Hunt

The progression system for Hunt: Showdown has been detailed out more and the permadeath system of Hunt: Showdown will not be as bad as it could be

Another live stream for Hunt: Showdown has gone down and this one was one of the big ones as it delved deeper into the metagame of it all and tackled the player and hunter progression in the game. This also includes a bit more on the semi-permadeath part that Crytek has floated out there since the project shifted into what we have now. They explained a while back that our player level would be something along the lines of a Bloodline in Hunt: Showdown and this is how we could pass specific things along in the game; all while out hunters have their own levels and can be put down completely if you play them in a not-so-smart manner. That is where the permadeath comes in and how it is only partially a full thing. The team goes into it better than that.

As it all stands though, Hunt: Showdown pits you and another hunter into the bounty match where you can accumulate experience for things you do and how much of the bounty you were able to get through. Obviously getting out alive with the bounty scores you a lot of experience and double that if you and your partner both make it out. Each action, kill, clue, and bounty have the option to give you experience and money to progress with. To make sure that your team is a bit more balanced, both players can partake in it all or gain based on the other. When the match is over with you also get a copy of everything that they were able to get out of the match, which could be an extra bounty part. Pretty much making it beneficial for you and the other hunter to work together just in case you are paired up with a random player out there. You can go solo, but that is a harder grind and also harder to survive.

What is interesting to hear here for Hunt: Showdown, is that the bounties now drop two portions instead of just one. This was to make things a bit fairer in the instance of a player dying while extracting, but it also leads to a new strategy to use when trying to extract. Your team can choose to leave part of the bounty behind and extract thus causing other players to figure if they are going to hunt you down or just take the other half of it all. There is no requirement that you take both portions of it all so it creates yet more options and can keep all of these matches constantly feeling new and unique. Seems like an amazing option to go with in terms of design there.

As for the Bloodline rank, it looks like that will be your core level that will not change unless you specifically choose to reset it in Hunt: Showdown. It will go up as your hunters hit certain milestones in their progression and lead you to have a few more options when it comes to "customization" and gear that you pass along. Weapons and gear you purchase will stick with you between everything, even if your hunter dies. Obviously the higher your Bloodline level, the better hunters you can recruit and the gear you can pick up with your in-game cash. All of which looks to add to some interesting gameplay once Hunt: Showdown finally launches or even goes into that early Alpha that is supposed to kick off here sometime soon.

How do you feel about Hunt: Showdown's permadeath system now? Does it sit better with you knowing how it all works and that it is still a bit in flux to make for a better game? Does the option to reset you progression at any time seem like something you will take advantage of or will the other aspects of the game hold you back from that? Let us know down in the comments and then discuss. We are keeping a watchful eye on Hunt: Showdown and as we scrounge up more for it, we will place it here. Just keep checking back in on the site often to make sure you get to see and hear it all.