so when this happens I just half sail, and then get close to the dock and jump off with the cargo. Sell it, take a mermaid back and repeat.

Simple solution, which would also make things easier.

When you accept a merchant alliance quest you get a recommending outpost to turn into for max profit. You're also given a list of other outposts in a ranked list from most to least profit so if someone is at a outpost you can move on to another one, you'll just get less profit.

Anyone who thinks merchant missions are hard, feel free to message me and I'll do some with you. They are by far the easiest, and fastest missions in the game, and you get the most money and rep for them. I've had other ships at port lots of times when coming in to sell animals, never been a problem. Usually you can just run in and sell things even if they start shooting, if you do it right. I've been legend for almost a month now, and merchant was my first one to 50, without cheesing it. I've helped several of my friends rank up their merchant the same way. My name in the game is the same as here.

@medviah I just try to let Galleons know I'm peaceful and just want to deliver animals. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.
My last voyage before reaching level 50 I was approaching the Outpost and a Galleon was there. I was trying to signal my peaceful intent and I fell off my sloop and it rammed into them and they started shooting my boat. I managed to mermaid back just in time to beg them to stop shooting. By some miracle they decided to stop shooting and helped me bring all my animals which survived to dock.
With the Speaking Trumpet it will be easier than ever to let people know you're just doing Merchant. Could even offer your supplies, or extra chest as a means to leave you be as you sell those gold chickens.

I've boarded many sloops doing merchant missions and when I do I'll just let them go (minus any actual treasure on board).
There's no use to selling pigs chickens or snakes.

Also, I suggest raising the banana flag for Merchant missions! That way we can all spot who is doing merchants.

Yeah sometimes you meet friendlies. Two night ago I was solo merchant grinding and a galley rolled up and just started unloading on me. Cannon fire killed me and I though I was done for. I had stocked up on crates and was just tooling around.

I got back in to find the other crew repairing my boat. They recognized my green boat from an earlier interaction. Not everyone is always out to sink you.

@coel03 said in Merchant Alliance, Sloops, and Outpost Squatting:

Yeah sometimes you meet friendlies. Two night ago I was solo merchant grinding and a galley rolled up and just started unloading on me. Cannon fire killed me and I though I was done for. I had stocked up on crates and was just tooling around.

I got back in to find the other crew repairing my boat. They recognized my green boat from an earlier interaction. Not everyone is always out to sink you.

Actually they were out to sink you.