Summary
Season 4 of the free-to-play hero shooterStar Wars: Huntersis now live, delivering plenty of fresh content and implementing various changes.Star Wars: Hunters’ previous season launched on September 24.
Developed by Zynga and its subsidiary NaturalMotion,Star Wars: Huntersis a squad-based arena shooterthat fully released on mobile platforms and the Nintendo Switch on June 4. The Unreal Engine-powered title, set between the end of the originalStar Warstrilogy and 2015’sThe Force Awakens, features a diverse roster of characters. This pool of Hunters includes a Jedi droid, a Sith assassin, a Mandalorian vanguard, an Imperial Stormtrooper, and even an Ewok warrior. The latest season ofStar Wars: Huntersfurther expands this list, adds other new content, and delivers tweaks.
Nox, a former Order of the Night Wind assassin who is looking for her long-lost sister, joinsStar Wars: Hunters' rosterof heroes and villains in Season 4: Survival Instinct. The bow wielder’s unique abilities allow her to dish out a lot of damage with her poisoned arrows while remaining agile. Nox’s previous organization was featured in the Disney+ miniseriesThe Book of Boba Fettthat starred Temuera Morrison and Pedro Pascal.
Among the other Season 4 additions are Endor Aftermath, aStar Wars: Huntersmapinspired by the site of the legendary battle that decided the Galactic Civil War, and Scrap Salvage, a new resource-based game mode. Moreover, the current season that went live on November 26 features 228 new cosmetics and several events, such as the Feast of Prosperity that has also appeared in Electronic Arts' long-running MMORPGStar Wars: The Old Republic. As for changes related to game balance, Season 4 tweaked the parameters of Charr, Rieve, Sentinel, and Vex.
The previous season ofStar Wars: Hunters, Echoes of the Rebellion, added the Ewok warrior Pilbush to the game. It also introduced a new map based on Hoth, which, like Endor, was the location of one of themost important battles in theStar Warsfranchise.
According to the patch notes that were posted on the officialStar Wars: Hunterswebsite, Season 4: Survival Instinct will run until late January 2025. This should give the development team some time to push out more updates and engaging gameplay experiences. It will also supposedly give players more time to explore all the content the new season has to offer. Zynga’s mobile experience currently has an average score of 60 on review aggregate siteOpenCritic, with many praising the title’s fun gameplay loop while highlighting its lack of other hooks.
New Hunter
Nox
Get ready to take aim at the competition. The new Damage Hunter, Nox, has entered the Arena! The former Night Wind assassin hails from a remote village on Iridonia, and has joined the Arena to use the spotlight to generate leads about her long lost sister.
She’s able to hit opponents from a distance with her bow, and charging the Composite Bow increases damage output. Nox has a special Poisoned Spread Shot Ability that allows her to pull 5 poison-tipped arrows from her quiver and fire them all at once. This ability can be used to hit multiple opponents or, if charged, it can fire all the arrows in a smaller group which can help hitting single targets.
Nox is a highly mobile Hunter, with a passive ability called Jump Boost which allows her to use jet boots to jump a second-time mid air. Nox also has an Aeriel Dodge Ability, which allows her to dash sideways midair. During the dash, if Nox uses her bow or the Poisoned Spread Shot Ability she will hover in place for a short duration, allowing her to aim at a target mid-flight.
New Battlefield
Endor Aftermath
Introducing Endor Aftermath, a battlefield inspired by the legendary Forest Moon of Endor. Hunters battle their way through an abandoned Imperial base which has been overgrown by the surrounding forest. They’ll encounter collapsed bridges, decrepit AT-ST’s, and even a crashed X-wing replica that’s landed in the center of the battlefield!
Game Modes
Scrap Salvage
Season 4 sees the introduction of a new game mode: Scrap Salvage! In Scrap Salvage, to score points players must deposit Scrap to a few Anzellans that have taken up residence in the Arena and are working on building something! How do players get Scrap? By eliminating their opponents! Any time a player is defeated, they’ll drop some Scrap in addition to all the Scrap which they were carrying.
Quick-thinking Hunters can also take advantage of intermittent Supply Caches which will occasionally activate throughout the match and offer up a glut of Scrap!
Scrap Salvage will appear in Event queues this Season.
Arrow Assault
It’s time for a new Holo-Arcade Mode paying tribute to our newest Hunter, Nox. Arrow Assault sees all eight players take to the Arena as Nox with a restricted and rebalanced ability kit in this twist on Squad Brawl.
Nox can use Aerial Dodge to avoid incoming fire, while relying on the increased damage of her Composite Bow to eliminate opponents. Critical eliminations deal increased damage and can eliminate opponents with one hit!
Huttball
Historically in Huttball, using a traversal ability (such as Rieve’s Ruthless Pursuit or Imara Vex’s Grapple) forced the Huttball carrier to drop the ball. This behavior has been updated so players can now use their traversal abilities without dropping the Huttball.
Movement is a hugely important part of Hunters gameplay, and we believe this change makes matches more fun and dynamic. It will also allow more Hunters to shine in this game mode, unlocking mobile Hunters as strong carriers, rather than the current design which favors tankier Hunters.
Full patch notes for Star Wars: Hunters' Season 4: Survival Instinct can be foundhere.
Star Wars: Hunters
WHERE TO PLAY
NEW STAR WARS EXPERIENCELocated deep in the Outer Rim on the planet of Vespaara and broadcast far and wide on the HoloNet, the stories and legends of battles that define galactic history are brought to life to entertain audiences and create champions seeking fame and fortune in this new gladiatorial spectacle.MEET THE HUNTERSGear up for battle and pick a Hunter that suits your playstyle from a regularly updated roster of new characters including nefarious bounty hunters, heroes of the Rebellion, Imperial stormtroopers, and everything in between. Outclass opponents by mastering diverse abilities, skills and strategies while fighting it out in intense 4v4 third-person combat and dominating opponents on the road to fame in The Arena.
