Way of the Hunter 2 Money & XP: Earn Cash and Level Up

By Rowan Ashby · Updated October 4, 2026

“Best way to make money” and “how to get skill points” are among the most searched Way of the Hunter 2 questions. There is no secret trick; there are three income streams and one big way to waste money.

Where cash comes from

1. Meat sales. Meat is sold by weight. A launch video shows an early elk paying a set price per kilogram. Every bit of meat destroyed by an overpowered or badly placed shot is money lost, which is the whole point of matching your gun to the animal tier.
2. Missions. Story and campsite missions pay a fixed reward. The full table is on the missions page.
3. Challenges. Since 0.1.0, challenges that ask you to sell meat also count when you dispose of an animal.

Best-paying missions in New Laurentia

Values were logged before Update 0.4.1 rebalanced XP, so the ranking is more reliable than the exact numbers.

How XP and skill points work

You gain levels from hunting and missions, and the official site says level-ups give skill points for perks across several skill trees. Your rank badge shows in the game menu (added in 0.1.0). Update 0.4.1 rebalanced progression and XP so most players jumped a few levels; if your new level did not show, earning one more XP point fixes the display.

Skills can be reset. Early Access notes mention the Stalker skill (speed bonuses) and the removal of a skill that made scent masks more effective, so the trees are still being tuned.

The hippo method (fastest known grind)

The most detailed levelling guide so far is ronMctube’s “New Fastest Way To Level Up & Earn Cash” (September 2026, recorded on the Experimental branch shortly before 1.0, so prices and payouts may have moved). His route from a brand-new save:

1. You start with $1,200 and the Primacy Classic Hunter MK II, which the shop lists for tiers 3 to 5. Keep the default scope.
2. Hunt mule deer, pronghorn and bison around the first outpost in New Laurentia (he aims for about 08:00) until you have $4,150.
3. Buy the Primacy Safari Elite (.375 H&H Magnum), listed for tiers 7 to 9.
4. Travel to Kilimaya and hunt hippos around the lakes and the big swamp near a campsite at about 08:00. Each paid $200 to $700 in his run (about $200 on average once you have shot a lot of them). He herds groups away from the water with the truck, and refills ammo from the back of the truck.
5. Put a tent on the small island in the swamp: fast travelling there tends to land you next to a few hippos, and you respawn on the tent if a hippo knocks you out.
6. Buy the Primacy Panther suppressor when it unlocks at level 7, then the Primacy Whisper Magnum at level 20.

His result: level 20 in about five and a half hours, with almost 60,000 in cash. Earlier in Early Access the same creator’s fastest method was bison.

Two warnings from the same video: skipping time to make the hippos come back ages every animal on the map, so do not use it once you have trophy animals you are waiting on; and a hippo with no white circle on its body is still alive and needs another shot.

Where money goes

• Better rifles and alternate ammo. Mikael’s mission “One shot, no waste” literally tells you to save up for a bigger rifle.
• Habitat improvements. Pollution clean-up and invasive plant removal raise how fit herds can get, which leads to higher-star animals and the 5-star missions above. Feeders help less.
• Lodge displays. Installing trophies in displays costs money; the Headquarters carpenter turns cash into lodge expansions.

What about money cheats and glitches?

There is no official cheat or console. Mod support is not planned, and trainers or “money glitch” downloads are third-party tools we do not link. Early Access saves were never guaranteed, and edited saves are the easiest way to lose one.

Sources: community wiki mission rewards, Patch 0.1.0 and 0.4.1 notes, official game site (skill trees), Nine Rocks FAQ (mods), launch gameplay video, checked October 4, 2026.