How exactly do people find out about where an A rank is?

[Ashkendor]

Probably a combination of people actively hunting using a timer website and people using Guildworks.

[Kotemon]

Once while heading over the bridge east of Dry Bone I've noticed character models flying across the gorge below the bridge and through the cliff walls. They all looked the same and in the same cloths. Either I somehow noticed gill-bots speeding across the map in ways that shouldn't be possible or the same folks that are sending spam tells are camping zones and selling info/kills to clients as soon as they pop.

Otherwise you would be surprised how many hunt link shells use voice chat to communicate pops and estimated re-pops on A or spawn conditions for S along with locations. Like dragging a long fight with that one A rank in Sea of clouds until that bird pops, and usually other people are roaming around the area to see if and where. While spawn points are random some will always re appear in a specific section rather than the whole map. It's still a large area to search though and you could have an overlapping section. Likely they will quietly and quickly kill a hunt NM and those shouting are in the general area and ran into the NM. Most wont even <pos> let alone shout anymore due to how quickly they die.

[ZanzhizExaverion]

Most of it is finding them, the other half. Cheating with 3rd party programs.

[Viuiji]

I'm on PS4 and absolutely LOVE hunts Being on PS I have no way to 'cheat' and just run around looking. I use Ariyala tracking although there a few few sites and different people use different sites. When I do find one my macro will tell my party, wait 5, tell Link Shells, wait 5 and then shout.

[ruskie]

Basically the hunt mobs have higher visibility so they are seen farther away. Those that know what they are looking for will be able to spot them before you spot the scout. And yeah a lot of it is going on in linkshelss and party chat.

[Vivi_Bushido]

Yes, there're third party apps that give away the locations of the hunts as well as timer websites. There're also apps that automatically send the hunt call in linkshells for you, so you don't have to do it.

Infact, there's pretty much an app/bot script for just about anything in this game really. Enough that it could basically play it's self for you.

[Kuwagami]

Most lame~ish hunters (read here, the leeches who don't have enough scouts to leech anymore) use guildwork now. Yoi just have to afk/roam the map and the app will signal the mob's position to everyone else using the app as soon as it enters your game's field of vision. Which means the distance necessary for the game to display the mob, not the fact that your camera is displaying it. For S rank mobs, you just have to be on the map, as they are displayed no matter the distance

[wicked-one]

Well the questionable thing is, if only the OP fought him, and nobody else spotted him, why the whole zergtrain ran loose...

[Brannigan]

S
Erm, do people use radar hacks or something to find A ranks?

The answer is yes. They are cheating.

[Werhusky]

Funny enough that I scouted on reset day for my weekly B in old zones in Eastern Thanalan... ran around and into Maahes. Shared in 4 linkshells and FC, then shouted 2 times. Noone but FC mate bothered to come.... oookay after 5 mins we pulled with chocos out and this fight took us 7 + mins because of the stone skills and still noone joined us until we had it killed... like seriously and on other days they get killed within 30s after shouts/scouts >.<