How to play the huntress?

[Fantastic Mr Fox]

Any huntress mains out here?

How do you play her? Whats your playstyle? And what perks do you use.

Been wanting to try her out, but i have no idea where to start on her.

[Eninya]

I don't have any perks on her, but you also don't necessarily need any to do well, either. The most important thing about her is getting consistent with hatchet throws. My last match I did two MLG snipes against a Nea and ended getting her killed.

Fail games learning the hatchet, but your focus should be understanding how much charge you need and what kind of arc. Full power is just a straight line, and learning its wacky hitbox is crucial. Eventually, you can land hits "around" corners and over obstacles, though be prepared for the learning curve. I've magically hit a lot of pallets without the axe touching them.

Once you're good with hatchets, you can decide your build and play style. Remember, she's slower than most killers, so hatchets, and knowing when to refill, are key.

Here's Pyrus's great video guide for her:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yZ8iJzBVHI

She's a lot of fun to play, and one of the most balanced killers.

[Fantastic Mr Fox]

Originally posted by Eninya:

I don't have any perks on her, but you also don't necessarily need any to do well, either. The most important thing about her is getting consistent with hatchet throws. My last match I did two MLG snipes against a Nea and ended getting her killed.

Fail games learning the hatchet, but your focus should be understanding how much charge you need and what kind of arc. Full power is just a straight line, and learning its wacky hitbox is crucial. Eventually, you can land hits "around" corners and over obstacles, though be prepared for the learning curve. I've magically hit a lot of pallets without the axe touching them.

Once you're good with hatchets, you can decide your build and play style. Remember, she's slower than most killers, so hatchets, and knowing when to refill, are key.

Here's Pyrus's great video guide for her:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yZ8iJzBVHI

She's a lot of fun to play, and one of the most balanced killers.

Thanks so much, this helps me out a ton!

[COUNT FREAKULA]

I enjoy making it so I always have some sort of charge reuction every game, other wise it feels too slow to effectivley punish loops. I like to check my Ruin first and then proceed to patrol gens. You need lots of ahead of time reads against decent players if you aren't using charge add ons.

[Terrorize Exercise]

Tinkerer with wind up addons.

[Runiver]

I did type that a while a go, 1 month or 2 after her release. Not sure if it's still up to date, but some people found it helpful

Originally posted by Runiver:

I've been maining her since her release, and I think she's becoming my favorite killer, even above Billy that I mained for 400+ hours. I did P3 her in less than 3 days with all the perks in the game right now.

Basic Huntress Strategy :

Huntress is WAY different than any other killer for several reasons. First, she doesn't deal with pallets and windows the same.

Consider every single pallet as a mindgame, especially at high ranks. I'll put some videos of example at the end of this post.

Also, all the chases aren't equal. You need to remember that, since there is ONE KIND OF CHASE you don't want to be involved into as Huntress. I mean the "long range" chases. For example, if you see someone pretty afar (more than 20 meters), already starting to run away from you (especially with SB), it's usually not a good chase to pick because, by the time you catch up to be decently effecient (unless the survivor stops and make that mistake), you'll waste quite a lot of time and won't be able to use mindgames properly as they will always be one step ahead of you, staying SAFE.

Totems, and also, CAMPING, is more beneficial with Huntress more than any other killer. The main reason being her ability to be ULTRA punishing and throwing a LOT OF HITS in short succession, making even BT not a decent alternative to escape from her.

Basically, what you don't want is playing a game, running after each survivors individually, from a decent distance (15-20 meters), trying to get some hatchets to hit (which may work at time, but will be unnefficient most of the time). What you want is getting close of your targets asap, obviously, because getting close and applying the proper mindgame is just a GARANTEED HIT with her, since there is NO WAY a survivor can dodge unless you ♥♥♥♥-up your hatchets/hits or lose the mindgames.

If you feel comfortable enough with your chases, don't forget you're not forced to camp, and to add some mindgames in your play. But overall, just remember you don't want to take the baits of "faraway chases", and most survivors will just show themselves around a hooked person, trying to bait you away from a "safe distance", sprint bursting away to safe spots as you get closer. Don't get caught into these chases, and pick the survivors putting themselves in unsafe spots. Don't stress out the multiple catches unless you are very behind in your round. Then you may consider leaving the hook and try to down multiple person to catch up.

When looking for survivors, use Whispers effectively, and if possible, try to run in straight line, as fast as possible, toward a gen with very few hiding spots. Don't forget you are HUMMING constantly, which makes the kind of move like "I'll come from behind that gen to surprise them" totally unneffective. Just go STRAIGHTFORWARD not to allow survivors to reach a good hiding spot/catch them in the open.

Don't throw hatchets too quick, especially on survivors in the open. Survivors can easily predict the timing of the throw if you do so. Also, the charged hatchet at mid-range is nearly impossible to dodge if properly thrown, especially if you make its timing unpredictable. You probably noticed that a lot of survivors, when caught in the open against Huntress, will just run in circles trying to dodge, not getting to safe places anymore. Exploit that to eventually come closer or fully charge and throw it when they don't expect it.

Also, don't WASTE HATCHETS. And by saying this, I mean, don't throw "random hatchets that may or may not hit". We all do that at times, but trying these unprobable hatchets can actually be gamechanging, mostly because, against good survivors, not having hatchets = never catching them.

Which leads to my last advice : Don't chase without hatchets in a pallet heavy area. For obvious reasons. Just give up the chase, and get back to a closet. Instantly. It's NOT worth your time. You want your chase to be 30s max as Huntress.


Perks Loadout :

Ruin : Just mandatory. You need to slow down these gens. Totems are also easier to protect as Huntress even if you're slow, because of your ranged attacks. Also, one of your main strategy to get an easy 4k at high rank will just be to hook someone next to your Hexed totem as it's spotted, and just punish any bold attemps while disabling nearby gens. Most survivors will be entitled either to go for the save or to destroy that totem, and usually it will happen until they die, and will very effectively remove all pallets from a whole area of a map.

BBQ & Chili : Also mandatory, both for the BP and the Intel. Knowing where your opponents are during a match as Huntress is great. Mostly to know if it's safe to camp or not, and because of the fact that, supposedly, the only thing that actually stops you from catching people in a matter of seconds is STEALTH, as she's a rather quick downing killer.

Whispers : Really good to make sure some survivors are around you at all times. She TRULY NEEDS that perk. Mostly for one thing : you need to know, while getting closer of a gen, if someone is working on it or not. Try to learn the "32 meters" distance, so you can actually know if there's someone working on that gen while getting close of it, and if it's worth searching the area.


About the last perk slot, it's a matter of preference/add-ons.
I tend to use Brutal Strength, mostly because I value pallet breaking speed, as it's the only "chasing perk" that is consistent in the game, allowing you to catch up rather quickly and may end up gamechanging by transforming a miss into a hit just by allowing you to get closer, faster.

Nurse's calling is also a great alternative, especially if you use your slow-healing add-ons. It's very effective on Huntress because people have hard time to tell what distance you're at, because her terror radius is rather small. Might catch people off-guard.

Some people will tell you to get Thrill of the Hunt. I wouldn't consider that. Protecting RUIN is your main concern, and since you don't know which totem is which, it makes TOTH rather unneffective, or even counter-productive in some matches if they spawn apart, since you might simply chose to protect the... Wrong totem while your ruin is being destroyed at the opposite of the map.

Overcharge is pretty decent, but I don't think it has enough benefits overall on Huntress, even tho her lategame is usually rather strong. I tried it tho, and it worked rather decently. It's just a matter of personnal preference.

Deerstalker/Knock out can eventually be good, since you tend to down a lot of people in succession, as Huntress.

About add-ons :

Nearly everything is viable. I like "Preparing time reduced" the most. But movement speed is good, cooldown is nice, and the debuffs are pretty much effective when it comes to
slow healing/slowing down movement. Just pick what you like.

A few vids to illustrate :

Punishing bold basement save, even with BT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmoGqHN3BNw

A few rank 1 mindgames. Beware, most of them only work in rank 1 because people are always hesitating about downing a pallet or not downing it. In lower ranks, just stop at pallets, wait for them to throw it down and punish it. About rank 1, most of the time, your best strategy is to predict either you wanna continue chasing (don't forget you have a AXE) or stop to throw the hatchet, if you feel like the survivor is gonna throw it down. It's called a "mindgame" for a reason.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQfYmkheqik
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckIxXvdXH6M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVR0x4xns4c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByBM6DWvLrA


As I stated above, against survivors in the open, act like this, and be patient :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dfetTMpfh4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tedTiut1Ro
After a time, people may just predict you're not gonna throw your hatchets quickly and just charge, and run straight. Once they reach "that" state of mind, just mix up things with quick hatchets to keep them confused about your play.

Some random hatchet possibility (Needs experience to know which obstacles are blocking hatchets/are not)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Jjkfmd55z8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqMC53r05kw


Don't forget the survivor hitbox is rather big around their chest/head
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DZl-o4NNlA



I might have a few videos of full rounds with Huntress at High ranks. If people are interesting, I can post that.

[Thatbrownmonster]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRsysXO1Xmk

this videos teaches her lore and ways to play her
and it's pretty funny to watch too

[Ivarukฅ(^•ᴥ•^)ฅﾉ彡]

Runiver just recommended a killer to camp. Obvious entitled killer main just ignore him (huntress main fist bump)

[Athoth]

Try to cheese hatchets. Dont refill mid chase like i see some poeple do. If the survivor isnt near cover take time with hatchets, they might bob and weave. Dont throw around pallet loop spot, hit box is too big for the hatchet to fly over half of the time. also almost every loopable spot you can duck and its an %100 guarentee she cant hit you over that object.

My build. Nurses calling, BBQ, Agitation and Ruin.

Hope that helps!

[Zero Complex]

Get used to her wonky hitbox. There will be times when you can have a hatchet foiled by an errant twig, and other times you can throw it in the general area of a survivor...like the building beside them and still get a down. Basically it's all in knowing when to draw...pre-loading into spots you know survivors will cheese off to...pallets at the end of straightaways, windows, etc. Having a hatchet on the fly when they make their move will shortly make them regret it.

[Rage]

DO NOT play Huntress right now. Hitboxes have been ♥♥♥♥♥♥ since the Winter update.

https://clips.twitch.tv/IronicWealthyClipzBibleThump
https://clips.twitch.tv/SpoopyTriangularHerringPanicBasket