Way of the Hunter 2 Animal List: All 28 Species by Reserve

By Rowan Ashby · Updated October 4, 2026

Version 1.0 shipped with 28 species. The studio had aimed for 30 by the end of Early Access; the official FAQ says the last two are “planned in the regular post-launch updates” and are being kept secret for now.

The list below uses the species names Nine Rocks Games uses in its FAQ and patch notes. Tiers and regions for New Laurentia are cross-checked against the community wiki; Kilimaya tiers are not published yet, so they are left blank rather than guessed.

How tiers work

Every animal has a tier. New Laurentia runs from 1 to 8; one creator’s shop footage shows the Primacy Safari Elite rated for tiers 7 to 9, so Kilimaya’s biggest animals go higher. The idea is simple: use a gun and ammo rated for the animal’s tier. Too weak and the shot will not penetrate properly; too strong and you destroy meat (and the payout). The shop shows a tier badge on weapons. If you are asking “what rifle covers tier 6 and 7”, read the guns and calibers page for how to check it in the shop.

New Laurentia (15 species)

New Laurentia is the 100 km² North American reserve you start in. It has seven regions, and each region has its own population of a species, with its own fitness.

Moose live only in the two swamp regions, which is why the moose story missions all happen around Thunderbird Muskeg. If you want elk and mule deer in one trip, Kermode Plateau, Slalakum Shore and Wetiko Foothills have both.

Kilimaya Reserve (13 species)

Kilimaya arrived with Update 2 on May 27, 2026 (twelve species), and the warthog followed in Update 0.3.0.

Need zone times

When each species starts feeding, drinking and sleeping, from a community timetable by Stigmamax (French, dated June 4, 2026, made during Early Access). It agrees with what we can check: the greater kudu drinks from 22:00 and sleeps at 01:00, matching the 01:00 drinking window noted above, and the New Laurentia tiers on it match the table above. The in-game UI shows each zone’s exact window, so check it there; times may have shifted since Early Access. Pronghorn, wild boar, honey badger and warthog are not on the chart.

New Laurentia

Kilimaya Reserve

Hours are in-game time, each the start of that activity. Species with no drink time (ducks, hares, ptarmigan, turkeys, wolverines) are hunted at feeding or resting zones instead.

Dangerous animals that charge

Only three species can charge the player at 1.0: the Southern lion, the Common hippopotamus and the Cape African buffalo. All three are in Kilimaya. The studio calls this the first version of the system and plans to add it to more species, including random attacks.

Hearth & Hunt Headquarters animals

The 16 km² hub map added in Update 0.4.0 does not have species of its own. According to the patch notes it holds wild duck, Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, snowshoe hare and ptarmigan, all familiar from New Laurentia.

What is still missing

• Two more species, unannounced, in post-launch updates.
• Non-typical trophies: not in 1.0. Mule deer will be first; superior and mythical trophies are also planned. See trophies and the lodge.
• New maps: two are planned in the first year after launch. A European reserve is planned, but the FAQ says it will not be one of the next two.

Sources: Nine Rocks Games 1.0 FAQ (species list), Update 2 / 0.3.0 / 0.4.0 patch notes (scientific names, charging, warthog), community wiki New Laurentia table (tiers and regions), checked October 4, 2026.