RUMMAGING THROUGH THE RIFT: The Gazette’s Resident Gamer Reflects On The First Weekend Of The Hunt!

The Rift has opened and the Hunt began earlier this week and HV-MTL Holders and their Mechs have been busy exploring the new world and experiencing the dungeon crawler phase of Yuga Labs’ HV-MTL Forge!

With so much to get into about the Hunt and the Forge going forward, the Bored Ape Gazette’s resident Gamer, Mr. Mugen, broke down some of the key details about the Hunt and made an easy to read guide that’s perfect for anyone looking for some tips and tricks before entering the Rift!

The Basics:

Within the dynamic game, HVs are used to explore and fight enemies to collect loot to craft special items like keys to unlock more loot boxes or gear to strengthen HVs.

In previous seasons, players constructed Forges and upgraded Portals to prepare for this moment. Upgrading portals raised Energy cap allowing for more Battery life. Batteries determine how long a HV can roam the Rift and depletes based on distance traveled.

Upon entering the Rift, players can choose between four Biomes to enter. Canyon, Citadel, Aero, and Mainframe. There are five levels of difficulty starting with “Chill.”

Players will be asked to choose a specialization for their HV with each having its own pros and cons.The three types are:

1.Explorer - increase moving speed, increase radar, decrease in range

In game : 15% more resource gathering

Spell in fight: avoid next attack

Bonus: 20% reduction in exploration cost

Beginner friendly for Forges with a low Energy cap and great for material gathering. The increase in movement speed helps HV avoid battles with enemies. The 20% reduction in exploration cost is noticeable when seeking Exit portals.

2. Fighter - increase in atk, increase in range, decrease in shield

In game: +10% battery for enemies killed

Spell in fight: +15% base atk stat for 180s, -15% of shield

Bonus: 5X Sniper and Waver Fusion

Mid to high Energy cap Forges will be able to capitalize better as fighters. HVs with high attack stats will also take advantage of the bonuses.

3. Crafter - increase shield, increase battery , decrease speed

In game: 50% decrease natural battery consumption

Spell in fight: +50% atk and range for 180s, -75% speed

Bonuses: 5X more materials

Crafter specialization might be better for later game as HV bags have limited space and it is not yet known what is needed for crafting and which items should be crafted.

Players can change specialization once the Biome stage is cleared.

Next, types of Loot

There are three types of loots. The first being common loot boxes that can be found around the dungeon. Then there are rare treasure boxes that require a key to open, these keys can be found or crafted. Lastly there are loot drops from defeating enemies.

Next, Rift Battles

Battles are turn based and players can choose to avoid battles by fleeing away from the enemy.

There are three types of attacks in battle, the first being a basic attack, the second being a strong attack, and an Infusion attack.

The most effective combo has been using the second attack known as a strong attack following up with a basic attack. The second attack does recoil damage, so please use it sparingly.

HVs have a shield in battle and enemies must break the shield before being able to deal damage directly to the HV. If a HV’s Battery is depleted during battle, the HV will be sent back to their Forge. Players will only be awarded half of the loot in their bags at random if this happens. Finding the exit portal is the goal and once that is accomplished, players will receive all of the loot found during the expedition.

Players can choose to return their HV back to the Forge, but will only be awarded half the loot. Gear can be used to send items back to their Forge.

Players are rewarded a daily expansion pack for entering the Rift at least once a day.

There is still a lot more to uncover from the Rift. Exploring, collecting, and defeating enemies is just the beginning. Stay tuned with the Bored Ape Gazette as we cover crafting.