This is the second part of the update patch notes for Hunt: Showdown 1896. Part 1 can be located here.
Necromancer Trait Changes
- Necromancer now is a Burn Trait that can be bought in the Traits menu for Upgrade Points to allow for easy replenishment after using it in the last mission.
- It is only possible to carry a single instance of Necromancer on a Hunter at any given time, and it will be consumed upon successful use as expected for any Burn Trait.
- Necromancer no longer drains health when attempting to revive a downed teammate.
- Solo Hunters will receive a Restoration when self-reviving, giving them back all Health Chunks and full health as they stand back up.
- The time until Solos can self-revive has been reduced from 10 seconds to 5, making it much more likely they can use their one chance to escape or turn the tide effectively.
New Wildlife and Livestock
Bats
- Throughout Mammon’s Gulch caves entrances and dark corners, you will be able to find a new animal: bats.
- Bats spawn together in a colony and act quite similarly to our birds. [list]
- Bats get suspicious when Hunters are nearby, taking off into the sky once a player gets too close or makes a lot of noise.
- The Beastface Trait reduces the chance to alert them.
Cows
- Throughout Mammon’s Gulch you will be able to find another new animal: cows.
- Cows act similarly to our existing horses. Be careful not to alert them, or risk drawing unnecessary attention. [list]
- Cows get triggered when Hunters are near them or make a lot of noise nearby.
- The Beastface Trait reduces the chance to alert them.
- Cows can be put out of their misery easily with even low-powered weapons, but headshots of course work best.
Fall Damage Rework
- Falls should now feel more consistent and forgiving in terms of damage.
- The Kiteskin Trait now significantly reduces fall damage instead of halving it.
- Environmental fall damage reductions are now the same as our Kiteskin damage reduction. [list]
- If your Hunter does not have the Kiteskin Trait, look for some hay bales or water to soften your fall.
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Developer Note:
This rework should help in traversing the treacherous terrain of Mammon’s Gulch. This new environment features steeper terrain that created some issues for our old system. The rework should address these issues and make moving across a more vertical landscape a lot easier.
Overhead Team Indicators
The icons placed above players have been updated and improved:
- Indicators will appear on the radar.
- Indicators will appear above downed or dead teammates.
- Indicators will appear for teammates and your own Hunter while in Beetle View.
- Indicators will appear above Beetles being used by teammates.
- Beetles will appear on the map.
- Indicators are no longer reflected by water, which often lead to strange visual effects.
Further “Rule of Two” Changes
In line with our initiative to remove the “Rule of Two” from more and more interactions, we have removed it from all remaining interactable items and completed the process as of this update. This means that:
- In-game interactions are no longer restricted to just two interactions per source.
- Supply points, arsenals, saddlebags, Tool Boxes, and ammo boxes of all varieties found in the world will always offer you their rewards.
- Medical supplies will always allow a player to heal once.
- Corpses can always be looted, unless they’ve been burned.
Developer Note:
Since this change affects how many players can loot downed Hunters, the existing version of the Vulture Trait has been made obsolete. We have reworked the functionality of Vulture as a result, with the full details listed under “Trait Balance Changes,” which appears further below. We have also adjusted the amount of Ammo/Item boxes available in the world, to account for the overall increase of chances to resupply from every box you’re able to find.
Door Changes
Balancing Changes
- Increased the number of Stab, Slash, and Weak Blunt attacks required to destroy doors.
- Increased Incendiary Ammo damage against doors.
- Reduced FMJ Ammo and Spitzer Ammo damage against doors, as they are more likely to penetrate them.
- Increased Shotgun damage against doors.
Visual Improvements
- Doors and window shutters received a visual update. When destroyed, they will now spawn some debris instead of disappearing.
AI Audio Stimuli
We have made a pass on the distance in which different sounds trigger AI monsters as well as how they interact with each other.
- Overall, the distance an AI reacts to any sound should better align with the distance players can hear through the audio.
- More items in the world that make a noticeable sound will now also alert nearby AI monsters when used.
- Certain sound traps can now more easily trigger each other when one gets activated by a player action, resulting in a domino effect if you are not cautious enough.
- Twigs have been tuned up and are a lot riskier to step on, alerting nearby AI monsters and sound traps in the world more easily.
Trait Changes
Scarce and Burn Traits
- We are introducing a new type of trait: Scarce Traits. [list]
- Scarce Traits are Traits that can exclusively be found in the world, either randomly or as a drop from a Meathead, Scrapbeak, or the Hellborn, our new Wild Target.
- Scarce Traits can be identified by their dark blue glowing Trait Spur appearance.
- A Trait can be a Scarce Trait and a Burn Trait at the same time.
- Shadow, which is now a Scarce Trait, is rare to find, but once you find it, it will stay with your Hunter until they perish like any other Burn Trait.
- Burn Traits are no longer exclusively found in-Mission.
- Burn Traits will only be removed upon use.
- Necromancer, which is now a Burn Trait, is available to buy for Upgrade Points.
- Burn Traits will no longer always stack; their limit is defined individually per Trait. Some, like Necromancer and Death Cheat, can only be carried once, while others allow multiple instances to be carried/stacked on the same Hunter.
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New Trait Additions
Two Traits from previous Events will return in this update to become part of the standard Trait pool:
- Witness [list]
- Regular Trait
- While in Dark Sight, dead Hunters and monsters are visible, and health restoration is marginally increased when close. Also highlighted in Beetle View.
- Cost: 5 Upgrade Points
- Scarce Trait
- Using Dark Sight, channel a monster within range to jump to its location and kill it instantly. Excludes Targets. (50m)
- Note: We’ve removed the ability to use Shadow Leap on Meatheads.
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Trait Balance Changes
We are also doing some changes to existing Traits:
- Shadow [list]
- Shadow is now a Scarce Trait, preventing it from burning away upon getting downed.
- A Hunter can now only have 1 stack of Death Cheat.
- You will have to burn your single instance before you’re able to pick up a new one.
- As we mentioned before, the removal of the ‘Rule of Two’ meant that the Vulture Trait lost its original purpose.
- Vulture now always rewards some Hunt Dollars when looting a Hunter.
- Going along with this change, the price for Vulture has been reduced to cost 2 Upgrade Points instead of 3.
- Adrenaline has undergone a rework, giving the player a Stamina boost for a short time when entering critical health.
- This boost is capped at a max limit and cannot be stacked.
- The Trait description now reads: “When you enter critical health, you will receive a small Stamina boost.”
Meta
Arsenal Price Changes
Weapon Prices
- The Berthier 1892 has been reduced from $356 to $330
- The Drilling Shorty has been reduced from $430 to $330
- The Krag has been reduced from $376 to $345
- The Mosin-Nagant has increased from $490 to $620
- The Vetterli 71 Cyclone has been reduced from $535 to $280
Scope Attachment Prices
- Scope attachment prices have been streamlined and now make up a percentage of the base weapon costs.
- This should result in more consistent, and in some cases, significant reductions in costs compared to before.
- These changes also consider that scopes are harder to use with the introduction of ballistic bullet drop, where players must now adjust their aim based on distance.
Trait Unlock Changes
- Witness – Unlocked at Bloodline Rank 44.
- Vigilant – Unlock requirement has been moved from Bloodline Rank 44 to Rank 36.
Weapon Charm Changes
- Charms can now only be equipped to a single weapon at a time.
Hunter & Item Rarities
- We’ve assigned rarity levels to all cosmetic items—Hunters, Weapons, Tools, Consumables, and Charms. Rarities have been applied retroactively.
- Rarity definitions have been updated. Cosmetic rarities are defined by the degree of variation from the default item model, theming, and exclusivity. The following rarities are available: [list]
- Common (Default item model)
- Uncommon
- Rare
- Epic
- Legendary
- Mythic
Developer Note:
By adding rarities to all cosmetics, we hope to better reflect the actual quality and value of our Skins. Our updated prices are tied to rarities, which should make pricing fairer and more transparent, as well as set clear standards for the quality of each rarity.
Hunter & Recruitment Changes
The presentation of Bounty Hunt recruits has been completely revised. Hunters can now be recruited via:
- Recruit Free Hunter tab- Allows players to recruit a Free Hunter, with pre-assigned contraband loadout and one randomized Trait. [list]
- Free Hunters are now the only pre-equipped Bounty Hunt Recruits and are always available, regardless of a player’s Bloodline Rank or Hunt Dollar balance.
- Free Hunters are always represented by the same four different character models (two male and two female) and draw from a very limited pool of equipment.
- Free Hunters can no longer be reshuffled manually, but are automatically reshuffled after each Mission.
- One of them always comes with the same fixed equipment. The equipment of the other three can vary slightly, but there will always be a basic rifle and shotgun option available.
- 19 Hunters can now be unlocked via Bloodline and Prestige progression.
- Hunters unlocked via the Bloodline are Prestige-persistent.
- Multi-stage Hunters (Viper, Frau Perchta, Scourge, Union Suit, and Corvid) have been split into separate Hunters.
Soul Survivor
- The number of selectable Soul Survivor Hunters has been reduced from five to four, and they now always share the same four character models as the Free Hunters, regardless of a player’s Bloodline Rank.
- Soul Survivors are now automatically added to the Roster. If no regular free slot is available, one is temporarily created for the Soul Survivor Hunter. The slot is removed again once the respective Soul Survivor dies; in other words, it cannot be used for other recruits.
Developer Note:
These changes are the first part of an initiative to revamp recruitment. Our goal is to give Hunters more defined identities, as well as adding more interest to Hunter, Bloodline, and Prestige progressions.
Bloodline Progression Rewards
- New Bloodline cosmetic rewards have been added. The rewards will unlock retroactively for any players who have already reached the required Rank.
- The full list of Bloodline cosmetic rewards is as follows: [list]
- Rank 1: Hunters – Oliver Whitman: Rookie and Jane Eddings: Rookie
- Rank 5: Hunter – Antonia Higuera: Rookie
- Rank 11: Hunter – Otis Blackwell
- Rank 34: Hunter – Mercy Zener: Rookie and Skin – Vanguard (Caldwell Pax)
- Rank 50: Hunter – Ambrose Hazen: Rookie
- Rank 67: Hunter – Caitlyn Hammond and Skin – Hedera Mortiferum (Caldwell Conversion Chain Pistol)
- Rank 75: Hunter – Leon Ulitsky: Rookie
- Rank 90: Hunter – Joan Damon: Rookie
- Rank 100: Hunter – Vinson Hayes and Skin – Bear’s Tooth (Mosin-Nagant M1891)
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Prestige Progression Rewards
- New Prestige rewards have been added. Rewards unlock retroactively for any players having already reached the required Rank.
- The full list of Prestige rewards is as follows: [list]
- Prestige Rank 1: Hunter – Jesse Buchanan: Rookie
- Prestige Rank 2: Random Blood Bond item or Hunter
- Prestige Rank 3: Hunter – Laura Gottschalk: Rookie
- Prestige Rank 4: Random Blood Bond item or Hunter
- Prestige Rank 5: Skin – Louisiana Lustrum (Sparks LRR)
- Prestige Rank 6: Random Blood Bond item or Hunter
- Prestige Rank 7: Hunter – Zachary Jones
- Prestige Rank 8: Random Blood Bond item or Hunter
- Prestige Rank 9: Hunter – Willa Thomas
- Prestige Rank 10: Skin – Golden Ticket (Bornheim No. 3)
- Prestige Ranks 11-14: 100 Blood Bonds
- Prestige Rank 15: Skin – Tartufai (Specter 1882 Bayonet)
- Prestige Ranks 16-19: 100 Blood Bonds
- Prestige Rank 20: Hunter – Sascha Romanov
- Prestige Rank 25: Skin - Silver Quarter (Quad Derringer)
- Prestige Rank 30: Random Blood Bond item or Hunter
- Prestige Rank 35: Skin – Cordwainer (Nagant Officer Carbine)
- Prestige Rank 40: Hunter – Prudence Stallworth
- Prestige Rank 45: Skin – The Augur (Lebel 1886 Talon)
- Prestige Rank 50: Skin – Fifty Laurels (Winfield Frontier 73)
- Prestige Rank 55: Skin – The Last Resort (LetMat Mark II)
- Prestige Rank 60: Hunter – Ricky Leeds
- Prestige Rank 65: Random Blood Bond item or Hunter
- Prestige Rank 70: Random Blood Bond item or Hunter
- Prestige Rank 75: Random Blood Bond item or Hunter
- Prestige Rank 80: Hunter – Thaddeus Sumner
- Prestige Rank 85: Random Blood Bond item or Hunter
- Prestige Rank 90: Random Blood Bond item or Hunter
- Prestige Rank 95: Random Blood Bond item or Hunter
- Prestige Rank 100: Hunter – John Victor and Skin – The Centenary (Mosin-Nagant M1891)
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Blood Bonds & Storefront
Black Market (Retired)
While the Black Market provided some interesting alternatives to acquire deeply discounted cosmetics, it has been found to be too confusing and more of a bother than a quality feature.
In its place, we plan on putting more items on discount through the direct Store page, which can be more easily found by filtering for discounts without the gate of a sequential list.
Loadout Presets
The maximum number of loadout slots has been raised from 10 to 15. The purchase price for a loadout slot is always 100 Blood Bonds.
New players will now find predefined loadout suggestions in their 3 free default slots, instead of the slots being empty. This will allow them to either purchase quality loadouts for different playstyles right away, or modify them further to their wishes.
New Blood Bond Content
- Hunter – Grotesque: Gouge (900 BBs)
- Hunter – Grotesque: Shank (900 BBs)
- Hunter – Tonya Wegman (400 BBs)
- Hunter – Justin Pierce (300 BBs)
- Hunter – Marian Lee (300 BBs)
- Hunter – Leo Nunez (400 BBs)
- Vetterli 71 Cyclone – Barbed Absolution (700 BBs)
- Conversion Chain Pistol – Rattling Rage (600 BBs)
- Dusters – Rusted Frenzy (500 BBs)
Manual, Book of Weapons, and Book of Monsters
- As we transition to our new and updated UI, all books have been removed from the game.
- Replacement systems for progress tracking or rewards related to weapons and monsters are being worked on, but won’t be ready until a future update.
- In this context, all references to the books have also been removed. These include, among others: [list]
- [Corresponding loading screens.
- Corresponding Accolades.
- Corresponding links from the Tutorial.
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Achievement and Trophy Modifications
The conditions of the following Achievements and Trophies have been modified:
- “Sightseeing in the South: Visit every Lawson Delta location in one Mission” has been modified to “Exploration Tour: Visit every location on any map in one Mission.” [list]
- To unlock it, all 16 locations must be visited during a Mission.
- To unlock it, all 4 Supply Points must be visited during a Mission.
- To unlock it, any 50 pieces of gear must be unlocked. Gear that is already available at Bloodline Rank 1 does not count.
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The following Achievements and Trophies now support progression tracking:
- Convalescent Home – Retire 25 Hunters
- Master Headhunter – Recruit 100 Hunters
- In the Footsteps of Flaxman Low – Investigate 250 Clues
- Lone Wolf – Kill 50 Boss Targets Solo
- Centennial Contractor – Complete 100 Bounty Hunt Contracts
- Sealed and Secured – Close 250 Rifts in Soul Survivor
- On the Nose – Kill 150 monsters with headshots
- Deadeye – Kill 100 enemy Hunters with headshots
- Regards from John L. Sullivan – Kill 150 Grunts with the Dusters
- Battering Ram – Break 50 doors
- Louisiana Fried Chicken – Burn 50 chicken coops
- Weapons Expert – Unlock any 50 pieces of gear
Audio
3D Audio
We have implemented 3D Audio Pipeline, which supports object-based audio both binaurally and with compatible home theater setups.
Developer Note:
With Update 2.0, players can now use alternative 3D Audio home theater and binaural endpoints to experience Hunt’s audio world based on their own preference and platform capabilities.
Players now have the option to deactivate CrySpatial in the Audio Settings of the game and activate alternative 3D Audio solutions in their Windows or console settings, if preferred.
CrySpatial has also been carefully refined for enhanced spatial awareness, while remaining true to the signature binaural sound of Hunt: Showdown 1986.
Audio Mixing
We’ve carefully refined Hunt’s audio mix to improve readability, consistency, and immersion.
Developer Note:
Alongside implementing the new 3D Audio pipeline, we have taken the opportunity to tweak the general mix of the game to feel more consistent. Overall, Weapons should sound tighter and more powerful, and monsters are slightly quieter near the player.
On top of that, we compared all Tools, items, and player actions, rebalancing volumes as required. Overall, the goal was not to drastically interfere with Hunt’s established audio language, but instead to resolve inconsistencies.
Noteworthy audio mixing changes:
- Tweaked gunshot volume based on ammo type (e.g. Long Ammo weapons will sound slightly louder compared to Medium Ammo and Compact Ammo weapons).
- Reduced audible range for the Quad Derringer (From roughly 300m to around 150m).
- Reduced the volume of the Hive’s swarm and increased the volume of the Hive’s attack scream.
- Increased volume of elevator interaction and movement loop.
- Increased audible range and decreased volume of interaction sound for the Remedy, Necromancer, and Serpent Traits. This ensures more consistent and expected behavior while still allowing these Traits to be used stealthily.
- Slightly reduced volume on all sounds close to the player (below 5m).
- Filtering on enemy and teammate gunfire over distance has been reworked to improve readability. Gunshots now have almost no filtering between 0-30m. Some light filtering is introduced between 30-70m. Stronger filtering comes in at distances beyond 70m. This will ensure better readability on gunshots in close range fights while maintaining a clear distinction between close and distant gunshots.
- Various mixing changes on Scrapbeak, reducing overall volume and slightly turning down his intensity, while still keeping his iconic audio design intact. He should still be louder than other Boss Targets, but not THAT much louder…
True Speed of Sound
All far-reaching environmental sounds, gunfire, and explosions are now delayed by a defined speed of sound over distance. (c = 343m/s) to bring additional immersion and consistency to the overall audio experience.
Developer Note:
Supporting more realistic projectile behavior, we have implemented a true speed of sound delay on gunshots, explosions, and other long-distance sounds. Depending on the projectile speed, players can now hear the impact of a bullet before the actual gunshot. Together with the newly designed gunshot reflection system (explained below), players can use this information to pinpoint enemy Hunter positions.
Gunshot Echo System
- Gunshot and explosion audio now reflects and echoes off large environmental structures (e.g. mountains) to create a more immersive soundscape.
- The Speed of Sound applies to this system too, considering the distance between gunshot, reflection point, and player.
- Reworked the music system, featuring new versions of existing tracks for onboarding, matchmaking, and the loading screens.
Animation
General Animation Improvements
- Improved the animation quality of the Specter 1882 for the pump-action and reload.
- Improved the animation quality of the Vetterli 71. [list]
- Reworked the animation style for a better feel.
- Improved recoil and dry fire animations.
- Improved inspect animation.
Developer Note:
This change also improved the iron eye animation of the weapon to be more in line with other bolt-action rifles.
- Polished animations for world weapons (Sledgehammer, Axe, Pitchfork, and Shovel).
- Polished animations for the Springfield 1866.
- Polished camera movement on the reload animation of the Dolch.
- Improved dry fire animations for Frontier 73C, Ranger 73, and Vandal 73C.
- Improved the equip animation in 3rd person for syringes.
- Fixed a lot of small animation issues on various equipment.
AI
New Wild Target: Hellborn
An amalgam of fire and flesh, a new Wild Target prowls the pines: the Hellborn. Hunters can hear the Hellborn’s call in Dark Sight to track it. When the Hellborn is angered, its enraged howls will attract the attention of Hunters across the Gulch. Killing it triggers a Restoration for your team and causes it to drop a single Bounty Token, as well as a Burn Trait. There is no Banish phase.
- Rotjaw will not appear in Mammon’s Gulch.
UI
The Hunt UX/UI redesign aims to enhance the experience for all players on PC and console by improving accessibility and usability. This update creates a balanced UI and showcases the game's art, with a scalable framework for future features and content. It's a fresh start for Hunt, with steady improvements, new features, and content rolling out in the coming months. Originally designed for PC, the old UI didn't fully serve console players or meet PC players' needs. Through extensive research and testing, we've streamlined features and clarified the UI for a better overall experience.
General UI Improvements
- Accessibility and Intuitiveness: Ensuring the UI is user-friendly across all platforms.
- Console Player Support: Addressing long-standing issues specific to console players.
- Scalable Framework: Creating a UI that can grow with new features and updates.
New UI Features
- Hunter Recruitment: Simplified process with new and reworked Hunter skins.
- Roster & Traits: New carousel and grid views for easier navigation and management.
- Favorites and Filters: Quickly find and select your favorite Hunters, Traits, Gear, and Loadouts.
- Actions Menu Fly-Out: Quick access to critical features, reducing clicks and button pushes.
- Health Bar Respec: Improved system for easier configuration and use.
UI Goals
- Enhance UI Accessibility: For both PC and console players.
- Implement Community Feedback: Based on surveys and player engagement.
- Streamline Navigation: Reducing complexity and improving intuitiveness.
- Ongoing Improvements: Commitment to continuous updates and new features.
- Scalable UI Framework: Facilitating the rollout of more high-quality features over time.
Features Being Removed
- Questlines: Paused since last spring, now removed in favor of Events and Battle Passes.
- Library: Monster and Weapon mastery tracking systems will be reworked.
- Trials Mode: Low engagement has led to its removal, with rewards reallocated to other systems.
- Black Market: Replaced by a more straightforward discount system in the store.
World
While we introduce Mammon’s Gulch, we have temporarily removed previous maps from this update to give players the opportunity to master a completely new environment. The old maps will be reintroduced in a reworked state in upcoming updates.
Engine & Tech
New Features:
- DX12 Support
- DLSS and FSR Support
- HDR Support
- Native 3D Audio Support
- Graphics Preset Auto-detection
Game Modes
Trials & Free Exploration
- Removed Trials and Free Exploration modes.
- Trials cosmetic rewards have been reassigned to Prestige progression at Ranks 15, 35, 45 and 55.
Developer Note:
With this update, we are retiring the Trials Mode from Hunt: Showdown 1986. When it was released initially, the high difficulty caused frustration with some of our players. There were always more important topics on our agenda, which did the mode a disservice, and we'd like to apologize for that. By retiring Trials, we are repurposing the rewards in other places so you can still unlock them. Those who have earned the rewards already in Trials will keep them unlocked as well.
Bounty Hunt
- Decreased the amount of in-world items across the map.
- The number of Supply Points has been reduced from 5 to 4.
Shooting Range
- Updated the Shooting Range with 1.16 and the Scorched Earth Event content to try out.
- Added more weapons and variants to the different areas of the Shooting Range.
For controller and console updates as well as the list of bug fixes, head over here.
