Hunt: Showdown 1896 News

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Port Sulphur Band, Hunt’s in-game band, have had an incredible 2024 and with this Developer Insight we would like to shine a light on their achievements for the year!

Originally conceived as both a way to drive atmosphere and tell stories in the supernatural world of Hunt, Port Sulphur Band was born. Their music brings life to the haunting tales of the 1800s Louisiana bayou, and over time what began as a storytelling tool has become a fully-fledged band with over 67 million streams.

2024 was a huge year for the band, and they released 5 different singles: An Acquired Taste, Make Them Bleed, Dressed to Die, Curtain Call and their latest single, You Call it Madness.

In August their vinyl collection, Shadows Calling, was launched in partnership with Black Screen Records, and it was an incredible success - even charting number 62 on the German album charts. In the same month, the band played Gamescom on the social stage with hundreds of fans and new listeners turning up to enjoy the sounds of Hunt.

Port Sulphur Band has accumulated a devoted cult following, with over 1 million listeners across 177 countries on Spotify alone. By the end of 2024, the developer-led band achieved 9.65 million streams and 467,000 listening hours on the platform, with thousands more hours across YouTube, Amazon Music, and more. A milestone moment this year included their hit "Rise Up Dead Man" surpassing 10 million streams, solidifying their position as a rising force in music.

Port Sulphur Band is closing out 2024 with one final exciting announcement: their two iconic albums, The Sinner's Songbook and The Devil's Match, will be available for purchase on Steam starting December 18th. Fans can grab these musical collections for €7.99 and €9.99! Both albums are available to wishlist now:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3389830/The_Devils_Match/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3389670/The_Sinners_Songbook/

As the year comes to an end, Port Sulphur Band would like to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for listening, sharing and supporting their music. We’re beyond excited for what’s to come for 2025!

Here’s to another year of music, stories and community. Stay tuned and thank you for being a part of the journey.

With Update 2.2, Lawson Delta finally returns with a visual overhaul and many gameplay improvements driven by player feedback and facilitated by CryEngine 5.11.

We want to share an overview of the most impactful gameplay changes coming to the various compounds of Lawson Delta. In addition to the specifically listed changes below, a litany of smaller quality of life and readability enhancements have been made - it should be easier to understand where you're able to vault over or jump to, certain building interiors should feel simpler to navigate, and so on.

Highlighted changes per compound:


IRON WORKS

• Added new ladder, window and two iron double doors to the boss building's East side, giving defenders another opening and attackers more options for entry.
  
• Added new windows to the boss building's Southern and Western sides, these can be vaulted only by defenders.
  
• Added several cover pieces to the compound's North side, as well as a new elevated peek into the boss lair for attackers.
  
• Revisited boss interior cover and lighting.
  
• Broke up a long vegetation blocker on the North side into two chunks to improve movement options.
  
• Added new step onto the eastern side building roof.
  

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AFTER




















WOLFSHEAD ARSENAL

• Removed watch towers on compound's East side, replaced with straight walkways. Moved railway car backwards into compound to allow for faster access.
  
• Removed one window from the boss building's front, making the courtyard approach less threatening.
  
• Rearranged interior cover and lighting to make navigation clearer.
  

BEFORE







AFTER








BRADLEY & CRAVEN BRICKWORKS

• Added a new elevator on the boss building's East side.
  
• Added new cover pieces and roof access to the compound's western entrance.
  

BEFORE





AFTER






C & A LUMBER

Added a window to the boss building's South side, allowing for a new entry point from the adjacent side building.

BEFORE



AFTER




LAWSON STATION

• Updated western construction site side-building - cleaned up sightlines and interior cover, making the space more navigable and clearer to engage with from the boss building.
  
• Adjusted several peek spots and window placement in the northern boss building
  

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AFTER












NICHOLLS PRISON

• Opened up a previously inaccessible roof area on the western side building.
  
• Added multiple ladders allowing for new access points across the compound.
  
• Added new access point at the ramp on the north-western side of the Prison.
  

BEFORE










AFTER










SALTER'S PORK

• Added new entrance on the South side of boss entrance to open up new attacking opportunities.
  
• Added new roof access to the northern-most side building, allowing for another entrance to the compound.
  

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AFTER








GOLDEN ACRES

• Replaced redbrick ruins with new side building featuring roof access.
  

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AFTER




MAW BATTERY

• Added new boss building peak.
  
• Fences around the compound now cause bleeding, and added new exit ramp
  

BEFORE





AFTER






FORT CARMICK

• Cleaned up compound approaches to make it clearer to players what is and isn’t walkable, did an overall cover pass.
  

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AFTER




WINDY RUN

• Added roof cover to North side building, and improved cover options in the North field.
  

BEFORE




AFTER




Additional changes to in-between areas

• Improved navigation and cover above bunkers and below watch towers.
  
• Made the 1st floor of ruins next to Lawson Station easier to access.
  

BEFORE







AFTER









Of course, there’s a ton more to explore around the map and we’re thrilled to be introducing this revamped classic with 2.2. We hope you're as excited as we are to jump back into Lawson Delta!

Next up we will be bringing De Salle back to Hunt. Stay tuned for more info next year!

Old-timey extraction shooter Hunt: Showdown (or Hunt: Showdown 1896, to use its more formal name as of the 2.0 update) is not something we'd reasonably describe as a 'normie' shooter. Creepy hoarder bosses who throw balls of barbed wire at you, giant beetles that you can use as exploding drones, and a commitment to slow, suspenseful play that intermittently explodes into intense gunfights with revolvers, rifles, and bazooka-spears—these aren't things you'll find out there in the world of war shooters or hero shooters...
Read more.

Come one come all! The Circus compound appears at various locations in each Bounty Hunt Mission. On the circus grounds you can find sealed items and rewards. Once under the control of The Ringmaster, The Circus has run rampant and beyond his control under the influence of a Corrupted artifact known as the HelioStone.

Step inside Post Malone’s Murder Circus to find showstopping Traits from The Trickshooter Troupe, The Ringmaster Troupe, and The Mystic Troupe.

The circus will appear at a random location in every Mission. Don’t miss out, but be on guard—it’s not just occupied by clowns.

[h2]Troupe Traits[/h2]

Similar to previous Events, there are special Troupe-specific Traits that can be gained at Supply Points in the world, as well as at the circus.

At Supply Points and the circus, you will find Pledge Boxes. These can be used to pledge to one of the three Troupes. This Event, each Troupe has two Traits to offer. Your Hunter will get their first Trait for free the moment they pledge to their Troupe. To get the Troupe’s second Trait, you can deepen your pledge by spending a few Pledge Marks at a Pledge Box.

[h3]The Trickshooter Troupe: [/h3]

Peerless Aim: Impress and wow your foes with a mastery of precision and projectiles! The Trickshooter Troupe is sure to hit their mark and keep their pockets full of sharp objects.

Blademancer (Free)



Using Dark Sight, take retrievable ammo in front of you. Does damage to enemies if stuck in them. Runes on Sawblades prevent them from being retrieved. (100m)

Crack Shot (3 Pledge Marks):



Reduces crosshair spread for pistols and rifles, even when using Fanning, Levering, or dual wielding. Sway reduced for all Weapons in ADS.

[h3]The Ringmaster Troupe: [/h3]

Command the Show: Force unruly abominations back to their graves with the power of Dark Sight. The Ringmaster Troupe puts on a show by killing monsters from a distance and receiving Dark Sight Boost when looting Hunters.

Shadow Crush (Free)



Using Dark Sight, damage any monster or Target once. (25m)

Developer's Note: When a Hunter has both Shadow Crush and Shadow Leap, Shadow Crush takes precedence and Shadow Leap is disabled.

Corpse Seer (2 Pledge Marks)



Receive Dark Sight Boost when looting downed Hunters.

[h3]The Mystic Troupe: [/h3]

Bewilder and Be Feared: Feast on chaos and employ illusions to keep your enemies’ heads spinning! The Mystic Troupe channels Dark Sight to misdirect and beguile.

Poltergeist (Free)


Players can manipulate, interact, and agitate in-world objects and animals remotely via Dark Sight. (50m). Works in Beetle View.

Blast Sense (1 Pledge Mark)



Loud sounds such as gunshots and explosions are highlighted while in Dark Sight.(200m). Works in Beetle View.

[h2]Murder Circus Exclusive Weapon: The Shredder [/h2]

Waiting at The Murder Circus is the Shredder, a fast firing, experimental Sawblade launcher which can only be obtained in-Mission by unsealing it with Pledge Marks (5 PMs). It's a rare death machine—only one appears in the circus ring each Mission.

Before it can be fired, it must be spun up. This means that any time the weapon is fully holstered, it will need to be spun again once unholstered (excluding use of Dark Sight, Vaulting, and Hold Interactions). Once charged, the mechanism will spin the blade at high speed, allowing for a high rate-of-fire. While active, this spinning mechanism is loud, and Hunters in the area are unlikely to be surprised.

Ammo

By default, the Shredder comes equipped with two ammo types. Both can bounce off hard surfaces multiple times, allowing for shots around corners. Runes etched on the blades give them the potential to ricochet in the direction of nearby enemies.

Sawblade – Special Ammo – 6/12

• Sharp blades that can pierce multiple enemies, allowing for more than one kill per blade.
  
• The Sawblades can be recovered once fired; however, due to bouncing off walls and cutting through enemies, they can be difficult to locate.
  
• Retrieving Sawblades via Dark Sight with the Trickshooter Troupe’s Blademancer Trait is not possible due to the runes etched on the surface, so use them wisely.
  

Fragblade – Special Ammo – 6/0

• A rounded blade that allows for increased maximum bounces before losing momentum.
  
• Fragblades explode in a cloud of shrapnel that cause bleeding damage to nearby enemies.
  
• Additional etched runes allow them to detect nearby Hunters and explode when in proximity as they pass by them (2m).
  

The Shredder is a Scarce Weapon, meaning it can only be found in-Mission. It will also be removed from any arsenals and become unavailable once the Event ends, meaning any instances in your inventory you are not selling manually before the Event has ended will be lost. Even though it cannot be purchased for your loadout in between Missions, each Shredder extracted can be sold for 250 Hunt Dollars.

[h2]Murder Circus Exclusive Monsters [/h2]

[h3]Ursa Mortis [/h3]

• With deformed bodies and minds that were twisted into one savage monster by the HelioStone, the monstrous bear that stalks the grounds of The Murder Circus will charge at Hunters and attack with a lethal roar.
  
• Ursa Mortis prioritizes bleeding targets. There is a new environmental hazard—the Thorny Branch—which is strewn around the circus and beyond that can trigger bleeding.
  

[h3]Circus Grunts [/h3]

• Beware! Some of these new monsters can throw knives.
  

[h2]Pledge Mark Mechanics: [/h2]

Hunters are now able to carry up to 9 Pledge Marks at a time. Pledge Marks are earned by performing the following actions:

• 1 PM per 25 Event Points collected
  
• 2 PMs for Banishing the Boss Target in Bounty Clash
  
• 3 PMs for becoming the Soul Survivor
  

Stealing Mechanic: When looting a Hunter, you steal their Pledge Marks up to a maximum of 9 total. The looted Hunter loses any Pledge Marks stolen, but can retain some if the looting Hunter reaches their maximum amount (9 PMs) in the process.

[h2]Sealed Rewards [/h2]

[h3]New Reward: Fortune Teller Machine [/h3]

Dare to have your fortune judged? In the Murder Circus compound, you’ll find Zlotvor’s Fortune Teller Machine, where you can spend Pledge Marks to receive a random Trait or rare reward...and perhaps a better fortune than the machine’s former operator. Fortune Teller Machines can also appear at Supply Points and bestow the same rewards.

List of possible Fortune Teller Machine rewards:

• Master Clue effect
  
• Regain a lost Health Chunk
• Random Trait
• Random Shot effect
  
• 1 second of Dark Sight Boost
• Random Hunt Dollar reward
  

[h3]Sealed Reward Changes: [/h3]

• The Dark Sight Boost Sealed Reward has been changed to give one second of Dark Sight Boost to players instead of replenishing the Dark Sight Boost for Bounty Token carriers. As previously mentioned, this means that every player can earn a Dark Sight Boost, even without carrying a Bounty Token.
  
• The Full Restoration Kit now fully restores only the player interacting with it and no longer works for the entire team.
  
• The Master Clue and Sealed Bounty Token no longer give Event Points upon interaction.
  

[h2]Battle Pass Reward Track [/h2]

• Level 0 – Post Malone: Deposed King (Hunter) (Premium)
  
• Level 1 – 1865 Carbine Aperture (Weapon) (Free)
  
• Level 2 – Rosewater: Weak (Stamina Shot (Weak)) (Premium)
  
• Level 3 – Iron Glue (Charm) (Premium)
  
• Level 4 – Golden Petal: Extended (Bornheim No. 3 Extended) (Premium)
  
• Level 5 – Recovery Shot (Consumable) (Free)
  
• Level 6 – Juggler’s Flourish (Poison Bomb) (Premium)
  
• Level 7 – 100 Blood Bonds (Premium)
  
• Level 8 – Curtain Call: Sniper (Infantry 73L Sniper) (Premium)
  
• Level 9 – Savage Comeback (Knuckle Knife) (Premium)
  
• Level 10 – Sparks Pistol Silencer (Weapon) (Free)
  
• Level 11 – Luck Maker: Claw (Mako 1895 Claw) (Premium)
  
• Level 12 – 100 Blood Bonds (Premium)
  
• Level 13 – Looking Glass (Charm) (Premium)
  
• Level 14 – Fate’s Friend: Sniper (Centennial Sniper) (Premium)
  
• Level 15 – Krag Silencer (Weapon) (Free)
  
• Level 16 – The Show Must Go On (First Aid Kit) (Premium)
  
• Level 17 – Blade Revolver (Inspect Animation) (Premium)
  
• Level 18 – Smoke Out (Choke Bombs) (Premium)
  
• Level 19 – Chum (Hunter) (Premium)
  
• Level 20 – Maynard Sniper Silencer (Weapon) (Free)
  
• Level 21 – Rosewater (Stamina Shot) (Premium)
  
• Level 22 – 100 Blood Bonds (Premium)
  
• Level 23 – King’s Sigil (Charm) (Premium)
  
• Level 24 – Clown Show (Auto-4 Shorty) (Premium)
  
• Level 25 – Chu Ko Nu (Weapon) (Free)
  
• Level 26 – Golden Petal (Bornheim No. 3) (Premium)
  
• Level 27 – Fake Surrender (Inspect Animation) (Premium)
  
• Level 28 – Fate’s Friend: Shorty (Centennial Shorty) (Premium)
  
• Level 29 – Hard Feelings (Sparks Sniper) (Premium)
  
• Level 30 – Incendiary Bolt (Chu Ko Nu) (Free)
  
• Level 31 – Curtain Call: Bayonet (Infantry 73L Bayonet) (Premium)
  
• Level 32 – 100 Blood Bonds (Premium)
  
• Level 33 – Lap of Luxury (1865 Carbine) (Premium)
  
• Level 34 – Golden Petal: Match (Bornheim No. 3 Match) (Premium)
  
• Level 35 – Explosive Bolt (Chu Ko Nu) (Free)
  
• Level 36 – Fate’s Friend: Trauma (Centennial Trauma) (Premium)
  
• Level 37 – Lever Spin (Inspect Animation) (Premium)
  
• Level 38 – Post Mortem (Sparks Pistol Silencer) (Premium)
  
• Level 39 – Winky (Hunter) (Premium)
  
• Level 40 – Luck Maker: Aperture (Mako 1895 Aperture) (Premium)
  
• Level 41 – 100 Proof (Hellfire Bomb) (Premium)
  
• Level 42 – Golden Hair Trigger (Dolch 96 Claw) (Premium)
  
• Level 43 – Diamond Capped (Weapon Charm) (Premium)
  
• Level 44 – Curtain Call (Infantry 73L) (Premium)
  
• Level 45 – 100 Blood Bonds (Free)
  
• Level 46 – Golden Oath (Vitality Shot) (Premium)
  
• Level 47 – Exhibition Drill Spin (Inspect Animation) (Premium)
  
• Level 48 – Golden Petal: Silencer (Bornheim No. 3 Silencer) (Premium)
  
• Level 49 – Marble Saw (Terminus) (Premium)
  
• Level 50 – Fate’s Friend: Pointman (Centennial Pointman) (Premium)
  
• Level 51 – 100 Blood Bonds (Premium)
  
• Level 52 – Luck Maker (Mako 1895) (Premium)
  
• Level 53 – Ophidian Eye (Krag Silencer) (Premium)
  
• Level 54 – Post Malone: Ringmaster (Hunter) (Premium)
  
• Bonus Level – Whirlybird (Charm) (Free)
  

[h2]Bounty Clash[/h2]

The fan-favourite Bounty Clash mode is making its return during Post Malone's Murder Circus!

This time, Bounty Clash will be active 24/7 until January 6th. We will then reevaluate its frequency.

Make the most of this opportunity, Hunters!

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For Update 2.2 Patch notes, please head over here.

For the list of bug fixes in Update 2.2, head over here.