Dauntless is the free-to-play third-person action-RPG that’s a bit of a cross between Monster Hunter and Fortnite. While Dauntless won’t be officially released on Xbox One, PS4, and Epic Games Store until this summer, it’s available to download and play through the game’s official website, and it’s just received a huge content update. The Dauntless Path of the Slayer update has gone live today, and you can read all the details on the new additions below, including revamps of the progression system, the map, the crafting system, and the End of Hunt screen.
Dauntless Path of the Slayer | Completely revamped progression system
While veteran Dauntless hunters clearly know what they’re doing by now, anyone just starting the game had probably noticed that there was a lot of key information left out in the game’s tutorial quests. Developer Phoenix Labs has reworked the starter quests alongside the game’s tutorial cards, so now they’re all a lot more useful, and beginner hunters actually have the information they need to get into the game easily. All players will gain access to these new tutorials, but any returning Slayers who have completed them and want to skip them will be able to, and can go straight to the Maelstrom.
Dauntless Path of the Slayer | New map, new hunts
The Path of the Slayer update will introduce a new map system to the game, and while the Sheltered Frontier will remain in the same place it always has, most of the other areas in the game have been pulled into the full Maelstrom. While this means that all Behemoths and hunts that players have previously uncovered are all still available, they may be in different locations to where they were before the update.
A new quality-of-life part of this is probably the most helpful update, in that you can now check a hunt’s threat level directly from the map itself. You can then check out that hunt even further, and see a recommended gear score for the creature as well as its strengths and weaknesses. This is an enormously helpful way of knowing whether or not you’d stand a chance in a particular hunt. Additionally, the old system of Patrols, Pursuits, and Expeditions has been changed, and Expeditions has been removed entirely. In its place are Elemental Patrols (see below), and Pursuits have been tweaked to make it easier to find Behemoths.
Dauntless Path of the Slayer | Streamlined crafting system
The game’s crafting system has been streamlined so you can move along a single crafting track, instead of separately upgrading regular weapons and separate Dire weapons, for example. Weapons start at level 1 and can be upgraded up to level 15, and any upgrades on your current weapons will be carried over in the new update, but the power levels may appear different (although the weapon should be just as powerful).
Phoenix Labs has also introduced some new crafting materials, called Elemental Orbs. These replace the specific Behemoth parts that were previously used for crafting, although you can get these new orbs from killing Behemoths too. You can also collect them in the new Elemental Patrols. Arcstones are also new, in Dull, Shining and Peerless varieties. Dire Behemoths give you Dull Arcstones, Heroic gets you Shining, and Heroic+ nets you Peerless, although you won’t have to worry about those until you reach higher levels.
Dauntless Path of the Slayer | End of Hunt screen
The End of Hunt screen has also been revamped in Path of the Slayer. You can see the new version above, which differs quite a lot from the old screen. On the left side, the loot gathered during a hunt is explained and listed a lot more clearly. The right conveniently shows the progress you’re making in all your various quests, challenges, and Mastery objectives. Very useful.
In addition to all this, there are also new ways to get new rewards during hunts. Slayers now start with three bonus loot rolls, which you’ll lose if you’re downed, but if you can stay alive you use these. Patrol chests replace daily quests, which you can earn by going on patrols. Oh, and if you have the Hunt Pass Elite Track you’ll get a bonus loot roll anyway. Which is nice.
You can check out more info about the Dauntless Path of the Slayer update in the video below.
