Hank
Hank is the first Support hunter you’ll get to play as in Evolve and he’s pretty damn handy. Equipped with the Shield Projector and the ability to call down an Orbital Barrage, he’s great as both an offensive and defensive character. If the monster gets to close to him, Hank also has a rather potent Laser Cutter to help defend himself from danger.
The first weapon you’ll want to get acquainted with is Hank’s Laser Cutter. This weapon is a beast in that it’s rather effective at close range and at a distance. It’s an accurate weapon capable of dealing decent damage to the monster and it’ll definitely help you out if you get cornered by the monster.
As a Support character, though, your focus will probably be on his Shield Projector instead. This is a nifty little tool that generates a shield over a targeted party member. When shielded, the targeted hunter will be invincible to the monster’s attacks. Ideally, you should try to shield the Assault with the Shield Projector whenever you can since chances are it’ll be the Assault drawing most of the aggro from the monster. Of course, the key to using the Shield Projector effectively is to always pay attention to the monster’s attack patterns. Try to predict who it’s aiming for next, and shield his potential target.
A drawback to using the Shield Projector is that its aim isn’t very good. Instead of holding down the R2 button to provide constant shielding for a hunter, perhaps use it in bursts instead when the monster is about to strike. The Shield Projector only lasts a short while before it needs to undergo a cooldown period, so use it wisely.
Hank’s other ability in Evolve is Orbital Barrage. This is a powerful Area of Effect attack that allows you to rain down missiles on the monster. In order to use this ability effectively, you should try to coordinate with your team in luring the monster into narrow spaces where it’ll be harder to dodge the missiles. Using the Orbital Barrage is simple; get to a high vantage point, aim at where the monster is going to be, and then take the shot. An effective Orbital Barrage should allow you to take off most of the monster’s armor.
