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Hunt Showdown: 1896is one of those rare FPS games that has a very delicate balance between its ranged and melee options. Both ranged and melee weapons have their time in the sun in the swamps and mountains of Hunt, and bringing one without the other is going to severely hamper you in certain situations.
One of the best melee options in Hunt, and a coincidentally a melee option that brings range along with it, is the Throwing Spear. The Throwing Spear has a fantastic value for its cost, is viable in PvE and PvP encounters, and is going to make a significant difference in your Hunter’s lifespan.
How To Equip The Throwing Spear
The Throwing Spear ispurchased and equipped in the Tools section of your loadoutfor 150 Hunt Dollars. This might seem steep for a Tool, and it is compared to most of the other options for items that are competing for that spot.
But, absolutelynone of those options bring along with them the value and versatility that the Throwing Spear does. Compared to the Throwing Knives and the Throwing Axes, the Throwing Spear is a flat upgrade in every regard,with higher damage, much better reach, and an easier throwing angle.
The only drawback to the Throwing Spear is that you only get one of them to bring along as opposed to multiple Throwing Axes or Throwing Knives.
If you want more than one Throwing Spear without having to purchase and fill two Tool slots, theFrontiersman Hunter Trait gives you one more chargeon all of your Tools. This will give you a second Throwing Spear, alongside one extra Tool you bring.
How To Use The Throwing Spear In PvE
The Throwing Spear is going to be yourprimary weapon of choice for almost every single minor monsterin the game, with a few caveats that you’re going to want to know about beforehand.
Monsters To Fight With The Throwing Spear
WithGrunts, Armoreds, Hives, Water Devils, and Hellhounds, it’s generally one (or in the case of an Armored, two) stabs, and they’re finished.Water Devils will require a good toss, but it will finish it immediately, and the Spear is easy to recover afterwards.
Sometimes Hives are on rooftops, but the simple throwing trajectory of the Spear makes them easy targets.
Monsters Not To Fight With The Throwing Spear
The Throwing Spear is abit trickier when it comes to the Meathead, and especiallythe Immolator.
In regard to theMeathead,it’s going to have enough health thatone stab or one toss with the Throwing Spear is not going to get the job done. Meathead’s do quite a bit of damage if they manage to hit you, so the Throwing Spear is not going to change how you fight them, in most regards.
It’s also going to be tricky to fight Immolators with the Throwing Spear;Immolators explode and ignite when they’re hit with anything other than blunt damage. A Throwing Spear is anything but blunt, so contact with the Immolator is going to create a problem. Meleeing an Immolator with the Throwing Spear isextremely ill-advised,butone toss can usually take an Immolator down.
Keep in mind, even if the Immolator dies to the Throwing Spear, it’s going to ignite the ground around it. This is going to create a problem if you need to retrieve that Throwing Spear with any real speed.
Bounty Targets
The Throwing Spear is a fairly good weapon to fight Bounty Targets with as well, with one real exception.TheSpider, the Butcher, the Assassin, Scrapbeak, and Rotjaware all monsters that are fairly easy to get some easy melee damage on.
While the Throwing Spear isn’t going to make a tremendous difference to their health bar with a melee attack,throwing the spear and retrieving it from their body repeatedlyis not too much trouble for any Targetexcept for Rotjaw. Rotjaw can enter the water and reappear somewhere else, and that will make it tough to get the Spear back consistently.
It’s still a good idea to bring at least one other weapon you’re comfortable fighting the Bounty Target with, because occasionally, the Throwing Spear will get lost after throwing it.
The Bounty Target that the Throwing Spear doesnot particularly help with is the Hellborn. This creature is, for all intents and purposes,agiant Immolator. And because of this, getting too up-close with the Throwing Spear isgoing to get you lit on fire, and that is just about the quickest way to find yourself having to equip a new Hunter.
How To Use The Throwing Spear In PvP
The Throwing Spear is agreat weapon choicefor PvP as well, bringing aone-hit lethal melee weapon and ranged weapon without taking up an actual weapon slot, still freeing you up to bring two guns with you, if you wish.
This adds a lot of versatility towhat you can do with your loadout. While it’s not an absolute necessity, it can really limit you in some scenarios to lack a certain kind of weapon for a specific range. You have no idea what kind of situations you’re going to get into ahead of time in Hunt, and being prepared for any eventuality is a massive boon.
In PvP, theThrowing Spear really shines in interior situations. Enemies will have limited angles of escape, and the reach of the Throwing Spear combined with the fact that you’re able to throw it, makes it very easy to dispatch your target.
Damage-wise, the Throwing Spear will easilyone-shot a Hunter with either a heavy melee attack or a throw. A normal melee attack does 105 damage, and is going to put a Hunter at about one-third health.
TheThrowing Spear does inflict bleeding, so if a Hunter does survive your attack, know that they need to stop their bleeding or risk that it finishes them off.
