Some survivors have reported seeing infected leaping great distances, pouncing on the living and tearing into their flesh with animal-like claws.
At first, such terrifying accounts were ignored, believed to be unreliable reports from panicked survivors suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome.
Others theorized that these attacks were actually performed by large cats that escaped from zoos. Still, the reports persisted and these shadowy infected attained an appropriate yet disturbing nickname: Hunter.
Little is known about the Hunter’s physiology, but the infection seems to have caused mutations in the legs, giving this infected leaping abilities similar to those of a frog.
The long, sharp claws growing from the fingertips are another notable mutation, allowing the Hunter to slice through clothing, flesh, and even bone.
Outside of his abilities and easily disguised mutations, the Hunter has no distinguishing characteristics, making it easy for him to blend in with the common infected.
This is perhaps the Hunter’s most terrifying attribute and helps explain why some survivors have reported seeing these infected attacking from “nowhere.”
Anti-Hunter Tactics
Hunters produce a distinctive raspy growl when stalking nearby, so keep on your toes when you hear this. When attacking, they emit a high-pitched shriek as they fly through the air.
Looking for Hunters? They’re always dressed in gray hooded sweatshirts. They’re also the only infected that can crouch low to the ground like a frog. They must crouch before they leap, so be prepared for an attack when you see a Hunter take a low stance.
The Hunter’s primary attack is the leap. If leaping at a survivor, the Hunter will pin his prey and begin slashing away. The victim is completely helpless if this occurs, so it’s up to teammates to engage the Hunter.
When attacking a Hunter on top of a pinned teammate, use melee attacks to knock him off. This prevents you from injuring your teammate with friendly fire—an important consideration when you’re equipped with a high-powered weapon like a shotgun or sniper rifle.
But be prepared to shoot the Hunter as soon as he’s knocked off your teammate. Otherwise, he will attack again.
It’s possible to blast a Hunter and kill him as he leaps through the air. But due to the speed of the Hunter, killing a Hunter outright is difficult. Shotguns are most effective at killing Hunters in mid-flight.
A Hunter’s pinned victim is highlighted with a red silhouette, making your teammate easy to locate even when out of sight. Rush in the direction of the Hunter and save your teammate before it’s too late.
Anti-Survivor Tactics
When playing as the Hunter, make a habit of moving around while crouched. Crouching charges the Hunter’s leap attack, as indicated by the circular red meter in the bottom-left corner of the screen. The reticle in the center of the screen also tracks this.
When the Hunter is crouched a gray line circles around the reticle in a counterclockwise fashion. When the gray line becomes a ring, it turns white, indicating that a leap attack is possible. While still crouched, press the fire button to perform a leaping attack.
If you successfully pin a target, continue holding down the fire button to slash away at your victim with the Hunter’s claws. Continue attacking until you’re attacked with a melee strike or killed by another survivor.
Although the Hunter can run around in an upright position, it’s far quicker (and safer) to travel by leaping. Simply keep the crouch button depressed and leap from one spot to the next.
This not only allows you to cover great distances, it also makes you much harder to hit. However, it isn’t very stealthy since the Hunter shrieks with each leap. After each leap keep the crouch button depressed—if you stand up, it takes longer to recharge the leap attack.
If you land near survivors, they’re affected by a small concussive impact that causes them to stumble backward for a few seconds, buying you more time to attack or escape.
Sometimes survivors separate, providing the perfect opportunity to pounce. Try to isolate lone survivors located on higher or lower elevations than their teammates.
You might be able to incapacitate or kill a lone survivor whose teammates have no way to get back to the attack site to stage a rescue attempt. Most maps have critical one-way elevation transitions where such attacks are very effective.
In most cases, Hunters must rely on their teammates to stage successful attacks. Try letting a Smoker drag prey away from the main group, then pounce once the snared survivor is isolated. This frees up the Smoker to attack again and gives you an easy target.
Survivors blinded by a Boomer’s bile also make easy prey. For best results, wait until a swarm attack has commenced before leaping into action. Avoid leaping into a group of survivors on your own—you won’t last long.
When leaping long distances it may be necessary to aim up, to compensate for range. This launches the Hunter in an arc-like trajectory, allowing you to cover more ground.
It may take some practice, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a great way to travel far in a short span of time.