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Impossible to steal mud apples without getting a bounty?

Minyassa
Minyassa
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I'm baffled by this. Even quite a few of my guildies who run "professional" thieves, including some khajiit tricked out with stealth armor and literally using invisibility potions have been caught stealing the mudapples. Do we need to report this as a bug or are we missing some obvious way to do it? And no, I don't want to "just" anything involving paying or waiting, I want to steal the mudapples without getting caught like I can do with everything else in the game. Is there a trick to it or are we experiencing a bug affecting a lot of people?

EDIT: There is indeed a trick to it and I'm grateful for those who added their input to help finding it. My final observations and personal tips are posted farther down in this thread.

Edited by Minyassa on April 1, 2019 6:22AM
  • zvavi
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    Don't know, once I didn't get bounty. Probably when all the npc looked away or something. I mean, I tried to do it stealthy all 4 times (3 times main 1 time alt character)

    Edit: we had 3 days in the event, and if I remember 4 times, and even said that 3 on main and 1 on alt, it is probably this year :D
    Edited by zvavi on March 24, 2019 5:55AM
  • Minyassa
    Minyassa
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    zvavi wrote: »
    Don't know, once I didn't get bounty. Probably when all the npc looked away or something. I mean, I tried to do it stealthy all 4 times (3 times main 1 time alt character)

    Was that this year? I know someone who said they didn't get a bounty once last year, but ever since that one time they have.
  • Loralai_907
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    The trick is to get behind the cart and steal them from that angle, usually you will not get caught from there.
    PC-NA - formerly, mommadani907Guild: Weeping Angels - Co-GMTwitter: @ Loralai_907 several Alt accounts....CP 1700+
    Active characters:Fauna Rosewood ( Bosmer Stam DK - Master Crafter/AD)///Loralai Darknova (Drunken Zombie Bosmer Stam Sorc - PvP/AD)Lilith Darknova ( Dunmer Mag DK - Master Crafter - PvP/AD)///and roughly 1billion alts
  • Alphawolf01A
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    I just wonder about the justice systems priorities.
    Steal an apple. 138g
    Throw a pie at a King or Queen. 43g

    HUH? WTH? LOL
  • driosketch
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    The best place to steal the apple is from the back of the wagon, even though it looks like you shouldn't reach, you can. I've managed to steal without a bounty even with a partially open eye, while on the side I always get a bounty even with a closed eye.

    Now the trick is the npc to the left needs to be looking away. Also be careful of other players starting a commotion and dragging more npcs into the area.
    Main: Drio Azul ~ DC, Redguard, Healer/Magicka Templar ~ NA-PC
    ●The Psijic Order●The Sidekick Order●Great House Hlaalu●Bal-Busters●
  • Minyassa
    Minyassa
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    driosketch wrote: »
    The best place to steal the apple is from the back of the wagon, even though it looks like you shouldn't reach, you can. I've managed to steal without a bounty even with a partially open eye, while on the side I always get a bounty even with a closed eye.

    Now the trick is the npc to the left needs to be looking away. Also be careful of other players starting a commotion and dragging more npcs into the area.

    Thank you, I'll try that tonight after reset! I think that closed eye on the side is what's been throwing so many people off.
  • Minyassa
    Minyassa
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    @driosketch It didn't work. The NPC on the left was all the way across the room with his back to me, the other two were over there across the room, no one else near the cart and everyone facing away, and I still got a bounty.

    What platform/server are you on? This is starting to look like it might actually be a bug.
  • code65536
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    The problem is that because the apples are a special kind of quest object, interacting with them forces you out of stealth. I see people crouching and stealthing to steal them, and there's just no point in doing that--the result will be the same whether you crouch or do it standing up normally.

    Because you are never in stealth when stealing them, the things that people use to reduce stealth detection range--e.g., medium armor passives, etc.--are all irrelevant.

    Standing behind the cart can help in some cases, if there's an NPC on the far side of the room looking in your direction, and if you were just a few meters farther, then you'd be out of their visual range. But in most cases, it won't make a difference.

    So how do you do it undetected? Make sure nobody is looking in your direction. Most of the time, this is simply impractical. There are too many NPCs there, and catching a moment where all of them have their backs turned towards you is just too unlikely. It's possible, sure, but waiting for that moment just takes too long and isn't worth saving a handful of bounty gold.

    (Now and then, some kind soul will go and massacre every NPC there. That's the only sure way to reliably steal them without a bounty.)
    Edited by code65536 on March 26, 2019 7:01AM
    Nightfighters ― PC/NA and PC/EU

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  • driosketch
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    Minyassa wrote: »
    @driosketch It didn't work. The NPC on the left was all the way across the room with his back to me, the other two were over there across the room, no one else near the cart and everyone facing away, and I still got a bounty.

    What platform/server are you on? This is starting to look like it might actually be a bug.

    PC/NA, but unfortunately, since I suggested it, I've been unable to reproduce it.

    My only other suggestion is to prime all characters you'll do the quest on. Have them grab the apples, then swap characters. When you get back to the first, the bounty should be gone. Or save this quest for last if you are on a nightblade, use cloak and refuse to pay any bounties if you get caught.
    Main: Drio Azul ~ DC, Redguard, Healer/Magicka Templar ~ NA-PC
    ●The Psijic Order●The Sidekick Order●Great House Hlaalu●Bal-Busters●
  • Ye_Olde_Crowe
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    The first time I did the quest my main - who is something of a klutz - got no bounty. After that, each time.

    But I see it as a great occasion to clear his inventory of those monk costumes Remains-Silent tossed at him. My main feeds the pig and returns to fake Jorunn just before the costume dissolves.
    PC EU.

    =primarily PvH (Player vs. House)=
  • zaria
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    Found that standing behind the cart helps a lot, still not safe but not an guarantee success.
    Sneaking helps in that it show if some are looking at you,
    Grinding just make you go in circles.
    Asking ZoS for nerfs is as stupid as asking for close air support from the death star.
  • Jthomas56
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    I just kill all the npc’s and use the leniency profs to clear my bounty.

    Makes it easier for other players with no nps for a minute
  • sudaki_eso
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    you can also steal them from the front of the waggon, you just have to wait till all the npcs are loaded and sometime in their routine they are all looking in the opposite direction of the waggon, thats when you steal them without getting a bounty. but to be honest, i dont care any more, i just steal them and move on, i am not even hiding. i cont care about the 138g, just pay them and move on o:)
    PS4 EU - StamDK
  • DaveMoeDee
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    Kill NPCs.

    The getting-out-of-stealth mechanic is annoying.
  • Nestor
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    The only time I never got a bounty was when someone else killed all the NPCs in there.

    Now, i just accept the bounty and avoid the guards on the way back to the pavilion. Also, I make sure I have no other stolen items on me in case o have to deal with a guard.
    Enjoy the game, life is what you really want to be worried about.

    PakKat "Everything was going well, until I died"
    Gary Gravestink "I am glad you died, I needed the help"

  • sudaki_eso
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    DaveMoeDee wrote: »
    Kill NPCs.

    The getting-out-of-stealth mechanic is annoying.

    Kill NPC's and get a bounty for murder? nah, steal and pay is better :wink:
    PS4 EU - StamDK
  • driosketch
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    sudaki_eso wrote: »
    DaveMoeDee wrote: »
    Kill NPCs.

    The getting-out-of-stealth mechanic is annoying.

    Kill NPC's and get a bounty for murder? nah, steal and pay is better :wink:

    I mean, if you are willing to take the hit, please do. Although murder will net you a dozen times the bounty.
    Main: Drio Azul ~ DC, Redguard, Healer/Magicka Templar ~ NA-PC
    ●The Psijic Order●The Sidekick Order●Great House Hlaalu●Bal-Busters●
  • FlopsyPrince
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    What is really annoying here is not just the stealing bounty, it is the fact I can sometimes cause an NPC to aggro you as well. I can live with the bounty, but having the aggro and a major death bounty is really annoying.
    PC
    PS4/PS5
  • zvavi
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    Yesterday I got bounty when there were no NPCs. Someone went on a killing spree. And yet I got a bounty. Idk anymore, the one time I didn't get bounty was probably a bug because of server lag.
  • driosketch
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    zvavi wrote: »
    Yesterday I got bounty when there were no NPCs. Someone went on a killing spree. And yet I got a bounty. Idk anymore, the one time I didn't get bounty was probably a bug because of server lag.

    There is always one NPC sitting at the entrance that can't be killed because he is a quest giver.
    Edited by driosketch on March 27, 2019 3:41PM
    Main: Drio Azul ~ DC, Redguard, Healer/Magicka Templar ~ NA-PC
    ●The Psijic Order●The Sidekick Order●Great House Hlaalu●Bal-Busters●
  • SeaGtGruff
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    I think there are 2 or 3 NPCs who can spot you, so you might have to wait patiently for a while until 2 of them walk over to the entrance on the left (if you're behind the cart) and the 3rd to be looking away or far enough away. I can do it without getting seen about 66% of the time, although my success rate was much lower before I started trying from behind the cart-- possibly because being behind the cart gives you a better perspective on the NPCs (except you can always rotate your view so maybe that's not it), or perhaps because it gives you a little bit more distance from the NPCs.
    I've fought mudcrabs more fearsome than me!
  • WhiteCoatSyndrome
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    TBH I've just been burning through my stack of Counterfeit Pardon Edicts.
    #proud2BAStarObsessedLoony
    PAWS (Positively Against Wrip-off Stuff) - Say No to Crown Crates!
    A useful explanation for how RNG works
  • BigDaddyP713
    BigDaddyP713
    Soul Shriven
    I get the bounty every time so I just run up, grab the apples, exit the back of the building, jump into the river to the east, swim to the pig, by that time the bounty is clear or almost clear.
  • Minyassa
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    Okay, I've actually managed to do this without a bounty for three days running, with an average success rate of 2 out of 3 toons doing it daily. Here are the conditions, though:

    1. NPCs dead OR alive, does not make a difference. I've gotten a bounty with all the killable NPCs dead, so that does not matter. NPCs looking away AND making sure that no stray NPCs have been dragged in is the important part.
    2. NO OTHER PLAYERS STACKED UP IN A CROWD. Every *single* time I've attempted to do this with a bunch of other players there, I've failed. Other players attract NPC attention and force them to turn around and look. Wait until everyone else has gone away and things have settled down.
    3. Imbed your face into the barrel at the back of the wagon, pretty much right through the keyhole there.
    4. Guar may or may not be a tattletale so I make sure its back is turned also! Not sure if that's the winning factor or not but I do it.

    Overall my success has depended HEAVILY on there being no other players around. I can afford to wait until the wee hours of the morning for this, thankfully; it will be harder on people with a limited play window.
    Edited by Minyassa on April 1, 2019 6:25AM
  • Nerouyn
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    I just wonder about the justice systems priorities.
    Steal an apple. 138g
    Throw a pie at a King or Queen. 43g

    HUH? WTH? LOL

    In the first case someone is short an apple.

    In the second case, someone has gained not just some measly piece of raw fruit, but a delicious baked good.
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