At this year's Gamescom, I got to play the upcoming new version of Hunt: Showdown 1896, launching on September 8th, at the Level Infinite booth by Tencent International Games. To be honest, I didn't expect such a huge crowd onsite.
Hall 6 was bustling with people. As soon as I stepped onto the booth floor, a wave of noise hit me. Long lines snaked along the booth barriers, with hunters from all over the world waiting to try out the new version. Cheers and discussions mixed with the general convention chatter, filling the air with eager anticipation for the new event.
Fortunately, I didn't have to squeeze into the crowd to queue up.
During the Gamescom demo, I not only experienced the new Hunt: Showdown 1896 community event "Blood Edict," saw the new Battle Pass, new weapons, and new map designs, but also encountered a passing Highwayman. We engaged in a passionate Western-style duel right there, ending in a draw and a handshake.
Truly cause for celebration.
That said, the "Blood Edict" community event has three phases. Each phase requires players to continuously kill monsters, participate in matches, or interact with "Blood Pools" in-game to advance the event. We won't dwell on the first two; let's focus on the Blood Pools.
After the event launches, Blood Pools will randomly spawn in various corners of the map. Literally resembling pools of blood, they can be tracked from a distance using the Hunter Vision. Interacting with a Blood Pool not only significantly advances the community event progress but also grants you a new Burn Trait: "Siphon."
Siphon activates when you loot other downed hunters, directly replacing one of their Rare Traits with Siphon on your hunter. In exchange, Siphon is transferred to the enemy hunter you looted. If you show some sportsmanship and don't finish them off, and they aren't a lone wolf but have teammates nearby stealing kills, they will inherit the Siphon trait upon being revived by their teammates, starting the cycle anew.
This sounds like a win-win exchange for both sides—of course, I mean I win twice.
Along with the new version comes a new Burn Trait called "Blood Eater," unlocked in the second phase of the event. It allows you to eat "small animals" to restore one health bar. It's hard to say whether this is better or worse than Healing Power. Theoretically, you can find chicken coops or Dog.exe cages to heal. Dog.exe cages provide enough dogs for a full team, while chicken coops can only be used by one person.
But honestly, it feels less practical than White Needles.
Of course, the most interesting part of the new version is the special environment "Blood Moon," unlocked in the first phase. When the "Blood Moon" hangs high in the sky, all monsters enter a frenzied state, with maxed-out aggression, actively chasing players relentlessly. Additionally, monster speed and detection range are significantly increased. You might not believe it, but during the demo, very few hunters were killed by other players—including me. As for why...
Let me tell you, I was exchanging gunfire with other hunters in the demon-infested lands of Louisiana, ran out of bullets, and fortunately managed to elbow three Fire Grandpas in succession. I couldn't outrun them and ended up in a "happy sleep." Anyone relate?
You might ask why I ran out of ammo. It's because I brought the new Burgess shotgun, which can fire arrow rounds—three slots for bleed effects, my goodness. I eagerly equipped it, only to discover that Crytek removed supply points from the Stronghold. The only decent supply spots on the map were Scout Towers. So, after fighting for over ten minutes without special ammo resupply, I was completely out of resources.
The changes to supply points and the map revamp in this new version are indeed somewhat unfriendly for weapons using special ammo.
In fact, this update to supply points also involved changes to the map. Now, the large map doesn't mark every single location in detail. Players need to physically search Scout Towers, which contain supply maps. Using these reveals all supply points on the large map.
These changes don't affect veteran players familiar with the map too much, but new hunters wanting to use special ammo will need to brush up on their map knowledge. Otherwise, given the PvP engagement density in Hunt: Showdown 1896, getting special ammo resupplies will truly depend on luck unless you deliberately avoid combat.
Now, let's talk about the new weapon, the Burgess shotgun.
Looking at the stats: 207 damage, 30 spread, 25 drop, 425 velocity, 54 melee heavy hit damage... Wait a minute, aren't we just reading off the stats for the Winfield 1893 Slate from next door?
Indeed, most of the stats for these two guns are identical, except the Burgess reloads slower and has access to Dragon Breath and Arrow rounds as special ammo. Interestingly, the Burgess only takes up 3 inventory slots. Players can skip the Quartermaster trait and just carry a Burgess plus a Mosin-Nagant Obrez Extended Magazine. Everyone knows the value of this setup.
Speaking of the Slate, enthusiasts might start complaining. Previously, buffing the Ghost made it the top-tier 4-slot shotgun, leaving the Imperial 5-slot neglected, and now there are rumors of buffs for lever-action shotguns. But what about my Slate? The Burgess is practically a complete upgrade over the Slate.
Actually, there is still balance.
So where's my 78? Did I ask for my 78? —Ask again for bayonet type plus spread (lol)
As the first folding shotgun in Hunt: Showdown 1896, the Burgess has a short animation for both drawing and holstering. If you use the bayonet variant, you even have to "fold the bayonet back" when holstering. This delay in switching weapons is fatal for most hunters. Often, when you run out of bullets in a gunfight, others can immediately pull out their sidearm for follow-up shots, but with the Burgess, you have to wait about 1 second. As for who is stronger between it and the Slate, I can only say that the Burgess is genuinely a 3-slot long gun, sacrificing some situational responsiveness for more flexible loadouts.
Simply put, it's a matter of personal preference.
Of course, this new Battle Pass has a surprise that exceeded the expectations of many story enthusiasts—the famous, or rather infamous, vampire hunter Lynch finally makes her debut.
Although she appears as an exclusive skin for the Bayonet Hunter.
However, Crytek's aesthetics were surprisingly on point this time.
Although Lynch is portrayed as an older hunter in the story, her special lineage and years of combat have kept her fit and toned. Paired with white hair and red eyes—a particular appeal to Chinese players... Hiss. If it weren't for the Korean DLC character in the third phase of the event, a white-haired twin-tail witch hat girl with glasses, I almost would have shouted that I was Lynch's husband, unseen for centuries.
I say both of them are my wives. Who agrees, who supports?
But honestly, characters in Hunt: Showdown 1896 have always had a horror aesthetic. It's rare to see two such beautiful female hunters released at once... Could it be that the player community's voices have finally reached the heavens?