So far, among gold medal groups running raids in Ghost of Tsushima's Legend mode, the Hunter has been the most underrepresented. One might take that statistic to say that experts have dismissed the Hunter as an inconsequential group member. This is a gross misinterpretation. The reality is that Hunters are the hardest class to play. Shooting moving targets is a tough task in about any multi-player game and the Legends mode does not make it any easier.
These same groups often get to the final fights only to be overwhelmed by an enemy horde. Having an extra Ronin, Samurai, or Assassin is nothing to sneeze at. However, nothing can compensate for missing a Hunter. Groups are desperately looking for some good ones. The secret starts with the setup and ends with the play style. This article is a list of suggestions by Hunter players who have made themselves invaluable by carrying teams to gold level medals in both stories and raiding.
10 Equipping The Right Bow
Among all of the wonderful tools in Jin Sakai's arsenal was a longbow and a short bow. Sadly, Legends does not allow even the Hunter to wield both at once, so players have to make a choice before the game ever begins.
The upper echelon of players is mostly, but not exclusively, using the short bow because of the rapid-fire, ability to stay in stealth, and quick draw speed. But it does chew through ammunition and those who are good about headshots might prefer the longbow. Experiment with both and change builds accordingly.
9 Explosive Arrow
Beating back the Mongols means building correctly, and it all starts with the Hunter class ability slot. The staggering arrow is a tempting choice for those in four-players modes who want to set up their other three teammates for some easy assassinations.
But the explosive arrow does much, much higher damage and it also staggers enemies, with the only drawback being that it does not stagger them for quite as long. So long as the player can communicate with their team well, the explosive arrow is an upgrade in every way over the staggering arrow.
8 Executioner
It's granted that using arrows in melee combat is one of the many annoying things in Ghost of Tsushima (more on that later), but it's still worth getting the executioner in the first perk spot for a few different reasons.
First, remember that not all enemies within 12 meters will be targeting the Hunter. Sniping from nearby shrubs is great positioning. Next, counting on assassinations with the other perk for a small and brief bonus is inconsistent. And the final perk gives a negligible decrease on cooldowns, so there really is only one standout choice.
7 Status Damage
The second perk spot offers a bit more nuance. After some deep analysis, though, pro players have settled in on increased damage for status effects because killing bosses is not an easy business, and setting them on fire or poisoning them goes a long way.
New players may want to start with 30% increased resupply items if going through arrows is an issue, but more practice yields better shots, fewer misses, and less ammo expended in the long run. A special shot that pierces shields might get a second look in two-player modes, but with four players on the map, the shieldmen are rarely, if ever, targeting the ranged Hunter.
6 Gear Dependent Perk 3
The third perk selection is going to be entirely dependent on items. This will also change gameplay pretty dramatically so that just goes to show exactly how versatile Hunter players have to be. Being single-minded in combat specialty is a pesky newbie mistake that Hunter players will have to shed in order to be successful.
Making half of body shots count as headshots is pretty great, even pros who are good about getting headshots appreciate the assistance when battles get raging. An extra legendary item equip is always handy, especially for getting damage numbers a little higher. And upgrading the ultimate ability to headshot five instead of three is game-saving during boss fights with lots of spawns.
5 Managing Ammunition
Jin Sakai can take on just about anybody from any video game with his unique blend of stealth, archery, toughness, and swordsmanship. But even the mighty Jin can't do much when his ammo supply has gotten totally depleted.
Ghost of Tsushima's Legends mode is even most brutal about ammunition management and no one has to pay attention more than the Hunter. Some tips: Do not shoot a fire arrow at an enemy already on fire, it does not stack, use the detection button to see local resupply caches, and count down out loud so all eyes stay on the target.
4 Target Minions With Eye Of Uchitsune
Most pro tips for Ghost of Tsushima do not tell players how to kill the weakest guys in the game, but this is actually very important, especially during boss fights. Players rarely lose a four-on-one with a single baddie; they lose a four-on-one-hundred against a huge group.
Hunters are in charge of cleaning up the battlefield. Assassins and Samurai deal great damage to a few big targets and deal much higher damage against bosses with their ultimate abilities versus a Hunter who simply gets a headshot. Use this move to outright kill three to five average units, not deal just a bit of damage on one to three boss units.
3 Staying Out Of Sight
The worst thing the Hunter can do is get enemy attention. This isn't just a problem for the Hunter, who may or may not be able to run away and hide, but it creates an issue for the rest of the party who has to run to chase targets all over the battlefield.
Use high cliffs. Duck down into the brush after every shot. Let the Samurai engage first. Sit back and take pot shots. Pick off stragglers. The Hunter should feel like a steady and invisible bombardment against the enemy team, not a spray-and-pray aggro machine.
2 Use The Katana
All that being said, do not be afraid to use the katana, especially in smaller fights where the enemies are limited in number. It's important to keep a steady flow of resolve going for that ultimate ability and missing shots in melee or waiting and doing nothing will hurt later during tougher fights.
Players did not have to wait for the early information on these classes to come out, resolve does not build itself in the single-player game either, though it can be hard to know when to fight and when to run. If a solo enemy sees the Hunter, go ahead and save some ammo, finish him off up close, then get back to the shooting part even quicker.
1 Loot Bodies
Naturally, the pace when playing with pros is blistering. Hardcore gamers don't want to experience lore, they want to farm, so they naturally blaze past these bodies, resupply stations, and keep the combat going.
Don't feel like the slowest fish in the school just for looting bodies. Hunters need their ammo to succeed. And of all the classes that can be late to the party, the Hunter has absolutely every right to do so as they should not be initiating fights anyhow. It might feel like too much, but when that boss fight starts, the team will be happy to have their well-stocked Hunter waiting in the wings.