When it comes to support in Evolve, Hank does both offense and defense. He can shield other hunters from harm, shoot with his rapid-fire Laser Cutter, or send an Orbital Barrage down to deal massive damage. It is important to know when to use each ability.
I’ll give some tips on playing Hank, which is the character I happen to have the most experience with. For basic tips on playing Support, or anything else in Evolve, check out my Beginner Advice and General Tips/Tricks.
This guide will go over Hank gameplay tips including:
- Shield Projector – What it does and tips on using it.
- Orbital Barrage – What it does and tips on using it.
- Laser Cutter – What it does and tips on using it.
- Extra Tips – Tips for being a great Hank player.
Shield Projector – The Second Healer
The Shield Projector makes Hank shine. It shoots a beam on the targeted hunter that shields them from all damage.
- Use this on the healer by default. Stopping the healer from taking damage means they can live and keep the team alive.
- If the healer is Lazarus he has a lower priority because he should be staying away as much as possible, but still shield him if he starts getting hit.
- Shield the person being attacked and anticipate the monster’s actions.
- Don’t blindly shield the healer or one other player. Watch the monster and shield whoever he goes after.
- Do not shield a person who is in stealth. You’re just drawing attention to them.
- Stay away from everyone when shielding.
- Get to high ground if you can and places that make the monster work to reach.
- This allows to shield without taking damage and if the monster comes for you, the rest of the team can focus on it.
Orbital Barrage – Death from Above
This ability marks an area, then rains bombs down in that area. You can only use this if you can see the sky overhead. It takes a couple of seconds to activate.
- Save for when a hunter is down.
- If you use it on a downed hunter you can keep the monster away.
- Don’t use in an area you or other hunters need to go to.
- The blast knocks you away even if it doesn’t do damage. This also goes for downed hunters. If someone is trying to revive, don’t but the Orbital Barrage there.
- Only attack the monster with it if they can’t move.
- If the monster is moving around, they can avoid it easily. Wait for the monster to be trapped with harpoons or slowed with stasis grenades.
- It also does not get a bonus from the sniper rifle vulnerability shots, so don’t waste time using it on that.
Laser Cutter – Attack When Needed
The Laser Cutter is Hank’s primary weapon and good for dealing constant damage. It is a rapid-fire weapon similar to a machine gun.
- Attack when you don’t need to shield.
- Hank’s primary goal is to shield other hunters, but sometimes you don’t need to.
- Monsters take a long time to kill so the extra damage from Laser Cutter can mean the difference between winning and losing.
- Kill wildlife along the way.
- The best time to use the Laser Cutter is when fighting wildlife. If the monster isn’t near and you need to kill something for a buff, unload with this weapon.
- Attack when the monster is low on health or taking extra damage.
- This does maximum damage to the monster and will take it down fast.
Extra Tips
Being a good support also means knowing when to use the class ability, Group Cloak. This ability cloaks your entire team for a short time.
- Try to save the cloaks for when you or another hunter is down. This allows someone to revive without being seen.
- If you are one of the last hunters alive, use the cloak to escape and wait for your team to come back.
It is good to split up in twos to track the monster more easily. Usually you should go with the trapper, so you can cloak them when you get close to the monster.
Hank has the shield and sometimes it is better to go with the healer instead so you can make sure they don’t die.
That’s it for my Hank tips and tricks for Evolve. Please visit my Beginner Advice and General Tips/Tricks if you want help with anything else related to this game.
