Bran should poses ranger skills instead of axe.

[blissful shadow]

It has nothing to do with gameplay - just lore detail, but Bran supposed to be hunter and he speaks about his bow and knife in dialogue, so, why he has only axe skills?.. 🤔

[uncut iron]

because he lives out in the woods and has to chop trees for firewood

[small sparrow]

Assume is the same as dirwin axes and bow.
If you inspect archers they have only ranged skills, but if you inspect them again after they swap their weapons they only have dagger skills so assume is something like that in the code for this guy

[lethal hare]

I agree from the lore perspective,
BUT,
at the same time, I bet if he were a ranger, people would start luring bears into Osbrook in attempts to get the pelts

Cause he'd kite them and do mainly piercing DMG

[blissful shadow]

It wouldn't work - couple hits from random guard and pelt is ruined. Guars won't just stay and watch, and even if they would - there is no way that Bran as ranger could kill bear - he would just die from couple hits.

[blissful shadow]

Just tested, and - no. Bran doesn't switch weapon and only chases you with axe if you attack him from range. And noticed one more interesting detail, if you kill Bran - he will die like enemy, not fall in coma like other npcs.

[past trout]

he leaves his bow and arrows at his place, he doesn't need to carry it around when selling goods in other settlements

and when you meet him at his place, he also doesn't carry around a bow, because he's just chilling

in other words, we never get to see his ranged loadout because we also don't get to see him actually hunting

so it's pretty sound from lore and immersion perspective to me

[blissful shadow]

Yes.. he is hunter, although he newer hunts, newer carries his bow, don't have bow or at least dagger in his house.. but he always carries his Axe! 😅 Maybe he is a secret bandit/ex mercenary, who only pretends to be hunter, and all pelts he sells is stolen?.. 🤔 And that's why he dies if attacked, instead of falling in coma?..

[charred cloak]

Or we mught see bro hunt when random encounters are introduced

[zealous epoch]

also if you meet him at his cabin first without ever meeting him elsewhere ||you can attempt to mug him and he'll fight back with said axe (pretty effectively, his tier isn't for show)||

[lethal hare]

And yet he teaches you Ranged Skills and calls himself a hunter - from that perspective I think @blissful shadow's point is valid

[zealous epoch]

with that said , even archers don't show their ranged skills when inspected , if they melee weapon is out

[lethal hare]

All I'm really worried is if players wouldn't start to use him for kiting monsters in Osbrook for XP (Trolls and Bears)

[zealous epoch]

sure , bran could be reworked to pull out a bow when far enough from his target in combat (if he doesn't already, I actually don't know) , but there's so little situations where it could happen it hardy worth devs time

[lethal hare]

he doesn't - he engages in meele only

[zealous epoch]

won't change anything when you inspect him as a merchant tho , melee is his default loadout

[lethal hare]

it's the only one

[zealous epoch]

would be*

[lethal hare]

it's a niche thing, for sure, I'd personally would leave it just to avoid player abuse

[zealous epoch]

it's already rare enough that an non-guard NPC is actually able to fight decently

[lethal hare]

Perhaps give him ability to toss the Net would be an easier option

since some Briggands already have it

and that's what he sells

[blissful shadow]

He don't teach ranged skills any longer (at least since rags to riches, if I remember correctly..), unfortunately I didn't inspect him while he still teached ranged skills...

[blissful shadow]

I already made suggestion that enemies shouldn't disappear when retreating and shouldn't follow player to inhabited map tiles, to avoid similar exploits, and to be more logical. I got an answer, that some changes on how enemies retreat/follow to another map tile will be made in next update.

[zealous epoch]

it was added back in blood omens , he teaches athletics and ranged again

[blissful shadow]

At least not in 0.9.4.20. Maybe you using some kind of mod?

(there is only rumors, trade, and farewell options)

[past trout]

hilda already knows athletics and ranged

so you obviously won't get the option to be taught that

[blissful shadow]

I see.. Didn't know that dialogue option disappears when you already know skills - I don't learn from npc often 😋

[lethal hare]

He still does. If it was removed, then only for a short time.

I know because I currently am playing Crossbow Jorgrim and I learned Ranged from him in Osbrook.

[zealous epoch]

he didn't for nearly a year

[lethal hare]

and how many years ago he got added? 😄