Hank

Main Weapon:

Hank is one of the twelve Hunters in Evolve, and is the starting Support character.

## Summary

Hank believes in the simple things, like the value of a hard day’s work or the joy of indiscriminately firing a Laser Cutter at bloodthirsty predators. Which is why he cherishes the quiet moment after calling down an Orbital Barrage on whatever creature is currently pissing him off. The ensuing bombardment of fiery death really puts things into perspective.

## Hank Expanded

The Support Class is a formidable kit with many defensive and heavy offensive capabilities. Hank's shield gun is an awesome defensive tool, creating temporary invulnerability for team members from a distance; the efficacy is obvious when paired with a medic, creating a temporarily invulnerable health-restoring machine, or when you hit the assault class with it, creating an invulnerable juggernaut of a tank. Additionally, Hank is outfitted with a laser cutter that carves into creatures large and small, but he must be wary of using it too often, as it is basically a bright red arrow sign pointing out his position to the enemy. The strongest piece of Hank's offensive kit is the orbital barrage, a huge airstrike that causes mass damage to anyone in the blast radius. Because it shells an extremely large area and causes high damage, you need to be really careful to make sure not to shell your allies. Finally, like every member of the Support class, has a cloaking device which can hide both the support unit and its allies for a short time, allowing for either defensive or offensive stealth capabilities.

## Weapon Loadout

Hank is a character which focuses entirely on supporting the various Hunters who make up his team. His loadout reflects this, supporting both direct assault and heavy-firepower oriented backup:

* Laser Cutter Damage: Medium-High - Cannon that rapidly fires a volley of laser bolts.
* Shield Protector Damage: None - Single-target shield that protects fellow Hunters.
* Orbital Barrage Damage: Extreme - Summons a massive bombardment from an orbital mining satellite.
* Shield Burst Damage: None - Applies a shield to all Hunters within an area around the Support that will decay after a short time.

## Strategic Role Summary

The support class differs between each character in the kind of support they offer their team. In the case of Hank, his main role is to increase the team’s durability in a fight by using his shield projector that blocks all damage on a targeted ally. When he’s not protecting allies, he can use his laser cutter to deal significant damage that is normally the second highest damage potential of any team composition, being the most precise weapon in the game. On top of his primary weapon, Hank can deal even greater damage in a shorter period of time by calling in an orbital barrage that rains down a bombardment on a targeted location. In practice this is not the most accurate weapon, so its use is equally effective at manipulating the monster’s movement by deterring it from an area being bombarded.

## Helpful Gameplay Tips

Hank can use a handful of specialty strategies to better deal with the challenges in Evolve:

* Combo Buffer
* Hypotenuse Targeting
* Up Up and Away
* Rescue Heroes
* Ninja!

### Control your shield projection usage

The shield projector can absorb any damage your team might take, which makes the rest of your team more durable. It will recharge as long as you do not fire it, so if an ally is knocked away from the monster, stop firing it and let it recharge until the monster is going to make another big attack.

### Cloak will make you invisible, not invulnerable

Activating cloak will turn you and nearby teammates invisible, but if you use items, jetpack, or take damage, it will break your cloak. Walking will also still leave your footprints so the monster may smell out your trail to follow you. It's a straightforward ability, but its execution depends on how tricky you are.

### Orbital Barrage (OB) should be used wisely

There are many different cases where the OB could be used effectively against a monster, but the slightest changes could also make it detrimental to the hunters. For starters, you can always depend on 3 simple scenarios to effectively use the OB for a hunter team:

* When you encounter large and dangerous wildlife like Tyrants or Megamouths.
* When an ally gets incapped, drop an orbital nearby to deter the monster from beating on your teammate so you can cloak in and try to rescue them after the bombs have stopped dropping.
* When the monster is vulnerable during its metamorphosis. It will take extra damage in this state.

## Character Unlocks

To unlock Bucket you must complete the first rank of Hank’s Mastery. Hank is a defensive support. It is crucial that he uses his Shield Projector.

* Shield Projector - Shield teammates from damage X times
	+ The best way to use the Shield Projector is to only have it active when you know an ally is going to take a hit.
	+ The shield only recharges when it’s not in use. If someone is hit by Rock Throw and is knocked away stop shielding them while the Monster is out of range. It will allow more time for the shield to recharge which will let you mitigate more damage overall.
	+ This Mastery will only accrue on the first successfully blocked hit.
* Orbital Barrage - Do X damage
	+ The Orbital Barrage is a big damage weapon, and to achieve its Mastery you need to do some big damage with it.
	+ Try to sneak up on the monster while it’s staging up with Cloak and drop an Orbital on it - Monsters that are staging up take bonus damage.
	+ Anticipate where the monster is going to run. If you drop an Orbital Barrage in its path you can score some major experience for this mastery.
	+ If the Monster is guarding an incapped body you may want to use this on them. Make sure you shield your incapped teammate though!
	+ Try and bait the monster into coming after you and call in the Orbital at your feet. You’ll be thrown clear of most of the blasts and the monster may eat some big damage.
* Laser Cutter - Do X damage
	+ Plain and simple, learn to do damage to the monster with the Laser Cutter.
	+ When your Shield Projector is recharging, switch to the Laser Cutter and unload.
	+ Headshots and body shots do more damage and accrue more Mastery experience.