Bear trap: the essential utility pick
The official game description confirms traps and barricades as core Hunt preparation. The launch achievement route gives the bear trap a specific extra use: kill a Demented by placing the trap and looking away so the enemy advances into it.
Choose a lane
Cover an approach you can observe without blocking the team’s only retreat.
Keep distance
Do not cluster around the trap. Leave room to kite or hide if the first control attempt fails.
Match the enemy
For a Demented, use the look-away behavior documented by achievement hunters rather than wasting ammunition.
Call the placement
In co-op, announce the trap and the protected route before a Hunt begins.
Barricades
Boards are delay tools, not a complete plan. Use the time they create to reach a hiding place, reset line of sight or focus damage. Re-check durability after patches rather than relying on demo-era assumptions.
Hunt setup checklist
- □Choose one protected route
Know where the team will retreat before placing the first trap or board.
- □Separate control from damage
Use a trap to create time or satisfy a mechanic; use weapons only when the threat can be damaged safely.
- □Preserve teammate movement
Announce placements and avoid doorways that the team must cross under pressure.
- □Keep one fallback
If the first lane fails, move to a second hiding or firing position instead of piling every resource in one spot.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important trap?
The bear trap has a documented achievement use against the Demented and is a flexible way to control an approach.
Where should traps go?
Place them on an approach you can observe while leaving the team a separate retreat route.
Are barricades enough by themselves?
No. Barricades delay a threat; pair that time with movement, hiding, traps or focused damage.
Source register
Evidence used on this page
- Official Shift At Midnight Steam pageOfficial game features, modes, platforms, system requirements and roadmap. Retrieved 2026-08-01.
- Steam Community 100% achievement guideCommunity-tested launch-version achievement conditions by TaintedTali. Retrieved 2026-08-01.
- Official Steam Community hub and developer updatesLaunch patches, current lobby guidance and post-launch changes. Retrieved 2026-08-01.