Ecos La Brea Beginner Hunting Guide, All You Need to Know!

Hunting AI animals in Ecos: La Brea can feel tricky, especially if you’re new or struggling to catch even a small rabbit. Whether you’re playing as a wolf or a sabertooth, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know to hunt like a pro.

All AI Animals You’ll Encounter

As of early 2025, there are four main AI animals you can hunt:

• Brush Rabbit (formerly Desert Cottontail)
• Dwarf Pronghorn
• Prairie Rattlesnake
• Flatheaded Peckery (the toughest AI in the game)

Each AI can be found in different areas of the map, and hunting them provides food that helps keep your character alive.

Understanding AI Awareness and Stealth

Most AI animals (except rattlesnakes) use a “red light, green light” system to detect you. When you get close, a detection bar appears showing how aware the prey is of your presence.

• Moving quickly or loudly fills this bar faster, and once it’s full, the animal will flee.
• The rate at which the bar fills depends on your speed, the terrain, and whether the AI is on guard.
• You can tell if an AI is on guard by activating your scent and checking if there’s a question mark above your prey’s icon. If yes, stop moving immediately.

Pro tip: The AI switches between on guard and off guard states quickly, so try to predict when it will become alert and pause your movement just before that happens. This slows the detection bar filling and helps you close the distance more easily.

Seasonal AI Spawning and Terrain

• The AI spawn locations change with the seasons. For example, pronghorns spawn at higher altitudes during the wet season and lower altitudes during the dry season.
• Rabbits follow the opposite pattern of pronghorns.
• Peckery spawn consistently in the same locations regardless of season.

Hunting Brush Rabbit and Dwarf Pronghorn

Both animals are very skittish and quick to flee. The key to hunting them is stealth:

• Use bushes and grass to minimize noise and reduce the detection bar.
• Avoid running over dirt patches, which alert prey faster.
• Use terrain to your advantage—AI tend to avoid cliffs and deep water, so try to herd them towards these natural barriers to limit their escape options.

If you’re playing as a wolf, your stamina gives you some advantage in chasing down prey after an ambush. Sabertooths have less stamina, so being patient and precise with your stealth approach is crucial.

Handling Prairie Rattlesnakes

Rattlesnakes are tricky and dangerous:

• They don’t care much about stealth and will often spot you easily.
• Getting bitten causes heavy damage and healing drains your hunger.
• Fighting rattlesnakes alone is risky—better to avoid them or hunt them with a partner.
• When hunting in a group, one player can distract the snake while the other goes in for the kill.

The Flatheaded Peckery: The Ultimate Challenge

The peckery is the toughest AI you’ll face:

• They run fast and attack in packs, making solo hunts very risky.
• Like rabbits and pronghorns, you must sneak up on them before starting a chase.
• If you fail your ambush, the whole peckery flock will swarm you.
• Once you isolate a target, land hits and then back off quickly. Peckeries stop running and turn aggressive if attacked.
• Standing your ground and letting the peckery run into your attacks can be safer than chasing them around.

General Tips for Hunting AI in Ecos: La Brea

• Practice the detection mini-game. The better you get at managing your movement and stopping at the right moments, the more successful your hunts will be.
• Use cover and terrain wisely. Always look for plants, bushes, or landscape features to hide your approach.
• Be patient. Sometimes it takes multiple attempts to pull off a clean ambush.
• Don’t get frustrated if you fail. Even experienced players mess up hunts. Keep practicing and learning from each attempt.

Hunting AI in Ecos: La Brea can be challenging but also rewarding. Understanding AI behavior, mastering stealth, and using the environment to your advantage will drastically improve your success. Whether you’re hunting rabbits or taking on the deadly peckery, these tips should give you a solid foundation to survive and thrive. Good luck out there, and happy hunting!