Ranger - Hunt Target,seems bad, but is it?

[GRuzom]

The wording of Hunt Target makes me believe that that you won't be efficient against a group of enemies, but more focused on one enemy.
My question is: can you you ONE THE SAME DAY use Hunt Target on a lot of different enemies and how many?

From Playtest:
"You can have only one creature designated as the target of your hunt at a time. If you
use Hunt Target against a creature when you already have a creature designated, the
prior creature loses the designation and the new target gains the designation. In any
case, this designation lasts until your next daily preparation"

[Draco18s]

AFAIC, its an action. You use it, it designates a target, and you get the associated benefits against that target "forever."

If you use the action again, you designate a new target, forgoing the old.

Because you spend an action you're limiting yourself in fights against large numbers. That action doesn't give you a Strike, it just reduces a penalty on future Strikes.

[Makarion]

Compare a melee ranger to an archery fighter. Assuming weapons already drawn for both.

Ranger: move, hunt target, move. May not be in strike range yet, and if there's tricky terrain, it only gets worse
Fighter: can at least get one attack off, possibly two if no movement for LOS is required. There's a fair chance that the once-per-day target of the ranger's Hunt is dead before they get to use the ability.

[Colette Brunel]

Hunt Target really needs to be overhauled in its entirety. It influences the first two or three rounds of combat very poorly. It does not even synergize with the ranger's Double Slice.

[N N 959]

Just have to shake my head at the changes. I can't believe they've pulled Wild Empathy and now force Rangers to buy that as a feat. Why? That ability hardly did anything why do Rangers now have to give up some other useful feat to get something that basically amounts to flavor. Lord have mercy Take Trackless Step and give us back Wild Empathy.

I am so disappointed. I can only imagine what other classes are going through.

[GRuzom]

Makarion wrote:

Compare a melee ranger to an archery fighter. Assuming weapons already drawn for both.

Ranger: move, hunt target, move. May not be in strike range yet, and if there's tricky terrain, it only gets worse
Fighter: can at least get one attack off, possibly two if no movement for LOS is required. There's a fair chance that the once-per-day target of the ranger's Hunt is dead before they get to use the ability.

Always loved Rangers, but Hunt Target is not something I'd be interested in. Might be better to build a Fighter and then pretend that he's a Ranger ...