Hyde

Hyde
Class:	Assault
Difficulty:	Easy
Main Weapon:	Flamethrower
Sidearm:	Minigun
Special:	Toxic Grenades
Ability:	Defense Matrix
Hyde is a mid-range assault. His Flamethrower is incredibly powerful in close quarters. The Minigun performs well on weak spots and distant targets while his Toxic Grenades stack on the damage and chase the Monster away from protected areas.

Hyde is an Assault hunter.

Summary

Sadistic. Sociopathic. Deeply disturbed. These are but a few of the compliments Hyde has received from those who've seen his handiwork. What bothers Hyde most about this job isn't the sheer amount of death and destruction the Monster has caused – it's that even with his Minigun, Toxic Grenades, and Flamethrower, it makes him only the second most frightening thing on the planet.

Weapon loadout

Hyde is an assault-oriented character, and as such, his weapons focus on dealing massive amounts of damage over a short amount of time. The following weapons are part of Hyde's default loadout:

• Flamethrower Damage: Extreme - Makes close-up extermination of vermin a thing of joy.
• Minigun Damage: High - A mid-range solution for chewing through just about anything.
• Toxic Grenade Damage: High - This Grenade keeps the hurt on long after it explodes.
• Defense Matrix Damage: None - Temporarily soaks up damage.

Strategic role summary

Like all assaults, they have the highest damage potential over any other class. In combat Hyde can deal high damage for longer periods of time compared to any other assault. While other assaults have to recharge or reload their armaments, Hyde has the largest reserves of ammunition for his weaponry so he reloads less often. He can attack the monster at close range with constant damage from his flamethrower gauntlets, which can also dish out damage over time when he’s not actively shooting as the fire burns the monster. At all other ranges he can use his mini-gun, which has a wide spread, but with as many bullets as Hyde has, he’s going to hit his mark eventually. In terms of utility he carries noxious grenades that can damage the monster and manipulate the monster’s decision to stay in certain areas. Against his allies, it will slow them down, so be mindful where you throw them out.

Helpful gameplay tips

Hyde can use a handful of specialty strategies to better deal with the challenges in Evolve:

• Combo Buffer
• Up Up and Away
• Fire Shroud

Getting the most out of Hyde's potential

The flamethrower has a short range, so you want to get in as close as you can to deal as much damage as you can. Even if you light the monster on fire for a moment, it will continue to take burn damage for 6 seconds, preventing it from regenerating armor any sooner that it might be able to if it were to quickly escape. In some edge cases, it can actually be used to serve as a sort of “smoke screen” to blind a monster from keeping track of your teammates with constant flame effects in their face. The mini-gun has a large spread, so it is rather inaccurate, though it has the largest magazine size of any weapon and has a faster rate of damage application than the flamethrower, so you can keep firing for longer periods of time. This weapons works well in combination with things like weak points created on the monster by anti-material rifles, or the Steamadon buff that can make your bullets slow down the monster’s movement.

Use weapons that damage over time

The flamethrower and noxious grenades can do damage over time to the monster for 6 seconds. In that time you can fire your mini-gun to apply 3 different damage source onto the monster. It can be a bit of a juggling act, but can pay off for those that can manage it.

Be a threat, but know when you're not

Monster players may generally want to avoid you because of how much damage you deal and will normally go for easier targets. If a monster player seems to respect and avoid your damage output, then you may be able to use your noxious grenades to coat an area in gas to deter the monster from entering. This is usually helpful if you are trying to ward the monster away from a downed ally. You might also be able to deter the monster from going certain routes. Even if a monster decides to engage you, you can always rely on your personal shield to save you from a dicey situation, which may also deter a monster from committing to weakening your life. While you can use this to your advantage you shouldn’t let it get to your head. A monster will not always be afraid of you and may take a risk to go all in to take you down. Read the situation and know when to fight and when to back off. You are no good to the team if you’re dead.