Hunting

Overview

Hunting is about learning to interpret the world. It is not a linear “deal more damage to animals” skill. As your Hunting improves, the game tells you more: what made a track, which way it went, how fresh it is, and what it means.

Its progression follows five stages of fieldcraft:

1. Recognition — noticing that a sign is there.
2. Interpretation — understanding what it means.
3. Prediction — working out where the animal is likely to go.
4. Execution — stalking, trapping and taking the shot.
5. Recovery — field dressing and recovering materials well.

Prey are generally not hard level-gated. Skill changes what you understand about an animal, not whether you are allowed to hunt it. Animals react to what they perceive — see creature behaviour and the Bestiary.

Hunting and Examine

Hunting enriches Examine. With a Hunting Bow equipped, Examine becomes Hunting-aware, and the same track or carcass tells you more as your knowledge grows.

Tools

• Hunting Bow — enables Hunting-aware Examine.
• Hunting Knife — in the Secondary Tool slot, enables basic field dressing and material recovery.
• Snares — basic snares are available early.

Progression

Hunting runs from level 1 to 100, with broad, meaningful milestones roughly every ten levels rather than a trickle of minor unlocks. The current design for the early levels is below; later milestones will be documented as they are finalised.

Show level-by-level detail (current design)

Level 1

• Recognise obvious signs and follow straightforward trails.
• Crouch and stalk.
• Hunt ordinary prey.
• Recognise basic blood trails.
• Basic field dressing and snares.

Around level 10

• Distinguish track types, direction and freshness.
• Recognise basic species signs.

Around level 20

• Understand feeding and resting behaviour.
• Understand an animal’s basic senses, activity and reactions.
• Better judgement of trap sites — through knowledge, not flat success bonuses.

Around level 30

• Connect signs into a “trail story”.
• Identify when several animals are involved.
• Tell normal travel from fleeing, and regular routes from incidental crossings.
• Infer likely direction.
• Read blood trails in more detail.

Around level 40

• Stronger fieldcraft and less avoidable waste when recovering materials.
• Recognise specialist materials.

Around level 50

• The Seasoned Hunter milestone, with progression continuing toward mastery of prediction, execution and recovery.

Carcasses

Some creatures, such as the Rootcrawler and the Tideclaw, already leave a carcass instead of a loot bag. Field dressing them will come with Hunting.

All of the above is current design and may change during development. Hunting is not yet available in the game; see Non-combat skills.