Who can you trust?

[pablet]

I just met a ranger in a boat while I was taking some clay, I ran and used fast travel in fear he would kill me, and after that I thought: I acted right because I don't want my new char to be killed so soon but what if he wasn't going to kill me? Do you think almost everyone wants to kill noobs in the game? Can you trust anyone? What's your opinion on random encounters?

[Taxaso]

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=30852 Lesson I just learnt. Don't trust anyone. Ever.

[Tonkyhonk]

its really up to you. either you can take the ingame death lightly and move on, or you cant and keep yourself isolated.

if you can take your own game-deaths, id say, losing your brand new char at this stage of the game is nothing much, compared to meeting someone you may be able to be friends with. or you could just make another char for exploring and meeting others while keeping your main char at home. its not that hard to get back the stats up as you have now, once you learn how this game works, though.

if you are the type that you cant get over game-deaths, or you cant continue playing once you die, then trusting nobody can be your policy to stay safe and enjoy. it doesnt mean that you will be safe by doing that in this game though.

btw, trusting someone on internet for truly important things without doubts is never a good idea.
(like sharing passwords/accounts and such.)

[_Gunnar]

I've always greeted everyone i've met, and only run (or fought) when they attacked me. I died a couple of times from this, but its more fun.

[NOOBY93]

I've always greeted everyone i've met, and only run (or fought) when they attacked me. I died a couple of times from this, but its more fun.

Surprisingly, I'm a total noob and only 2 people since W4 have attacked me upon sight. Others just run/say hi and run/log off/get in house.
Edit: Yes, both times I have died.

[Arcanist]

of the people I encounter, I always say hello. If you're in a boat, and there's only 1-2 of them you're pretty much safe to run away. On land not so much. I'm always weary of people on land.

[Dondy]

People you have recruited from outside of H & H to play with you are frequently a safe bet, especially your siblings, parents or best friends. Otherwise the short answer to your question is nobody, ever.

In H & H it is far better to die young than to lose a developed character. One of the main uses of alts for me is to get to know my neighbours. You may not be able to trust anyone you don't know but you can get to know people relatively safely using noob alts.

If the other player doesn't kill you it is a point in his favour.
If the other player offers to trade it either means he wants to trade or is attempting to lure you in. This can't be used to decide about someone.
If the other player casually (or intently) asks questions of strategic importance it is a bad sign.
If the other player offers you gifts it's the same as a trade - might be a scheme or might be friendliness
If the player has traded with you and given you gifts it is probably fairly safe to interact with them but not to lead them to your village.
It helps to observe how they talk to you and other people - if they display impulsive, boastful, aggressive behavior it is a danger sign.
Any kind of griefing done to you or others is a danger sign. They may for example swipe stuff that is not claimed and yet say they want to be friends - but if they do both keep in mind that they are probably still building up the ability to steal claimed stuff and are just waiting to be in a position to get you.
If his friends start wandering up as he engages in light conversation with you they are almost certainly planning to jump you en masse.
This is especially true it they surround you. If they start picking apples instead of forming a ring around you it might be okay... but is still not a good situation.
If they leave abusive runestones around they are probably aggressive.
If they do not clean up their camp they are probably impulsive types, and liable to attack - or possibly they are trying to maintain a settlement that is too big for them to manage on their own. I would take pink pallisades and multiple boats and abandoned shelters with sleepers in them turning pink as a bad sign. Even if their problem with the maintenance is that they belong to a group that has recently lost members, there may well be a reason they lost members, such as being engaged in a war, or personality difficulties. This doesn't mean they are bad guys but may mean that they are a group that will bring much conflict into your life. Or, possibly they are a group that is just waiting for a strong sensible active player like you and has a perfect spot for you...

If you are looking for friends often the best people are ones who are beginners - They are too inexperienced to do more than grief and you can size them up and get to know them before they are in a position to cause you any damage. The downside of this is that they frequently quit.

You can learn who not to trust from the forum, but not learn who to trust. Most trading threads will be useless as a guide who to trust because you will be miles away from their trading locations and either not have the goods they want or not want the goods they are trading. Obviously if other players are screaming about the bad stuff they did you should approach with caution, but just because someone has a good reputation in some clique is not a reliable sign at all.
Anyone who boasts about their reputation as trustworthy is a very bad bet. For some reason they want people to believe they are trustworthy and that is not a good sign and frequently means they are playing a double game.

There was at one point in the forums an active trader who was engaged in finding out where people had settled and what type of goods they had and what type of defenses and when they were on line, so that he could pass this information on to raiders.

People you can trust will often display small but accurate signs of empathy. For example if they are good to work with and fair about the division of spoils - the deer that you kill with them- then they are a much better bet than most.

[Zachary09]

of the people I encounter, I always say hello. If you're in a boat, and there's only 1-2 of them you're pretty much safe to run away. On land not so much. I'm always weary of people on land.

Lol, it reminds me of a 1v6 situation i had in W5
I remember 6 guys aggroing me on sight, I was in the boat, 5 other boaters chasing me. They actually gave up after 5 minutes. Must have been new...

[Timothy123]

That was me I won't kill you pm your hs ill add so I know who you are

[Timothy123]

Was I with another person you were wearing a bear cape if so your safe I won't kill you