Overview
If you have ever watched Animal Planet or National Geographic on Television, you will have most likely watched carnivores hunting. One of the many strategies carnivores use to catch their prey is the ambush. However, in the Isle, this strategy is nearly extinct. Only a few people (including myself) use this technique to hunt. Most people either try to chase down prey in full view, with little success, or resort to scavenging off dead corpses. In this guide, I will list the many steps it takes to pull off a successful ambush.
Steps of a Proper Ambush
There are several steps in the ambush process:
1.) Find a nice game trail were players frequently travel
2.) Find some cover
3.) Wait
4.) Choose a target – the right* target
5.) Attack
* An animal that you can take down with little to no injury and provides substantial food. (Ex: a carno’s prey would be small animals like austroraptor, dryosaurus, etc) I will cover this later in this guide.
Right now, your probably thinking, “This is a useless guide. Anyone can do an ambush. Its easy peasy.” In reality, a successful ambush takes practice, patience and a little luck to achieve. In real life, predators like this lion are unsuccessful 8/10 times. If you don’t succeed the first time, don’t be discouraged. Just keep trying and remember the five steps listed above.
Step 1: Location, Location, Location
This step is probably the easiest step on the list. Basically, find an area where a lot of players frequently travel. Areas like twins and spawn lake on the region 1 map and the temple and bridge lake on the region 2 map make excellent spots to set up your hunt. If you set up your ambush in the middle of nowhere you will never find any prey.
I chose a stretch of land near spawn lake on region 2 to set up my ambush.
Step 2: Find Good Cover
There are plenty of bushes and hiding spots on both region 1 and 2. However, a good hiding spot must meet several qualifications in order to be used effectively in the hunt. Here is the list:
1.) Size – A good hiding spot must be able to entirely cover you in it or behind it. Austroraptors and herrarrasaurs have the easiest time here, as they are small enough to make anything a good hiding spot. Allosaurus and carnataurus will have a harder time, and T-rex and suchomimus will have the most difficulty.
Careful: Choose your skin wisely
When ambush hunting, choose a skin that best blends into the environment, particularly a green or brown skin. A ‘bad’ skin is basically a big sign saying, “I’m over here.” and will attract unwanted attention.
2.) Distance – by this, I mean it needs to be a good distance away from the game trail. This can often be hard to judge. Too far away, and you’ll be wasting precious stamina chasing after your prey and it will have a bigger head start. However, if your too close, your quarry will detect you and run off before you have time to pounce. This step is critical, especially for T-rex and Allosaurus, who make a lot of noise while running.
3.) Visibility – if you can’t see your prey, you won’t know when to strike. Having tall bushes and trees in front of you can be a blessing and a curse. They hide you, but you can’t see as well behind them.
Don’t Underestimate Grass – while not ideal, grass can be used as makeshift cover for areas where bushes are uncommon. However, I only recommend this kind of cover for austroraptors, herrarasauraus, and experienced carnotaurous players. Other carnivorous dinosaurs are simply too big to use grass, and will be seen from a mile away.
4.) Proximity to cliffs – if your hunting location is too close to a cliff or ledge, you might break a leg (not in a good way). Try to avoid areas with steep slopes.
This bush is good cover for the carno i’m using.
Step 3: Wait It Out
Now that you have found suitable cover, you must endure the meticulous process of waiting. Patience is key in this step. Here are a few do’s and dont’s of this step.
Do:
1.) Listen carefully – some players like to be vocal, and this can be their downfall. If you hear something coming, get ready!
2.) Stay absolutely still – expert players have keen eyesight, and are always on the lookout for movement. Not moving will decrease the likelihood of detection.
3.) Hunker down – while in your cover, crouch with c or sit with h. I personally recommend sitting, because it makes you smaller than crouching. You can also regain stamina and heal from the previous hunt.
Don’t
1.) Make noise – even the slightest noise can scare off skittish prey. Stay quiet. Broadcasting is a big no no.
2.) Make Movement – like I stated before, players have trained themselves to be on the lookout for movement. Staying still is key.
Can you see me in my bush?
Step 4: Choosing A Target
Picture this: You’re picked an ideal location, you’ve found great cover, and now your waiting. Suddenly, you hear a noise in the distance, and get ready. Then you hesitate, and ask yourself, “How do I know if this is the right time?” Relax, all you need to do is pick the ‘right’ target.
Risk vs Reward
Before attacking, ask yourself these two questions.
1.) What are the risks of this prey?
2.) What are the rewards of this prey?
If your risks outweigh your rewards, let the player pass, and wait for the next target.
The ‘right’ target
Depending on the carnivore your playing as, the right target should be an animal that has less speed or attack than you, and provides you with a big enough meal. An example is a carno hunting a galli. The galli is fairly defenseless, and the carno has a chance of catching it. If your a t-rex, a galli is not the right prey for you. Even if you did catch it, it might only provide one, maybe two bites of food, which after the 1.5 updates isn’t a lot anymore.
Animals like this Stego are very high risk prey for even an experienced carno player.
This herrarrasaur is much more suitable for a carno.
Step 5: The Attack
Now that you have chosen your prey, you must bring it down. There are so many ways to attack prey that I will leave the method you use up to you.
With the bleeding system added, hunting has become much easier than before. Instead of having to finish off your prey with biting, you can bite it once or twice, sit back, and let it bleed to death.This can be a double edged sword, as your prey can inflict bleeding on you too.
As well as inflicting bleeding, herbivores have another trick up their sleeve. Certain herbivores, such as the ankylosaur, can use their tail attack to break bone, ending your hunt.
Avoid the tail at all costs.
This is me after a run in with a raptor. The new bleeding system makes their attacks fatal.
Hunting With Others
Hunting with a friend can significantly impact your chances of a good hunt. Here are some pros and cons of pack hunting.
Pros
1.) Having a partner(s) allows you to close off potential escape routes your prey can take.
2.) With more people, taking down larger prey has a higher chance of being successful.
3.) You have a buddy to talk to in chat while waiting for prey to show up.
Cons
1.) More people means more cover is needed. While you could technically phase through each other and use the same spot, you would become more visible in the process.
2.) More people means more food is needed to sustain the pack.
3.) More people means a greater chance for error. One mistake by anyone in your hunting party can give away your location and you’ll lose the hunt.
This is me with other carnos. Hunting with a partner increases the chances of a succesful hunt, but comes with some drawbacks.
Conclusion
In this guide, you have learned the five basic steps of setting up an ambush. You have also learned the pros and cons of hunting with other players. I wish you luck on your ambush hunts. Happy Hunting!
Hopefully you will succeed (with little to no injury) and get a meal like I did here.
