Outside of turn-based brawling, an awesome roster of superheroes, and saving the world from evil, Marvel’s Midnight Suns also created an entirely new, original Marvel character for the game. The Hunter, called simply “Hunter” by their cohort, is a 300-year-old demon hunter whose world-ending monster of a mother, Lilith, has returned to mess up everyone’s business.
She has possessed various villains and heroes from the Marvel Universe. Lilith is the reason Hunter is awakened by the Midnight Suns to find out how they beat her so long ago. Players use Hunter as an avatar of sorts. Hunter’s look, role in battle, and gear can all be customized to reflect players' own preferred play styles and aesthetics. Navigating all the things that go into playing the Hunter isn’t easy though, so here are a few tips and tricks to help along the way.
5 Daily Sparring
Hunter is an entirely customizable, unique character. Despite how players design them, Hunter is essentially the protagonist of the entire game. They also stand in as the player’s avatar and have the most options for character customization both on and off the battlefield, with a robust character creator. Even Hunter's room can be customized with bold colors and new furniture.
As a result, Hunter’s effectiveness during battle also comes from a player’s actions in The Abbey. One thing Hunter should be doing each and every day is Daily Sparring in the Yard. This is the area just outside the Common Room. Sparring gives XP, character bonuses, and Friendship-level points and can be done once during each daytime segment in The Abbey.
4 Early-Game Focus Light Or Dark
The Hunter in Midnight Suns also has a unique mechanic where certain choices affect a Dark and Light score. Light choices grant abilities that learn towards support – healing, buffs, and de-buffs. Dark choices grant damage abilities with combo bonuses, stealth, and area-of-effect damage. Dark cards also have negative effects on heroes in exchange for larger damage output. In the first hours of the game, choosing Light and Dark actions has a strong effect on Hunter’s battle effects.
So, players should be mindful of what role they want to use Hunter in and try to make social choices reflecting that. You will have to sometimes choose between improving a friendship or losing some Light or Dark points. However, a single conversation or social mistake will not have a significant effect on the overall score. By the late game, Hunter should have access to all Light and Dark cards, so those choices become less important.
3 Deck Building
Building Hunter’s deck revolves around what role players wish them to fill. Being easily the most versatile hero on the roster, Hunter can fit into any role on the battlefield and do it well. Early on, Hunter is probably best suited as a support healer as the early builds seem to be lacking in that area specifically.
However, by the mid and late-game, Hunter will have the most abilities of any hero, by far. Hunter ends up with enough cards to transition into a damage dealer, a support class, and even a tank, when built for it. In fact, if players want to take the time, they can change Hunter’s card deck before each and every battle to best utilize said versatility.
2 Best Abilities
Upgraded Patience is probably Hunter’s best ability. It costs a whopping 6 Heroism points to play, and its base damage is 385. This card’s cost, however, is reduced for every turn it stays in a player’s hand. So drawing this early in a fight can be a game-changer. It is especially effective if paired with an upgraded Wrath, which can damage an enemy for over 1,000 points.
Patience is ideal for bosses too, so another great card is Holy Burst+. This card reflects the nature of the Hunter as it serves multiple roles. Dealing 77 base damage to enemies and healing a base 230 Health to allies, Holy Burst injects Hunter’s versatility directly into a fight. This ability often saves the outcome of a fight and with a low Heroism-point cost, it is a must-have for any Hunter deck.
1 Battlefield Strategy
As previously stated, Hunter can fill any role among the 3-person strike teams of Marvel’s Midnight Suns. However, though they can fit any role, Hunter still needs specialization to excel. So make sure to adapt card decks, teammates, and play styles accordingly. Players will still have to treat Hunter like any other character during battle. If playing a damage role, make sure to balance Heroism in a deck, for example.
Also, early on make sure to lean into Dark or Light points that reflect a preferred role for the Hunter. This will matter less as the game progresses, but knowing what role they most use Hunter for will help players overall. Also, Hunter is the only character that has non-cosmetic gear in the game. Players can equip Hunter with a collar and a passive ability that have added battlefield effects.