Honestly, in my opinion, the Elites are worse, at least you can dodge a Hunter, but there's no escaping an elite without killing the bastard, and you think energy beams are bad, they're slow and bulky, unlike a plasma rifle, which is quick and light and constantly wailing on you, hunters are just a waste of ammo and only lethal if you make a mistake, whereas elites are sleek and stealthy and sneek around you, waiting for their chance to pounce.