Hunter's Title

Hunter's Titles are indicators of experience and seniority in MouseHunt. Rank is based on the quality and quantity of mice caught. As hunters catch more mice, they become more experienced. More experienced hunters gain access to new areas (though occasionally they must collect the proper loot) and become more effective at hunting, crafting and using potions.

Ranks

The ranks are as follow:

Rank	Description
Novice	A Novice hunter only has access to the Meadow location and has no crafting abilities. The rank of Novice is signified by a white shield (link) next to the player's name.
Recruit	Upon reaching the rank of Recruit, the hunter gains access to the Town of Gnawnia location. The rank of Recruit is signified by a white shield with a vertical grey line down the middle(link) next to the player's name.
Apprentice	Upon reaching the rank of Apprentice, the player can now hunt in the Windmill location and acquires minimal crafting abilities. Apprentices may begin accumulating Stale Cheese. The rank of Apprentice is signified by a yellow shield (link) next to the player's name.
Initiate	Upon reaching the rank of Initiate, the hunter gains access to the Harbour location. The rank of Initiate is signified by a yellow shield with a vertical black line down the middle(link) next to the player's name.
Journeyman	Upon reaching the rank of Journeyman, the player can now hunt in the Mountain. Assuming they have collected the proper loot, they can also hunt in the Calm Clearing location. The Journeyman's crafting abilities increase. The rank of Journeyman is signified by an orange shield (link) next to the player's name.
Master	Upon reaching the rank of Master, the player is eligible to hunt in the Laboratory, Town of Digby, and Mousoleum locations of the Burroughs region, and the Great Gnarled Tree location of the Whisker Woods region, assuming they have collected the proper loot. It is also the first ranking at which Radioactive Blue Cheese Potions and Gnarled Potions can be collected and used. The Master's crafting abilities also increase. The rank of Master is signified by a purple shield (link) next to the player's name.
Grandmaster	Upon reaching the rank of Grandmaster, the player is eligible to hunt in the Training Grounds, Dojo, Meditation Room, and Pinnacle Chamber locations of the Furoma area, the Lagoon location of the Whisker Woods area, and the Bazaar location of the Burroughs area, assuming they have collected the proper loot. Grandmasters also receive a bonus when using potions and a further increase in crafting abilities. The rank of Grandmaster is signified by a blue shield (link) next to the player's name.
Legendary	Upon reaching the rank of Legendary, the player is eligible to enter the Catacombs with a repaired Mousoleum map, and assuming they have collected the proper loot the Forbidden Grove and Acolyte Realm of the Bristle Woods area. On crafting the Ship, a Legendary hunter may enter the S.S. Huntington II area in Rodentia. On crafting the Ocean Navigation Kit, the hunter may travel to the Cape Clawed, Derr Dunes, Elub Shore and Nerg Plains areas of the Tribal Isles region. Legendary hunters also receive a further bonus when using potions and a further increase in crafting abilities. The rank of Legend is signified by a green shield (link) next to the player's name.
Hero	Upon reaching the rank of Hero, the player is eligible to enter the Jungle of Dread in Tribal Isles with an Ocean Navigation Kit. Heroes also receive a further bonus when using potions and a further increase in crafting abilities. The rank of Hero is signified by a black shield with a white star in the center (link) next to the player's name.
Knight	Upon reaching the rank of Knight, the player is eligible to enter the Dracano area in Tribal Isles with an Ocean Navigation Kit. On crafting Balack's Lantern, the hunter may also enter Balack's Cove. Knights also receive a further bonus when using potions and a further increase in crafting abilities. The rank of Knight is signified by a black shield with a yellow cross in the center (link) next to the player's name.
Lord/Lady	There is no hunting area exclusive to Lords/Ladies. However, Lords/Ladies receive a further bonus when using potions and a further increase in crafting abilities (they are the lowest rank which can presently safely make every crafting recipe that exists). The rank of Lady is signified by a black shield with a pink outline and a pink bullseye in the center (link) next to the player's name. The rank of Lord is signified by a black shield with a blue outline and a pink bullseye in the center (link) next to the player's name.
Baron/Baroness	There is no hunting area exclusive to Barons/Baronesses. However, Barons/Baronesses receive a further bonus when using potions and a further increase in crafting abilities. The rank of Baroness is signified by a black shield with a pink outline and 2 golden lines down the middle with 2 golden stars on the edges (link) next to the player's name. The rank of Baron is signified by a black shield with a blue outline and 2 golden lines down the middle with 2 golden stars on the edges (link) next to the player's name.
Count/Countess	This is currently the highest known rank. There is no hunting area exclusive to Counts/Countesses. However, Counts/Countesses receive a further bonus when using potions and a further increase in crafting abilities. The rank of Countess is signified by a red shield with a pink outline and a single black stripe down the middle (link). The rank of Count is signified by a red shield with a blue outline and a single black stripe down the middle (link).
Donor	The MouseHunt developers recognize players that have donated money to purchase SUPER|brie+. Being a donor is not a 'rank' but all donors are given a golden shield (link) next to their name to signify their donation. Currently the Donor's shield has been taken off the scoreboard, and there is no indication that it will come back. However, when you donate to MouseHunt to purchase SUPER|brie+, the MouseHunt icon (at the top left of the page) will turn golden as a recognition of your donation.

Rank Advancement

Rank advancement is not based directly on the points earned. So, rank will not increase through the bonus points earned through King's rewards, sounding the horn, Lab Research, etc. Instead the rank progress bar increases through the hunter's activity in the game.

Every hunt gives some base progress. The same progress is always made when a mouse is not caught — that is, some progress is made even if a mouse is not attracted or when one steals points or cheese. If one catches a mouse, additional progress is made based on a formula known only to the developers (see approximation below). The higher a player's level, the longer it takes to advance to the next level.

Note that rank may advance for both trap checks and for going on hunts. During trap checks, however, a hunter only gains half the progress of a normal hunt.

Rank Advancement formula

The formula for the rank advancement seems to be linear and so it can be well approximated based on even a small number of hunts.

Rank advancement formula when a hunter is going on a hunt (the horn is sounded in any way):

mouse_factor * points_for_mouse + base_points

Rank advancement formula for hourly trap checks:

(mouse_factor * points_for_mouse + base_points)/2

Note, points_for_mouse means points a hunter gets for a mouse based on its type (Brown, White etc) and its weight. If a mouse was not caught this is always 0 (which means you only get base points then).

Factors calculated for each hunter's title

hunter's title	base points	mouse factor	max error	hunts
Journeyman	0.0810	0.0003252	0.0076	65
Master	0.0295	0.0001160	0.0092	100
Grandmaster	0.0130	0.0000533	0.0079	65
Legendary	0.0062	0.0000247	0.0067	65
Hero	0.0032	0.0000110	0.0087	115
Knight	0.0016	0.0000049	0.0093[*]	120

Note, there is no way to calculate exact factors as the current rank is shown rounded to 2 decimal places.

^[*] Beining a Knight you are able to hunt for an Acolyte. As seems catching an Acolyte gives you a significantly higher boost. To be more exact it gives you 0.34 advancement of a percent point while the calculated value should be around 0.196. This means getting an Acolyte gives almost 50% additional progress boost. See an image here - a point high above the black line is from an Acolyte hunt (the black line is calculated from Linear regression model).

History and Trivia

Before 30 June 2010, the Recruit and Initiate titles did not exist. The old "Novice" was split into Novice and Recruit, and the old "Apprentice" was split into Apprentice and Initiate.