R.E.P.O. Guide | How to Beat Huntsman

Tier 3 Huntsman is the most noise-punishing enemy in REPO. Even though it lacks vision, it is incredibly sensitive to sound and can fire at high speeds. Applying these strategies will allow you to remain silent when necessary, establish safe patterns, and secure the kill without jeopardizing your run.

Huntsman Enemy Overview

Huntsman has a Hazard Level of S and 250 health. It does 100 damage with each hit and drops a Large Orb when it dies. It goes through the actions of Roam, Investigate, Aim and Shoot, and Leave.

Spawn And Roam Behavior

The Huntsman can idle for 0–2 minutes after spawning in the module that is farthest from the REPO Van. When the timer goes off or when you move within twenty units, roaming starts.

When you let it roam in Roam, it will pathfind between level spots, stopping every 10–25 units to go to a random spot before continuing. The most distinct indicator that Huntsman is near is an intermittent buzzing sound. 

Noise Bubbles And Investigate

Every sound creates a noise bubble. Loud actions create a larger bubble, and enemies within it will pathfind toward the sound. Walking, sprinting, jumping, item drops, and voice chat all count. 

Microphone speech can create a 5-unit bubble, about the same as sprinting. There is a small grace limit where mic noise may not create a bubble, and crouching increases that grace limit, but most talking still creates sound.

Huntsman has five times better hearing than most enemies, so a 5-unit bubble can be heard from up to 25 units away. In Investigate, Huntsman pathfinds to the last noise location, pauses for about 2 to 8 seconds, then returns to Roam.

Aim And Shoot Mechanics

When Huntsman hears something, it either investigates or points and shoots. It makes a direct line to the noise, and if that line hits you, it shoots. The line is like a sphere cast, a line constructed from spheres. If any part of your body touches a sphere, the shot can go off.

Spheres are largest under four units, smaller past four units, and smaller again past 10 units, so distance makes Huntsman less accurate.

Shot timing depends on range. Within four units, Huntsman shoots exactly 0.5 seconds after the noise. Over four units, it takes between 0.25 and 1 second to shoot after hearing the noise. Over 12 units, it will not shoot and will only investigate, even if the line is connected. 

About 12 units is close to a module length, so staying beyond that range forces a walk-in instead of a shot. If a dodge is needed, roll to the side, but the timing is tight. The rifle always deals 100 damage.

Leave State And Shot Reset

After four shots, Huntsman goes to Leave. It stops, shakes its head, and then walks to a spot that is very far away. It can't hear sounds more than 5 units away when on Leave. It can hear you if you make noise within five units; it has a leave interrupt counter. 

Leave is almost broken once it hears three close sounds, and a fourth close sound can let Aim and Shoot work again. Stay away from it, don't stroll or run near it, and let it go. If it's getting in the way, bait four shots to make Leave go away.

Best Weapons And Safe Kills

Shotgun is the best option because it can be one-shot at close range. Handgun stuns Huntsman and usually kills in three to four shots. 

Pulse Pistol and Photon Blaster are steady ranged options. Sledgehammer and Baseball Bat are top melee picks because they hit hard and can stun. Prodzap is also strong because it can keep Huntsman stunned.

Different kinds of explosives exist. A grenade does 160 damage and usually has to be followed up. Explosive Mine does 200 damage and usually does enough damage to finish off Huntsman. A control tool like a Stun Grenade or a Tranq Gun makes any plan safer.

Bait, then punish. Bait a shot, then move in, because there is a short grace window of about 1.5 seconds where Huntsman cannot hear. To escape, throw or slam an item to bait Aim And Shoot, but slam it far enough away so you are not inside the sphere cast. 

Don't touch Huntsman with your body or anything else, because that could make him shoot. Stairs are also safe. Trigger: Jump over a wall to look from behind it, pull Huntsman to the steps, and it will fall, stunning for roughly two seconds.

Drops, Strength Plays, And Duck Danger

A Large Orb from Huntsman can be worth 55 to 7500. On Super Moons, the orb can act like an impact grenade for 175 damage. 

With nine strength upgrades, you can grab and stun Huntsman, then slam it repeatedly until it dies. After level 10, Overcharge makes this harder, so tossing Huntsman into a pit is often safer.

After level five, Clown, Cooler, and Potion will not stun Huntsman. Stun Grenade still works, and Cart Bash can end the kill for a low price. Look out for Duck. If Duck follows you and quacks, Huntsman can hear it and shoot you, don't let them both stay in the same room.

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