Most skilled Predator?

[(Bad Blood)]

He has to get his mark, though - and he has to get it on his face.

His mistake isn't really taking the mask off, it's not putting it back on in before getting up and turning around.

He didn't have to get it done during the fight though, he could have done it when he got to the surface or just before or after the aliens are dead. Plenty of options. Also yes though, that was another mistake.

[SiL]

How do you know he didn't have to do it during the fight?

We always see Predators reasonably in a rush to get their mark as soon as they get their first kill. It's kind of the point.

[(Bad Blood)]

How do you know he didn't have to do it during the fight?

We always see Predators reasonably in a rush to get their mark as soon as they get their first kill. It's kind of the point.

Your telling me that his betters were just like " NOW, right after you kill your first one, take a knee and remove your helmet and rip off that xeno finger and do the scar, don't mind the the other aliens, it'll be fine" lol, I'm positive, seeing as how many hundreds of times they have done this ritual and had survivors, that it isn't a guideline to just drop what your doing and just get it done regardless of enemies in the area. It may be the point to kill a xeno and get the mark but it's certainly not a guideline to ignore the enemy escaping or you killing yourself or endangering your crew just to do it on the spot, that would be reckless and stupid.

[SiL]

"You must mark yourself with your first kill to prove you have completed the ritual".

He didn't stop in the middle of a fight. He killed everything in the room. The face hugger didn't appear until after.

Keep in mind:

they're supposed to have their shoulder cannons by this point.

This scene takes place during an expository dialogue of a character explicitly pointing out that shit goes catastrophically wrong on these hunts to the point they have to nuke themselves.

So yeah I'm reasonably sure "mark yourself as soon as you can" is part of the challenge and not a mistake.

[(Bad Blood)]

"You must mark yourself with your first kill to prove you have completed the ritual".

He didn't stop in the middle of a fight. He killed everything in the room. The face hugger didn't appear until after.

Keep in mind:

they're supposed to have their shoulder cannons by this point.

This scene takes place during an expository dialogue of a character explicitly pointing out that shit goes catastrophically wrong on these hunts to the point they have to nuke themselves.

So yeah I'm reasonably sure "mark yourself as soon as you can" is part of the challenge and not a mistake.

Yes mark yourself with the blood of your kill to prove it, but at a time that makes sense. Complete the hunt first, make sure all enemies that could escape are eliminated etc before stopping to do it. Also the room wasn't clear, if it was the hugger would not be anywhere near him. In the military, the room is not clear unless it is 100% clear, that means no possiblity of surprises. Predators are supposed to be smarter than people, if army recruits can figure this out, then scar should have been able to. Why are we even debating this? Lol It's not like there is some hidden thing or some perspective I'm not seeing or aware of, it's just a fact, he was negligent, and not as skilled as many other hunters before him.

[SiL]

Short of nuking the entire site there's never a time he could be sure anywhere was 100% clear, in a building specifically designed to rearrange itself repeatedly.

That's part of the challenge. He failed that part. It doesn't mean everyone else would.

[(Bad Blood)]

Short of nuking the entire site there's never a time he could be sure anywhere was 100% clear, in a building specifically designed to rearrange itself repeatedly.

That's part of the challenge. He failed that part. It doesn't mean everyone else would.

Well true, but he could 100% clear the rearranged part of the temple he's in lol. Good point.

[SiL]

He couldn't. The tunnels the Aliens use rearrange independently of the rest of the structure. We see that with Miller, Connors and Verheiden.

[(Bad Blood)]

He couldn't. The tunnels the Aliens use rearrange independently of the rest of the structure. We see that with Miller, Connors and Verheiden.

I was just making a light of it, I put a "lol" but sometimes it can mean other things obviously.

[Local Trouble]

Feral is neck-and-neck with Jungle Hunter.  He's truly a paragon of skill and experience.

[(Bad Blood)]

Feral is neck-and-neck with Jungle Hunter.  He's truly a paragon of skill and experience.

No Predator but Feral could ever possibly match Jungle Hunter in hunting and combat prowess.

[SiL]

I don't know, Wolf is up there with Feral for super competent Predators.

[BlueMarsalis79]

Unironically aside from Hawkins, and I suppose also Dillon after being disarmed, all Jungle Hunter ever did was sit in trees and take pot shots at his targets. Dude got fooled by mud at the end of the day and died to the power of log.

It is all in how you frame what makes a better hunter, are you just here to take pelts from the best vantage point, or are you here to truly test yourself?

I will say I find City Hunter and Feral far more entertaining if that means anything.

[OpenMaw]

It doesn't. "Entertaining" does not equate to skill.

City Hunter especially does not demonstrate skill so much as he demonstrates a brute force. Intentionally he's supposed to be a younger, feistier, "hungrier" predator.

I'll just say it again. Jungle Hunter, and moreso Greyback are absolutely the most skilled Predators we see. Greyback for the simple fact that he's an old dog and he's carrying many signs of his achievements on himself. He doesn't even need a mask anymore, he's got his laser tracker on his plasma caster.

Re: "he shot his targets from afar." I find that to be more a of a myth than the truth.
1. Hawkins was up close. Predator deliberately waited for him to be isolated.
2. Blaine is hard to gauge in general. The weapon he is hit with is only in that one scene and when Mac arrives the Predator is only a few feet from where Blaine fell.
Mac got it at close range, and was given an intentional hint by the Predator.
Dillon was killed up close with blades, and also given a pre-kill hint.
Billy was likely killed at close range.
Poncho was killed from a tree. Also, I think this was more about getting Poncho out of the way so he could have his fun with Dutch.
JH fought Dutch both at close and long range depending on the scene.

[BlueMarsalis79]

I don't think that's really substantially any different from anything I wrote. But like I said, the question itself needs more qualifiers.