Hunt: Showdown 1896 patch 2.8.1 is out on July 1, and Chapter 2 lands July 2
Crytek's update tweaks shotgun reserves, adjusts several weapons, and clears out crashes and exploits before Road to Hell: Chapter 2 opens on July 2.

Update 2.8.1 is live in Hunt: Showdown 1896. Crytek also said Road to Hell: Chapter 2 will arrive on July 2 with the Cargo Balloon and the free Story Challenge ‘The Regiment’s Last Stand,’ but players will need another update before that content opens.
The patch focuses on gun balance. Shotgun ammo changes lead the way, while the Springfield 1866 family gets damage buffs, the Berthier 1892 loses some power, the Nitro Express gets a long-range accuracy pass, Shadow Leap is quicker to use, and Chapter 2 will add a first batch of DLC hunter avatars.
Patch Notes
Gunplay
We’ve seen the feedback and are bringing the first set in a series of changes aimed to fine tune the system further. We’ll continue observing player feedback and weapon data to ensure the arsenal will slowly but steadily find its new balance. What we have seen so far is very encouraging, but there is still more work left to do and some equipment has not yet fully settled as players keep experimenting with new combinations.
Shotguns
We’ve adjusted the reserve ammo of most shotguns, increasing the amount full-size shotguns carry while reducing sawn-off shotguns.
- Auto-5
- Basic from 6 to 8
- Flechette from 6 to 8
- Slugs from 4 to 5
- Penny Shot from 9 to 12
- Rival 78
- Basic from 8 to 12
- Flechette from 8 to 12
- Dragon Breath from 8 to 12
- Slugs from 5 to 8
- Penny Shot from 12 to 18
- Homestead 78
- Basic from 8 to 12
- Flechette from 8 to 12
- Dragon Breath from 8 to 12
- Slugs from 5 to 8
- Penny Shot from 12 to 18
- Romero 77 Alamo
- Basic from 5 to 12
- Dragon Breath from 5 to 12
- Slugs from 3 to 8
- Penny Shot from 8 to 18
- Starshell from 3 to 8
- Slate
- Basic from 6 to 12
- Dragon Breath from 6 to 12
- Slugs from 4 to 8
- Penny Shot from 9 to 18
- Specter 1882
- Basic from 10 to 12
- Flechette from 10 to 12
- Dragon Breath from 10 to 12
- Slugs from 6 to 8
- Penny Shot from 15 to 18
- Terminus
- Basic from 8 to 12
- Flechette from 8 to 12
- Dragon Breath from 8 to 12
- Slugs from 5 to 8
- Penny Shot from 12 to 18
- Rival 78 Shorty
- Basic from 6 to 4
- Flechette from 6 to 4
- Dragon Breath from 6 to 4
- Slugs from 4 to 3
- Penny Shot from 9 to 6
- Starshell from 4 to 3
- Romero 77 Shorty
- Basic from 5*2 to 2*2
- Dragon Breath from 5*2 to 2*2
- Slugs from 3*2 to 1*2
- Penny Shot from 8*2 to 3*2
- Starshell from 3*2 to 1*2
- Specter 1882 Shorty
- Basic from 8 to 4
- Flechette from 8 to 4
- Dragon Breath from 8 to 4
- Slugs from 5 to 3
- Penny Shot from 12 to 6
- Terminus Shorty
- Basic from 6 to 4
- Flechette from 6 to 4
- Dragon Breath from 6 to 4
- Slugs from 4 to 3
- Penny Shot from 9 to 6
Dev Note: With sawn-off shotguns becoming Size 2, they now have become an enticing choice with few downsides. To make them feel more fitting in the Size 2 category, we’ve decided to reduce their reserve ammo across the board.
Full-size shotguns, on the other hand, have stagnated, dropping a little in usage with the recent changes. To strengthen their position and give players that still want to build their loudouts around shotguns viable options, we’ve added reserve ammo to full-size shotguns across the board, making them a stronger alternative compared to the sawn-off shotguns.
Alongside the ammo changes we’ve adjusted the prices of some shotguns:
- Terminus: 238 -> 168
- Terminus Shorty: 218 -> 148
- Slate: 333 -> 313
- Slate Riposte: 343 -> 323
- Rival 78: 150 -> 170
- Rival 78 Trauma: 160 -> 180
- Rival 78 Shorty: 125 -> 145
- Rival 78 Mace: 135 -> 155
Other Changes
Springfield 1866
- Increased Damage from 132 to 139
- Increased High Velocity Damage from 126 to 132
- Increased Explosive Damage from 123 to 125
Springfield 1866 Shorty
- Increased Damage from 130 to 135
- Increased High Velocity Damage from 123 to 128
- Increased Explosive Damage from 123 to 125
Dev Note: With Dumdum Ammo becoming Scarce, the Springfield has been struggling as an option compared to the other Size 4 weapons. To help with this we’re increasing the damage, strengthening its positioning as a cheap Size 4 weapon with plenty extra ammo available.
Berthier 1892
- Reduced Damage from 132 to 128
- Reduced Spitzer Damage from 113 to 109
Dev Note: With its new place as a 3-slot, the Berthier quickly jumped up as a very strong option that can be combined with other powerful secondary weapons. While this was the core idea behind the new Inventory Slot system, the Berthier simply stood out as being strong. With these changes, the Berthier should make its reduced power level feel more fitting compared to other 3-slot choices, giving other weapons a chance to shine as well.
Nitro Express
No longer has any random deviation (similar to how we balance Slugs on shotguns) over longer distances when firing from ADS to help with hits at medium to long distances.
“Shadow Leap” Trait
Interaction time reduced from 4 to 3 seconds to make it snappier to use.
Mako 1895
- Slightly increased reserve ammo:
- Basic/FMJ/Explosive from 8 to 10
Player Profile Customization – DLC Hunter Avatars
Have you been customizing your Player Profile Cards? If so, we have good news for you: With Chapter 2 of Road to Hell, we are adding several Avatars from some much-loved DLC. This means if you own one of the DLC listed below, then you will automatically receive the corresponding Avatar with this release.
We are working on having an Avatar available for every Legendary Hunter from our collection of DLC. The team have been working hard on making some of your favorites, and we wanted to launch these as soon as we had a batch ready so you weren’t left waiting. Rest assured that Avatars from the rest of the DLC containing Legendary Hunters will be available through other updates across this year and early next year. Creating and importing Avatars for every DLC is a huge workload for our artists and backend teams, so we appreciate your patience and understanding, and hope you like this first batch for now!
The following DLC will be available with their Avatar for your Player Profile Cards:
| # | DLC Name | Legendary Hunter |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Legends of the Bayou | The Bone Doctor |
| 2 | Weird Sister | |
| 3 | The Phantom | The Phantom |
| 4 | Llorona’s Heir | Llorona’s Heir |
| 5 | The Researcher | The Researcher |
| 6 | The Rat | The Rat |
| 7 | Zhong Kui | Dead Blessing |
| 8 | Zhong Kui | |
| 9 | The Revenant | The Revenant |
| 10 | Ronin | The Ronin |
| 11 | The Trick Shooter | Carter |
| 12 | Spirit of Nian | North Star |
| 13 | The Sovereign | |
| 14 | The Prodigal Daughter | The Prodigal Daughter |
| 15 | The Committed | Monroe |
| 16 | Cold Blooded | The Reptilian |
| 17 | Meridian Turncoat | The Turncoat |
| 18 | Fear the Reaper | The Reaper |
| 19 | Ghost Face Rampage | Ghost Face |
| 20 | The Ghost of Blanchett Graves | Angel of Death |
| 21 | Cry of the Caged Bird | Lilith |
| 22 | The Madness of Montresor | Montresor |
| 23 | The Heart of Lower DeSalle | Lady Lewis |
| 24 | It Takes a Rogue | The Ironclad |
| 25 | Twice a Renegade | The Mercenary |
To get them in your game, you just need to make sure that you own the DLC and install the latest update.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed rare crashes that could occur, especially on Xbox
- Fixed an exploit where Tarot Card effects could be stacked/multiplied intentionally using a temporary disconnect
- Fixed an exploit where players could find a way to bypass the Tools and Consumables selection during the loadout preparation, granting access to bring a 9th item (hidden visually until using the one appearing in the loadout)
- Fixed some edge case spots where players could get semi-stuck and/or vault when they were not meant to be
- Fixed a bug where cancelling a reload of dual wield weapons leads to user not being able to aim down sights
- Fixed an issue where a newly hired Hunter is not automatically selected in the Hunter screen while in a team
- Fixed an issue where the sweetener sound was too prominent for Legendary Skins
- Fixed a bug where the “Blast Sense” Trait had a delay before activating when players entered Dark Sight
- Fixed a bug where the bullet drop indicator at the bottom of the scope was missing on the Mosin-Nagant Sniper and Lebel 1886 Marksman when using Standard Ammo
- Fixed a bug where the tooltip for certain ammunition types displayed the internal @-string instead of the correct localized text
- Partially fixed a bug where progress for the “Restore Health for yourself or your teammates” challenge was not tracked correctly
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Source: Steam
Hunt: Showdown 1896
Developed by Crytek Frankfurt





