Template:Hunter Defender comparison

Defender	Hunter
Cost
14 points	10 points
Range
16" aiming 21" walk-and-shoot	14" aiming 20" walk-and-shoot
Accuracy
RAT 6 But can aim more often due to longer range	RAT 7
Damage
Better against targets with natural ARM 17 and below or who have additional ARM protection (Shield, Buckler, spells, etc.)	Better against targets with natural ARM 20 and above
Melee
MAT 7 P+S 17 Cortex damage vs warjacks 9" melee threat Good against heavy targets	MAT 6 P+S 12 10" melee threat Only useful against light/medium single wound infantries and light solos.
Resilience
DEF 12 ARM 18 30 HP	DEF 14 ARM 15 24 HP
Other
Cortex Damage on the melee weapon Can Trample	Armour Piercing gun, Pathfinder to help navigation, Extended Control Range
(Edit this comparison)

Overall, the Defender is much more resilient, and better at dealing damage against targets with ablative protection (Buckler, Shield, spells, etc), while the Hunter is good against naturally very high ARM targets (they tie against ARM 18-19). The Hunter beats the Defender in mobility, and flexibility in positioning, but cannot compete with it in melee. Superior range in SR2017 scenarios is a debatable advantage due to the increased number of terrain pieces.