theHunter: Call of the Wild - Scotland Hunting Reserve (DLC)

theHunter: Call of the Wild - Scotland Hunting Reserve is a DLC expansion for one of the most mechanically grounded hunting simulations on PC. If you have never played the base game, the short version is this: it is a slow, methodical open-world game where you track animals by reading wind direction, studying footprints, and calling at the right moment. Scotland adds a new map built around rugged highland terrain - rolling moorland, pine forest, and fog-heavy glens that look genuinely different from the base game's Hirschfelden region. The visual design is the headline feature, and it earns the attention. From a simulation standpoint, Scotland introduces species you will not find elsewhere in the base roster at launch, including red deer and roe deer tuned to the local topography. The elevation changes matter more here than on flatter maps. Animals funnel through valleys, bed down on sheltered slopes, and react to wind shifts that you have to account for when placing your stands and blinds. For players who treat Call of the Wild as a patience-testing stealth game rather than a shooter, this map rewards that mindset. There are enough need zones - feeding areas, water sources, and bedding spots - to build a rotation across a full session without feeling like you are repeating yourself. On the strategy side, the scoring and trophy system gives you a reason to target specific animals rather than the first thing that walks into your sights. Diamond-rated trophies require deliberate build choices: the right rifle caliber for the species, the correct ammunition type, and a shot placement discipline that punishes button-mashing. The game does not hand you a tutorial for any of this, which is one of its genuine weaknesses for newcomers. The base game's onboarding is thin, and Scotland assumes you have already internalized the core loop. If you have not, expect to spend an hour or two consulting the community wiki before the reserve clicks into place. That is a real barrier worth naming. Co-op multiplayer works well here. Coordinating with a partner to drive animals toward a waiting stand, or splitting the map to cover different need zones simultaneously, adds a layer of planning that solo play cannot replicate. The reserve is large enough that two players feel like they have room to breathe rather than stepping on each other's setups. The overall experience is quiet, atmospheric, and occasionally genuinely tense in the seconds before a shot - which is exactly the tone the developers are aiming for. Whether that loop holds your interest for 20 hours or 200 depends entirely on your tolerance for slow-burn simulation.

Diego · Scout Team

Strategy & simulation

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