Yes. In the October preview, reaching The Hunt's second phase and then dying allowed the next attempt to start from that phase. The player did not need to repeat the first health bar every time.
This is a pre-release encounter behavior. It does not establish whether the phase checkpoint persists after quitting, changing difficulty, leaving the region, or loading a different save.
What the retry actually preserves
The reported sequence was straightforward: the first health bar was depleted, The Hunt returned with another phase, and a death followed. After respawning at the nearby checkpoint, the fight could resume from phase two.
This earlier encounter frame identifies The Hunt; it does not show the later phase checkpoint.
The director separately described phase retries as a way to lower the cost of experimentation in multi-stage fights. Main-story boss locations are intended to sit near their respawn bells, reducing the run back as well.
Use the shorter retry to learn the new phase
Treat the second phase as its own learning problem. Watch which attacks are new, where the safe openings are, and whether the weapon setup you used for the first phase still answers them.
A phase checkpoint saves repetition; it does not make the second phase an automatic win. The Hunt's full attack sequence, exact healing refill count, and a reliable loadout still need release-build testing.
Avoid extending the promise too far
Do not assume every optional boss, every transition, or every future patch uses identical persistence rules. The Hunt is the directly described example, supported by a broader pre-release design explanation.
As of October 23, 2026, the useful expectation is that a normal death during the preview's second phase did not erase first-phase progress. The retail build still needs checking for its exact checkpoint message and what happens when you leave the encounter entirely.
Sources and related reading
Last checked October 23, 2026. Preview observations remain subject to the release build.
Continue with Boss Replays, Changing Difficulty.