Expansive Worlds released theHunter: Call of the Wild on 16 February 2017 through Avalanche Studios, and it is still receiving reserves nine years later, with the Peru map arriving on 16 June 2026 as the nineteenth destination. Every animal sits in a class from 1 to 9, every cartridge is rated for a class range, and the game checks your ammunition, your shot placement and your shot count before it awards a medal. Around 128 huntable species are spread across reserves that run from the Pacific Northwest to Nepal.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Layton Lake District | Need Zones basics | Ambusher skill tree | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Hirschfelden Hunting Reserve | Wind and scent mastery | Ambusher skill tree | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Medved-Taiga National Park | Hunting Pressure + gear | Stalker skill tree or Ambusher skill tree | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Vurhonga Savanna | Build optimization | Stalker skill tree | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Te Awaroa National Park | Min-max | Stalker skill tree or Archery perks | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Layton Lake District)
The Pacific Northwest base reserve, with marshland, lakes and coniferous slopes. Nine species from mallard at class 1 up to moose at class 8, which makes it the reserve where the class system teaches itself.
Level/Difficulty: Level 1 and up, base game Key Rewards: Moose, Roosevelt Elk, Black Bear, Whitetail and Blacktail Deer
What to Do in Layton Lake District
- Learn Need Zones. Every species uses three kinds of zone on each reserve: Feeding, Drinking and Resting, each active during its own window on the in-game clock. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Ambusher skill tree as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Read the class rating on the ammunition, not on the rifle. The Harvest Check tests the cartridge you fired, so a .243 round dropped into any rifle is still only legal on classes 2 through 5, and shooting a class 7 bear with it downgrades the medal no matter how perfect the shot was.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: .270 Huntsman or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Need Zones fundamentals
- Ambusher skill tree selected and functional
- Layton Lake District main content cleared
- Ready for Hirschfelden Hunting Reserve
Phase 2: Early Game (Hirschfelden Hunting Reserve)
The second base reserve, set in central European farmland and beech forest. It carries nine species including the European Bison at class 9, which is the single largest animal available without buying a reserve.
Level/Difficulty: Level 1 and up, base game Key Rewards: European Bison, Red Deer, Wild Boar, Roe Deer, Fallow Deer
What to Do in Hirschfelden Hunting Reserve
- Work on Wind and scent. The compass rose shows a green cone for wind direction, and animals downwind of you will smell you before they ever see you. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for .270 Huntsman if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Two shots is the hard limit for a clean harvest. A third round on the same animal fails the check even if every hit was in the vitals, which is why players carry a bigger calibre than they think they need rather than planning on a follow-up.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Medved-Taiga National Park.
- Consider whether Stalker skill tree might suit your playstyle better than Ambusher skill tree.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Wind and scent integrated into gameplay
- .270 Huntsman acquired
- Hirschfelden Hunting Reserve fully cleared
- Ready for Medved-Taiga National Park
Phase 3: Mid Game (Medved-Taiga National Park)
Siberian taiga, released 17 October 2017, and the most punishing early reserve because of its dense cover and eight species that skew toward predators. Brown Bear at class 7, Gray Wolf at class 6 and Moose at class 8 all demand serious calibres.
Level/Difficulty: Mid game, class 6 and up cartridges required Key Rewards: Brown Bear, Moose, Gray Wolf, Eurasian Lynx, Siberian Musk Deer
What to Do in Medved-Taiga National Park
- Master Hunting Pressure. Shooting an animal that then dies generates pressure centred on the spot where your first round hit, not where the animal fell. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Ranger .243. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Hunting Pressure is created where your first shot lands, not where the animal dies. If you shoot from a favourite ridge every session, that ridge accumulates pressure and the Need Zones below it eventually disappear, so rotate between two or three areas on the same reserve.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in The Harvest Check for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Hunting Pressure mastered
- Ranger .243 acquired or in progress
- Medved-Taiga National Park fully cleared
- Ready for Vurhonga Savanna
Phase 4: Late Game (Vurhonga Savanna)
The first African reserve, released 30 August 2018, with ten species and long sightlines that flip the game from stalking to ranging. Cape Buffalo and Lion both sit at class 9, so this is a reserve you visit with a .470 or a .338 rather than a starter rifle.
Level/Difficulty: Late game, class 9 cartridges required for the headline animals Key Rewards: Lion, Cape Buffalo, Gemsbok, Blue Wildebeest, Springbok
What to Do in Vurhonga Savanna
- Finalize your build. You should be running Stalker skill tree or Ambusher skill tree with optimized gear.
- Ranger .243 should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- The green cone on the compass is wind direction and it decides most hunts. Approach so the cone points from the animal toward you, and treat the 3,000 credit Scent Eliminator as a way to buy a few more metres rather than as an invisibility cloak.
- Trophy Rating and medal bands optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Te Awaroa National Park.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Ranger .243 upgraded to max
- Vurhonga Savanna fully cleared
- Ready for Te Awaroa National Park
Phase 5: Endgame (Te Awaroa National Park)
New Zealand's South Island, released 10 December 2020, with ten species and steep alpine terrain that makes glassing from height the main tactic. Chamois and Himalayan Tahr live high and move fast, and Red Deer at class 6 is the largest animal here.
Level/Difficulty: Mid game, class 3 to 6 cartridges Key Rewards: Red Deer, Himalayan Tahr, Chamois, Sika Deer, Feral Pig
What to Do in Te Awaroa National Park
- Te Awaroa National Park tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Medals are percentages of a species maximum, not points on a shared scale. An Iberian Wolf reaching Diamond around 40 points and a Fallow Deer needing about 252 are the same achievement, so stop comparing raw numbers between species.
- The endgame loop: run Te Awaroa National Park, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Archery perks for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Trophy Rating and medal bands mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Te Awaroa National Park fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Firing a mid-calibre rifle at a class 8 or class 9 animal because the shot looked good. The Harvest Check fails on ammunition class alone and drops the medal a tier regardless of placement.
- Hunting one small area of a reserve for hours. Hunting Pressure builds where your shots land, animals leave, Need Zones vanish, and players conclude the reserve is broken when the mechanic is working as designed.
- Using a repeating rifle or heavy slug on class 1 birds and hares. Birdshot is the only ammunition rated for class 1, and anything else destroys the trophy even on a perfect hit.
- Assuming blood colour tells you where you hit the animal. Call of the Wild models bleeding rate rather than blood colour semantics, and the coloured track lines most players see are a user interface setting they chose themselves.
- Chasing a rare fur type expecting a higher score. Fur is purely cosmetic and a Diamond is decided by the species-specific trophy measurement, not by how unusual the animal looks.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Read the class rating on the ammunition, not on the rifle. The Harvest Check tests the cartridge you fired, so a .243 round dropped into any rifle is still only legal on classes 2 through 5, and shooting a class 7 bear with it downgrades the medal no matter how perfect the shot was.
- Two shots is the hard limit for a clean harvest. A third round on the same animal fails the check even if every hit was in the vitals, which is why players carry a bigger calibre than they think they need rather than planning on a follow-up.
- Hunting Pressure is created where your first shot lands, not where the animal dies. If you shoot from a favourite ridge every session, that ridge accumulates pressure and the Need Zones below it eventually disappear, so rotate between two or three areas on the same reserve.
- The green cone on the compass is wind direction and it decides most hunts. Approach so the cone points from the animal toward you, and treat the 3,000 credit Scent Eliminator as a way to buy a few more metres rather than as an invisibility cloak.
- Medals are percentages of a species maximum, not points on a shared scale. An Iberian Wolf reaching Diamond around 40 points and a Fallow Deer needing about 252 are the same achievement, so stop comparing raw numbers between species.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More theHunter: Call of the Wild Guides
- theHunter: Call of the Wild theHunter: Call of the Wild Overview
- theHunter: Call of the Wild Best Builds
- theHunter: Call of the Wild Tier List
- theHunter: Call of the Wild Beginner's Guide
- theHunter: Call of the Wild Tips & Tricks
- theHunter: Call of the Wild Weapons Guide
- theHunter: Call of the Wild Combat Guide
- theHunter: Call of the Wild Boss Guide
- theHunter: Call of the Wild Maps & Locations
- theHunter: Call of the Wild Crafting Guide
- theHunter: Call of the Wild Classes & Characters
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