It's not easy being an outlaw. Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor seems simple enough. But given the long hours, non-existent health benefits and constant threat of imprisonment, there's a reason it's not the most sought-after profession in Nottingham. Sumo Digital's Hood: Outlaws & Legends provides plenty of reasons to play, though.
This uniquely designed heist game tasks two teams of outlaws with infiltrating a military stronghold in hopes of stealing a treasure chest. The odds are against them. Not only do they have to face off against their rivals, but they'll also have to bypass a host of deadly NPCs.
Luckily, our Hood: Outlaws & Legends Beginner's Guide below will help future Robin Hoods succeed.
Form the right team
In most cases, the best team in Hood: Outlaws & Legends is a balanced team. Having one of each character class gives players the most options during a given match. Unfortunately, this feeling is often ignored when matchmaking.
Hood: Outlaws & Legends has four different classes:
- Robin Hood (Ranger)
- Little John (brawler)
- Marianne (Hunter)
- Tooke (Mystique)
Each brings something unique to the table.
The Hunter's small size and invisibility magic make her the best assassin in the game. The Ranger can spot/mark enemies from great distances. Best of all, he can drop most people with a well-placed arrow to the skull.
The brawler, on the other hand, can use their strength to open up alternate routes in and out of a given stronghold. He is also the best for carrying the heavy treasure chest. And the Mystic is the only support character and is able to heal and buff his teammates whenever possible.
There's more to each character class, of course. Their passive abilities allow for some interesting strategies; having two brawlers could be beneficial given how quickly they can take out stolen goods.
That said, choosing to play with the same characters only works when everyone is on the same page about what they're trying to do. And that's almost never the case with random players reluctant to use voice chat.
Basically, being flexible with your character choices will help you when entering a lobby full of Robins.
Consult the map
Most maps in Hood: Outlaws & Legends are large. There are several points of interest – a barracks, an encampment, a dungeon, etc. – multiple routes in and out of a given area, and plenty of opportunities to ambush the rival team. There are also random elements like the whereabouts of the Sheriff of Nottingham; players will need to swipe its key to unlock the safe containing the treasure.
Learning about your environment is essential. Pulling up the map once in a while will help in this regard. Just hit "TAB" on PC, and you'll get a full layout, with little green dots representing your teammates.
Note: For some reason (at least on PC) the game does not provide this information; it was not located in the controller or mouse and keyboard settings at the time of this writing. We were only able to find it by accident after hitting "M" to not produce the desired effect.
Share information
Hood: Outlaws & Legends uses a ping system. Pressing the middle mouse button (left bumper / L1 on console) will allow you to highlight items, points of interest such as doors, enemies, etc. When this happens, not only will your character call out what you asked for, but the item or enemy will also glow for a few seconds.
There are several reasons to share information with the team. One has to do with sharing experience and gold. When someone kills an enemy you pinged, you get assist points which help boost your special ability.
You can also warn people of impending danger. A quick ping could save a teammate from being murdered by a sneaky hunter or prevent them from accidentally walking into the mighty sheriff.
The most important information comes from the key holder. Only the person with the key is informed of the safe's location. So it would make sense to share this information with your teammates before heading out alone. This can be done via voice chat or via the comms wheel – by holding down the ping button and selecting “Go Here” or “Come to Me”.
Alert the guards
It's wise to take a stealthy approach in Hood: Outlaws & Legends. Sneak past the guards or assassinate them quietly. Take another path to a fortress. Avoid the seemingly unstoppable sheriff. Essentially, attract no unwanted attention. Unless, of course, it helps your team secure the treasure.
Usually alerting the guards is a bad thing. They will call in reinforcements, chase you, and potentially kill you. The worst thing to do, however, is to lock down a given area. Having a large door lowered, preventing the person carrying the treasure from leaving a fortress, is difficult.
So why not alert them when the opposing team tries to escape? Better yet, why not lead the sheriff straight into the opposing team? This walking monster cannot be killed; he can only be stunned for a short time. That said, he can kill anyone within range.
While your rivals are busy dealing with these additional threats, you can sneak up on them and take them out – or steal the treasure when they're not looking.
To divide
It's always good to have a bit of backup when skirmishing. The last thing anyone wants is to be attacked from behind or murdered by a rival while facing off against one of their teammates.
Staying close to your allies is a smart move. That said, sometimes it's good to separate from each other.
Hood: Outlaws & Legends is all about the heist. However, there are other goals to worry about. Take a map's spawn points, for example. Each provides two main spawn points (one for each team) and three optional points located in key areas. Capturing one or more of them allows fallen teammates to quickly join the fray.
Stepping away from the action to lock in one of these points could be the difference between winning or losing. This is especially true during the final moments of a game. It's much easier to finish securing the treasure when your opponents are forced to walk halfway across the map to stop you.
Another reason you would want to venture out alone is to gather information. When the opposing team grabs the treasure, they start moving towards one of the exit points on the map. At this point, it's a race against time to stop them. Thing is, the game only divulges their general location when someone on your team sees the person carrying the treasure. Once spotted, the chest icon will appear on everyone, making it easier for your teammates to find it.
To conquer
Hood: Outlaws & Legends rewards strategic play. Use stealth to sneak past. Assassinate NPCs to recharge your special ability. Consult the map from time to time. Separate as needed. And don't engage multiple enemies alone.
The most important thing to remember is that you don't have to complete all of the objectives to win the game. It is possible to let the rival team do the heavy lifting. Sure, you'll miss bonus gold and experience points, but the biggest payoff comes from securing the treasure chest.
For example, it is possible to spot your enemies without them knowing. I was able to do it several times as a hunter. Instead of rushing to attack the rival team as they charged gold, I would wait in the bushes near the exit point. From there, I would slash each of our opponents, giving my teammates – who were running towards us – strategic information before the fight that ensued.
Our rivals could not hide. They fired back, of course, but they didn't know we knew where they were. This led to several assassinations and we finally stole the victory.
Enjoy
Hood: Outlaws & Legends is a third-person heist game that uses an entertaining PvPvE structure. It will take some time to learn the ropes. Especially since “get gud”. Getting better in the game doesn't mean much if you're not having fun, though.
Don't sweat over the little things. Be nice in chat and mute toxic players. Being an outlaw is hard. That doesn't mean your time in the game has to be unpleasant.
