It’s been a long time coming, but after teasing the new Assassin monster a month ago, Crytec have finally added the monster in the version 6.0 update of Hunt: Showdown. The update also includes new weapons and character traits.
According to Crytek, “The Assassin is the product born from a lot of investigation into what bosses mean to Hunt in its current state, since the previous two boss targets were created, the game has shifted a lot to build a better core experience. With this in mind, we wanted to approach the issues that came out of the other bosses and see where we can build a benchmark that offers a few things; a challenge to new and old players, a balance between boss PvE engagement and the ever looming PvP, and something unique to set each boss apart.”
What this means is that those who previously had a chance to tackle the monster in its alpha stages will find that it now behaves much differently. Specifically, The Assassin “will use its behaviors in specific ways to punish the unprepared and reward those who keep calm and pay attention to what is about to happen.”
On top of that, players will be getting new weapons including the LeMat Mark II revolver and Lebel 1886 bolt-action rifle, the Bomb Lance (basically a huge spear that also fires explosive harpoons), a couple of trip mines, and placeable ammo boxes.
As for the new character traits, players can choose from Ghoul (players instantly heal 50 hitpoints when looting a dead Hunter), Vulture (players will always be able to loot dead Hunters they come across, even if they had already been looted by other players) and Adrenaline (enables players to instantly start recharging stamina when their health is critically low).
Lastly, the update also makes a big change to burning or burnt bodies. The update prevents “burning or burned-out” hunters from being looted as “an attempt to introduce more choice into existing player actions.” Basically, players will have to consider whether it makes sense to burn a downed player. “If they burn them, they lose the chance to loot the body. If they don’t, that player’s partner might have a chance to go for a revive,” Crytek said.
Hunt: Showdown is currently in Early Access on Steam, with Xbox One receiving the game via its Game Preview program later this Spring.