Let's talk about DSIII's Ratbro equivalent!

Howl at me, fellow Watchdogs! Tell me your tales of triumph and woe!

I just spent 6 hours or so defending against trespassers to get my sweet rewards. What a day it was! The area is great--all the way from the winding hill to the tumbledown building. Five stars, would defend with my life again.

Some pointers for success:

• I was level 31 or so, with a +3 katana. This seems to be average for passersby. I just hung around the tower and was summoned after 30 seconds of running around, sometimes less than that. Sit at the bonfire now and then to reset the wear and tear on your equipment.

• If you're not spawned straight into battle, then have patience, let your quarry come to you. You can hide behind the huge trees (or just do what I did and kneel in the open) to observe their equipment, play style, find out if they are a first timer, find out if they have summoned help. You may well be joined by a fellow Watchdog if you wait before rushing in.

• When it's time to fight, be aggressive and try to panic your opponent into making a mistake. About half the time they will run.

• There's no shortage of little helpers to bait intruders towards. I found that making wide/confusing circles around someone while drawing them into the water and close to a crab works wonders. Crabs can hurt you with their pounding attack though! If you encounter your quarry in the castle ruins area you'll almost certainly win if they haven't already cleared out the enemies there. If your quarry is accompanied, leading them towards the humanoid heavies can help even the odds.

• If your quarry panics and runs for the upper bonfire, they may be hoping to summon help. Cut them down before they can. The height here means that a panicked player will sometimes fall to their death, or run below you and give you opportunities for a dropping attack. Fighting in the bonfire area will turn the battle into a fairly even PvP match--you lose that asymmetrical advantage. That can be fun of course.

• Your starting position and the state of nearby mobs will give you a rough idea of where your quarry is. Follow the trail of dead crabs.

• Be weird. I found that sitting in the 'defeated slump' pose in an obvious location and allowing the player to come to me made them curious and overconfident (one player approached me with quarter health!) I think people assume you are looking in the same direction as your character. Hit the dodge button to leap instantly into action and put them on the back foot. Look out for telltale signs that you're about to get firebombed or shivved though.

• The invader Yellowfinger is not a human player...it took me longer than I'd care to admit to realise this. He will attack you without a second thought, even though you are both working towards the same goal!

• There is nothing sweeter than seeing that empty Estus animation.

Happy hunting!