Random Encounter

Random Encounters are events that are randomly triggered while the protagonists are traveling on the world map.

Details[]

There are two main types of random encounters: forced and optional encounters. Forced encounters usually involve being ambushed by a group of hostile, ranging from outlaws to creatures. Having a horse allows the protagonist to avoid most of the forced encounters, except those where the ambushers also have horses. There are also story-specific forced encounters that don't involve combat. Optional encounters, on the other hand, can be ignored, and consist of a wide variety of scenarios.

Traveling through swamps and mountains will slow the protagonist down, increasing the chance of encounters.^[1] Encounters on the East side of the map tend to have more powerful enemies, and they have higher numbers as well.

List of Encounters[]

Bounty Hunter Journey[]

Encounter	Type	Condition	Description
A Witch at a Crossroads	Optional		This encounter has different variations and evolves as the story progresses. It centers around a wilderness witch called Heathen and her interactions with the protagonists. In Bounty Hunter Journey, Heathen gives Jane a box with the label "21" on the lid, and asks her to not open it until she's back for it.
Coyote Attack!	Forced	Always triggered after Jane Bell left Bell Stead for the first time	A pack of coyotes killed someone near their campfire and now attack Jane.

Pigman Journey[]

Encounter	Type	Condition	Description
A Familiar Face	Forced	Essex Mast survived Quickbend	Essex Mast calls out, he's been looking for Cl'erns Qui'g in order to examine the brand on him. He claims Jane Bell and Cl'erns have a connection via the brands. He then heads out to find an immortal being called Aleph and says that he and the "branded folks" will cross paths again. If Jane met Essex during the Bounty Hunter Journey and is now part of the posse, he'd recognize her and say "Jane--? Y'all already possed up?". Otherwise, he will give Cl'erns a side quest, A Friendly Face, to go find Jane and recruit her.
A Witch at a Crossroads	Optional		Heathen offers Cl'erns Qui'g a book but it always costs $1 more than what he has. Then she allows him to open an ornamented chest and keep whatever inside.

Protector Journey[]

Encounter	Type	Description
A Witch at a Crossroads	Optional	Heathen put two people (random NPCs) in cages and asks Across Rivers to help her judge their crimes. He can refuse in which case, nothing happens and he can simply leave. Or if he agrees to help, he needs to talk to both people and hear their stories. One stole medicine for their sick daughter, the other killed someone who abused them when they were a kid. Whomever Across Rivers chooses as the more guilty will be turned into a snake by Heathen. Talking to Heathen reveals that she intends to keep the snake as a pet and will release the other person "eventually". Afterward, Across Rivers can open an ornamented chest and claim a random item inside.
Cold Wind Blowing	Forced	Across Rivers is attacked by a group of Ravenous. There is an option to give them some money, which makes them run away with the money. This encounter can appear in later journeys if Across Rivers succumbs to greed.
End of the Line	Optional	Across Rivers encounters two random people, trying to kill each other, and he can choose to help either or none. If the person he chose to help survives, they will offer to join his posse. There are multiple scenarios: Two pigmen: one accuses the other of selling them out to Ruth Bough, while the second pigman claims the first burned a whole pigmen village to the ground. A deputy confronting an outlaw. An Oneirist and a Ritualist from Ruth's Coven accuse each other of killing their covens. Cecilia Oscuro might end up as one of the two people in this encounter, facing a pigman who accuses her of turning them to Ruth Bough. She will show hostility if Cl'erns is in Across Rivers' posse. If Across Rivers chooses to attack her, Cl'erns will turn hostile and might start a vendetta.

Werewolf Journey[]

Encounter	Type	Condition	Description
A Witch at a Crossroads	Optional		Heathen asks Dezi to play a slapping game with her, however, it doesn't matter what choice he makes, Dezi always loses. In order to win the game, he needs to equip the Amulet of the Open Palm which is found in the Authority's chamber in Somnolence. Once equipped, a new option appears, and choosing that option lets Dezi win the game. Winning the slapping game also triggers the Knuckle Sandwich achievement. This encounter can only be triggered 4-5 times and might also happen during the Oneirist Journey.
Followers of Gavan	Forced	Dezi has read Sybil's Journal before going to Wolfsbane Hole	After reading Sybil's journal and discovering Sybil's and Franciscus' secret, both of them and a group of devotees confront Dezi. Dezi can kill them or use non-lethal means to knock them out. In the latter case, they will appear again at the end of the Werewolf Journey.
Lone Witch	Forced	Dezi has not read Sybil's Journal before going to Wolfsbane Hole	An non-hostile Oneirist wants to talk to Dezi. She claims that she saw in a vision where Dezi entered a hidden chamber underneath Franciscus' office, found a journal belonging to Sybil, and then turned his back on the Absolutionists.
Oneirist Ambush	Forced		A group of Oneirists trying to eliminate Dezi, the Marked Wolf, in order to stop the Blood Moon prophecy.

Oneirist Journey[]

Encounter	Type	Condition	Description
A Witch at a Crossroads	Optional		Heathen asks for her box back. It doesn't matter whether the protagonist kept it closed, opened it and tells the truth, or opened it and lied, Heathen always let Constance open a chest that contains random loots. However, the Achievement What's in the Box? requires the box to be never opened.
Crash Site	Optional	Only in deserts	A crash site of an alien space craft, next to it is a skeleton of an alien.
Dark Magic	Forced	Only take place when Constance travels from Somnolence to Foxglove	A group of Oneirists attempt to stop Constance from reaching Foxglove. If Edith Frond is still alive by this point, she will join the Oneirists. Killing Edith or knocking her out has no consequence.
Darker Magic	Forced	Triggers after Dark Magic	Similar to Dark Magic, another group of Oneirists tries to eliminate Constance.
Far from Home	Optional		Two children approach Constance, asking her to help them deal with dark magic that affects their town. Accepting their request starts The Strangeness quest.

General Encounters[]

Encounter	Type	Condition	Description
A Glow Among the Trees	Forced	Higher chance to trigger in forests	A Wraith attacks the posse. Collect and hold on to all the Dreamer's Vervain flowers as they are needed for the Crime and Punishment quest.
A Hive Disturbed	Forced	Higher chance to trigger in Ridgeback Wilds	The protagonist encounters a hive of Ridgebacks.
A Witch at a Crossroads	Optional		Unlike journey-specific encounters with Heathen, there is also a variation where she just asks a few questions and lets the protagonist open her ornamented chest. In Pigman Journey, if Jane is with Cl'erns, Heathen will say "You two make quite the pair. Who is who? Are you her? Is she you? Ha!"
Bear Sighting	Forced	Higher chance to trigger on mountains	Three bears attack the posse.
Bounty Hunters	Forced	Reputation at -50 or less	A group of bounty hunters ambushes the protagonist.
Carrion Birds	Optional		A caravan was ambushed and brutally slaughtered with the culprit nowhere in sight. The toppled wagon has an ornamental chest inside, and one of the corpses has one of the following documents: A journal which claims they were being followed by someone. An Order from a Client. A Bounty Notice. Last Words from one of the victims. There is a chance the cursed statuette in the Crime and Punishment quest appears in this encounter. And after the cursed statuette is freed, dreamer's vervain flowers start to appear in this encounter, suggesting the caravan is slaughtered by the Bloodstained Soul.
Coyote's Yip	Forced		The protagonist is attacked by a pack of coyotes.
Enemies in the Brush	Forced		The protagonist is ambushed by a gang of outlaws or someone who has a Vendetta against the protagonist.
Feeling Watched	Forced		The protagonist is attacked by one to three Sirens.
Highway Robbery	Forced		A group of outlaws demands a fee if the protagonist wishes to pass through alive. If, however, the protagonist is carrying an item for a side quest, they will demand that item instead. Refusing to give up the money or item results in a fight. There is a third option where the protagonists can give them the money but kill them right after to get it back. If the outlaws got away with the money or item, the leader might end up on a Bounty board with a remark "Face seems awful familiar". The protagonist can take the bounty and kill or knock out the leader to regain the money or item. The outlaws can be any group ranging from Stillwaters, Oneirists, to generic bandits. As such, their dialogues, behavior, weapons, abilities, and loots are different. Oneirists might also drop sigil stones.
Howling Hatch	Optional	After Pigman Journey, only trigger in grasslands	The protagonist stumbles upon a ruined mansion. There is a hatch in the middle, which can only be opened with a lever, hidden in a nearby bush (See the Gallery for the exact location). Underneath is a large basement, and a network of tunnels. One branch of the tunnels leads to a large werewolf statue, some silver veins, and a wolfsbane garden. The other path leads to a dungeon where a few Oneirists were imprisoned. Further down the tunnels is a large chamber with a throne in front of a Blood Boon banner. There are many dead Absolutionist clerics here, and a dead child sitting upon the throne. There is also a small room next to the throne with some toys inside. This appears to be the child's room when he was alive. The child has a four-star amulet but looting him will turn him into a wraith, and all the dead clerics are resurrected as zombies. To escape, stack the barrels and hide bundles to get out of the chamber. High-level High Jumper Perk also works. On the way out, the dead Oneirists also come alive as zombies.
Howls in the Brush	Forced		A pack of wolves attacks the protagonist.
Out of the Mines	Forced	Higher chance to trigger on mountains	A group of Mine Crawlers attacks the posse.
Profane Ritual	Optional		A group of Oneirists is performing a ritual with the corpse of another oneirist within an occult circle. If the ritual is interrupted by looting the corpse, which has an Amulet, a wraith will appear and the oneirists will also be hostile toward the protagonist, resulting in a three-way fight. If the ritual is left alone, the wraith will still be summoned, the loots from the corpse will be lost, and the protagonist can choose to help the oneirists or not. If the protagonist is a werewolf, the Oneirists will immediately turn hostile when talked to.
Protected Ground	Optional	A Lost Fire Nation native is part of the posse	The native points out a sacred burial ground of a native tribe, allied to the Lost Fire Nation, who has been driven out from the West. The site, however, is being raided by grave robbers. The protagonist can choose to kill the robbers (the native won't let the posse leave the encounter without killing them) or rob the graves themselves. In the latter case, the native will turn hostile.
Sacred Protector	Optional		A Lost Fire Nation Protector is surrounded by three outlaws, the protagonist can either choose to help him, or join the bandits. There is also a cave that might contain valuables and ores. The cursed statuette might also appear inside the cave.
Sign of the Stillwaters	Forced	Only if Shelby Cross is alive	An encounter with a group of Stillwaters who hold a civilian captive. Defeating the outlaws, get the key to the cage, free the captive and they will become a Friend for Life. There is a variation where the captive is injured and needs to be healed using one bandage.
Stalk by Pigmen	Forced	Higher chance to trigger in swamps	A group of pigmen attacks the posse.
Terror on the Slopes	Optional	Higher chance to trigger on mountains	Two Cave Terrors guard a silver or ornamented chest that usually contains valuable items. They are not immediately alerted and thus it's possible to back out from the encounter. It's also possible to sneak past them and get to the chest.
The Serpent's Mouth	Optional	After Pigman Journey, only trigger in swamps	A cave shaped like a snake head, which is also filled with snakes. There are many pressure plates inside which will release snakes if stepped on. There is also a silver chest that contains a Resistant Snake Scale Vest. The key to the chest can be found on one of the bodies in the cave.
Traveling Merchant	Optional		One to two merchants sell their goods. If Cl'erns Qui'g visits them, they might give him a discount out of fear or mention his visit to Quigley's Lantern Room. Both Leila Vidrio and Pigman Joe can appear in this encounter. In Pigman Joe's case, it happens only if Cl'erns freed the pigmen's souls, thus Pigman Joe travels across the West.
Wanderer Caravan	Optional		A group of wanderers sell amulets, elixirs, and Nimp Relics. They also buy Nimp heads and amulets. There is an amulet inside the wagon but getting in involves stealing/looting the key from the Wanderers, or lockpicking. Both actions will turn the Wanderers hostile and they are quite powerful. There are also three books in the map (one inside the wagon). The guard mentions the elder being inside the wagon but there is actually no one. Next to the shop counter, there is a wanderer music box that can be interacted with.

Community Events[]

The following encounters only take place during specific Community Events.

Encounter	Type	Condition	Description
Traveler Under Attack	Optional	During The Plague	A farmer is surrounded by plague zombies. After helping him, he will ask to meet at a random farm in order to save his family from another zombie horde. Agreeing to help starts the A Plague of Death quest.
Walking Dead	Optional	During The Plague	The protagonist encounters a horde of zombies.

Trivia[]

This article or section contains spoilers. If you have not completed the game, it is recommended that you read at your own risk or not at all.

During the very first A Witch at a Crossroads encounter, Heathen asks Jane a hypothetical question regarding a woman who's wronged her but because she has good reason to, and whether Jane would take revenge or ask for forgiveness. This is exactly what would happen between Cl'erns Qui'g and Cecilia during the Pigman Journey.
Murals in The Serpent's Mouth encounter suggest the cave was used as a sacrificial or execution chamber. They also show an indigenous people who harvested poison from the snakes.
In the Howling Hatch encounter, there is a unique painting of a child, flanked by two men. This is possibly the child sitting at the Blood Moon throne in the same encounter.
In the Bounty Hunters encounter, the hunters might arrive with a bloodied cart with a few wanted posters on top of it, suggesting other bounties were captured or killed by them.
The Crash Site encounter is a tribute to Fallout which also has a random encounter with a similar-looking alien ship and two alien skeletons.