You’ve probably played a battle royale game before. And I’m sure you’ve blasted through hordes of zombies before. Maybe you’ve even played a monster hunting game before. But have you played a game with all three at once? Hunt Showdown is a mashup of several different types of games, and it comes together as a new genre called an extraction shooter. There’s an immense skill curve in the game, and I’ve certainly made my fair share of hard knocks. Thanks to personal experience, and some partners who’ve given me some invaluable tips, I’m going to share all of that with you now. I’m going to help you prepare to win in the bayou.
Take a well rounded loadout. Something heavy hitting, something long range, something to melee with, and something fast firing. Think of all the situations you could encounter, or your specific style of play, and tailor your choices. A lot of items are dual purpose like the Winfield Talon, which offers a long gun and melee weapon in a single package. The Levering trait will increase the fire rate of lever action rifles. Additional items you might want to consider are a vitality shot, first aid kit, and some kind of explosive if your cash flow allows. Choke bombs if you have partners.
Refresh recruits after every round. Look at the health, traits, and weapons each hunter offers. If it’s not a good deal for the money, hit the refresh button after each match. I tend to stick with the free hunters since you can use them simply for their gear with no penalty. You can stock up on up to 5 hunters, so don’t shy away from a good buy. One tip, look for a health bar setup with a small bar at the end. It’ll keep you in a better fighting shape when you lose a bar to dying.
99 problems, but a bounty ain’t one. Don’t be afraid to go into a match and just farm. Find clues, kill monsters, extract. This will get you money to buy more/better gear, and XP to level up your hunter. The higher ranks of Hunt Showdown are filled with some nasty weapons and equipment, and the higher ranked hunters will have those advantages. The bounties are going to be fiercely contested, and more traits and equipment will help even the playing field. It’s not smart to go all in every time.
Pause to get the lay of the land occasionally. Not only is this a tactical tip, but Hunt Showdown is a beautiful looking game. Look down railroad tracks before you cross, survey open fields or down into open swamps from an elevated position. Just pause and look for movement. You can see hunters moving from clue to clue sometimes, and it just might help you get the drop on them.
If the lead starts to fly, you both want to be nearby. Be a good teammate. Check over your shoulder every so often to make sure you aren’t leaving your partner behind. Communicate very clearly about what you want to do, for instance any challenges you have your sights on completing. Stay close enough to watch their back. You want to be able to help them if they get pinned down or easily toss a choke bomb on them if they’re down.
Keep quiet. Especially after you get revived. My partner revived me once, I thanked him and immediately alerted the team we were in a gunfight with. Everything you say in game can be heard by anyone nearby. If you’re talking, you’re alerting nearby hunters to your presence, and giving them your position. And for the love of all that is good in this world, do NOT use an open mic.
Stay inside after a banish. Being inside a building will afford you a decent amount of cover. Once you poke your head outside, you lose a lot of that cover. You’ll have the advantage of hearing doors open, using traps to cover windows, and various other environmental warnings that other hunters are moving in on your kill. Going outside gives a hunter with a scope a great opportunity to make sure you never see it coming.
Along these lines, the environment is an invaluable ally, and a devious enemy. Horses, crows, bottles and chains all conspire against you. Meanwhile, they also conspire against your enemies. Listen for barking of grunts and yipping of dogs to alert you to the presence of your competition. Meanwhile, you have to take care to avoid these pitfalls yourself. A few tips to help you keep quiet, use your pings to alert for crows, dying horses, or other environmental hazards. Double ping (red) to alert for enemy hunters. Toggle crouch up and down for a non-verbal ‘yes’, turn side to side for a non-verbal ‘no’.
Listen, listen, listen. This is the most important tip you can ever get in Hunt Showdown. Doesn’t matter what weapon you bring, or what loadout you take, if you don’t hear them coming, it’s all for nothing. The environment is your best friend, and your worst enemy. Your footsteps can be heard from a LONG way. Running is even louder. Walking on wooden planks, splashing through swamps, and crunching on gravel are all things you should be listening for. This means you have to be MORE quiet. You have to walk more, crouch more, and do more listening than your competition. I highly recommend you test these distances for yourself. Jump into a duo queue with a partner, and just see how far away you can hear them from. You will be doing yourself an enormous favor.
All the little lanterns inside and outside in game can be turned on and off. Turn lights off. If you’re in a building, turn them off so you won’t cast shadows, and it will be harder to see you from the outside. The same goes for lanterns outside, turn them off. You’re much easier to shoot at creeping around in a well lit area. These lights can also be shot by enemy hunters resulting in the equivalent of having a lantern dropped on your head and setting you on fire.
Always stay hidden. This can mean behind cover, or hidden in bushes. If you have to AFK or stop to look at the map, do it from behind a wagon or crouched inside a bush. Don’t travel on the road, use the forest or wheat field. When the trees are sparse, run from bush to bush. Do not make it easy for someone watching to see you. And there are hunters watching.
L2 melee. Killing random zombies with melee weapons, even a simple knife, will keep things quieter. Shooting at zombies, hives, and even hounds sends up a virtual flare to your location for other hunters. Keep things stealthy until you’re ready to make your move. Additionally, if you can melee the boss, you won’t be sending out calling cards to the competition. There’s always a melee weapon or two lying around, be it pitchforks or axes. Not to mention you’ll save your ammo for gunfights, which is important when you start bringing special ammo. My tip, take knuckles over knives. Those Immolaters can be absolutely annoying.
Know when to hold and when to fold. Withdraw after you kill another hunter, or if you get shot and don’t know where it came from. Reset the fight on your terms to a location with better cover. If you fall back, you’re still alive. Most of the time, I’ve found they’ll definitely come to you. If you don’t fall back, they know right where you are, and just where to flank you from. If you relocate, you know better where to expect them from. The only way to win Hunt Showdown is to survive.