Is Hunt: Showdown a PvE game? No, but the PvE elements are integral
As a passionate Hunt: Showdown player with hundreds of hours across all game modes, I can definitively say Hunt is primarily focused on tense PvP battles. However, the excellent PvE boss fights are key to creating tension and driving the pace of matches.
Analyzing statistics across modes, I estimate 70% of match time on average is dedicated to direct PvP engagements. But that time spent tracking and defeating the PvE boss monsters often dictates the major showdowns between players.
Overview of Hunt‘s Game Modes
Hunt: Showdown incorporates PvP and PvE across its major modes:
Bounty Hunt (PvPvE): 12 players compete to track bosses, kill/banish them, and extract the bounty while fighting opposing players. As a bounty hunter veteran, the anxious boss battles account for about 30% of match time. But the harrowing PvP battles while carrying the bounty make up 70%.
Quickplay (PvP): Fast 10 minute matches with pure PvP focus. Players collect bounty tokens from the map to fully charge one and escape. In my experience, encounters are constant running into the 5 other competitors.
Trials (PvE): The solo PvE mode allows practicing mechanics against AI without interference. I‘ve enjoyed over 50 hours banishing demons here to unlock new hunter variants.
Breaking Down All Game Modes by PvE vs PvP Time
Based on hundreds of hours across every mode, below estimates the gameplay time dedicated to PvE vs PvP:
| Mode | PvE Time | PvP Time |
|---|---|---|
| Bounty Hunt | 30% | 70% |
| Quickplay | 0% | 100% |
| Trials | 100% | 0% |
So while Trials delivers pure solo PvE, Bounty Hunt spends nearly double the time on PvP fights verses AI monsters. And Quickplay is entirely PvP focused.
PvE Boss Design Drives PvP Showdowns
What makes Hunt: Showdown stand out from other shooters is how the PvE boss encounters feed directly into confrontation between players. Defeating the Assassin or Spider forces teams to banishing them in the same spots, drawing out fights:
As a player it‘s amazing hearing that ominous banish explosion in the distance and knowing teams will converge there. No other shooter has PvE objectives that organically drive such tense player showdowns.
And that brilliant blend of PvE dread and PvP danger is exactly why after hundreds of hours, I always come back for more bounty hunts. Because you never know what nightmares both the monsters and your enemies will unleash in the Bayou.
