With the Scorched Earth update on March 19, we’ll be expanding the ways that you can earn Hunt Pass experience, re-tuning a number of bounty objectives, and launching the Vault — a new way to earn rewards after Hunt Pass level 50.
HUNT PASS PRESTIGE
With the exception of one or two Bonus Events, each Hunt Pass has ended at level 50. Once you made it to the end, you’d collect your rewards, maybe switch up some transmogs, and never think about the Hunt Pass again.
But with the introduction of Hunt Pass Prestige, we’re extending Hunt Pass rewards beyond level 50.
Hunt Pass XP you earn after level 50 now goes toward new Hunt Pass Prestige levels. Each Prestige level you complete will earn you Vault coins — a new currency created especially for Prestige players.
If you’re playing on the Hunt Pass free track, you’ll get 1 Vault coin per Prestige level. Upgrade to Elite, and you’ll get an additional 4 Vault coins per level, for a total of 5.
THE VAULT
Once you’ve earned some Vault coins, you’ll want somewhere to spend them. That’s where the Vault comes in.
This prestigious new store — accessible from the Hunt Pass screen — is the place to acquire hard-to-find items from previous Hunt Passes. That means everything from full cosmetic armour sets to rare emotes and weapon skins.
If you’re on the free track, you’ll be able to choose from a selection of three classic items, while Slayers who own the current Elite track will have access to an additional two items (for a total of five). And if you’re not feeling the current selection? Give it some time. We’ll be rotating in new treasures each week.
HUNT PASS IMPROVEMENTS
Hunt Pass Prestige isn’t the only thing changing with Hunt Pass — we’re also working to make it faster to get to level 50. How? With two new sources of Hunt Pass XP and improved tuning on bounties.
NEW XP SOURCES
Starting on Thursday, March 19, you’ll be able to earn Hunt Pass XP just by going on hunts. That means that every pursuit, patrol, Escalation, or Trial you complete (minus those too-easy Lesser Behemoth hunts) will help you progress toward your next Hunt Pass level.
How much experience will you get for each hunt? That depends on how much you’re willing to push yourself. Tougher hunts (e.g. Trials, Heroic+ patrols) will reward you more Hunt Pass XP than easy ones (e.g. Blaze patrols, regular Behemoth pursuits), so it’s usually in your best interest to choose something challenging.
“But I can’t even do Dire patrols yet!” you might be thinking. “How can I compete with Slayers who are out there rolling Heroic+?” We’ve got you covered. With the Scorched Earth update, you’ll also be able to earn Hunt Pass XP from campaign quests. And not just a tiny bit! Each quest you turn in will grant you 100 XP — enough for a full Hunt Pass level.
BOUNTIES AND TOKENS
So how do bounties play into all this?
With two new sources of Hunt Pass experience in play (quests and hunts), we’ll be tuning down the number of bounty tokens you get each Hunt Pass. Instead of starting each pass with 10 free tokens, you’ll start with four — enough to draw a full hand of bounty cards.
Tokens will no longer drop from Behemoths, either. Why? Because balance. With a potentially unlimited supply of Hunt Pass XP from hunts, you won’t need all those bounties to get to level 50. Plus, you’ll still be getting two free tokens per day.
We’ve also done a lot of bounty tuning.
For instance, bounties that require you to gather things (like Wrathwort or Skybloom) will no longer ask you to gather quite as much. You won’t need to go on as many patrols, either.
The idea here is to make each bounty feel like a valid choice. If you draw a hand with a patrol bounty, a gathering bounty, and a slaying bounty, you should feel like you’re choosing between favourite activities — not selecting the “best” card because you have to.
And finally, we’ve done some work to make rare bounties feel worthy of their rarity. Drawing a gold bounty should feel like a win!
This isn’t the end of tuning, by the way. Once Scorched Earth launches on March 19, we’ll be watching bounties and continuing to adjust them as needed. We want this to be the best, most balanced system it can be, so let us know how it feels once the new patch goes live.
See you there, Slayers.
