1. Take Better Loadouts
The first common mistake that I see are players not equipping themselves to be successful. Hunt: Showdown will constantly present unexpected challenges and obstacles, and it is an important tip that you have the right tools for each job.
The quickest way to lose your money is to not spend your money!
While it may seem nerve-racking, spending some money on a quality loadout will payoff in the long run. And the more often you do this, the more comfortable you’ll be taking more expensive loadouts, resulting in even more success. And taking a competent loadout can still be pretty affordable! Here’s a cheap loadout I’d recommend testing out:
-Primary: Caldwell Rival 78 ($100) or if you prefer a rifle, the Winfield M1873 ($75)
-Secondary: Caldwell Conversion Pistol ($26)
-Tools: Knife ($20), Medkit ($30), and Throwing Knives ($40)
-Consumables: Vitality Shot ($25), Fire Bomb ($18), and Dynamite Stick ($27)
This loadout is not only cheap, with a price tag of only $286, but it’s versatile and potent. The Caldwell Rival gives you a great option in close quarters PvP and doubles as an effective boss fighting tool. The Conversion Pistol is competent at medium range and becomes a beast once you get fanning. The knife and medkit are staples of any loadout that you should almost always bring. The throwing knives give you a quiet way to deal with those tricky hives, or to silently pacify horses and kennels. The vitality shot can be so clutch in PvP, and I would always recommend taking at least two explosives. My preferred setup is a fire bomb (or hellfire if you can spare the coin) and a dynamite stick. As you can see, this loadout can do a lot for a low price.
Don’t mind me, Mr. Armored.
2. Patience is Key
Abraham Lincoln once said, “Good things come to those who wait.” Perhaps he wasn’t talking about Hunt, but that doesn’t make it any less true. A common mistake that will often result in death is opening fire on enemies the moment you see them – don’t do this. This is a trap that will put you at a disadvantage almost every time.
Good things come to those who wait.
-Abraham Lincoln
When you come across hunters who are unaware of your presence, take your time. Always give them an opportunity to stop moving so you can line up an easy headshot. If you’re playing with a partner, you can coordinate your fire for an ambush. Regardless of what you choose to do, finding unsuspecting hunters is a golden opportunity that you shouldn’t waste due to impatience!
3. Don’t Alert Sound Traps
This tip ties into tip #2, but being loud is another careless reason that many hunters will find themselves face down in the bayou mud. Your biggest threat is other hunters, and other hunters’ greatest weapon against you is your own carelessness!
Firstly, I always recommend bringing along a silent way to deal with AI. Throwing knives or a silenced Nagant are both common solutions to this problem. Also, it’s important to know the cues for the various audio traps on the maps. as you approach any of the audio traps, they will begin to play a “warning” noise. This noise is very low but still very audible as long as you are paying attention. Knowing to stop moving when you hear these warning noises will save your hide more times than you’ll know. There are also visual cues to warn you of sound traps. If you spot a downed horse that is still in one piece, it’s a sound trap. And if you see a kennel and it’s red, then it contains either dogs or chickens. Otherwise, it’s empty. Lastly, melee hits on AI make a decent bit of noise (unless you have the Silent Killer perk). For this reason, it’s best to avoid engaging grunts before you’re confident that you’re alone in a compound.
Thanks to alerting these ducks, everyone now knows where you are.
4. Stop Crouch Walking
One of the greatest Hunt sins that a hunter can commit is overusing crouch walking. This mistake is particularly common among newer players, but I’ve witnessed plenty of tier 3 hunters die because of crouch walking as well. So why is crouch walking so bad?
It’s bad because you make yourself an easy target. Remember in tip #2 where I said you should wait for an easy shot? Well, crouch walking is equivalent to waving a big sign over your head that says “Shoot Me.” And one of the simplest tips I can give Hunt players is this: always play as if you’re being hunted. The moment you assume that no one is watching is the moment you’ve lost.
That’s not to say crouch walking doesn’t have its place. You can use it to creep past sound traps, or even silently re-position in fights (but only when you know the enemies can’t see you!). But outside of those scenarios, use it with great caution.
Tip: The Spider is resistant to shotguns.
5. Don’t Take Random Contracts
Imagine this: You’ve just dropped over half a thousand dollars on a shiny new Mosin-Nagant Sniper, plus another few hundred bucks on the rest of your loadout, and now you’re ready to head out and get some material for a YouTube clip. Then, boom – fog. Your Mosin is now useless and your best option is to just head to an extraction and try again, hoping that you don’t encounter any enemies along the way.
Do yourself a favor and always check to see what the contract is before hitting that Play button. I would highly recommend taking daytime contracts whenever possible. If a daytime contract isn’t available, then plan accordingly. If you take a fog or night time contract, plan for close quarters engagements and don’t spend too much money. The same goes for random contracts – never expect it to be daytime.
