theHunter: Call of the Wild™ - German Shorthaired Pointer (DLC)

Let's be clear about what this is: a single-breed DLC for theHunter: Call of the Wild, adding the German Shorthaired Pointer as a usable hunting companion. If you came here expecting a map expansion or a new weapon class, this is not that. What you get is one dog breed with its own pointing and retrieving behaviors, bred in-game context for upland bird hunting and small game scenarios. That is the entire scope of the purchase. For players already deep in the base game, the German Shorthaired Pointer fills a specific mechanical role. Pointing breeds behave differently from retrievers in how they locate and hold position on flushed birds, and if you are running bird-focused sessions on any of the game's open reserves, having a dog that locks onto a scent trail and freezes rather than charging forward changes the flow of a hunt in a practical way. It is not a cosmetic addition, it is a behavioral one. Whether that behavioral difference is worth the asking price is the real question. From a sim-depth standpoint, theHunter: Call of the Wild does not model dog companions with the granularity that, say, a dedicated hunting sim built around canine AI would. The dog is a functional tool that improves retrieval efficiency and adds atmosphere. The GSP specifically has a strong reputation in the hunting community as a do-it-all bird dog, and Expansive Worlds has translated that reputation into a companion that feels at home on pheasant and duck hunts without being useless on other game types. If you regularly hunt waterfowl or upland birds in the game, this is the breed you want over a retriever that might bump birds prematurely. The honest concern here is value proposition. DLC of this type - single cosmetic or companion additions - asks you to weigh a narrow gameplay improvement against a real cost. The base game has a very positive review record across nearly 200,000 Steam reviews, meaning the core hunting loop is genuinely well-regarded. But companion DLC is inherently incremental. If you are a newcomer still getting comfortable with wind direction, weapon selection, and animal behavior cues, this dog is not what you should be spending on first. Learn the game, unlock the base mechanics, and revisit this when you are running dedicated bird hunts and feeling the absence of a pointer specifically. For strategy-minded players who think in terms of loadout optimization: the GSP sits at the intersection of versatility and specialization. It is not the best retriever, it is not a scent hound, but it covers bird hunting better than the alternatives in the companion roster. If your playstyle involves mixed-bag hunts across multiple species in a single session, a more generalist dog might serve you better. If you run focused bird circuits on reserves like Hirschfelden or Layton Lake, the pointing behavior here has real in-session payoff.

Diego · Scout Team

Strategy & simulation

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