Griffin Hallsey is a playable Hunter character in the game, Evolve. He is a trapper who aids in tracking by planting stationary sound spikes and immobilizes the monster with his portable harpoon gun.
"This veteran Trapper relies on deployable Sound Spikes to keep tabs on the Monster’s movements. But when it’s time to face off with his prey, he breaks out his Harpoon Gun to pin it down – like shooting a giant, angry fish in a space barrel."[1]
Biography
Perhaps the most famous hunter in the galaxy, Griffin is a celebrity icon and media darling, though he views the wave of films and comics based on him with disdain at best. His fame is the result of a storied career with many bizarre and dangerous accomplishments, though none as strange or deadly as the current monster threat.
Griffin was born on Io, but his family very quickly accepted a charter with NORDITA , leading him to spend his entire life in the Far Arm. [2] His propensity for hunting the biggest, most bizarre, most dangerous, and violent creatures of the Arm has earned him a fair bit of fame, and numerous pulp movies and serials to his name. He hates much of the media inspired by him, and he's quick to tell all the other hunters what schlock he thinks it is.
Cabot approached Griffin about joining the Planet Tamers while he was hunting an Orion Terrorsaur, a beast whose head Griffin promptly donated to the Laurie-Anne. It can be seen in the opening cinematic for evacuation mode, and a shot of the ship displayed on the loading screens is taken through the mouth of the mounted head.
Personality
As expected for someone of Griffin's disposition, the man behaves, speaks and, above all else, thinks like a big game hunter. Seasoned in the art of the hunt, Griffin is more than happy to exchange banter with his fellow hunters in relation to the task at hand, as well as tell them when they're doing their jobs right, or wrong.
Weapons and Equipment
Griffin's weapons
Gauss SMG
Griffin's side-arm is a Gauss SMG. A solid mid-range weapon that serves as his main tool for doing damage with high accuracy. Because weapons can be reloaded while using another item, it is best to use the harpoon gun, then use the SMG while the harpoon reloads. This weapon is also most effective on packs of wildlife thanks to its forgiving spray pattern and damage.
- Damage: 20 Points per Bullet
- 450 rounds per minute
- Reload Time: 1.78 Seconds
- Ammo: 36 Bullets
Harpoon Gun
The Harpoon Gun (Ahab Sure-Stop Model G) fires a massive harpoon at targets, doing medium damage and creating an energy beam that tethers the target to the user, limiting its movement. While Griffins feet are planted on the ground and the monster is moving away from him, the harpoon blocks traversals, halves the range of movement abilities like Leap Smash or Charge, and prevents climbing or eating. Because of this, it is used to protect allies being targeted by the Monster or prevent the Monster from escaping. The beam is broken on Griffin's command (by releasing the fire button), when an obstacle comes between Griffin and the monster, or if the monster turns and melees the beam. The Behemoth, if harpooned during a roll, can stretch and break the harpoon with enough stamina. The Harpoon has a limited range and a moderately long reload time.
- Damage: 57 Points
- Reload Time: 4 Seconds
- Range: 45 Meters
- Ammo: 1 Harpoon
- Slow Rate: 50% Climb Speed
- 0.5s LOS breaktime
Sound Spikes
Sound Spikes are sound-sensitive mines that use echolocation and are triggered upon the Monster's approach, notifying the team of its whereabouts. Triggering the spike does not destroy it, and it will continue to alert hunters to the monsters presence until the monster leaves its fairly large radius of effect. It, however, can be sneaked past by the monster or destroyed from a distance. If a monster begins sneaking after triggering a spike, the indicator will remain in the last-known position for some time or until a new trigger occurs. Like all 'placed items' only three may be activated at a time and placing a fourth will disarm the oldest.
- Detection Radius: 77 Meters
- Sneaking Radius: 22 Meters
- Ammo: 3 Spikes
- Deploy Time: 1.5 Seconds
- Device Health Points: 10 Points
- Deal 100 damage when destroyed
Class Ability: Planet Scanner
Will point in the general direction of the Monster on each Hunter's compass. The Trapper will see all wildlife outlined including the Monster.
- Sprint Boost: 54%
- Movement Speed Boost: 124%
- Jetpack Efficiency Boost: 9%
- Duration: 5 Seconds
- Cooldown Time: 30 Seconds
Downed: Custom Classic Pistol
- Used only when downed
- 350 rounds per minute
- 1.7 second reload
- 6 shots per magazine
- 15 damage per shot
Progression
| Lvl | Reward | Lvl | Reward | Lvl | Reward | Lvl | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start | 11 | 50 Keys | 21 | 50 Keys | 31 | 50 Keys |
| 2 | Badge | 12 | Badge | 22 | Mutated Celerity - Superior | 32 | Badge |
| 3 | Enhanced Celerity - Minor | 13 | Ultravision - Major | 23 | 50 Keys | 33 | 50 Keys |
| 4 | 50 Keys | 14 | 125 Keys | 24 | 50 Keys | 34 | 125 Keys |
| 5 | 125 Keys | 15 | Badge | 25 | 125 Keys | 35 | Skin |
| 6 | Gunslinger - Minor | 16 | 125 Keys | 26 | 50 Keys | 36 | 125 Keys |
| 7 | Badge | 17 | Reloader - Major | 27 | Badge | 37 | 125 Keys |
| 8 | 125 Keys | 18 | Badge | 28 | Rocket King - Superior | 38 | Badge |
| 9 | Rocket Man - Minor | 19 | 50 Keys | 29 | 50 Keys | 39 | 125 Keys |
| 10 | 125 Keys | 20 | 125 Keys | 30 | 125 Keys | 40 | Hunter Skin |
Rewards for perks that are already at level 3 are replaced with a silver keys reward (200, 400 and 600 for Minor, Major and Superior respectively).
Tactics
- Your goal should be to have 3 active Sound Spikes that do not overlap. Use the mini-map as a guide and set them down in the course of your search for the Monster.
- Having even one spike down will allow you to see the monsters location from anywhere when it Evolves - plant them early and often.
- Note that Sound Spikes are vulnerable to wildlife, though they ordinarily won't attack them.
- The best places to lock Sound Spikes are atop rock pillars. Monsters can sniff out spikes in bushes at ground level and below, but will frequently miss those planted above it.
- You can also plant spikes under friendly birds to make it difficult for the monster to destroy them without giving away its location.
- Effective use of the harpoon can be absolutely deadly to the monster. Firing just before a traversal will burn the monsters traversal and freeze it in place, costing it a tremendous amount of space and stamina. Firing it before a monster reaches the top of a ledge will cause the monster to cease climbing and plummet.
- Your Harpoon gun can be used in the Arena, but its main application is in slowing down a fleeing Monster. Firing it into the beast's back will force it to turn around and melee attack it, before turning back to keep running. Repeat this a few times and you will earn your team some distance to catch up.
- While inside the arena, try to stay on the side of the monster opposite your medic. The monster will be torn between the two of you. If it goes for the medic, harpoon it to hold it back. If it goes for you, the medic can heal you up.
- Stay behind the monster when using your Harpoon gun and keep your feet firmly planted. Walking backwards will pull airborne monsters like the Kraken with you.
- Griffin works well with Val. Her Tranquilizers slow the monster down as it runs, which allows Griffin an easier chance to harpoon it.
Griffin vs Electro Griffin
- (1) Gun: Griffin has a hands down better gun for DPS. Electro Griffin carries what many players call the "storm trooper blaster", which has a terrible accuracy beyond arm's length, and can't aim down the sights for any improvement. It does however apply a small slowing effect to enemies, which is useful.
- (2) Harpoon: Griffin's has a longer range. Electro's has a painfully short range, but inflicts high damage over time until the lease is broken. The differences make Griffin better at leasing a fleeing monster, while Electro's is more useful right in combat for adding damage in addition to the slow effect.
- (3) Sensors: Griffin once again has the superior range. Electro's sensors have a pitiful range, with the only added benefit being that they can also detect sneaking, which most monsters don't use to get around the map.
- (?) Electro Griffin's weapons make guitar sounds.
Relationships with Other Hunters
- Hyde: Hyde claims to have nightmares from Griffin's stories of creatures he's fought.
- Caira: Griffin and Caira seem to have a decently strong friendship, with Griffin considering Caira's accidental napalming of other team members hilarious. He also states that he likes her because she hasn't seen any of his movies and doesn't worship the ground he walks on as a result. Caira, however, is also very aware of Griffin's fame, and respects the man because of it.
- Val: Val and Griffin get along very well, with Griffin being very grateful for her tranquilizer rifle making his job of spearing the monster easier.
- Torvald: Torvald claims to like Griffin's documentaries more than the comics and movies made of him. He's also a little mystified as to Griffin making money off of hunting, but he respects it nonetheless.
Screenshots
Trivia
- During Development, Griffin had gone through many names, including Le Roux and Kingsley Solomon. [3]
- Griffin is voiced by J. B. Blanc.
- Griffin's design is based at least partially on Van Pelt, the hunter from the movie Jumanji, despite the fact his accent is Australian and not British.
- As such, it is likely that Griffin also took inspiration from Steve Irwin and/or Crocodile Dundee.
- Griffin once stated that Krakens are "more wiley" than Goliaths, possibly referencing the former's power of flight or (literally) energetic nature.
- The mention of horror movies about the things Griffin hunts are actually not an exaggeration - there's numerous in-universe pulp serials about the various hunts he's been on. He hates these serials because he doesn't receive a dime from them, not to mention how extremely they hyperbolize the scenarios they depict.
- Despite multiple claims, Griffin's stated that he's never actually wrestled an Orion Terrorsaur. According to him, it was only a cartoon.
- Apparently, according to Markov, Griffin's face looks like a ballsack.
- The model of his harpoon gun is a reference to Moby Dicks Captain Ahab, who used his harpoons to hunt giant whales. This isn't the only reference in Evolve - Torvald quotes Ahab's "burst my heart upon it" speech verbatim, and matches the obsessed captains personality and story.
- The Behemoth trailer, which depicts Griffin and the aforementioned Monster, references the famous boulder escape scene in Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark , with Behemoth as the boulder and Griffin as Indiana.