Hunt: Showdown 1896: Complete Guide

A beginner-to-advanced guide to Hunt: Showdown 1896's Bounty Hunt: the match loop, hunters and traits, weapons and ammo, sound play, bosses (including the new Bloodskin), economy, and how to stop dying to the first team you hear.

Researched September 2026 — current as of Update 2.9 "Blood Testament" (launched September 8, 2026; hotfix 2.9.0.3). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

The goal is to extract with a bounty, not to kill everyone. Find clues, locate the boss lair, kill and banish the boss, grab the bounty token, and leave through an extraction point.
Sound gives you away. Crows, chickens, ducks, dogs, horses, broken glass, chains, and barbed wire all alert other teams. Walk (or crouch-walk) through sound-trap areas.
Your hunter can die permanently. If you die and your teammate does not revive you, that hunter and everything they carried is gone. Don't take expensive hunters until you're comfortable.
Use Dark Sight constantly. Hold the Dark Sight key to see clues, bosses, extraction points, and the direction of the nearest clue.
Burning is a death sentence. Fire removes health chunks permanently for that match; a burned-out downed teammate cannot be revived. Carry a way to deal with fire and to revive.
Always bring a first aid kit (or medkit) and a revive plan. A duo or trio that can pick each other up wins more fights than one with better guns.
Supply points, towers, and extraction points are now hidden by default (Update 2.9). Investigating clues reveals two extraction points; you also discover points by getting close (75 m discovery radius).
Play the new-player-friendly lobbies while you learn. Bloodline Rank under 11 gets gentler matchmaking and excludes the new Bloodskin boss from its missions.
Learn one long-ammo rifle and one close-range backup. A Winfield or Vetterli plus a pistol or shotgun is enough for your first hundred matches.

The Match Loop (Bounty Hunt)

Phase	What happens	Tips
Spawn	Solo, duo, or trio, on a map edge	Look at the map; plan a route toward nearby clues
Clues	Collect 3 clues to reveal the boss lair (each narrows the search area)	Clues are loud hotspots; other teams will converge
Boss fight	Kill the target(s)	Many bosses have specific weaknesses (see below)
Banish	Takes time and reveals your location to the whole server	Hold defensive angles, place traps, don't all stand in the lair
Bounty carry	Picking up the token briefly reveals nearby hunters to you, but carriers are also tracked by other teams	Move out fast; split tokens only if you trust your team
Extract	Stand in an extraction zone until the timer completes	Watch for teams camping extractions

Killing enemy hunters and taking their bounty is valid, and often faster. Extracting without a bounty still keeps your hunter, XP, and loot.

Maps

There are four maps, each with 16 named compounds:

Map	Feel
Stillwater Bayou	Classic swamp; mixed sightlines, lots of water and sound traps
Lawson Delta	Open fields and large compounds; rifles shine
DeSalle	Towns, quarries, and bridges; returned to the rotation in the 1896 era
Mammon's Gulch	The mountain map introduced with 1896: huge verticality, tents as supply points, multiple Arsenals

Times of day vary by map (neutral, gold, night, sunset, fog, storm). Update 2.9 added Blood Moon, which cycles between an Intense phase (agitated monsters, red lighting) and a Dark phase (calmer monsters, reduced visibility).

Bosses

Boss	Key notes
Butcher	Heavy melee with a hook, sets you on fire. Avoid melee without fire protection; use range.
Spider	Fast, poisonous. Good to fight with shotguns or chokes; burn the lair from the doorway.
Assassin	Creates clones; hit the real one and watch the swarm of decoys.
Scrapbeak	Heavily armored and aggressive; stay mobile and use high-damage or explosive shots.
Rotjaw	Swamp boss that stays in water; limited to certain maps.
Bloodskin (new in 2.9)	Two phases: a slow, armored creature that later transforms into an agile being that teleports. Banishing it riles up monsters nearby. Tied to the new Siphon trait. Not in missions for Bloodline under 11.

Choke bombs neutralize dangerous AI such as Immolators and help clear crowded lairs before the boss fight.

Hunters, Progression, and Economy

Hunt Dollars — the main currency, earned from matches. Spend on hunters, weapons, tools, consumables, and traits.
Blood Bonds — premium currency (also earned slowly via challenges and events) for legendary hunters and skins.
Bloodline Rank — your account level. Leveling unlocks weapons, variants, and traits.
Hunter level — each hunter earns Upgrade Points as they level; these buy traits in addition to the ones they came with.
Hunter slots — raised from 75 to 100 in Update 2.9.
Custom Loadouts — save loadouts including traits (Update 2.9 made traits equippable in Custom Loadouts, with Hunt Dollar and Upgrade Point costs; up to 15 loadout traits).
Recruits — you can hire free, randomized hunters for zero cost; ideal for learning.

Consumables and tools prices (Update 2.9 changes)

Tool Box and Medical Pack: both made cheaper.
Slug Ammo: reduced from 65 to 40 Hunt Dollars (Romero 77, Drilling, LeMat, Haymaker).
Throwing Spear and Throwing Axes: price increased.

Loadouts

Weapon slots

A hunter normally carries one large (size 3) plus one small (size 1) weapon, or two medium (size 2). The Quartermaster trait allows a size 3 plus size 2 pairing.

Beginner-friendly weapons

Category	Examples	Why
Long ammo rifles	Mosin-Nagant, Martini-Henry, Lebel, Springfield 1866	High damage, reliable at range
Compact / medium ammo	Winfield, Vetterli 71 Karabiner, Centennial	Affordable, flexible, good starter options
Shotguns	Romero 77, Specter 1882, Crown & King Auto-5, Terminus, Burgess (new in 2.9)	Close-range one-shots, strong in compounds
Pistols	Nagant, Caldwell Conversion, Scottfield, Dolch 96, LeMat, Bornheim	Backup or for a size-2 pair
Bow	Hunting Bow	Quiet, but one-hit range was reduced in 2.9 (27 m without trait, 30 m with Hundred Hands)

The Burgess (size 3 shotgun, 6+1 magazine) arrived with 2.9 and comes in Burgess Bayonet and Burgess Trauma variants, and accepts Dragon Breath, Flechette, Penny Shot, and Slug ammo. The Terminus received a damage buff (186 to 207) with tighter spread.

Special ammo quick reference

Ammo	Effect
Full Metal Jacket	Better penetration through surfaces
High Velocity	Faster bullets, easier leading at range
Incendiary	Sets targets on fire (also burns bodies)
Poison	Poisons hunters, limiting healing
Explosive	Blast damage, good against cover
Dumdum	Extra bleed/damage
Spitzer	Long-range variant for some rifles
Subsonic	Quieter, but slower bullets
Dragon Breath / Flechette / Penny Shot / Slug	Shotgun options: fire, bleed, spread, or range

Tools every loadout should consider

First Aid Kit or Medical Pack — healing.
Knife / Heavy Knife / Dusters — silent melee for AI monsters.
Fusees / Decoys / Choke bombs — fire, distraction, or dealing with bosses and Hive.
Concertina Trip Mine — area denial during banish.
Spyglass — scouting compounds from a distance.

Consumables

Vitality Shot, Stamina Shot, and Antidote Shot are the core three. Bombs and throwables include Frag Bomb, Sticky Bomb, Dynamite Stick, Liquid Fire Bomb, Hellfire Bomb, Poison Bomb, Concertina Bomb, and Flash Bomb.

Traits

Traits are passive perks unlocked by level and bought with Upgrade Points. Solid choices:

Trait	What it does	Priority
Necromancer	Revive a downed teammate from up to 25 m with Dark Sight; solos can revive themselves with full health	High for duos/trios, core for solos
Resilience	You are revived with all remaining health chunks fully healed (no effect for solos)	High
Quartermaster	Size 3 + size 2 weapon pairing	Core
Doctor / Physician	Doctor doubles First Aid Kit healing; Physician makes First Aid Kit bandaging faster	Useful
Salveskin	Reduced fire damage	Useful if Butcher or many fire bombs around
Iron Eye	Stay in iron sights between shots with bolt-, lever-, and pump-action weapons	Rifle players
Packmule	Get an extra item when looting hunters or opening Tool Boxes	Nice
Beastface	Shrinks the range at which animals react to you (not Hellhounds)	Great for stealth
Greyhound	Sprint at full speed for roughly twice as long	Mobility
Chupacabra (new in 2.9)	Restores one health chunk by interacting with horses, cows, or caged animals; 2 Upgrade Points	Situational
Siphon (new in 2.9)	Loot a Scarce Trait from a fallen enemy hunter, leaving Siphon in its place	Event-driven

Update 2.9 also tweaked catalyst traits: Vulture now allows looting ammo from downed hunters, and Lightfoot prevents breaking branches.

Sound and Positioning

Surfaces: walking on wood, metal, and gravel is louder than grass. Crouching reduces noise.
Gunshots: unsilenced shots are heard across a large area and give your location. Use knives for AI monsters when possible.
Headphones: essential. Learn to distinguish reloads, doors, and footsteps.
Hold angles: in a compound, choose a position with one entry to watch rather than chasing enemies.
Pushing: push when the enemy is reloading, healing, or reviving; use throwables to break defensive positions.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Running through sound traps. One flock of crows can tell a whole server where you are.
Taking fights you don't need. The bounty is the prize; not every gunshot requires a response.
Splitting up too far. Your partner can't revive you from across the map without Necromancer.
Forgetting to burn bodies. Enemy hunters can be revived by teammates. Burn them if you have the tools.
Banishing in the open. Guard the lair's entrances and hide from windows.
Bringing expensive hunters too early. Use free recruits while learning.
Overusing the Hunting Bow at range. Its one-hit range was shortened in 2.9.

Advanced Tips

Trait management: a Siphon-looted Scarce Trait can decide a match. Grab it from downed enemies when safe.
Blood Moon phases: in the Intense phase, AI is agitated and loud fights draw even more monsters; in the Dark phase, visibility drops and stealth players have the edge.
Extraction awareness: since 2.9 hides extraction points by default, pick up clues early to reveal two; learn map landmarks to know where exits usually are.
MMR: 2.9 added MMR decay for returning players; expect gentler lobbies if you've been away.
Ammo budget: long fights drain reserves fast. Loot enemy bodies (Vulture now helps here) and supply points before a banish, not during.
Health chunks: fire and repeated downs erode your team's staying power; heal up and rotate the healthiest player to the most exposed angle.

FAQ

Is Hunt: Showdown 1896 free? No, it is a paid game on Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation, with optional DLC cosmetics and legendary hunters.

What was the Blood Testament update? Update 2.9 (September 8, 2026). It added the Bloodskin boss, the Burgess shotgun family, the Blood Moon time of day, the Siphon and Chupacabra traits, hidden extraction/supply points by default, traits in Custom Loadouts, and 100 hunter slots.

How many maps are there? Four: Stillwater Bayou, Lawson Delta, DeSalle, and Mammon's Gulch.

Can I play solo? Yes. Solos who take the Necromancer trait can revive themselves (after a short cooldown) with full health, as long as they still have a health chunk that isn't burned. Solos face duos and trios, so play stealthy and avoid long gunfights.

What is the difference between Hunt: Showdown and Hunt: Showdown 1896? 1896 is the August 2024 relaunch on a newer engine. It replaced the original client on the same Steam page and introduced Mammon's Gulch.

How do I get Blood Bonds for free? Through challenges, events, and weekly/daily tasks. Double XP weekends and seasonal events are good times to farm progression.