Treeguards don't like Beargers

[VinylBread]

So, I was just strolling along in Autumn when the Bearger attacked. After it stole most of my food, I decided to aggro it so it would follow me away from my base, giving me an opportunity to make it fight some pigs just south of it.

 

After it ran through a couple of trees, destroying them, a Lumpy Treeguard spawned and fought it. The Bearger was dead within a minute or so, with the Treeguard being friendly afterwards, sitting around with a bunch of wiggly-nosed furry friends, likely making unreasonable poker bets then cheating.

 

This brought a few questions to mind:

 

1) Can Treeguards spawn from things other than Players destroying trees?

2) Does a Treeguard spawn for the specific reason of fighting a giant?

2a) Does it do this for all giants and not just the Bearger? 

2b) Was the Deerclops updated so it also triggers a Treeguard?

2c) Was this a feature added to make fighting the new giants more fair, seeing as they have abilities that make fighting them as just a player very hard?

3) Are Treeguards a reliable defense against giants?

 

As I do not know the answers to these myself, as I have only recently bought the RoG expansion and have only encountered the Bearger so far, would you like to help me answer these?

[Skorp]

To answer most of your questions: The treeguard spawns from destroyed trees and is agroed to the responsible creature, this means that clockworks rooks, pigs, bigfoot, the deerclops and the bearger can spawn him if they destroy enough trees.

I also read somewhere that he has a damage bonus against creatures that aren't the player but since the deerclops freezes him he is not able to deal with him.

[Norman1346]

I have had the clockwork rook spawn a tree guard that killed it.

[Ridley]

This was a existing feature and treeguards can beat up a giant pretty good.

[VinylBread]

To answer most of your questions: The treeguard spawns from destroyed trees and is agroed to the responsible creature, this means that clockworks rooks, pigs, bigfoot, the deerclops and the bearger can spawn him if they destroy enough trees.

I also read somewhere that he has a damage bonus against creatures that aren't the player but since the deerclops freezes him he is not able to deal with him.

 

 

Thank you. I have not done much with Don't Starve, so I had no idea how Treeguards worked. Do you have any ideas how I could get them to fight the Deerclops?

[TheKingofSquirrels]

Treeguards have always been odd to me. Last world I played, I found three fully grown passive Treeguards shambling about in the middle of a dessert on my second day. 

When I was attacked by the Bearger, I lured it into the Treeguards. Bearger killed one and then died trying to kill the second. 

Treeguards have always been useful to kill baddies, as long as you don´t chop trees near them, they´ll be on your side. 

[brummbar7]

Thank you. I have not done much with Don't Starve, so I had no idea how Treeguards worked. Do you have any ideas how I could get them to fight the Deerclops?

You have to provoke Deerclops into attacking when he is also within range of a treeguard.  Since his attack is an area affect, he will also hit it.  However, you should really try to get 2+ aggroed against him, as deerclops' freeze power makes treeguards much less effective against him.  He might also aggro them when he knocks over trees just by walking over them - I haven't paid attention enough to test that theory.

 

Treeguards should be very effective against G'Goose and Bearger, if you can get them to aggro one.  I'm not sure on Dragonfly, because I think he'll set them on fire and I think they just 'run' around in a panic while on fire.   They might land a few hits though.

[Zalyn]

Awesome.  I'm going to try this next time the dang Bearger comes along.

 

I did notice that the Deciduous Trees didn't aggro onto a Rook that knocked down a bunch of them (even though the Rook spawned them).  I'm not sure whether it's a bug or intentional (difference in personalities? )

[brummbar7]

I did notice that the Deciduous Trees didn't aggro onto a Rook that knocked down a bunch of them (even though the Rook spawned them).  I'm not sure whether it's a bug or intentional (difference in personalities? )

I had the same thing happen with the Bearger.  He knocked over a birchnut which spawned a guard, but the nutters came after me.  Bearger killed them with his attack though.    It's either a bug, or Klei purposely does not want birchguards used as a tower defense - or more especially a giant defense, so they won't aggro anything but the player.

[tHe_silent_H]

I had the same thing happen with the Bearger.  He knocked over a birchnut which spawned a guard, but the nutters came after me.  Bearger killed them with his attack though.    It's either a bug, or Klei purposely does not want birchguards used as a tower defense - or more especially a giant defense, so they won't aggro anything but the player.

 

Maybe the birchnutter's are smarter than regular treeguards and think that the player somehow engineered the events, resulting a knocked down tree

[porps]

 

 

 

1) Can Treeguards spawn from things other than Players destroying trees?

 

 

Theres also a possibility that they are spawned in the world on creation as a set peice.. I've seen  around 10 wandering in a forest on day 1 before now (living forest set piece) and i've seen 5 in the desert, waging war on a bunch of hound mounds.

 

[Zalyn]

Maybe the birchnutter's are more paranoid than regular treeguards and think that the player somehow engineered the events, resulting a knocked down tree

 

Fixed that for ya.