Quick Answer
Hammerheads were reported to chase Tadpoles too persistently when the lights were on. Hotfix 2 tuned that behavior, so it should be less absurd now, but the safe habit is unchanged: dim or manage lights near patrols, do not park beside a Hammerhead, and leave before curiosity becomes a chase.
Current Status
After Hotfix 2, Tadpole light attraction should be less aggressive. Hammerheads still belong in the danger category, especially when players drive through shallow routes as if the vehicle makes them untouchable. The practical answer is route discipline, not panic.
What was going wrong
The problem players noticed was not simply that Hammerheads are dangerous. It was that the Tadpole lights could make them feel glued to the vehicle, turning a normal encounter into a long tail-chase back toward safety. That is the kind of behavior that changes how people drive: lights off, no sightseeing, no stopping to scan, and sometimes no Tadpole use in a route that should support it.
Hotfix 2 addressed the worst version of that interaction. That does not mean Hammerheads are harmless now. It means the vehicle should feel less like it has a permanent beacon strapped to it. If you still drive straight through a patrol line with lights blazing and no exit path, the creature can still punish the mistake.
How to drive around Hammerheads now
Approach Hammerhead water like a patrol puzzle. Before entering, decide whether you are crossing, scanning, or farming. Crossing is quick and low commitment. Scanning needs a safe angle and an exit. Farming near them is usually not worth the noise unless you know the route. The Tadpole helps with distance, but it can also encourage overconfidence.
Use lights only when they solve a visibility problem. If the route is bright enough or you already know the shape of the cave, turn them down or avoid pointing the vehicle directly into the patrol path. Keep a wide arc rather than trying to thread the center. If one turns toward you, leave early; do not wait for the dramatic contact.
What to do if one follows you
Do not drag the chase all the way home if you can break line and distance earlier. The worst habit is driving in a straight panic line from patrol water to your base route. Angle away, use terrain, and avoid stopping to check damage until you have space. If the creature keeps pressure, prioritize survival over the current objective and come back later.
If you are on foot, the answer is even simpler: do not try to turn a Hammerhead encounter into a scanning duel unless you planned for it. Get oxygen, find cover, and reset. Many deaths come from players trying to confirm whether the patch fixed the behavior while the creature is already close enough to make the test expensive.
Where the map helps
Use Hammerhead and Tadpole filters together when planning vehicle routes. Creature pages tell you what the threat is; map filters tell you where route pressure can overlap with fragments, resources or story markers. A Hammerhead near a resource route is not automatically a no-go, but it changes how long you should stay there.
If you capture post-Hotfix 2 behavior that still looks wrong, submit it with the patch version and whether Tadpole lights were on. That detail matters. A creature following a lit vehicle through its patrol area is normal pressure; a creature following forever across unrelated safe water is the kind of report that deserves review.
