Game mode: [Online]
Problem: [Bug]
Region: [EU]
Archers has the bad habit to continue moving backward when firing arrows, wasting a lot of time. If the thrall is positioned at the top of a wall this cause also their impossibility to shoot the target. When the enemy is insight they take the bow and start going backward, at this point the enemy is out of sight, the thrall return back into position, see the enemy again and start with this loop, going back, out of sight, return to position.
Sometimes they even teleport now… Resulted for me in a lvl20 archer porting herself on spikes and killing herself. Great mechanic.
You are not the first one to report this. But not in one single thread, anyone from Funcom replied. So we dont know if its a bug, intended or simple no one cares anymore.
If I could tell my positioned archer thralls to never move it would be good. I specifically go out of my way to make positions for them to shoot from, and the AI seems to be some advanced deep learning to move the archer in the worst possible position to fire from. It’s amazing how efficient they are at being ineffective.
And the moving/falling/teleporting off of platforms is really frustrating. Taking the time to move an archer to a specifically positioned defensive platform just so they can leave it 3 seconds into a fight takes the fun out of base defense. It’s why base defense has turned into a menagerie of tamed pets thrown around your base.
@Bugog I block my archer’s with crenelations. You may also set the attack and chase range to closer distance. Still experimenting on whether it works or not.
Let me know how it works for you.
I had a 3x1 foundation fighting platform for two of my archers (3 foundations wide, 1 deep). I would find them inside of my base instead of on the wall, and I know the wall was too tall for the bad guy to hit them to knock them off.
They were also not productive while up there. They would walk backwards to the point that they would shoot the foundation instead of shooting the bad guy. I had some other archer positions and they would walk sideways so that either another thrall or a wall would be in the line of fire. I became fed up with what was going on and I’m in the process of changing out all my thralls for just a bunch of fighters out front.
I let will you know another thing I have done 1 pillar sit a wedge ceiling tile on it place your thrall then install 3 crenelations. Previous to last update that will keep them in place. Will try this weekend.
I will give it a try, see if that can keep them in place.
Edit:
I had a foundation, with a pillar snapped to the middle. I put a triangle ceiling tile snapped to the pillar, with 3 snapped crenelations. I didn’t even manage to build the second stand before the first stand’s archer was running around on the ground.
Well let’s hope next patch fixes this
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@Bugog yesterday i set up 2 different archer’s position 1 next 2 Sinners refuge one below at the pond where the boss crocodile lives put them in place. Drug people from cave multiple times archer’s stayed in place. Put a temporary stand by Croc they never left ordered to stand and guard they fired arrows as they should. Send picture when I can I used crenelations to contain and allow them to shoot.
I don’t understand that should hold them I purposely tried to give my archer’s a opportunity and they stayed in place. Did you use stand and defend setting.? Stand and defend.
Stand and defend.
Here’s a video I made (first youtube video ever)
I gave the thrall the following commands:
I watched the video perhaps you need some shackles to hold in place. Don’t understand why he runs off. @Wak4863 might have a idea. He has a lot of great You tube videos.
Your behaviour and tactic settings should be fine as of now. Only thing is that triangles are not big enough any more. I tested that thoroughly. Put your archer on a square foundation and it should work!
@r4nd0mGamer thank you for the update I was using square ceiling tiles or 3 wedges because of having issues to place archer’s didn’t know it was new problem just got frustrated. …
I’ll give this some testing tonight. This is a make or break detail for using archers for base defense.
The problem has sth todo with enemies out of sight or running out of sight, resulting in some funny teleports of the thrall. Even on stand and defend 
Alright the NPC,S I pulled in stayed in site. Along with the crocodile boss. Thanks jot29
