What is confirmed
Hunting is new to Melvor Idle 2. Games by Malcs lists it among the skills prototyped in November 2025 and includes it in the alpha, the free demo and the 25-skill Early Access roster. The skill is about setting traps for animals across different locations; it is not a combat skill.
The official Steam screenshot is the most detailed public look at the skill. It is labelled v0.1.2-alpha, so it is evidence of the design direction, not a promise of launch balance.
What the alpha UI shows
The screen is split into three working areas: locations on the left, a selected animal and trap setup in the middle, and the active Hunting action on the right. A separate “Hunting Journal” tab suggests a record of animals or catches.
| UI element | What it shows | What it does not tell us |
|---|---|---|
| Locations | Bushlands, Woodlands, Swamps, Steppes, Thicket, Plains, Mire and Highlands | Level requirements, unlock order or which animals live in each location |
| Animals | Wild Chicken, Wild Cow, Greentail Bird and Bushland Rabbit in the Bushlands | The full animal list, rarity or drop table |
| Trap types | Snare and Small Bird Catcher; tools such as Tracking Stick and Binoculars | Recipe costs, craft levels or whether every trap is in the launch build |
| Animal level | A level such as 23/25, separate from the Hunting skill level | The level-up curve or the exact bonus per level |
| Survey / Track / Trap | Three timed steps with a progress flow | Whether the timers are fixed or modified by gear and bait |
| Bait | Seed Bait and a “while being used” bonus | The final bait list and whether the displayed percentage is unchanged at launch |
| Trapless Hunting | A toggle in the selected-animal panel | The full rules or its trade-offs |
| Outputs | Raw Chicken, Feathers and Bone for a Wild Chicken | Final drop rates and quantities |
Survey, track, trap
The middle panel presents Hunting as a three-step sequence:
- Surveying. A timed observation step. The alpha shows a range rather than a single fixed time.
- Tracking. A second timed step after the animal has been found.
- Trapping. The capture attempt, with a visible “chance to trap” percentage.
The right panel then shows the active animal, its level, XP progress, the selected trap, bait and output. The UI text visible in the screenshot says that animal levels increase average skill XP and item quantity, but the exact formula is not published.
The practical takeaway is structural: Hunting is not a single “click and wait” action. It has a scouting phase, a tracking phase and a capture phase. That makes gear, bait and animal level plausible levers, but their launch values are unknown.
Locations and animals
The alpha lists eight locations. Only the Bushlands panel is open in the screenshot, showing four animals. The other seven locations are visible as tabs but their animal lists are not shown.
Locations visible
Bushlands · Woodlands · Swamps · Steppes · Thicket · Plains · Mire · Highlands
Bushlands animals visible
Wild Chicken · Wild Cow · Greentail Bird · Bushland Rabbit
The screenshot shows different trap types for different animals: a Snare for the chicken and cow, and a Small Bird Catcher for the Greentail Bird. That is a strong hint that trap choice is animal-specific, but the complete mapping is not published.
What is not confirmed
- The complete animal list and which locations they belong to.
- Exact trap recipes, material costs and Crafting level requirements.
- Final XP rates, drop rates and quantity ranges.
- The full bait table and the rules for trapless hunting.
- Whether the alpha's animal levels, timers and percentages survive into the launch build.
- The Hunting Mastery Guild tasks and rewards.
- Any verified “best location” or “best trap” ranking.
The game's in-game Codex is designed to expose item uses and sources. That will be the authoritative reference once the game is live; this page will be updated from it rather than from guesswork.
How to prepare without guessing
- Train Crafting in the demo if trap crafting is gated behind it. The alpha screenshot explicitly says traps are created in Crafting.
- Keep bank space. Hunting outputs include meat, feathers and bones, and those may feed other skills.
- Check the Hunting Journal and Codex at launch for the animal and drop tables the screenshot does not show.
- Do not pre-buy a “best trap” plan. Recipes and balance can change before and during Early Access.
- Back up the demo save if you build Hunting levels now. The save-transfer guide covers it.
Straight answers
Frequently asked questions
- Is Hunting in the Melvor Idle 2 demo?
- Yes. Hunting is in the free demo, capped at level 60. It is also part of the 25-skill Early Access build with a level 99 cap.
- What animals are in Hunting?
- The official alpha screenshot shows Wild Chicken, Wild Cow, Greentail Bird and Bushland Rabbit in the Bushlands, plus location tabs for Woodlands, Swamps, Steppes, Thicket, Plains, Mire and Highlands. The full animal list has not been published, so those four are not the complete roster.
- What traps does Hunting use?
- The alpha UI shows a Snare and a Small Bird Catcher, plus tools such as a Tracking Stick and Binoculars. Traps are created through Crafting. The final trap recipes, costs and level requirements are not published.
- What is trapless hunting?
- The alpha screenshot shows an “Enable Trapless Hunting” toggle. The developer has not published how it works in the launch build, so we do not describe a mechanic beyond the visible toggle.
- Does bait matter?
- The alpha UI shows bait such as Seed Bait and a bonus while it is used. The screenshot is from an alpha build; the final bait list and values may differ. Treat the displayed numbers as illustrative, not launch data.
- Is there a best Hunting location?
- No verified ranking exists. The game is not out, the full animal and drop tables are unpublished, and balance can change during Early Access. Any “best location” list published before launch is guessing.