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By far the most exciting of those updates are Hunter Skins; specifically Legendary Hunters. They have unique designs in both first-person and third-person, unique pre-game animations, and can occasionally provide additional camouflage in-game depending on the colors in their outfit. Not every skin is created equal; here are the best Hunt: Showdown Legendary Hunters available.
Updated November 26, 2022, by Evan Regan: Since the original publication of this article, Hunt: Showdown has hosted a Halloween event and released a pair of new DLCs: Fear The Reaper and The Concubine. These DLCs brought with them a pair of new Legendary Hunters which have since earned themselves a spot on this list, while others have been gaining ground over the past few months and have climbed their way into the upper echelon of Legendary Skins players are using. Adding to that, Hunt: Showdown’s 2022 Halloween event included a fantastic Legendary Hunter skin who immediately won herself a spot in this ranking with her fantastic design and strong meta-gameplay elements.
14 Alaz, The Concubine
After losing her sisters at sea, Alaz arrives in New Orleans seeking revenge for their deaths. She doles it out in spades, but her thirst for blood doesn’t stop there. Released as part of The Concubine DLC, Alaz The Concubine isn’t as flashy as some later entries on this list, but she’s still a stone-cold badass and looks the part.
Her outfit blends in well among crates and wooden structures, but will stick out more in more vegetation-heavy areas and can give her away without careful positioning. Her wild hair makes pinpointing her head for headshots a trickier endeavor than opposing players might suspect though, which can be a lifesaver.
13 Carcass Gunrunner
The pre-game animation carries a lot of the weight for this big, bloody Hunter. Dressed like a butcher just getting off of work and built like a tree trunk, the Carcass Gunrunner is an imposing figure in any situation.
While his design does lend itself to a bit of camouflage when sneaking through some darker areas, this Hunter gets on the list because he looks terrifying and because his pre-game animations have him flexing his bicep and then tapping it to see just how dense those arm muscles really are. It’s nearly impossible for other players to see that and remain unfazed.
12 Ronin
For the samurai fans out there, Ronin comes kitted out with some traditional robes, a badass mask, and an intro animation that has him dropping in - literally - from above like the Ghost of Tsushima himself.
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The way Ronin stands with a rifle slung over his shoulder is a sight to behold. His camouflage is half-decent, with his dark blue robes blending in with the shady forest surroundings (although his cape can be a bit of a giveaway). His biggest advantage is his mask, which hides his face and can make opposing players hesitate before taking a kill shot, giving plenty of time for Ronin to return fire.
11 Redneck
The meme pick of this list, Redneck comes with very few “tactical” advantages. He’s barely wearing clothes, to begin with, so they definitely don’t help him blend in. In fact, his hat and beard make him stick out more than anything. His intro animation is pretty average as well, but there’s just something about him being so unassuming that carries an air of intimidation.
In a way, these factors contribute to the mind games that go into selecting Redneck. Only a madman would actually attempt to play as this guy. Because of that, his presence can reliably psych out other players. He’s an unexpected selection, and that gives him an advantage all on its own.
10 The Reaper
Released alongside the Fear The Reaper DLC, The Reaper is a dark and imposing figure. His tightly-wrapped dark grey cloak and the sickle at his waist invoke thoughts of the Grim Reaper himself, and the skull-like face mask he wears takes the intimidation factor to another level.
Visually, The Reaper is a home run. The struggles begin to appear in practice. His clock, while cinched around his waist, will billow around his feet. This added movement can make him stick out in a way that works against the strong camouflage offered by his color palette. Much like other entries on this list, while The Reaper’s face mask is unquestionably scary, it also stands out against the background of the Bayou, making his head an easier target to spot than is ideal.
9 Weird Sister
Boasting one of the top 3 intro animations in the whole game, Weird Sister is a legitimately scary Legendary Hunter. Would anyone be comfortable running into her in the woods at night? Probably not. She just has awful vibes. Blair Witch, The Conjuring, Yellowjackets “Doomcoming” kind of vibes. She’s unsettling, and in Hunt: Showdown, that’s exactly the kind of impression players should want to give off.
Unfortunately, her face paint - which provides so much of that unsettling feeling - is also her greatest weakness. In a vacuum the black and white coloring makes her look like a terrifying forest witch, but in practice, it makes her face pop out of the darkness like a lighthouse beacon. Because headshots are the least ideal area for a player to take damage, making a character’s head easier to see is a noteworthy disadvantage.
8 Dire Wolf
Added to Hunt: Showdown as part of The Fang and The Claw DLC, the Dire Wolf will appeal to fans of Red Dead Redemption 2 who know that sometimes, the best option for an awesome outfit is just to throw on the skin of an animal like a coat. The Dire Wolf takes this to heart and arrives with a wolf pelt draped over his clothing, and the wolf’s head sitting atop his own.
That wolf head serves two purposes: it looks cool, but it also does a strikingly good job of obscuring the Dire Wolf’s actual head and helping him blend into his surroundings. The grey-brown palette of his clothes succeeds similarly, keeping the Dire Wolf’s visual presence muted as he stalks his foes.
7 Monroe, The Committed
In terms of frightening characters, it’s hard to top “escaped insane asylum inmate.” To fit that mold, Hunt: Showdown released The Committed Legendary Hunter along with his own DLC pack back in May 2021.
His intro animation is a bit silly, but that certainly fits the character. His design is unique, especially in first-person, where handcuffs are still visible around his wrists. Best of all, his gray skin and equally gray inmate jacket mean that no part of him jumps out of the scenery. He’s not camouflaged exactly, but with his back against a building or fence, there’s very little to distinguish him from his surroundings.
6 Nika Felis
Another one of the best intro animations in the game belongs to Felis, and her benefits don’t stop there. Everything about this Legendary Hunter oozes cool. Her outfit is tattered yet seemingly robust, her first-person design is awesome - with one hand bare and the other heavily gloved - and she goes around wearing the skull of a giant cat that she killed. That’s hard to top.
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Her disadvantage, much like the Weird Sister, is the face paint, which is once again bright white. Felis can make up for this by crouching, which lowers the cat skull to cover part of her face, and the rest of her outfit more than manages to hide her in the dark. If she tries to be too sneaky though, that face paint is going to stand out and make her an easy target.
5 Mama Maye
Much like the Plague Doctor - who appears later in this list - Mama Maye was released as an exclusive Hunter during Hunt: Showdown’s 2022 Halloween event. Any players that didn’t unlock her during that event are out of luck for the time being. Those players that did unlock her, should be using her.
First, she looks incredible, sporting one of the most interesting blends of traditional fashion and gothic horror in the whole game. Her outfit is dark green and grey, perfect for blending into the Bayou, and that pointy hat of hers does an excellent job at not only obscuring her face (which helps keep her camouflaged) but also throwing off the shape of her head, which makes headshots more difficult. She also has a great intro animation. There is very little not to like about this Legendary Hunter.
4 Plague Doctor
One of the rarest entries on this list, the Plague Doctor Legendary Hunter was only available during the As The Crow Flies in-game event and was rewarded to players who earned enough points during that event to unlock him. As of this writing, he cannot be purchased from the game’s store, although that may change down the road.
The rarity of this character only adds to his already impressive design. He looks absolutely terrifying: like a traditional plague doctor outfitted in steampunk-esque armor. From looking at him, it seems unlikely that bullets would even harm him. Add to that his coloring, which gives him excellent camouflage in almost all settings, and the few players who managed to unlock him know they’ve got a trump card waiting in their arsenal.
3 Bone Doctor
Right off the bat, the Bone Doctor has unquestionably the coolest intro animation in the game. It isn’t even close. The way he emerges from black smoke and spreads his arms in a taunting fashion is unmatched. That alone ranks him near the top.
In practice, the Bone Doctor is equally effective. His coloring allows for simple stealth camouflage, and the texture on his cloak adds an extra layer of uncertainty when players are trying to pick him out of the surroundings. His skull mask is just the icing on the cake, making his head harder to pick out and, therefore, harder to shoot. The Bone Doctor isn’t anything fancy; he’s just all-around effective in every area.
2 The Reptilian
Released along with the Cold Blooded DLC pack, The Reptilian comes sporting some of the best natural camouflage in the entire game. Between his coloring, his face mask, and the texture of his cloak, when The Reptilian gets low, he looks just like any old rock or driftwood that litters the maps of Hunt: Showdown.
The good news is, The Reptilian is more deadly than a rock. When positioned properly, opposing Hunters tend to stroll right past him without even noticing he’s there, a mistake many won’t recover from. He also just looks fantastic, especially when equipped with his signature Tooth To Tail Bomb Lance.
1 Cain
At first glance, Cain doesn’t give the impression of being a top-tier Legendary Hunter. His beady little eyes, lack of clothing, and subdued intro animation all give the impression of a pretty standard Hunt: Showdown character skin.
What makes Cain so devastating is his unbelievable camouflage. When he was first released along with the Through The Bone Briar DLC, he was broken enough that Crytek had to nerf him by removing some mud from his skin tone. He was so hard to see that fans nicknamed him “The Disappearing Dirt Man.” Even after the nerf, Cain is still tough to spot. Something about his backpack - a trellis adorned with hanging skulls - just doesn’t give the impression that it’s being worn by a human. It just looks like set dressing. He’s so easy to look past, even at close range, that he is hands down the best Legendary Hunter available.
Hunt: Showdown was released on February 22nd, 2018, and is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC. The game’s latest DLC, The Concubine, was released on November 17th, 2022.
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