The battle royale space is littered with “me too” games that are trying to capitalize on Fortnite’s success. As such, there aren’t a lot of games trying to stretch the genre meaningfully. Enter Hunt: Showdown, a BR game like none other. Aside from its dark, gritty western atmosphere, this game is more than just a spin on BR design.

Through a combination of PVP and PVE elements, as well as a strong emphasis on audio design, Hunt: Showdown is a tough game to get into. Luckily, we’ve got the low down on the best tips to get you started.

Get a Clue

We’ll assume that you already know a little bit how the game works. In essence, your mission is to find clues around the map to unlock a boss monster. You must banish that boss monster before heading for extraction. All this while dealing with other players and a variety of AI uglies. One thing the game doesn’t communicate to you right off the bat is how clues actually work.

Clues exist in three states. In a locked state, when the clue is mostly grey, it means no one else has claimed it. When it’s opened up and has a black void in the middle, that means another player has already claimed it. You can still use it as normal, though. If you so happen to encounter an opened clue that is also glowing red, then be prepared to fight for your life. This red glow, accompanied by an ominous howl, indicates that there are players nearby. Why are these three states important?

The red glow is there to counter clue camping. Hunt: Showdown would quickly devolve into Camper Fest Time around clues which would make it pretty boring. The designers, having put a lot of meticulous effort into the sound design of the game, chose to add the howling as an alert to, well, keep you on your toes. Use this information wisely.

Quiet but Quick

As we said earlier, the devs behind Hunt: Showdown have put a lot of effort into the way every little thing sounds. A lot of things you take for granted as trivial decorative parts of the environment in other games, actually make loud noises in this game. It’s these the way you deal with these noises that can make or break your matches.

Whether you’ve scraped past a hanging chain or stepped on a bunch of shards of glass, you’ll make more noise than a fireworks display on the 4th of July, alerting both AI and human nearby enemies. One of the ways to avoid this is through crouching. Your movement will be greatly slowed down but that beats stomping around a barn, alerting every zombie within earshot. On the flipside, be sure to keep an ear out for when other players get noisy to get the drop on them.

But crouch walking all the time is a surefire way of eating a bullet between the eyes. In fact, constant slow movement, especially in the open, is ill-advised. Practice balancing out the moments you crouch walk with the times you sprint. Finding the right time for each is one of the main keys to doing well in Hunt: Showdown.

Bring a Knife

Hunt: Showdown is an FPS battle royale at heart and, as such, guns are the order of the day. However, that need not apply to every enemy you encounter. As both a PVP and PVE experience, the game includes AI monsters. For the most part, these enemies should be avoided if possible as their growls and screeches add to the noise you make.

In cases where stealth isn’t an option, though, it’s best to rely on your trusty knife, melee weapons and melee gun attachments. What’s important is to master the charge attack. Hold down your attack button with your melee equipped. After a while, you’ll thrust your blade forward, dealing heavy damage. Most fodder zombies should take one or two hits to die while other enemies may need one or two more hits.

Always Be Prepared

The difference between a competent and not-so-great player is the way they prepare in Hunt: Showdown. This isn’t a game where you just jump into a quick match and call it a day. The gear you choose matters, from your firearms and melee weapons to the support items you carry. Here’s a quick rundown of items you should bring to every match:

• Stick of Dynamite
• Knife
• Large Vitality Shot
• First Aid Kit
• Flare Pistol

Matches (Not) Made in Heaven

If you’re just starting out with the game, don’t worry about veteran players during your first few matches. You won’t be matched up with them because you’ll be placed in the Rank 1-10 brack, a.k.a. the Kiddie Pool. This will give you an easier start as you practice the aforementioned skills. Like with everything else in Hunt: Showdown, though, this too isn’t that simple. Avoid building bad habits for yourself, such as sprinting everywhere. Here’s what to work on during your early matches:

• Balance between crouch-walking and moving fast
• Melee charge attack
• Looking around when clues are opened and glowing red
• Burning bodies so they can’t be revived
• Reacting to noises to predict where players may be going

With these 5 tips, you’ll get a nice, healthy start to your Hunt: Showdown career. It may seem intimidating at first but once you get the hang of using sounding and being mindful of your surroundings, it’s a rewarding game.