| “ | The pesky Hunters are known to dodge incoming fire with swift leaps. Scientists note that while this behavior might appear intelligent, it is merely a base instinct, akin to a housefly avoiding an incoming swat. | „ |
| ~ Helldivers 2 PlayStation Store Page |
The Hunter, like the Warrior, is a medium-sized 
Terminid that appears on Medium difficulty and higher.
Hunters employ the same tactics as the Pouncers, where they will jump great distances using their wings, stun 
Helldivers, and use flank maneuvers.
Behavior
Hunters are agile Terminids designed to pursue its target. Their initial movement upon encountering a hostile force is to swerve sideways to bring confusion and panic to a Helldiver, in an attempt to avoid their attacks. Upon sufficient range, the Hunter will pounce on its target to slash them with its claws, dealing moderate damage.
Additionally, Hunters will use its elongated tongue as a melee attack, which are also laced with acidic enzymes that can slow down its target and deal small damage per second for a brief period of time.
Like majority of the small and medium-sized Terminids, once it spots a Helldiver, it can call for reinforcements via Bug Breach. When doing this, Hunters emit a loud and distinct noise.
Anatomy
Behavior
- Hunters attempt to flank and surprise their targets. They will attempt to rotate around their targets and move behind cover to remain out of vision before moving forward to engage.
- Hunters will leap at their target from close range when attempting to engage with their claws and stylets (tongues), and will chase after their target with leaps and strikes until they kill their prey. Their claw strikes are particularly quick and lethal.
- Hunters will attempt to hop sideways to avoid incoming fire.
- Hunters are able to release a cloud of pheromones into the air that causes a Bug Breach.
On Challenging difficulty and higher, the Hunter's stylets will also slow Helldivers down, making it easier for other Terminids to swarm and overwhelm them.
Tactics
- Found on medium to high level Terminid missions, you'll see Hunters darting around and leaping from one place to another as they track their prey. Hunters are agile, causing them to be somewhat challenging to hit, but with practice can be easily dispatched, especially once they engage in a leaping attack towards you.
- Hunters seem to have an instinctive reaction to the laser sights used on all Helldiver weapons. They often try to dart out of the way of the beam - this can appear to the Helldiver as if the creature is 'dodging' your fire. This is nonsense - make no mistake, this is a mindless animal, and has no understanding of firearms or lasers. Simply place your shots carefully!
- Hunters have a low health pool, meaning any form of weaponry works equally effective in taking them down.
- Hunters should be your highest target priority when dealing with large groups of lower-level bugs, since they have much greater mobility and attack damage compared to Warriors or Scavengers. Hunters also are very hard to outrun, especially with medium and heavy armor. It is highly recommended to take them out when being pursued.
- Hunters will usually follow up their lunge attack with either additional attacks or use their tongue to debilitate players, which causes them to be slowed temporarily and consequently be more vulnerable to additional attacks. This is especially lethal if being chased by multiple hunters.
- Having the Muscle Enhancement booster equipped will significantly reduce the slow debuff, but will not outright prevent it.
- When fighting a Helldiver facing their general direction, hunters will usually try to use conceal themselves and attack from blind spots in the sides or rear as they close-in. This can be especially problematic if fighting a mixed horde of warriors and hunters, where one group will attack head-on, and the other will attempt to flank to divide their attention.
- Like other Terminids, using a melee attack will temporarily stun the Hunter, allowing the Helldiver to get breathing space.
Variants
- Predator Hunter: a strain of the Hunter enhanced by the Gloom. This variant has given them the ability to camouflage to its surroundings, making them an even deadlier ambush predators.
- Spore Burst Hunter: a strain of the Hunter enhanced by the Gloom. This variant will release a small fog of Spore on death. The spore does nothing on its own other that limiting vision, but nearby
Spore Burst Strains that exhume this cloud of spore will become frenzied, increasing their speed and aggression.
Notes
- When encountering Hunters in medium or higher difficulty operations they will gain the ability to deal acid damage to Helldivers with their tongue attacks. It will slow you for several seconds if you are repeatedly attacked by other Hunters.
- This attack and their pounce attack can prevent the user from using Stims. It’s recommended to have backup when facing large amounts of hunters to prevent an unfair death.
Trivia
- Hunters may be partly based on Vanguards from the first game, who appeared in numbers and used a leaping attack to close the distance. They also have a similar characteristic of the first game's Stalker, whose poison could slow Helldivers and leave them vulnerable to more dangerous enemies.
- Hunters also resemble Shrieker but with smaller wings. Undemocratic rumours say that the Shrieker may be mutated hunters made from the termicide but are completely false.
