HUSH They can hear monsters: Detection, Sound Limits, and Evasion
Monsters in HUSH: They can hear track survivors through sound, reacting directly to gunfire, unbelted car crashes, and footsteps. Crouching drops your noise profile low enough to slip past patrols, while sprinting or revving engines pulls every nearby creature straight to your position.
Monsters in HUSH: They can hear track survivors through sound, reacting directly to gunfire, unbelted car crashes, and footsteps. Crouching drops your noise profile low enough to slip past patrols, while sprinting or revving engines pulls every nearby creature straight to your position.
Noise Detection and Decibel Limits
Creatures in the city detect survivors through an active audio threshold tracked on your bottom-left interface. Every movement posture registers a distinct reading on the decibel meter. Recorded game runs measure 33 dB when crouched indoors, 52 dB during an upright walk, and 81 dB while driving vehicles through streets. Exceeding ambient thresholds prompts nearby creatures to investigate the source immediately.
Using crouch by pressing C keeps your decibels within safe boundaries, allowing you to move through contested buildings and alleyways unnoticed. Sprinting with Shift raises noise levels significantly and draws roaming packs from surrounding blocks. When an audio hunter patrols into your direct line of sight, remaining stationary while crouched can prevent detection, as these entities rely on noise generation rather than visual clarity. Opening doors, breaking through barricades, and stepping on loose debris also register sound spikes that reveal your coordinates.
Understanding these sound mechanics dictates whether you slip past enemies or face a sustained swarm across open roads.
Creature Types and Behavioral Profiles
The infected population inside the city features distinct behavioral patterns that require specific tactical approaches. Knowing the difference between sensory stalkers, ambient infected, and fast runners determines whether you should hide or fight.
| Threat Type | Audio Detection Trigger | Defensive Response |
|---|---|---|
| Sound Hunter | Footsteps, engine revs, unsuppressed shots | Crouch immediately, cease movement, avoid line of travel |
| Runner Infected | Proximity alerts and visual detection | Aim for legs to cripple speed or eliminate with headshots |
| Ambient Horde | Alarms, EVAC beacons, prolonged gunfights | Break line of sight through buildings and close doors |
Sound hunters stalk major corridors, including Old Town streets and sewer exits. These towering creatures react instantly to loud noises, including gunshots and vehicular impact. Runners sprint faster than an unbuffed survivor and close distances rapidly once alerted. Targeting their legs forces them to crawl, reducing their pursuit speed and buying valuable seconds to reposition.
Combat Damage and Weapon Noise Rules
Unsuppressed firearms act as a dinner bell for every hostile entity within the district. Equipping suppressors to your primary and secondary weapons significantly dampens muzzle blast noise, allowing you to clear infected without triggering regional hordes. Melee tools, such as the fire axe, provide silent takedowns at close range without raising the decibel gauge.
Targeting specific hitboxes determines combat efficiency and ammunition expenditure:
- Headshots deal 300% base damage, indicated by a yellow hitmarker on target contact.
- Torso hits register standard 100% baseline damage, displaying a white hitmarker.
- Limb shots to the arms and legs deliver 60% to 70% damage, forcing upright runners into a slow crawl.
- Fatal elimination shots display a red hitmarker, confirming the target is dead.
Relying on high-caliber rifles inside confined rooms creates widespread audio panic. When loud weapons must be discharged, plan an immediate exit route through back alleys or upper-floor windows before incoming hunters converge on your last known position.
Vehicle Hazards and Evacuation Swarms
Vehicles provide rapid transport across districts, but driving registers 81 dB on the noise meter, pulling every creature along the route into active pursuit. When you hotwire cars to traverse between distant loot zones, creatures will track the engine roar across long stretches of pavement.
Crashing into street obstacles at high speeds risks fatal ejection unless you fasten your car seat belt using the B key. Players thrown from cabins take heavy damage and land vulnerable in front of converging packs.
Calling for extraction at designated posts initiates a terminal countdown, such as the 72-second cycle at North Gate or The Farm Track. Activating the evacuation terminal illuminates warning lights and generates persistent audio sirens that draw surrounding creatures toward the loading zone. Survivors must hold defensive positions, manage choke points, and board the transport vehicle before the cargo doors seal to secure their collected loot.