Most monster players avoid this ability due to the immobility; I personally consider it underestimated. It is just too much fun to never select it – but it is definitely not for beginners.
Leap Smash
The monster jumps to a target area, causing damage upon impact and knocking back all affected hunters. For opponents, it is often hard to tell whether you are executing a “normal” jump or this attack.
It is excellent for starting a fight but can also be used to escape – just use it like one of your normal jumps to quickly cover a large distance.
Fire Breath
What would a nasty monster be without fire breath? Boring, right?
The damage of this attack is not outstanding, but the attack comes with several other advantages. On one hand, the fire obscures a significant portion of the view and can disorient the hunters. Then, the affected targets continue to burn for several seconds, suffering from a dot effect. However, the most useful aspect is that fire breath reveals cloaked enemies! Because even if the hunters activate their cloaking – you still see the flames on their bodies.What many do not know: During fire breath, you can use all other abilities! So you do not have to wait; just continue to pummel your enemies. Especially in combination with “Charge”, you can often take out several hunters in seconds.
Charge
Goliath charges forward, causing damage and knocking back all affected hunters.
This ability is absolutely worth its weight in gold. With it, individual hunters can be separated from the group. This is particularly useful when the Support Hank is protecting someone with the shield stream – just carry the affected away, and he is defenseless against your attacks.
It works especially well when you toss enemies over a cliff with “Charge” and then dive down on them with the “Leap Smash” from above – that knocks most hunters off their feet.
Always remember that you can also use “Charge” as a traveling ability to quickly cover a large distance. Use it to save some of your jumps for more important situations.
Special Tips to Conclude
The Fight Against Lazarus
If there’s a Lazarus on the enemy team, then he is your most important target! Normally, killed hunters only return to the game after 2 minutes with the drop ship, but Lazarus can bring them back from the dead. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the respective hunters do not even have reduced HP.
In summary: As long as Lazarus is alive, you can inflict no permanent damage on the hunters. Bring him down, keep your fire breath active on him (as he has a personal cloak), and wait for the hunters to help him – then rush back in and finish him off again. A Lazarus with 2 “strikes” (i.e., 2x reduced maximum HP) can be killed with a single leap smash.
If that is no option, just make sure to immediately devour killed hunters – because Lazarus can only revive them if the corpses are still intact.
Setting a False Trail
Especially at the beginning, it is important to confuse the hunters. A false trail can be laid quickly: Take a few steps in one direction, then switch to stealth mode, turn around bluntly, and follow a different path. The hunters will hardly know what to do now.
Of course, your opponents also learn over time, so sometimes you should bluff and just walk along the first way in stealth mode. It’s purely a psychological game – unless the hunters have Daisy with them, then save yourself the trouble. Daisy always sniffs out your direction, regardless of stealth. If you want, you can also draw funny messages on the ground with your tracks, like an arrow in the direction where the monster is waiting (most hunters never believe that anyway – and then go in a different direction).
Be Nice to Birds!
Birds are primarily annoying. You often startle them accidentally, or they appear when you’ve just devoured a tasty wild animal. They immediately inform the hunters of where the monster is. Use that to confuse them! If a flock has been startled, sprint in one direction and startle a second flock.
The hunters will usually draw an imaginary line between the first flock and the second to guess in which direction the monster is moving. If the monster turns back (i.e., moves toward the first flock), you can often avoid an encounter.
HELP! I’m Stage 1 and in the Dome!
Don’t throw in the towel! Look around. Which area is exactly affected by the dome? Are there bushes or other hiding spots nearby? Can you walk around pillars? Especially important: Do the hunters definitely know they have trapped you? Often it is not so clear with a “small” stage-1 monster.
You would laugh at how often during the beta I simply stood in a bush and waited. Those who do not believe it can check out this video (the first 2 minutes are enough):
If you can’t avoid a fight, then find the Trapper. Bring him down at all costs! Once he is on the ground, the dome collapses upon itself, and you should flee.
Priorities in Combat
During the fight, always know who poses the greatest threat, so here’s this simple calculation: The Assault deals 50% of the damage, Support 25%, Medic and Trapper each 12.5%.
For the monster: If you do not give the Assault a moment’s peace and he never gets the chance to unload his weapons on you, you will easily survive most fights in Phase 2 and 3. If the Assault is dead, do not hesitate to hunt the remaining hunters (except in Stage 1). If the Support also falls, they effectively deal no damage.
So… I hope the guide has been enjoyable for all readers. It has turned out to be a bit longer than initially planned, but I have covered a lot of gaming situations. Critiques, suggestions, and opinions are welcome in the comments. Oh, and compliments. I love compliments. Bring it on. Have fun destroying the hunters!
After dedicating our last guide to the 4 starter hunters of the last guide from Evolve, we will now cover the first monster, Goliath, and provide valuable tips to ensure you emerge victorious after a short acclimatization period.
Since playing the monsters requires much more attention than playing the individual hunters, it will be a bit more extensive. It is, of course, not possible to include all tactics and strategies here – feel free to add your own ideas in the comments. As before, all points here are not set in stone.
There are certainly ways to play this monster better, but the following Goliath guide should be a significant help for newcomers.
Basics of the Monster
Currently, Goliath is the monster with the most health points and the highest mobility. All his abilities are based on power, sheer brutality, and require no greater understanding, but I will still list a few tricks.
The Stealth Mode
By pressing the CTRL key, you enter stealth mode. The monster moves significantly slower but leaves no footprints! This takes away one of the hunters’ tracking options. Birds will not be startled unless you walk right through them.
At the same time, you can perform stealth attacks: Hold down the left mouse button and look around. Once a red glow appears around your target, release the button. The target will be attacked and hit until it either dies or Goliath takes damage. The target cannot defend itself! A perfect way to kill lone hunters or quickly and cleanly take down creatures to then gorge yourself on.
Use stealth mode wisely! Those who always sneak around will never be able to build up enough distance, and those who never sneak give the hunters too many clues as to where to move.
Smelling
The “Smell” function (right mouse button) is your radar. Within a 50-meter radius, ALL creatures will be displayed – even the hunters! You can see them even through walls. Use the function as often as possible. There is practically no reason not to constantly sniff and scan the surroundings. However, note that cloaked hunters will not be displayed – but their footprints will be (please do not question this logic…).
There is only one situation where you should not be constantly sniffing: Goliath wants to hide and hopes that the hunters will walk past him. Sniffing indeed produces a very distinctive sound that can also be heard by the hunters.
Tips for Stage 1
At the beginning of a “Hunt” round, you are weak. The hunters are mercilessly superior to you, so do not give yourself the illusion of being able to win a fight.
You have about 20 seconds of head start before the hunters land on the map – use this time to cover a lot of ground! Particularly with your jumps, you can bridge huge distances, make good use of that.
And then it’s: Eat, Smell, Eat, Smell. The only goal is to evade the hunters and reach Stage 2.
Fortunately, this process is quite fast; after about 2 minutes, you should be able to evolve Goliath, often even before the hunters know which direction you fled.
Tips for Stage 2
From now on, the fun begins. As you evolve, the hunters will know exactly where Goliath is located because the evolution roar can be heard across the entire map.
Devour new armor as quickly as possible; it is completely lost when evolving. Then you have to make a decision: Do you want to fight the hunters or keep devouring until you reach Stage 3?
If you want to fight: Lure the hunters to a location that is advantageous for you! A narrow cave where no one can avoid with the jetpack, or a very rocky environment where you can push the hunters around. Startle a few birds or draw attention to yourself in other ways. You do not necessarily have to win in this phase of the game, but it can be worthwhile to take down the hunters a few times so that your maximum HP value is reduced.
If the battle luck turns against you, just flee and eat until you reach Stage 3.
Tips for Stage 3
Congratulations, you are virtually unstoppable. Regain your armor and dive into the hunters. If you have already inflicted a few strikes on them during the game, you should easily be able to win as they will all die from a fire breath-charge combo.
Alternatively, you can now attack the map’s generator – it takes about 30 seconds, is interrupted by damage (but your progress on the generator remains) and makes the monster player the immediate winner upon success. As long as you have armor, you no longer have to fear the hunters.
Goliath is the king of close combat – show that to the hunters and squeeze the life out of their bodies.
The Abilities in Detail:
Rock Throw
Goliath reaches into the ground and pulls out a rock, which he can then throw in a direction of his choice. The ability has a whole range of advantages but also significant disadvantages.
Let’s start with the negative aspects: While he tears the rock from the ground, Goliath cannot move. Although it only takes less than 2 seconds, that can be enough to cause you exactly the damage that ruins victory. So use the rock only if you are sure you can handle the 2 seconds!Now for the advantages: You can hold the rock as long as you want. As long as you keep the “1” button pressed, the Goliath is ready to throw. This is excellent for preparing an ambush. You see the hunters turning a corner towards you? Want to engage them in battle?
Wait with the rock in hand and greet them with a stone in their surprised faces! Additionally, you can also wonderfully bring down hunters from the air who think they are safe with the jetpack. If one hunter wants to assist another and you do not arrive in time? Send a rock flying and with a bit of luck, they will both be lying on the ground.
Most monster players avoid this ability due to the immobility; I personally consider it underestimated. It is just too much fun to never select it – but it is definitely not for beginners.
Leap Smash
The monster jumps to a target area, causing damage upon impact and knocking back all affected hunters. For opponents, it is often hard to tell whether you are executing a “normal” jump or this attack.
It is excellent for starting a fight but can also be used to escape – just use it like one of your normal jumps to quickly cover a large distance.
Fire Breath
What would a nasty monster be without fire breath? Boring, right?
The damage of this attack is not outstanding, but the attack comes with several other advantages. On one hand, the fire obscures a significant portion of the view and can disorient the hunters. Then, the affected targets continue to burn for several seconds, suffering from a dot effect. However, the most useful aspect is that fire breath reveals cloaked enemies! Because even if the hunters activate their cloaking – you still see the flames on their bodies.What many do not know: During fire breath, you can use all other abilities! So you do not have to wait; just continue to pummel your enemies. Especially in combination with “Charge”, you can often take out several hunters in seconds.
Charge
Goliath charges forward, causing damage and knocking back all affected hunters.
This ability is absolutely worth its weight in gold. With it, individual hunters can be separated from the group. This is particularly useful when the Support Hank is protecting someone with the shield stream – just carry the affected away, and he is defenseless against your attacks.
It works especially well when you toss enemies over a cliff with “Charge” and then dive down on them with the “Leap Smash” from above – that knocks most hunters off their feet.
Always remember that you can also use “Charge” as a traveling ability to quickly cover a large distance. Use it to save some of your jumps for more important situations.
Special Tips to Conclude
The Fight Against Lazarus
If there’s a Lazarus on the enemy team, then he is your most important target! Normally, killed hunters only return to the game after 2 minutes with the drop ship, but Lazarus can bring them back from the dead. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the respective hunters do not even have reduced HP.
In summary: As long as Lazarus is alive, you can inflict no permanent damage on the hunters. Bring him down, keep your fire breath active on him (as he has a personal cloak), and wait for the hunters to help him – then rush back in and finish him off again. A Lazarus with 2 “strikes” (i.e., 2x reduced maximum HP) can be killed with a single leap smash.
If that is no option, just make sure to immediately devour killed hunters – because Lazarus can only revive them if the corpses are still intact.
Setting a False Trail
Especially at the beginning, it is important to confuse the hunters. A false trail can be laid quickly: Take a few steps in one direction, then switch to stealth mode, turn around bluntly, and follow a different path. The hunters will hardly know what to do now.
Of course, your opponents also learn over time, so sometimes you should bluff and just walk along the first way in stealth mode. It’s purely a psychological game – unless the hunters have Daisy with them, then save yourself the trouble. Daisy always sniffs out your direction, regardless of stealth. If you want, you can also draw funny messages on the ground with your tracks, like an arrow in the direction where the monster is waiting (most hunters never believe that anyway – and then go in a different direction).
Be Nice to Birds!
Birds are primarily annoying. You often startle them accidentally, or they appear when you’ve just devoured a tasty wild animal. They immediately inform the hunters of where the monster is. Use that to confuse them! If a flock has been startled, sprint in one direction and startle a second flock.
The hunters will usually draw an imaginary line between the first flock and the second to guess in which direction the monster is moving. If the monster turns back (i.e., moves toward the first flock), you can often avoid an encounter.
HELP! I’m Stage 1 and in the Dome!
Don’t throw in the towel! Look around. Which area is exactly affected by the dome? Are there bushes or other hiding spots nearby? Can you walk around pillars? Especially important: Do the hunters definitely know they have trapped you? Often it is not so clear with a “small” stage-1 monster.
You would laugh at how often during the beta I simply stood in a bush and waited. Those who do not believe it can check out this video (the first 2 minutes are enough):
If you can’t avoid a fight, then find the Trapper. Bring him down at all costs! Once he is on the ground, the dome collapses upon itself, and you should flee.
Priorities in Combat
During the fight, always know who poses the greatest threat, so here’s this simple calculation: The Assault deals 50% of the damage, Support 25%, Medic and Trapper each 12.5%.
For the monster: If you do not give the Assault a moment’s peace and he never gets the chance to unload his weapons on you, you will easily survive most fights in Phase 2 and 3. If the Assault is dead, do not hesitate to hunt the remaining hunters (except in Stage 1). If the Support also falls, they effectively deal no damage.
So… I hope the guide has been enjoyable for all readers. It has turned out to be a bit longer than initially planned, but I have covered a lot of gaming situations. Critiques, suggestions, and opinions are welcome in the comments. Oh, and compliments. I love compliments. Bring it on. Have fun destroying the hunters!
