History MuggingTheMonster / Videogames

** Random encounters become this when you're overleveled. Unless there's an [[AntiGrinding encounter limit]] or [[Videogame/EarthBound the AI is smart enough to avoid you]], monsters will keep throwing themselves into a losing battle.
* Who would attempt to rob a group of travelers consisting of a huge, scarred man, an [[KnightTemplar animated suit of armor carrying a huge axe]], a MagicKnight with an EmpathicWeapon, a street-savvy [[HalfHumanHybrid half-demonic]] ActionGirl, a [[HornyDevil succubus]], a [[PowerFloats floating]] and [[IncendiaryExponent Has constantly alight]] AxCrazy mage, a rogue from a [[MechaMooks robotic]] HiveMind, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and a wisecracking floating skull]]? If ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' is to be believed, every thug in the goddamn [[WretchedHive Hive]]. Although keep in mind, this is ''Sigil''. Those thugs have probably seen worse by just living there a year, and it's not like most of you wear any equipment that mark you out as particularly dangerous. Well, at least not early on.
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' has a couple of random minor sidequests which see "highwayman" style bandits attempting to rob the PlayerCharacter. As ''Morrowind'' is the only game in the series without strict LevelScaling, these encounters can actually be challenging to a low-level player. For a high-level player, they very much become this trope instead, as the bandit attempts to rob a ''[[KillTheGod god slayer]]''.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'':
*** Merely being the Hero of Kvatch, Archmage of the Mage's Guild, Guildmaster of the Fighter's Guild, Champion of the Arena, the Divine Crusader, Champion of Cyrodiil, and (in the expansion) [[spoiler:Sheogorath's heir, the new God of Madness]], isn't enough to make highway robbers leave you alone. It could be a bit of a subversion: thanks to the feature that makes the enemies level up with you, bandits can still be quite tough for a while (although most {{NPC}}s have their levels capped, so at higher levels this trope is still in effect). Though the robbers get downright silly at high levels. They always ask for 100 gold, no matter when it is that you face them. At low levels, this can be a burden to pay. At higher levels, [[MoneyForNothing 100 gold is practically nothing]]. Plus, since the robber's equipment levels with you, the people demanding 100 gold are wearing glass armor that's worth thousands. However, this is truly averted if you are the [[KingOfThieves Grey Fox]] and wearing the Nocturnal's Cowl. Then the highwaymen turn into fanboys and won't attack you unless you attack them first.
*** There's actually a little-known trick to escaping them. If you're wearing less than 100 gold worth of equipment when they speak to you (not carrying, just wearing), you can claim you don't have the money on you. They fall for it even if you're carrying 499lbs of Daedric equipment in your pack. Alternatively, if you do plenty of fame-increasing quests (the main quest in particular), the highwayman will instead greet you normally.
*** Occurs quite literally when a bandit accosts a vampire PlayerCharacter. If the player's vampirism stat is at 100%, the bandit runs up, then has an immediate OhCrap moment upon seeing their face.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'':
*** You can actually respond to a random highwayman ambush by telling the moronic robber that "I don't have time for this" and walking away. Or intimidating them into letting you go. Or, if you've completed the Thieves guild questline, pointing out that you're their ''boss'', before proceeding to shake ''them'' down for cash instead!
*** Hey, see that guy who just killed a dragon and [[YourSoulIsMine ate its soul?]] [[TooDumbToLive LET'S]] [[MemeticMutation MUG HIM.]]
*** It's possible to get accosted by a highwayman [[WhatAnIdiot WHILE IN WEREWOLF FORM]].
*** ''Skyrim'' even has a specific isolated example in Ravenscar Hollow, a cave occupied by a pair of [[WitchSpecies hagravens]] and their minions, including a cave troll. Partway into the cave, the player can find a caged bandit who begs to be released and will help you out; after you defeat the monsters (again, the very same ones that captured him and all his buddies), he [[UngratefulBastard announces his intent to rob you blind]].
*** ''Skyrim'' has another example in the Hearthfire {{DLC}}, where a random scripted event involves a bandit named Rochelle the Red [[IHaveYourWife kidnapping your character's spouse]] and demanding a ransom. It's unfortunately subverted in regards to your spouse: doesn't matter if you married a super-powerful warrior who can turn into a werewolf, an arch-wizard who knows Master-level magic, or a vampire who's older than the current Empire, [[DistressBall they all get kidnapped without putting up a fight because the plot says so.]]
*** Sild the Warlock discovered a way to subjugate the undead to his will, both as corpses and as wandering souls. To provide himself with a steady supply of test subjects, he sets up a simple trap in Rannveig's Fast; place an empty chest on the far side of a trapdoor rigged to drop the hapless bandit or adventurer trying to approach it into the holding cage in Sild's lab. Most of the people he traps can kill him in seconds, but they're usually killed or crippled by the fall, so he see no reason to worry when another well-armed, armor-clad individual drops in. Unfortunately, his last victim was not only able to survive the fall with minimal injury, but also pick the lock on the door of the cage the second Sild turns his back to prepare a poison to finish them off.
*** After retrieving the Staff of Magnus, which involved fighting a skeletal dragon, skeletons, draugr and an incredibly powerful dragon priest, a Thalmor mage approaches the player and attempts to take the staff under orders of the questline's BigBad. [[CurbStompBattle It goes about as well as can be expected]].

* In the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' franchise:
** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto2'': You'll see muggers occasionally pickpocketing gang members. Sure enough, this puts them into the TooDumbToLive territory. The same goes for when they try to pickpocket you; you can easily turn around and just blast them in the face with your trusty SMG and go on with your day.
** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'':
*** [[StupidCrooks Ryder]] attempts to rob a pizza joint [[StupidCrooks he is a regular at]] ("Ryder? Not this again!") with a pistol. Ryder turns to CJ long enough for the clerk to pull out his ''shotgun''.
*** While it turned out to be a case of CJ being mistaken for a burglar, Big Smoke coming out to meet the potential robber with [[BatterUp a baseball bat]] qualifies handily.
---->''"[[IncomingHam YOU PICKED THE WRONG HOUSE, FOOL!]]"''
** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' has {{serial killer}} Eddie Low hype himself about being a terror in Liberty City (he's killed a dozen people, most being either unsuspecting joggers or hitchhikers). The optional encounters with him end with him trying to kill Niko, who [[UsefulNotes/TheYugoslavWars fought in the Balkans]] and is now a freelance "problem solver" (read: he's killed a few hundred people, ''at least'', most of which include armed thugs and police). It's pretty obvious how this one turns out.
** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'':
*** [[HonestJohnsDealership Shifty car dealer Simeon Yetarian]] sells a yellow SUV to an unsuspecting victim, waits for the payments to fall through (as planned), and then sends his repo man Franklin Clinton out to take it back. The plan ''almost'' works out, except for a certain hitch: the victim in question is James "Jimmy" De Santa, the son of former bank robber and RetiredBadass Michael De Santa, who immediately catches on to the scheme. Hiding out in the back of the SUV, Michael allows Franklin to repo it, then puts a gun to his head and forces him to drive the SUV through the front window of Simeon's car dealership, where Michael gets out and proceeds to [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beat the Armenian to within an inch of his life]]. Needless to say, that's the last we see of Simeon (outside an optional event, anyway).
*** Happens again to the [[{{Cult}} Altruist Cult]] much later. After Trevor delivers a fourth victim to their doorstep, the Altruists decide to include Trevor (at gunpoint) in their [[CannibalTribe dinner plans]]. Unfortunately for them, Trevor is ''[[AxCrazy nothing]]'' like their usual dinner guests, and the Altruists seal their fates by leaving an AK within arm's reach. [[StrawmanNewsMedia Weasel News]] would later report the event as [[CurbStompBattle "ritual suicide"]] — an ironically apt description of what the cultists ended up [[TooDumbToLive "accomplishing"]].
*** A couple of random events have you getting lured into an alleyway to get mugged. Unfortunately for said mugger, they chose to attack the above-mentioned RetiredBadass Michael, the above-mentioned AxCrazy lunatic Trevor, or Franklin, who is himself a OneManArmy when pushed.
* Downplayed in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'': The range from which [=NPC=]s attack you depends on the level difference between the attacker and the "victim". With enough levels, players practically have to walk into enemies to get them to attack. The mechanic also works the other way around, creating a powerful incentive for low-level characters to stay away from high-level areas.
** In general, a PVE player picking a fight with a PVP player tends to end with the PVE player in the graveyard.
*** Most notable as PVE players tend towards having higher hp and judging people on that; PVP gear has lower stats, but also has a Damage Multiplier and Resistance stat for PVP. This is beyond [=PVPers=] regularly having their setup oriented towards kiting, CC, self-healing, burst DPS, and other things that make or break player-versus-player combat, while PVE players just go for raw hit points and damage output, and the often ''massive'' skill difference between someone who sits behind a boss smacking a macro all day and one that fights other experienced PVP Players. A PVE player seeing a flagged person with about 4/5ths of their hp and feeling mean will attempt to kill them, only for their hits to whiff, get stunned, bursted to a tenth of their hp, panic, and get killed trying to run away.
** Or when a player tries to attack another player without realizing they are a higher level, have better gear, and/or are very proficient with their class.

* In ''VideoGame/FusionFall'', where the difference in level between you and a monster directly relates to the range at which they will become agressive. Naturally, if a monster is ten levels tougher than you are, he'll chase you down and grind you into paste, but won't so much as notice you if the reverse is true.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** Whenever you have to backtrack far, the wild mons hit this. "Oh my, a Level 5 Caterpie. Do your thing, Level 62 Charizard."
*** Although in some games, it can basically get subverted, you can run into a situation where you ''think'' it's yet another low-level mon and instead it's a roaming legendary.
** Also, grinding early on makes for funny situations. You can also skip some early trainers, who then say that you look pretty easy and challenge you, only to find that you have a team of Level 100's.
** In ''Heart Gold'' and ''Soul Silver'', the first Pokémon in your party follows you around on the overworld, outside of its Pokéball. This trope approaches TooDumbToLive levels when Youngster Joey decides to take on you and your {{Olympus Mon|s}}.
** Though since the ''Pokémon'' universe runs on DefeatMeansFriendship, this trope could arguably be justified as a way of trying to make (powerful) new friends.
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}''
** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'' averts this with the New Reno crime families. If you are a made man of a family, the other families will attack you on sight — unless you are wearing a suit of [[PoweredArmor Power Armor]], in which case they will treat you with respectful politeness.
** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' plays it straight, though. No matter how well-armed, armored, and guarded by followers you may be, Talon Company or the Regulators (or both if you've been both good and evil) will not hesitate to attack you if you fast travel in certain locations. Also with one of the RandomEncounters, which features what has to be the most suicidal mugger in the entire freaking universe. He will try to rob you with a shotgun ''that isn't loaded''. Although finding this guy early in the game would have made sense, being a random encounter means you're far more likely to find him when you've already beaten half the game. You have the choice of either turning him into hamburger or telling him to jog on, and you can even point out that his gun isn't loaded, or point out the idiocy of mugging when the average raider just murders their victims for their stuff. Seriously, by the end of the game, any time pretty much anyone short of Enclave troops or Super Mutants attacks you would count as this.
*** If medals were being awarded for falling for this trope, though, the aliens that abduct you in the ''Mothership Zeta'' DLC deserve one. Every human living in Earth's various post-apocalyptic wasteland regions is a CombatPragmatist out of necessity for survival, and everybody this fact gets lost on is all but guaranteed a swift removal from the gene pool. The aliens abduct one of these humans and place them in a containment cell with another human from the wasteland. Cue the two wastelanders working together to hatch an escape plan, free several other humans aboard the ship, massacre the ship's security forces/crew, cripple its internal defense grid, disable its death ray, obliterate its research facilities, take control of the bridge, and then use the ship's remaining weapons to destroy its escort while slaughtering any boarding parties that try to retake the ship. For bonus points, the other humans they rescue from cryostasis are an American cowboy, a US Army CombatMedic, and a Japanese samurai: three character archetypes typically associated with being badass.
** ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' takes this a step further with the Freeside Thugs. When you first show up, you are attacked by 2 or 3 unarmored and unwashed thugs armed only with a variety of crappy melee weapons. They pose very little threat even at low levels, yet they will attack the Power Armor-wearing badass with an Avenger Minigun, followed by a Nightkin Super Mutant with a BFS and a heavily modified Eyebot. They last roughly the amount of time it takes for you to decide which of the numerous means of killing them (which ranges from chainsaws to an [[KillSat orbital death laser]]) you feel like using at that moment in time.
*** Actually, if you're well liked in Freeside, they usually won't even last that long, as members of the Kings gang will typically gun down the idiots before they can even get within line of sight to you.
*** ''New Vegas'' also features Orion Moreno, a bitter old man living near Camp [=McCarran=] and being harassed by the NCR, who claim that he is "squatting" on "their" land, even though he built the house he lives in decades before the NCR expanded into Nevada. [[spoiler:As it turns out, Moreno isn't just some random old coot, he's actually a RetiredBadass, being a former elite trooper for the Enclave, a OneManArmy who still has his PoweredArmor and [[GatlingGood minigun]] tucked away where he can get them.]] This trope is [[AwakenTheSleepingGiant especially played straight]] if you complete [[spoiler:Arcade]]'s companion quest by persuading Moreno to fight on the side of the Legion, the NCR's mortal enemy.
* Early in ''VideoGame/ReturnToKrondor'', two random muggers attempt to rob legendary thief Jimmy the Hand — who in fact scolds them for not recognizing a dangerous mark when they see one, yet they try it anyway.

* In ''VideoGame/FarCry2'', randomly encountered enemies may cower in fear and flee when they realize that their intended target is the legendary mercenary who is said to slaughter whole camps and maim opponents just for laughs. Provided your reputation is high, of course.
* Happens a few times in ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'':
** A random member of the Brotherhood tries to intimidate the boss and winds up eating his own beer bottle. [[FreezeFrameBonus This winds up in the crawl under the news broadcast seconds later.]]
** [=NPCs=] may attempt to rob stores while the player is trying to buy things. Since robberies disable shopping at the store, this typically results in the thief [[OhCrap being trapped in a small room with]] [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential a very annoyed player]].
** The second time Maero tries to intimidate [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Dane Vogel]], he finds out Vogel has wised up enough to have had a [[JustYouAndMeAndMyGuards squad of mercenaries]] on standby since their last "meeting".
** At one point, Shaundi's ex-boyfriend [[SmallNameBigEgo Veteran Child]] kidnaps Shaundi and uses her as bait to try and lure the Boss into a trap, then holds her hostage when the trap fails and the Boss comes for him personally. He's a strung-out DJ, the Boss is a homicidal maniac.
** In ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'', after the Saints get hit with a campaign of desprestige, you can find random [=NPCs=] in the map, holding signs telling the Saints to Leave Steelport. Pass by them and they'll insult or even attack you. Yeah, not the smartest choice to attack someone [[RedBaron who is known as "The Stillwater Butcher"]].

* In ''VideoGame/SplinterCell: Conviction'', there is a flashback to 20 years ago when three of the world's unluckiest home invaders try to rob Sam Fisher's house. This flashback also serves as the [[JustifiedTutorial tutorial to the "Mark and Execute" ability]].
* ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeRedemption'':
** This is how, after spending a thousand years asleep, your character gets his modern-day clothes. He was lucky enough to be targeted by a mugger of similar size to him.
** There's also an amusing encounter in the Middle Ages: as you get ready to storm the BigBad's castle, you are ambushed by three generic mooks, the leader of which snarls that he's going to avenge the True Deaths of more or less all of the ancient and powerful vampires you've defeated so far. As he's done enumerating them ([[LongList which takes some time]]), [[ExplainExplainOhCrap his crony wonders aloud if this is such a good idea after all...]]
* ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'' includes a similar scene much later with an unofficial patch: the PC gets mugged by a member of the local gang in Chinatown down a dark alleyway, with no witnesses... One dialogue option is to Dominate him into giving ''you'' all of ''his'' money. Otherwise, he makes a good snack.
** The base game also include a SerialKiller who lures people into his lair so he can dissect them. Unfortunately for him, ''you'' happen to be his new "victim". He makes for a decent boss fight, but unless your character really isn't built for combat, you should be able to kill him easily enough.
* In ''VideoGame/TheWitcher'', Geralt of Rivia is hired to find a treasure in an abandoned house by a thug who attempts to ambush him with a small pack of friends in said abandoned house. Right before he butchers them all, Geralt [[LampshadeHanging points out that it was pretty stupid of them to pull that scheme on a Witcher]].
--> '''Geralt''': That was pretty stupid, hiring a Witcher against yourself.
* The first groupings of mooks you fight in ''VideoGame/TalesOfEternia'' tend to be bandits and rogue mages. Why they choose to mug a kid carrying a two-foot long bowie knife and a buckler and his buddy who clearly knows several forms of karate is a mystery.

* ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'':
** In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood'', there are [[RandomEncounters randomly encountered]] robbers who attack Ezio Auditore because he looks like a rich nobleman (which he essentially is, to be honest) and an easy mark (which he is hilariously '''''not'''''). This sometimes occurs even when he's on horseback, in which case he could just ride away... but him getting off of his horse only gives him more varied ways to butcher them. Worse yet for them, they somehow all have various baubles, trinkets, and items he could make use of...
** It only gets worse for the poor sods when Ezio starts recruiting Assassin apprentices, and as a result can wipe out the entire ambush party with a wave of his hand and a flurry of Hidden Blades or [[RainOfArrows a storm of unseen arrows]]. (According to the community manager, the apprentices are actually tailing Ezio discreetly, so they're actually ambushing the would-be ambushers.) It's implied by the Thief Assignments (or rather that completing them all causes the attacks to cease) that the robbers are from the Cento Occhi ("Hundred Eyes") gang in [[BigBad Cesare Borgia's]] employ, though none of them seem to recognize Ezio as an Assassin despite him (and his apprentices) being the only one(s) in Rome to "show their colors."
** In the second sequence of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'', it's more like "Mugging the Monster's Friend". A pickpocket assails Stede, who looks like an easy mark, unaware that the mark is an associate of Edward Kenway, a hardened privateer-turned-pirate. The pickpocket doesn't live to regret his folly, and Edward lampshades this after killing him.
** In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey'', after meeting their friend Phoibe in Athens, having left the kid behind on Kephallonia, the Eagle Bearer is informed that she snuck onto a ship, wound up in Athens and became part of a street gang, who tried to scam Aspasia. Aspasia is the unofficial consort of Perikles, de-facto ''ruler'' of Athens. [[spoiler:And as it turns out at the very end of the game, the woman running the cult the Eagle Bearer's working their way through.]] Phoibe is damn lucky Aspasia found her gall funny and gave her a job.
** Happens to the Eagle Bearer themselves in Pephka, when a little kid running a scam operation tries to mug and kill them. Fortunately for the kid, the Eagle Bearer doesn't hurt kids, so he gets to go on his merry way.

* Occurs in the advertisement for ''VideoGame/HybridHeaven''. The first page shows a little old lady about to be mugged. The next page shows the lady walking away from the mugger's remains.
* ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPs4'': Initially, the weird, skinny, drunken-looking guy who storms up to Kratos's cabin and picks a fight with him seems like a clear case of this, or even BullyingADragon as The Stranger shows [[spoiler: [[MistakenIdentity (inaccurate)]]]] knowledge of who he's up against and still steams ahead with taunts and jabs to the face before Kratos finally sends him flying backwards with a single punch. Immediately after, however, the truth is revealed: it's Kratos who has no idea who he had just slugged. One earth-shattering fight with the [[CompleteImmortality immortal,]] [[SuperStrength super-strong]] Stranger later, Kratos has been beaten to an inch of his life and has to practically drag his broken body back to his cabin.
* Happens quite often in ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption''. Even when people recognise Marston in the streets and his name is considered synonymous with badassery, people still love trying to mug him.
** In a cut-scene example, when Marston enters the Mexican town of Chuparosa for the first time, a trio of drunken locals — obviously hell-bent on bullying some "gringo" — decide it'd be a good idea to pick on him. Marston tries to defuse the situation calmly and without violence, but his respectful overtures are rejected, and when the trio steal his hat and make a play for his boots... well, you can probably guess how it ends for them.
* In ''VideoGame/BloodOmen2LegacyOfKain'', Umah says, "I have a prisoner waiting for you down below. A thug, from a local gang of criminals. He sought to murder yet another helpless victim, but he met me instead."
* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', a trio of Rodian punks start hassling the bounty hunter Calo Nord, who calmly tells them to go away and begins counting to three when they don't. Calo then blasts them all in under five seconds and warns you to go away if you bother him as well. This can also lead to a NonStandardGameOver — you can [[TooDumbToLive ignore his warnings to leave him alone]], after which he'll [[HopelessBossFight kill you in 2 hits. At most.]]
* Then in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'', the Protagonist was quite content with fading into obscurity, in planet Bumfuck Nowhere located in the middle of Force knows where in the Outer Rim. The Protagonist had, by this point, a kill count more adequately counted in the thousands. So what do the Sith do? Attack her, of course, because she's the Last of the Jedi! [[spoiler:All of them end up predictably dead in the end.]]
* In ''VideoGame/KingdomsOfAmalurReckoning'', it's justified since the various bandit gangs in Amalur have no way of knowing their lone mark is a BackFromTheDead badass capable of beating them to death with their own Fate. It does get a little ridiculous if you happen to be completely decked out in full Prismere gear.

* In ''VideoGame/PoliceQuest II'', when Bonds is pursuing Bains in Steelton Park, you encounter a mugger who will mug you with his bare hands. Radioing your partner will scare him away and get him arrested.
* In ''VideoGame/MaxPayne3'', Max gets a gun waved in his face by the punk son of a mob boss, who gets killed shortly after. He later gets robbed by a bunch of favela gangbangers and lets them do so for some reason or another. Later on, he meets them again and kills them all. In fact, this happens a lot due to CutsceneIncompetence.
* Featured in trailers to ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld'', in which the representatives of each faction are attacked by minor demons and easily fight them off. Arguably the best example of this crops up in TheIlluminati trailer: in this case, [[TheMeanBrit Alex McCall]] is attacked in a pub bathroom by a tentacled monster; despite being less than three feet away from the creature, [=McCall=] doesn't even step away from the urinal, distracting the monster with an illusion before obliterating it with a blast of chaos magic. Cut to black, as [=McCall=] ''finally'' zips up his fly and leaves.
* Entirely possible in ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars''. Admittedly in the first game, [[ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption war is the default option]] and you must opt in to ceasefire or better, but in the second game, you default to neutrality and due to ArtificialStupidity other factions are still very likely to declare war without considering that you might be much more powerful. It's not uncommon for the AI or an inexperienced player to stumble upon a fledgling colony as first contact, think the owners are easy prey, and attack... only for a fleetful of dreadnoughts to pop up shortly after from the dozens of developed systems the owner really has, seeing red.
* ''{{VideoGame/Ingress}}'': When 855 needs a new gun, he just goes and gets mugged.

* Any enemy trying to attack a ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' player. And that's with emphasis on the [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential "monster"]] part.
* The AI in ''VideoGame/EscapeVelocity Nova'' is mostly smart enough to avert this. Mostly. Occasionally you get something like an AI-controlled pirate Viper (a light StarFighter) attacking a player-controlled Starbridge (''technically'' a [[CoolStarship freighter]]).
* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', a group of slavers decides to attack Noire, a seemingly timid ShrinkingViolet looking for her mother in the wilderness. The party comes by to bail her out, but before they can even reach her, Noire reveals she has an AxCrazy SplitPersonality and, since the slavers were considerate enough to leave a bow within reach, she promptly starts murdering them long before any assistance can reach her.
** Also happens in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'' when a pair of bandit twins and their band of thieves decide to mug a well-to-do traveller in the middle of the desert. Only problem is that traveller happens to be the famous sage Pent, who is one of the strongest characters in the game up to that point (more than capable of taking on the entire map on his own, if you let him).
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'', Leila offers you a ride to Deist. After you get into open waters, she summons her crew to attack you. After a rather easy battle, she wisely [[DefeatMeansFriendship joins your party]].
* ''VideoGame/BeyondTwoSouls'' has an instance that is less Mugging the Monster than it is Mugging the Monster's Friend. Four {{Jerkass}} teens with a video camera and a baseball bat decide to beat up Stan, a defenseless homeless man, ForTheLulz. His newly-made friend Jodie — who has had CIA combat training — intervenes. ''Firmly''. The "[[CurbStompBattle fight]]" is made all the more satisfying by the fact that it's caught on the thugs' own camera.
* In ''VideoGame/{{PAYDAY2}}'''s GO Bank heist, one of the random events has a blackmailer call and demand a cut of the loot or he will call the police. Which might be a concern for the average bank robber, but these are the Crew, for whom gunning down dozens of lawmen is just another day on the job. Fortunately for the idiot, he is only a voice and not actually rendered as a character. Unfortunately for him, the Payday gang gets their revenge offscreen. The money bag “given” to him is ultimately still counted as yours in the end screen.

* ''VideoGame/GalacticCivilizations'':
** The game's AI was specifically coded to try to avoid doing this; the AI will not attack a stronger opponent unless it has some kind of advantage over them. It still happens, though, as the AI is sometimes not a good judge of who a stronger opponent is. For example, it may try attacking a civilization with a small amount of standing military forces, only for said civilization to very quickly build or purchase a far superior army, or simply out-produce the AI with a superior industrial base and overwhelm it with numbers.
** In the backstory, the Drengin were at least GenreSavvy enough to get someone ''else'' to try mugging the monster in question. They convinced the Xendar that the peaceful, diplomatic Terrans would be an easy conquest, so they could judge the Terrans' strength in war. End result: the Xendar were fought all the way back to their homeworld, at which point the Drengin hurriedly wiped them out before the Terrans could figure out who put the Xendar up to this.
* ''Videogame/FallenLondon'':
** You can invoke this in one of the Velocipede Squad options by disguising yourself as a mere drunk and letting people think they can rob you. Since the Velocipede Squad requires you to be a certified badass to join, these people are easily trounced and battered to hell if they so much as breathe on your pockets.
** Naturally, you can end up doing this yourself, usually when failing challenges and finding out your target was a bit sneakier, smarter, or stronger than you thought. Examples include getting thrown overboard by a docker's hidden help and trying to give the Minister a beating, only to find out [[RetiredBadass the chap used to be a very good boxer]].
** One opportunity card in the Hinterlands has you either help an old man that's being robbed, or assist in robbing him. It also serves as a quick introduction of how dangerous the Hinterlands truly are, because the old man used to be an experienced monster-hunter that made a killing on monster bounties and can easily beat you and the robber into the ground if you aren't ready.
** The entirety of London ended up doing this when they tried to invade Hell. They found out the Devils were not only more or less endless, but they also have anachronistic weaponry that trounced the Empire's own three times over.
** And of course, the Devils themselves end up doing this when they try to sack Polythreme, which is an ''insanely'' active GeniusLoci to the point any inanimate objects within it gain a life of their own that acts both individually and like a HiveMind with the rest. One can only imagine the faces of the devils as their own ships, weapons, and even ''clothes'' decided to stop cooperating and turn on them.
* The very first battle of ''VideoGame/NocturneRebirth'' features the vampiric main character, Reviel, delivering a CurbStompBattle to a trio of bandits who want to mug him.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** It happens in the original ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI''. See those old men just passing out information? Don't hurt them, because some of them will start firing fireballs at you and kill you.
** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', the Gerudo traveler Lukan deliberately takes advantage of this trope. She is a soldier from Gerudo Town wandering the desert region disguised as a common merchant in order to fool the [[{{Ninja}} Yiga Clan]] into thinking she will be an easy target for them.

* In the "Bzzt! Amped-up Summer!" event in ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'', the local Mafia dismiss the Captain and co. as a threat, assuming with all the women and kids, they're probably entertainers, and go ahead with a plan to eliminate the possible disruption to their eal-farming scheme and claim Heles for their Capo. The women in question include Olivia, a fallen Archangel and one of the first Primal Beasts, and Tien, a member of the strongest airship crew in the world. Meanwhile the children include the captain, by this point in the story one of the strongest humans in existence, as well as Scathacha, a True Dragon. It goes without saying that things ultimately don't end well for the Mafia.
* Happens constantly in ''VideoGame/EliteDangerous'' if some new pirate in their fresh Eagle interdicts, say, a passing courier ship like a Viper III... unaware that the Viper III is packing plasma accelerators and missile launchers, and turns said Eagle into space vapor with a single puff. This becomes doubly hilarious when a rookie pirate picks on something like a Type-9 cargo transport or an Orca civilian pleasure cruise liner... ships that have a surprising tendency to hide a half-dozen laser turrets in their hull. Or worse yet, [[RammingAlwaysWorks sufficient mass, moving at speed]].

* In ''VideoGame/FarCry 2'', randomly encountered enemies may cower in fear and flee when they realize that their intended target is the legendary mercenary who is said to slaughter whole camps and maim opponents just for laughs. Provided your reputation is high, of course.

** The protagonists will constantly be attacked by low-level thugs on the streets. In some cases, like the rather small and unassuming Akiyama or PrettyBoy Tanimura, this is justified. In the case of one-eyed Majima, built-like-a-bear-on-bearoids Kiryu or makes-Kiryu-look-like-a-beanpole Saejima… not so much.

** While going as an Orlesian Warden means you have no such accomplishments under your belt, the conspirators and everyone else are forgetting something: (1) you're a Grey Warden and (2) you're Orlesian. Orlais is known for its DeadlyDecadentCourt, where assassinations, conspiracies, and backstabbings are the order of the day, alongside some fancy new shoes and a cleavage-enhancing dress, if we're to take Leliana's word, and you could strike back at your enemies like an Orlesian (like by taking people hostage). And being a Grey Warden is never something to take lightly, as there ''is'' a reason you were made one. And putting those aside, your first feat in Vigil's Keep is to near-singlehandedly take it back from the darkspawn, where everyone else was pretty much getting slaughtered until you pulled their bacon out of the fire.

* ''{{VideoGame/Yakuza}}'': The protagonists will constantly be attacked by low-level thugs on the streets. In some cases, like the rather small and unassuming Akiyama or PrettyBoy Tanimura, this is justified. In the case of one-eyed Majima, built-like-a-bear-on-bearoids Kiryu or makes-Kiryu-look-like-a-beanpole Saejima… not so much.

** Much later on in ''Dragon Age'', when you've leveled up a lot more and your personal reputation has been well established, you can talk to a city guardsman named Sgt. Kylon in Denerim. Although there's still a bounty on your head for your supposed treason, he explains that even he if he believed the claims of treason, which he doesn't, he still would have no interest in attempting to arrest you. "If I asked my men to apprehend you, [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere they'd all run]] and [[TearsOfFear cry big, sobby tears]] in their courtesan's bosoms and leave me all alone [[CurbStompBattle to be skewered]]." You can then discuss helping out the guards, at which point he asks you about chasing some mercenaries out of a brothel. "I said beat down, not kill. Let me make that really clear. Not on fire, or exploded, or Maker knows whatever type of grisly death you can dream up... Sorry, used to giving orders to my boys." After you successfully complete this task, he meets you halfway back to the city market area to give you your pay, only to have the leader of the mercenaries come after you in a towering rage. Upon seeing you in action, Sgt. Kylon's only response is "And people actually voluntarily attack you? Are they just stupid?"

* ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPs4'': Initially, the weird, skinny, drunken-looking guy who storms up to Kratos's cabin and picks a fight with him seems like a clear case of this, or even BullyingADragon as The Stranger shows [[[[spoiler: MistakenIdentity (innacurate)]]]] knowledge of who he's up against and still steams ahead with taunts and jabs to the face before Kratos finally sends him flying backwards with a single punch. Immediately after, however, the truth is revealed: it's Kratos who has no idea who he had just slugged. One earth-shattering fight with the [[CompleteImmortality immortal,]] [[SuperStrength super-strong]] Stranger later, Kratos has been beaten to an inch of his life and has to practically drag his broken body back to his cabin.

** Though since the Pokémon universe runs on DefeatMeansFriendship, this trope could arguably be justified as a way of trying to make (powerful) new friends.

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', the Gerudo traveler Lukan deliberately takes advantage of this trope. She is a soldier from Gerudo Town wandering the desert region disguised as a common merchant in order to fool the [[{{Ninja}} Yiga Clan]] into thinking she will be an easy target for them.

* In ''VideoGame/SplinterCellConviction'', there is a flashback to 20 years ago when three of the world's unluckiest home invaders try to rob Sam Fisher's house. This flashback also serves as the [[JustifiedTutorial tutorial to the "Mark and Execute" ability]].

* In the "Bzzt! Amped-up Summer!" event in ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'', the local Mafia dismiss the Captain and co. as a threat, assuming with all the women and kids, they're probably entertainers, and go ahead with a plan to eliminate the possible distribution to their eal-farming scheme and claim Heles for their capo. The women in question include Olivia, a fallen Archangel and one of the first Primal Beasts, and Tien, a member of the strongest airship crew in the world. Meanwhile the children include the captain, by this point in the story one of the strongest humans in existence, as well as Scathacha, a True Dragon. It goes without saying that things ultimately don't end well for the Mafia.

* In the "Bzzt! Amped-up Summer!" event in ''GranblueFantasy'', the local Mafia dismiss the Captain and co. as a threat, assuming with all the women and kids, they're probably entertainers, and go ahead with a plan to eliminate the possible distribution to their eal-farming scheme and claim Heles for their capo. The women in question include Olivia, a fallen Archangel and one of the first Primal Beasts, and Tien, a member of the strongest airship crew in the world. Meanwhile the children include the captain, by this point in the story one of the strongest humans in existence, as well as Scathacha, a True Dragon. It goes without saying that things ultimately don't end well for the Mafia.

** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'': Merely being the Hero of Kvatch, Archmage of the Mage's Guild, Guildmaster of the Fighter's Guild, Champion of the Arena, the Divine Crusader, Champion of Cyrodiil, and (in the expansion) [[spoiler:Sheogorath's heir, the new God of Madness]], isn't enough to make highway robbers leave you alone. It could be a bit of a subversion: thanks to the feature that makes the enemies level up with you, bandits can still be quite tough for a while (although most {{NPC}}s have their levels capped, so at higher levels this trope is still in effect). Though the robbers get downright silly at high levels. They always ask for 100 gold, no matter when it is that you face them. At low levels, this can be a burden to pay. At higher levels, [[MoneyForNothing 100 gold is practically nothing]]. Plus, since the robber's equipment levels with you, the people demanding 100 gold are wearing glass armor that's worth thousands. However, this is truly averted if you are the [[KingOfThieves Grey Fox]] and wearing the Nocturnal's Cowl. Then the highwaymen turn into fanboys and won't attack you unless you attack them first.

** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'': Merely being the Hero of Kvatch, Archmage of the Mage's Guild, Guildmaster of the Fighter's Guild, Champion of the Arena, the Divine Crusader, Champion of Cyrodiil, and (in the expansion) [[spoiler:Sheogorath's heir, the new God of Madness]], isn't enough to make highway robbers leave you alone. It could be a bit of a subversion: thanks to the feature that makes the enemies level up with you, bandits can still be quite tough for a while (although most {{NPC}}s have their levels capped, so at higher levels this trope is still in effect). Though the robbers get downright silly at high levels. They always ask for 100 gold, no matter when it is that you face them. At low levels, this can be a burden to pay. At higher levels, [[MoneyForNothing 100 gold is practically nothing]]. Plus, since the robber's equipment levels with you, the people demanding 100 gold are wearing glass armor that's worth thousands. However, this is truly averted if you are the [[MasterThief Grey Fox]] and wearing the Nocturnal's Cowl. Then the highwaymen turn into fanboys and won't attack you unless you attack them first.

* Who would attempt to rob a group of travelers consisting of a huge, scarred man, an [[KnightTemplar animated suit of armor carrying a huge axe]], a MagicKnight with an EmpathicWeapon, a street-savvy [[HalfHumanHybrid half-demonic]] ActionGirl, a [[HornyDevil succubus]], a [[PowerFloats floating]] and [[IncendiaryExponent constantly alight]] AxCrazy mage, a rogue from a [[MechaMooks robotic]] HiveMind, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and a wisecracking floating skull]]? If ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' is to be believed, every thug in the goddamn [[WretchedHive Hive]]. Although keep in mind, this is ''Sigil''. Those thugs have probably seen worse by just living there a year, and it's not like most of you wear any equipment that mark you out as particularly dangerous. Well, at least not early on.

* In ''VideoGame/{{2}}'''s GO Bank heist, one of the random events has a blackmailer call and demand a cut of the loot or he will call the police. Which might be a concern for the average bank robber, but these are the Crew, for whom gunning down dozens of lawmen is just another day on the job. Fortunately for the idiot, he is only a voice and not actually rendered as a character. Unfortunately for him, the Payday gang gets their revenge offscreen. The money bag “given” to him is ultimately still counted as yours in the end screen.

* In ''VideoGame/{{PAYDAY 2}}'''s GO Bank heist, one of the random events has a blackmailer call and demand a cut of the loot or he will call the police. Which might be a concern for the average bank robber, but these are the Payday Crew, for whom gunning down dozens of lawmen is just another day on the job. Fortunately for the idiot, he isn't actually rendered as anything more than a voice, or his fate would have been dire indeed.

-->'''Shepard:''' I'm offering you the chance to be my friend. You don't want to be my enemy.\\

-->'''Wrex:''' Anyone who fights us is either stupid or on Saren's payroll. Killing the latter is business. Killing the former is a favor to the universe.

-->"[[LampshadeHanging Thought I was harmless, did you?]]"

* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto2'': You'll see muggers occasionally pickpocketing gang members. Sure enough, this puts them into the TooDumbToLive territory.
** Same goes for when they try to pickpocket you. You can easily turn around and just blast them in the face with your trusty SMG and go on with your day.

* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' has {{serial killer}} Eddie Low have much hype about being a terror in Liberty City (he's killed a dozen people, most being either unsuspecting joggers or hitchhikers). The optional encounters with him ends with his trying to kill Niko, who [[UsefulNotes/TheYugoslavWars fought in the Balkans]] and is now a freelance "problem solver" (read: he's killed a few hundred people, ''at least'', most of which include armed thugs and police). It's pretty obvious how this one turns out.
* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'':
** [[StupidCrooks Ryder]] attempts to rob a pizza joint [[StupidCrooks he is a regular at]] ("Ryder? Not this again!") with a pistol. Ryder turns to CJ long enough for the clerk to pull out his ''shotgun''.
** While it turned out to be a case of CJ being mistaken for a burglar, Big Smoke coming out to meet the potential robber with [[BatterUp a baseball bat]] qualifies handily.
-->''"[[IncomingHam YOU PICKED THE WRONG HOUSE, FOOL!]]"''
* In ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'', [[HonestJohnsDealership shifty car dealer Simeon Yetarian]] sells a yellow SUV to an unsuspecting victim, waits for the payments to fall through (as planned), and then sends his repo man Franklin Clinton out to take it back. The plan ''almost'' works out, except for a certain hitch: the victim in question is James "Jimmy" De Santa, the son of former bank robber and RetiredBadass Michael De Santa, who immediately catches on to the scheme. Hiding out in the back of the SUV, Michael allows Franklin to repo it, then puts a gun to his head and forces him to drive the SUV through the front window of Simeon's car dealership, where Michael gets out and proceeds to [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beat the Armenian to an inch of his life]]. Needless to say, that's the last we see of Simeon (outside an optional event, anyway).
** Invoked again by the [[{{Cult}} Altruist Cult]] much later. After Trevor delivers a fourth victim to their doorstep, the Altruists decide to include Trevor (at gunpoint) in their [[CannibalTribe dinner plans]]. Unfortunately for them, Trevor is ''[[AxCrazy no]][[PsychoForHire thing]]'' like their usual dinner guests, and the Altruists only seal their fates by leaving an AK within arm's reach. [[StrawmanNewsMedia Weasel News]] would later report the event as [[CurbStompBattle "ritual suicide"]] — an ironically apt description of what the cultists ended up [[TooDumbToLive "accomplishing"]].

* In ''VideoGame/FarCry 2'', randomly encoutered enemies may cower in fear and flee when they realize that their intended target is the legendary mercenary who is said to slaughter whole camps and maim opponents just for laughs. Provided your reputation is high, of course.

** The second time Maero tries to intimidate [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Dane Vogel]], he finds out Vogel is GenreSavvy enough to have had a [[JustYouAndMeAndMyGuards squad of mercenaries]] on standby since their last "meeting".
** [[SmallNameBigEgo Veteran Child]] kidnapping Shaundi and then trying to assassinate the boss. He's a DJ, the boss is a homicidal maniac.
** In ''VideGame/SaintsRowTheThird'', after the Saints get hit with a campaign of desprestige, you can find random [=NPCs=] in the map, holding signs telling the Saints to Leave Steelport. Pass by them and they'll insult or even attack you. Yeah, not the smartest choice to attack someone [[RedBaron who is known as "The Stillwater Butcher"]].