Hunt Showdown is still part of the 2023 squad of tactical and survival shooters, and for this reason we've dug out our beginner tips once again and updated them for you with the latest tactics, tips and tricks.
What tips do we offer? In the following paragraphs of our guide you will find tips on all aspects of Hunt Showdown. For the sake of clarity, we've sorted them by gameplay, starting with the menu, moving on to the game start, and ending with beginner tips on combat, monsters, and more.
Before and during the round: The first 5 tips we give you should be internalized before the very first round of Bounty Hunt.
When you start Hunt Showdown for the first time, you will be directly confronted with the choice of your first hunter. You have a choice of several hunters, one of which is always free. The other three hunters in your squad cost money. Usually, the better their equipment and the higher their level (animal), the more expensive they are. There are three tiers:
You should always choose a free hunter at the beginning. However, if you don't like his equipment at all, you can either exchange it or have the squad regenerated. Once after each completed match, you can exchange the four randomly presented fighters for free. Afterward it will cost you 20 Blood Bonds, the real money currency.
Your fighter levels up for all actions and completion of a match. This allows him to use new traits (passive abilities). Once your hunter has reached the highest level of 50, you can retire him. With this, you then trade the hunter for a large sum of experience points for your bloodline level. Bloodline level is your account level and unlocks weapons and equipment.
Tip within a tip: Keep your level 50 character with all the traits he has. Until you reach level 11 in the bloodline level, you can't lose it when you die.
Since your hunter can't be lost until you reach level 11, you can quickly and reliably earn new skill points. After your matches, you can invest these skill points in the so-called traits. Traits give your character passive abilities, such as quieter movement, less fall damage, or the ability to revive friends from a distance. Traits are also divided into four categories:
You unlock many of the traits only after you reach a certain rank in the Bloodline level. For beginners -- and advanced players -- the following traits are best:
Even before you decide on a weapon, you should -- no, you must -- choose the right consumables and equipment. The most important thing is to have enough healing resources. The following loadout should be carried by everyone as is or with minimal adjustments
Weapons in Hunt Showdown differ precious little from other guns in their category. A Winfield will take out the enemy with two hits, a Lebel and the Mosin too, the Veterli anyway, and actually most of the Knifften. Head hits are also always a one-hit-wonder. So what's the difference, and how do you decide which weapons to choose?
The differences between each weapon -- even of the same category -- is in the details. There are more factors to consider when choosing your weapon in Hunt Showdown than pure damage:
Important things to know about ammo: There are different types of ammo in Hunt Showdown and then there is Custom Ammo. The latter describes incendiary, poisonous or full metal jacket bullets, all of which bring their own advantages and disadvantages. Incendiary and poisonous ammo, for example, can be cleverly used against special AI enemy types. Full metal jacket projectiles, on the other hand, have great penetration power and can shoot through thick walls. In return for these aspects, you generally do less damage or have a reduced maximum range of your weapon. You can, however, carry two different ammunition variants and thus switch to normal ammunition as well.
If you also carry a main and a secondary weapon of the same caliber, both ammunition reserves are added. It is important that you do not run out of ammunition, especially for prolonged positional combat. For weapons with large caliber (long ammo) this is additionally helpful, because these weapons generally have a very small ammo supply.
So which weapon shall it be? At high noon it depends on which weapon you are most comfortable with and which one gives you a good feeling. Basically, you should always carry two weapons for different uses. If you carry a Lebel as your primary weapon, then maybe take a sawed-off shotgun or a rapid-fire pistol into the field with you. This way you'll be sure to knock the spokes out of your opponents' wagon wheels at long and short range.
Since the latest Hunt update 1.12, there is a fully voiced tutorial that not only introduces you a bit to the history of the bayou, but also to the basic mechanics of Hunt Showdown. Be sure to play it, because not only will you learn the most important aspects of the shooter, you'll also get a reward!
What is the training mode? Hunt Showdown offers all hunters an increasingly difficult training mode. You can find it in the main menu. Here you will not only learn the absolute basics, you can also earn 850 units of the real money currency "Blood Bonds". That's a free €8.50. Therefore, this is one of the Hunt Showdown tips that will make you not only better, but richer.
In stage 1 of the mode, there are only weak mobs without weapons. Moreover, the boss you have to find is severely weakened. In stage 2, you'll encounter stronger mobs and a slightly less wounded boss. In stage 3 of the Hunt Showdown training mode, you'll have to face live conditions except for the real players.
One of the most important tips for Hunt Showdown is to know each monster. After all, they don't only look different. You'll also have to fight many types of enemies in different ways. Some even have immunities to certain types of damage. Others are sneaky and still others you should only approach in case of emergency:
In Hunt Showdown you'll primarily encounter teams of two or three, depending on the setting. You can't avoid this division, since solo players will also end up in a lobby with the teams. A real solo mode is only available in the Battle Royale mode "Quickplay".
Therefore, find a teammate with whom you can play regularly. Alternatively, you can use matchmaking to find random hunters with the same or a similar Elo. Unlike in many shooters, most of the players are very nice and helpful.
Into the real game: As soon as you spawn on the map, press "TAB" to open the map. Before the round, check exactly where you start and where the refill stations are. These are the covered wagon symbols on the map. Once you have your bearings, close the map and hold down "E". With the now active darkvision you can find the blue glowing clues, you have to collect them.
Speaking of checking your surroundings: In many cases, you'll find yourself at a starting point that's right next to one or more other teams. Developer Crytek has specified two spawns for almost every clue location on the edge of the map. However, due to the limit of 12 players per round, not all of them are occupied. On the following map you can see all player spawns of the first two maps of Hunt Showdown (we are currently working on the spawns for the latest map)
If you feel up to it, cut off the other team or wait for them. Then blow out their kerosene lamps as quickly as possible. Knowing the spawn points will, at best, give you a massive skill advantage over your opponents, and at worst, help you catch up to their skill. So memorize the spawns -- for more on this, check out the dedicated guide to spawns in Hunt.
Whether you're intercepting your enemies before the first clue or sending them to sleep with the water devils, you must always be as quiet as possible. Of course, sprinting is louder than running, which in turn makes more noise than walking crouched. Other sources of noise that will give you away are:
Luckily for you, there are always lanterns above coops and kennels. Destroy them quietly with throwing knives, silenced shots, or directly with another burning lamp. This way you'll silence them in advance. It's also better to move around: never sit in one position for too long. Especially in firefights, you should follow the motto of real snipers: "Never fire more than 2 shots from one position."
Keep moving, don't sit in the thicket, and never forget, your target is the boss and his bounty, not studying the tree barks in the bayou. Look around corners or hold an angle as you expect an opponent Strafe left and right. "Penalty" means to stay in controlled sideways motion while shooting or just holding a position.
Warning signals are not only birds, mobs or other AI enemies that go crazy when players see them. Shots in particular should put you on alert. Learn to estimate how far away the trigger-happy enemy is. Distance and sound of each weapon you can learn.
Hunt Showdown's store allows you to fire weapons in a simulated environment. You can even continuously change the distance by simply scrolling up or down. Try out as many weapons as possible here and remember the sound well.
Why is this important? If you know what a weapon sounds like and how far away it is, you can better assess the danger it poses and plan your next steps. If you hear a shotgun, stay at a distance. If you hear a Sparks LRR, you can take advantage of your opponent's reload time and rush him. If you hear a rapid RATATATAT, it's probably a Mosin Avtomat -- stay away from it.
Preparation: When you arrive at the boss air (the area of the boss), don't fire wildly. First make sure that you and your team are alone. You can check this by activating the darkvision. Depending on how the boss icon's frame is flashing, you can plan your next course of action:
Frenzy explained: Let's say the coast is clear and you want to take down the boss now. Note, each boss has a frenzy mode. A phase where the boss is more aggressive than normal and can also do more damage. Frenzy mode is activated whenever you drain the boss of 25% (a quarter) of its health. If this is the case, leave the Boss Lair for about 20 to 30 seconds. After that, the frenzy mode is over and you can attack again.
Weaknesses & Immunities: Each boss has a weakness and an immunity. You should know these and use them correctly against the boss or bosses in your turn:
How to take down any boss quickly: take a large bundle of dynamite (as soon as you can). Light it near the boss and let it linger in your hand. Instruct your teammate to leave the Lair, then blow yourself up like Will Smith in the movie "I Am Legend" along with the boss. A big bundle of dynamite will take care of any boss instantly. Your teammate can pick you up afterwards, and once you begin the banishing process, you'll regain the life bar you lost.
You have successfully completed the first round. Now it's time to invest your newly won money wisely.
You have to be careful with the skill points you earn! Don't carelessly click through to the traits and frantically buy anything that will help. If you have permanently lost a life bar during a match, you can only buy it back by investing one of your skill points.
The last of the Hunt Showdown tips may seem obvious at first glance. But especially for this shooter, the tip is important: play, play, play. Only by playing regularly and reflecting on your mistakes can you develop effectively. Unfortunately, our tips for beginners won't turn you into a pro overnight. But if you take them into account, it can help you improve!
