Hunt: Showdown is the newest game from developer Crytek that tasks players with tracking, killing, and banishing demonic monsters. The catch is other players in the world can and will kill you for the bounty, which produces tense PvPvE (Player vs Player vs Environment) gameplay. Another twist is Hunt: Showdown’s perma-death system, which will strip players of their hunter and equipped gear if they die. This can cause players to lose a ton of valuable loot if a mistake is made or if they brought too many consumables with them into battle. However, if you can keep these hunters around then they have the ability to rank up.
Ranking up a hunter requires experience which is gained through a variety of different ways. The most common is simply slaying the various monsters that scatter across Hunt: Showdown’s world. Every creature you kill is tallied at the end of the match. It does not matter if you killed them or your partner, the XP will be rewarded equally regardless of who delivered the final blow. This means if you want to quickly rank up a hunter consider slaying a few extra Grunts on the way. However, if you are going to slay some enemies make sure to use a melee weapon since gunshots will draw other players.
Other ways to gain experience include killing the boss monsters, slaying player hunters, and simply discovering clues. All of these will add XP and quickly level up your character, which then levels up your Bloodline rank which is more important. The higher you level up your hunter the more XP you can earn towards your Bloodline. However, if your hunter dies during a game they will be lost along with their gear forcing you to reset with a new character. If you make it to the end of a match but don’t escape with the bounty you’ll still retain your hunter. As long as your hunter is actually alive by the end of the round they will stay in your stable of characters. Because of this, if you are falling behind or outmatched it might be worth taking a more cautious approach to combat.
As for your Bloodline rank, this is the real progress bar you’ll want to focus on as it ties into important aspects of your hunter. When your Bloodline increases more items, weapons, consumables, and traits will unlock which can make your hunter stronger. These are vital as you climb up the ladder and the higher you rise the better tier hunters you’ll unlock. Your Bloodline rank will not reset if a hunter dies, so don’t freak out about losing any progress. The only way to level up your Bloodline is via ranking up a hunter, so always make sure to seek out those clues, kill a few enemies, and if you’re lucky to escape with the bounty. Remember, sometimes it pays to just walk around the map killing the A.I. enemies and not going for the bounty. This is a safe way to earn experience, especially if you’re in a zone that the boss isn’t.
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