Crytek has shipped update 2.8.1 for Hunt: Showdown 1896 — the first major balance pass since the Inventory Rework. The headline topic is shotguns: the developers admitted sawn-offs had become “an enticing choice with few downsides” and rewrote reserve ammo across nearly the whole shotgun arsenal.
Shotguns: full-size up, sawn-offs down
The logic is simple: after moving to Size 2, sawn-offs got too comfortable while full-size shotguns stagnated. So now:
- Full-size guns (Rival 78, Homestead 78, Specter 1882, Terminus, Slate, Romero 77 Alamo, Auto-5) get a noticeable reserve bump — the Rival 78 goes from 8 to 12 basic shells, the Romero Alamo from 5 all the way to 12.
- Sawn-offs (Rival Shorty, Romero Shorty, Specter Shorty, Terminus Shorty) are cut across every ammo type — the Specter Shorty drops from 8 to 4 basic shells.
Prices were recalculated alongside: the Terminus fell from 238 to 168, the Terminus Shorty from 218 to 148, while the Rival 78 went up from 150 to 170.
Springfield buffed, Berthier trimmed
The Springfield 1866 gets a damage boost from 132 to 139 (High Velocity from 126 to 132) — with Dumdum ammo now Scarce, the rifle was lagging behind other Size 4 options. The Berthier 1892, meanwhile, proved too strong in its new 3-slot role and loses 4 damage (132 → 128). The Nitro Express no longer has random deviation when fired from ADS at range, and the Shadow Leap trait got snappier, going from 4 to 3 seconds.
What’s next: Road to Hell Chapter 2
Chapter 2 of the Road to Hell event kicks off on July 2 — bringing the Cargo Balloon and the free Story Challenge “The Regiment’s Last Stand” about the fall of the 26th Regiment. The chapter also adds Legendary Hunter Avatars from popular DLC for profile card customization.
What it means for players using software
Update 2.8.1 is a client update, so the standard playbook applies:
- Don’t queue into matches right after the patch — wait until your software’s developers confirm compatibility with the new build. Check the game updates page for statuses.
- The rebalance shifts the combat meta. Full-size shotguns with bigger reserves are competitive at close range again — ESP that shows the enemy’s weapon in hand helps you decide when to push and when to keep distance.
- The Road to Hell event will spike player counts — more players per match also means more reports, so play carefully during the chapter’s first days.
All current software for the game is in our Hunt: Showdown cheats catalog.
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