Tips and Tricks - Hunt: Showdown Guide - IGN (2024)

This page is filled with the greatest Tips and Tricks to help you become the very best at Hunt: Showdown.

Still being an Early Access game means that Hunt: Showdown lacks a lot of the tutorials and help information commonly found in other games. Below, we explain some of the more elusive features, while also giving you tips to make sure your hunt is a successful one.

This is a PvEvP Game

The first thing you need to do when playing Hunt: Showdown is realize you aren't playing PUBG. This game is about Hunters versus Monsters first and foremost.

If you want to level up quickly, earn lots of cash and unlock new items, you want to focus on killing zombies and the many other creatures found on the map. While they don't amount to much experience individually, the total sum will be worth thousands of experience by the end of the game. Even if you lose, you walk away with far more exp than someone who only focuses on killing players.

This doesn't mean you should ignore fighting other players, but it's important to keep in mind your priorities. A single player kill is worth the same as a few zombie kills, making it far more valuable to just kill the zombies.

Always Bring a Knife

This may seem simple, but when you are selecting a Hunter, either pick one that has a knife, or buy one and equip it. They only cost a few dollars and go a long way to making your life an easy one.

In the early game, you have limited melee attack options. The knife is a cheap choice, that offers you fast kills (3 hits for most normal zombies), and is whisper silent. So long as you have a trusty knife, normal zombies will virtually never be a threat.

Keep An Eye Out for Wagons

On the map, you will notice wagon icons scattered around. At first glance they may not seem important but that is very incorrect.

Wagons are actually resupply stations. Each one will contain boxes of ammo and several health kits. They are invaluable when hunting bigger monsters, or if you're caught up in a deadly firefight with other players. Anytime you've taken serious damage, or if you want to stock up before the final contract fight, check your map for a wagon to get a full resupply.

Choose Your Hunts Wisely

It can be easy to grab a hunter, pick a contract and start slaying some zombies, but this can lead to near impossible to win scenarios. Why's that?

Certain contract monsters have different strengths and weaknesses. For instance, the Butcher is weaker to shotguns than other types, while the Spider will take damage from any gun but is incredibly fast. This means that if you don't have shotguns, but you're trying to take down the Butcher, you'll be in for a much tougher fight. Before selecting which contract you want to kill, consider your items and how easy it will be for you to beat them!

Sound is a Key Part of the Game

More so than most games, Hunt: Showdown relies on sound for your survival. There are all kinds of traps that make noise and can draw the attention of both other players, and creatures. Gun fire, running through water and even walking along wooden planks can also create noise.

It's important while playing to be aware of this so that you don't create too much sound, but also are actively listening for it. Hear gunshots in the distance? Slow your approach so you don't run face first into someone's rifle. Hear dogs barking or zombies groaning? Another player is likely nearby and disturbing the peace. It's a key part of the game, so when you play Hunt: Showdown, ensure that you can hear the game clearly, and are always mindful of what sounds you're making.

Killing the Butcher

Of the two hunts, the Butcher is the hardest when first starting out. He's slow, but has a lot of health and hits like a ton of bricks.

To fight him, you want to have shotguns. The trick for him is to always be moving, so don't waste time aiming down sights, simply narrow your aim with Right Click, then fire into him. You want to stay mobile while doing this, and when possible, use explosives or shoot red barrels around the environment for added damage.

Killing the Spider

The Spider is considerably easier to kill, but don't take that to mean it's a pushover. While it has less health and damage, it moves incredibly fast and can poison you for long periods of time. It also has a lunging attack that, although rare, can deal a lot of damage and poison all in one.

The spider is best killed using weapons you can fire repeatedly. Try to stay mobile so that it's poison spit and jumping attacks can't hit you, but don't stress about trying to land explosives and other AoE attacks. It's so fast that they can be near impossible to hit, so focus on just shooting it as quick as you can. It's weakest along it's back/abdomen so aim there when possible, although due to the creatures speed, that's not always an option.

The Health Bar and You

It's never clearly stated just how the health bar works, so let's answer some of those questions.

• When you die, getting revived by a friend will permanently lower your health by 1 bar.
• Fire, if it burns long enough to empty a bar, will permanently lower your health.
• Bleed damage and normal damage will lower your health, but this lost health can be recovered.
• Health will regenerate over time, but only so far as to fill the currently damage bar. To refill other empty bars, you will need to find health kits.
• Health can be upgraded before a match in the Hunter screen, but costs tokens which are only obtained while winning matches.

Items and Hunters are Lost Upon Death

A unique mechanic of Hunt: Showdown is that when you lose a round, you lose that Hunter and all his items. Yes, this includes the ones you bought and equipped.

This can lead to disaster if you aren't careful, but there's an easy way to avoid it. Always kill zombies!

As we stressed earlier, this game is PvE first and foremost. You can easily avoid going bankrupt by ensuring you kill as many infected you come across as possible. This will ensure that even when you lose, you still come home with a couple hundred dollars, which is more than enough to buy a hunter and outfit him with a few items.

If you don't do this, and die repeatedly, you'll go broke. When this happens, you're forced to use a free hunter who is weaker and less equipped than any other character. You'll struggle to kill bosses and players with him, but it's enough to get you into the match and at least kill some zombies so you can earn money that way.

Banshing the Contract

Killing a contract monster is only 33% of the task. Once it's dead, you need to Banish it. This process takes several minutes and while it happens, any players in the match are alerted that it's begun.

While being banished, you need to protect the area so that you can claim the bounty once it appears. During this time, you will want to stay in a safe area and move only when necessary so that you can hear your surroundings. If you're in a two-player hunt, one of you should stay near the banishing creature while the other acts as a lookout, as the other players will surely be in a rush to find you.

Extracting

The final part of the process. Once banished, you can claim the bounty and then need to run to an extraction point. They are indicated on the map by a black circle with lines through it.

While running to the point, you can be shot and killed and then that person can pick up the bounty. Extracting also takes several seconds, so even once you reach the point, you'll need to hunker down and defend.

There is no "safe" way to extract, but you can minimize your chances of being found. If you know other people are alive in the game, head to an extraction site further away from the contract than you would normally use. People naturally are inclined to rush towards the closest extraction, so by going to a further one, you'll throw them off. Also, when running to the extraction point, try to be as quiet as possible so that the other hunters can't track your location.

Use The World to Your Advantage

The great thing about Hunt: Showdown, is that the world is alive and eager to help you kill other players.

When you get into a fight with other people, use this to your advantage. Are there a group of zombies nearby? Lure them towards it. See a red barrel around a corner? Run past it and hope they follow. Even the simple act of keeping them distracted while a zombie walks up on them can be the difference between a quick win or a long fought loss.