Summary
Hunt: Showdown 1896is one of the most inventive, challenging, and exhilarating extraction shooters out there. It has a vibe all its own, and the fights against other Hunters reflect that unique flavor. These fights can last ten minutes at a time, or end in an instant, and the loadout you bring with you is as important as what you decide to do with it.
Everything you bring into the Hunt with you costs Hunt Dollars, a currency you earn for completing certain actions in the game. The best-of-the-best loadouts don’t necessarily take this into account, but a lot of everyday loadouts try to strike a balance between cost and efficacy.
Nagant M1895 Silencer
Tools
Knife (or Heavy Knife) / Trip Mines / First Aid Kit
Consumables
Vitality Shot (Weak) / Stamina Shot / Fire Bomb
Mostly constructed of things you’ll have access to right from the start,the Beginner loadoutis designed to teach you how to use a variety of different things in Hunt, and get you thinking about what kind of weapon, tool, or playstyle you’d like to work toward using more.
The Frontier 73C is a very cheap weapon, but it’s also pretty solid. It’s lever-action, so it can fire decently fast, it does good damage, and it has a couple different variants to unlock, with Silencer and Marksman.
Grabbing the Levering Trait is going to let you fire the Frontier 73C extremely fast from the hip, and make it very usable in closer ranges.
The Nagant M1895 Silencer is not available from the start, but grabbing some XP with the default Nagant is going to unlock it very quickly; just kill some Grunts and other monsters with it, and you’ll have the Silenced variant soon enough.
This is going to be your go-to weapon for PvE scenarios, especially when you can’t melee the target. One shot to the head, and most enemies are dead.
Vetterli 71 Silencer
Throwing Spear / First Aid Kit / Choke Bombs / Trip Mines
Dynamite Stick (or Frag Bomb) / Hive Bomb / Regeneration Shot (Weak) / Stamina Shot (Weak)
This loadout is all predicated upon being as quiet as you may possibly be. The sound design in Hunt is fantastic, and sound is one of the most important mechanics in the game. If your opponents don’t hear you, they’re much more likely to be entirely unaware of your presence, and you can use that to an extreme advantage.
Bring the Silent Killer, Lightfoot, and Beastface Traits to minimize your sounds.
The Hunting Bow is a great weapon, capable of one-shotting in the body in most situations. It’s utterly silent, and if somehow your target lives, they’ll be bleeding. What can be added to this loadout, and what makes the bow such a great utility, is the different arrow types.
Concertina Arrows, Frag Arrows, and Poison Arrows all have their own use cases, and can all be brought alongside standard arrows.
The Vetterli 71 Silencer might not be the best weapon in its class, but it isn’t terribly expensive, and gets the job done. This can be swapped out for any other Silencer variant; the Frontier 73C is an even cheaper option, while the Centennial Shorty Silencer works great if you don’t have the Quartermaster Trait.
This is not a particularly cheap loadout, but concessions can be made to cut down the price.
Dynamite Stick
If you’re in a money hole that you’re having trouble digging yourself out of, or you’re just looking to run something cheap but effective, this loadout is going to have you covered. Coming in just under 150 Hunt Dollars, this loadout can easily pay for itself in one run, if you collect all the clues.
Keep an eye out for toolboxes; they can fill your empty Consumable slots.
The Frontier 73C headlines this loadout in the Heavy Slot; once again, combining this with the Levering trait can take you much further, here. But even stock standard, the Frontier 73C is an easy weapon to use, and an easy weapon to hit your shots with.
The Hand Crossbow is an absolutely fantastic Small Slot weapon, capable of one-shotting to the body inside of its optimal range, and causing bleed if the target stays standing. Plus, it’s silent, meaning it’s a high-damage weapon that’s great for PvE and PvP encounters. It can bring different Bolt types along if you’re looking to spend a little extra money for extra options.
Specter 1882 Shorty
Throwing Spear / Choke Bombs / First Aid Kit / Trip Mines
Dynamite Sticks (or Frag Bombs) / Stamina Shot (Weak) / Regeneration Shot (Weak)
The Versatile loadout is meant to be usable in more or less any situation in the game, regardless of what loadout an enemy Hunter has, what kind of engagement it is, or what PvE monster you’ve come across.
This loadout requires the Quartermaster Trait, but if your Hunter doesn’t start with it, you can usually either swap out the Traits they do have for it, or else get Quartermaster after one extraction.
The Vetterli 71 Marksman is possibly the most versatile Marksman weapon in the game, with good damage, good muzzle velocity, and an acceptable rate of fire. The drop range is a little shorter than other weapons in its class, and you’ll need to keep that in mind in long-range gunfights. But as long as you’re mindful of it, the Vetterli is a consistent and versatile weapon.
The Specter 1882 Shorty is a Medium Slot shotgun, and while it lacks in damage a little bit compared to something like the Romero, it makes up for it by having four shots before a reload is required, as opposed to one. It’s a little bit expensive, but it’s a great PvP weapon for close range, especially so in interior environment when enemies don’t have anywhere to go.
Regeneration Shot
This is an extremely expensive loadout, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be. you’re able to swap out the Mosin for any of the Sniper variants if you’d like, they all have their use case. The Mosin is just a forgiving rifle, particularly for its damage possibilities.
The Dolch can be subbed for a Bornheim or any other Small Slot weapon you’d like; the Throwing Spear can also help out in close range, meaning that Small Slot doesn’t necessarily have to fill that void.
The Mosin-Nagant Sniper doesn’t really have much downside, and that’s reflected in its price. For a cheaper variation, you could bring the Infantry 73L Sniper, which does less damage but will still kill on a headshot.
The Dolch is absurdly expensive, but it’s also absurdly good. Whether or not it’s good enough to justify the price is up for discussion, but if you’ve got the money for the Dolch, the Dolch is not going to let you down.
It has a good fire rate and two-shot body shot potential, meaning it outpaces the Bornheim. It can also be dual-wielded, if you’d like to hold almost 1400 worth of Hunt Dollars in your hands at the same time.
Regeneration Shot / Stamina Shot / Vitality Shot
The Shotgun loadout is designed to highlight the Romero 77 Alamo. That said, that doesn’t mean this loadout is designed exclusively for shotgun-range engagements; it has some mid-range capacity, and all of those Shots in the Consumable slot mean you’re able to keep yourself engaged past when other Hunters might have to bow out.
The Romero 77 Alamo works past the biggest problem with other Romeros, which is the fact they usually need to reload after every shot. The Romero 77 Alamo can fire five times before it has to reload, making it much more forgiving on a miss.
The Mosin Obrez Extended is a great Medium Slot weapon, with fantastic damage, a solid rate of fire, and way-above-average magazine capacity. You could sub this for the Mace variant, sacrificing some of that magazine size, but also eliminating the necessity of bringing the Dusters todeal with Immolators.
Hunt: Showdown 1896
WHERE TO PLAY
Hunt: Showdown 1896 is a new era of the addictively unforgiving extraction shooter. In corrupted backwaters lost to history, fight back alone – or with friends – against timeless evil. Twisted monsters and other ruthless Hunters stand between you and your Bounty. Risk everything as Hunt consumes you.BOUNTY HUNTTake rich bounties and kill anyone that tries to stop you – and they will try. Race competing Hunters to track down bosses, send them to hell, claim their bounty, and fight your way to extract. If others only slow you down, go alone. If you find strength in numbers, take up to two teammates along.PROGRESSIONRisk everything to unlock dark powers and forbidden wealth. Every bullet counts. Every wound hurts. And every death is permanent. But if you succeed, every victory will be unforgettable.ATMOSPHEREHear footsteps squelch in the mud as you wait with bated breath to strike. The world speaks. Every gunshot is a message; every howling dog a klaxon. Gramophones murmur with the haunting melodies of Port Sulphur Band. Listen, and you might live to die another day.EVOLVING GAMEKeep striving for more, the world is always growing. Frequent updates challenge you with new Events, expand your arsenal of weapons, introduce new characters, and offer the chance to get ornate rewards. Join the thriving Hunt community, stay informed, and get an edge over the Corruption.
