I still remember waiting for theHunter: Call of the Wild to release back in February 2017 after spending a great deal of time playing Hunting Simulator that previous Fall. Nearly four years later, the developers are still creating content for this great game, including new weapons, equipment, and maps for players to explore. With another map being recently released on Steam (and coming to consoles in early 2021), I thought this would be as good a time as any to play through the game more and create a ranking of theHunter: Call of the Wild‘s DLC maps.
As a long-time aficionado of hunting and all things outdoors, I’ve been a fan of hunting games ever since I was introduced to video games. Even as I grew older, I looked forward to which new games of the genre were coming out so I could see how they had evolved or changed. I found myself disappointed as the years went on, as less of these games seemed to be produced and not many were made for eighth generation consoles until later in its cycle. When I learned about theHunter: Call of the Wild, I thought it looked like it would be another phenomenal entry in the genre, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.
These inclinations proved right as the game was highly praised—I myself have previously wrote about my belief that it is the pinnacle of the genre. The game was large to begin with as both of the reserves—Hirschfelden Hunting Reserve and Layton Lake District—boast a 50-square miles of hunting terrain.
The addition of new locales and game animals to hunt has proven great additions for the game as it provides players with countless additional missions and hours of game time. I’ve played the game since its release and still haven’t visited an entire map. With yet another new map—“Te Awaroa National Park,” which is inspired by New Zealand and features eight species to hunt, a new weapon, and 16 missions—being released, I figured this is as good of a time as any to rank all previous theHunter: CotW maps.
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6. Medved-Taiga (Released 10/17/2017)
The Medved-Taiga Map is a 25-square mile reserve set in Siberia in Northern Asia. As a result, the landscape is frozen and harsh, with a massive sinkhole caused by permafrost as well as impressive rock pillars and tilted forests. The species able to thrive in this desolate landscape include Lynx, Wild Boar, Musk Deer, Reindeer, Moose, and Brown Bear. This DLC also features 32 missions, 50 side missions, a new set of clothes, and a weapon variation.
A moose in the Medved-Taiga National Park map.
I should note that it was difficult to rank all of these maps as they all had positive, enjoyable qualities to me. That being said, I loved this addition to the series as the snowy, desolate landscape was a unique one, and the scenery was beautiful in a very distinct, wintery way. However, I put this at the bottom due to the fact that I found it very hard to find many animals. Though this is realistic to the environment, I know I’ve grown frustrated multiple times struggling to find where the animals are hanging around at.
The game itself is already realistic in this aspect as it is, with it sometimes taking hours of real-time just to hunt and track one animal. The locale of this map makes it even more painstaking and while realistic, which I like, that alone became exasperating to me on several occasions. That is not to say the map is bad, just that it was the most infuriating to me of the six DLC maps.
5. Parque Fernando (Released 12/13/2018)
Parque Fernando is a 25-mile square game reserve set in the Patagonia region of Argentina in South America. This environment includes dead forests, swamps, grassland, steppes, and meadows. The reserve is home to Cinnamon Teal, Blackbuck, Mule Deer, Red Deer, Axis Deer, and Pumas. With this DLC, players also get access to 16 new narrative missions, 39 side missions, a shooting range to visit, and they can help build a new lodge which they can decorate with diamond trophies of each species on the reserve.
A puma heads toward its prey in Parque Fernando.
To be honest, had it not been for the Lodge component of this DLC, I likely would have ranked this map last. While the environment is neat and realistic, the lack of vision makes it very difficult to hunt. Game was incredibly elusive for me. I could spot animals from up in towers, but upon getting down and attempting to get close, I always seemed to lose them.
The dense vegetation made it difficult to find game prior to them detecting you and I still have only been able to claim a couple of kills here. Yet, getting to build the lodge and having the ability to place diamond trophies in it was a redeeming aspect of this map to me.
4. Cuatro Colinas Game Reserve (Released 12/10/2019)
The Cuatro Colinas Game Reserve is a 25-square mile map set in the Iberian Peninsula in Spain. The terrain is ripe with vast rolling fields and landmarks from the country’s storied and regal past. The wildlife is diverse and includes Red Deer, Roe Deer, Mouflon Sheep, Wild Boar, and all four species of Ibex. This DLC includes 14 narrative missions, 55 side missions, and the Mårtensson 6.5mm Bolt-Action Rifle, available in three color variations.
A photo of a pair of Ibex in the Cuatro Colinas map.
The four remaining maps were really difficult for me to order as these were all really beautiful and enjoyable maps. This map feels very large and open thanks to its sprawling fields, which allows the player to really scope out game from a long way out and plan their stalk. To players without a long-range weapon, they may struggle in sneaking up close to game. But I really enjoyed traversing the beautiful scenery and hunting the unique European game from afar. This map is ultimately one that I have liked and plan to spend even more time in.
3. Silver Ridge Peaks (Released 6/23/2020)
Silver Ridge Peaks is a 25-square mile map encompassing the southern Rocky Mountains in Colorado. As such, the terrain is wooded and mountainous in places and includes trails many trails that were once used by those searching for silver and gold. Species in this region include Turkey, Pronghorn, Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Mountain Goat, Bighorn Sheep, Plains Bison, and Black Bear. The DLC also features 15 new narrative missions as well as the Alexander Longbow weapon.
A turkey in the Silver Ridge Peaks reserve.
This map was really enjoyable to me and I particularly liked the addition of turkeys to this region. It was fun going after these birds as well as seeing them fly overheard. The scenery was lush and gorgeous as the region is in real-life. Having a wide variety of antlered game to hunt also helped to make this map a good one. This newest console map is truly a gorgeous, fun DLC for hunters old and new.
2. Vurhonga Savanna (Released 8/30/2018)
The game reserve of Vurhonga Savanna spans 25-square miles in Southwest Africa. As such, hunters will find themselves traversing the sprawling savanna, marshy riverlands, and scrublands. The environment supports diverse animals’ native to the continent including Scrub Hare, Warthogs, Side-Striped Jackal, Springbok, Lesser Kudus, Blue Wildebeests, Cape Buffalo, and Lions. Players will have access to 16 narrative missions, 32 side missions, 14 warden missions, as well as the 470 Nitro Express rifle.
African hunting has been lauded (and criticized) for centuries, and it is a setting that has been covered plenty in video games. With lots of past games to go on and learn from (including the standalone Cabela’s African Safari,) I found that this DLC really improved on past games and made this map feel wholesomely African. I liked that there were animal species I had not heard of or really seen in past games (such as the prancing Springbok).
A cape buffalo wanders in Vurhonga Savanna.
The map truly feels desolate, dry, and vast like Africa would seem to be, and its vastness and distance can truly be taken in from various points across the map. It is a great map with neat creatures and as such, this map had to rank higher on my list.
1. Yukon Valley (Released 6/25/2019)
The Yukon Valley Map is a 25-square mile reserve set in the Yukon Region of Alaska. The terrain is known as one of the most beautiful places on Earth and its recreation features hills of dark red moss, luscious evergreen forests, and snow-covered mountain peaks. This biome features Harlequin Ducks, Red Foxes, Caribou, Moose, Plains Bison, Gray Wolves, and Grizzly Bears. This DLC features 10 narrative missions, 42 side missions, and the .300 Canning Magnum weapon.
While the top choice was tough to make, the map covering the majesty of Alaska ultimately had to win out. The rich, colorful landscape as well as snowscapes and burned-out forest provides such a unique setting for hunting. While no game can affectively capture the true beauty of “the last frontier,” I feel as if this is as close as any video game as gotten to replicating it.
A photo of gray wolves in the Yukon Valley map.
In addition to the scenery, being able to hunt the large as well as deadly game of the Yukon Valley was a nice addition. I’ve been attacked by a plethora of game, and it was fun trying to bag a Grizzly or Gray Wolf. Ultimately, this DLC was my favorite for its overall missions, the scenery, and the great game available to hunt.
[wpdiscuz-feedback id=”q49zrszyp9″ question=”Please leave a feedback on this” opened=”0″]What was your favorite DLC Map for theHunter: Call of the Wild? What locations would you like to see in future DLC releases?[/wpdiscuz-feedback] Feel free to comment or leave a message on our forum.
