Hunters,

With each new Event, we’re committed to listening and improving—and that starts with your feedback. As promised, we extended the survey window from just a few days to a full week this time, giving more of you the chance to share your thoughts.

Judgement of the Fool brought with it a lot of moving parts, and that meant a larger and more detailed Event survey. We would like to thank all of you that took part in this survey. It has given us some great insights which we will jump into in this blog!


We have also heard your feedback about wanting to provide more detailed written answers. While longer surveys provide us with more context, they can take more time for us to analyze and categorize answers, but we will make sure to look into how we can balance this going forward.

As always, thank you for taking the time to contribute. Your input is instrumental in shaping the future of Hunt: Showdown 1896 and we’re committed to making it the best horror shooter out there. Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty…

Current Status

Before diving into how the Event was received, there were two broader topics we wanted to hear your thoughts on: how the game currently feels to play, and how you define a “win” in Hunt.



Starting with the first question, we wanted to get a sense of the community’s overall sentiment during this update. Around 69% of players rated their experience a 4 or 5, which tells us that most of you are enjoying the game in its current state. This is something that is great to hear and not something we take for granted!


For the second question, we were curious about what “winning” means to you. We offered a list of possible goals based on internal testing, and unsurprisingly, the most selected achievements were getting a few kills and extracting with a Bounty Token. The written-in responses revealed to us something more nuanced, however. Many of you expressed that simply participating in PvP—even when you lose—feels meaningful as long as the fight is intense, fun, and challenging. Even for solos, just surviving the encounter is seen as a personal victory! These insights are super useful to read, as they remind us that success and winning in Hunt is not always black and white and that the overall experience of the game matters.

Judgement of the Fool Battle Pass and Event

The ratings for the Battle Pass of this Event came back to the level of our previous Events, with 64% of players reporting that they were satisfied with it on some level.





We were happy to see the ratings up from the last Event, despite this Event not featuring any new weapons. The change had a mixed response, with a 50/50 split between being satisfied and dissatisfied with the decision. This update was an anomaly in that sense, as we are committed to bringing new additions to arsenal in future updates.



Event Traits

The Gunrunner Trait was perceived to be quite a lot more powerful in comparison to our other Event Traits, which we expected as it opens a lot more loadout opportunities for players within a Mission.



We also asked you how much you liked the Traits that were included in the Event. The

Gunrunner Trait was much more divisive here when compared to the Catalyst and Corpse Seer Traits. From our data, Gunrunner is currently our 17th most chosen Trait for this release, with the highest usage rates within 3-star and 6-star lobbies and its pick rate reducing as the Event progresses. However, pick rate does not measure the Trait's impact, and from your earlier written-in comments and community sentiment, we understand it is a frustrating Trait to play against. Based on all this feedback, we have made the decision not to include Gunrunner as an Event Trait in the foreseeable future.



DeSalle and The Fool’s Hideout

We were glad to see that ~87% of all responses were satisfied with the visual overhaul on DeSalle. One of the highlights for us was the community’s warm response to DeSalle’s return, and we would like to thank all of you for your amazing feedback!



The addition of adding DeSalle back to the map pool led to an interesting question: What is the community preference for how often maps should appear in rotation? The answer was much more balanced than we thought, with DeSalle slightly edging the other maps out when looking at the mean number. (Though it’s possible we’re seeing some recency bias here in the data due to the survey being so close to the return of DeSalle.)



We have also investigated to see how playtime hours affected the mean for the map preferences. And again, we were pretty impressed on how equally players want to experience our maps, with the majority of all hours played preferring DeSalle. An interesting insight was that Stillwater Bayou stood out as the maps most preferred by beginner Hunters, while Lawson Delta is preferred more by veteran Hunters. (Note: the numbers of players in each category below are not equal).



The Fool’s Hideout

From the previous Murder Circus Event survey, we saw how much you loved an additional 17th compound that spawned in different locations and became a meaningful gameplay space for the Event. Due to our focus on bug fixing and performance stability for Garden of the Witch, it wasn’t possible to add another location to that Event, however we made sure to add this back in Judgement of the Fool, bringing The Fool’s Hideout to all maps.

We were happy to see this approach worked, with 78% of you being satisfied. We will continue to refine compounds and open new question options for this, so we can get your detailed feedback on the new compound areas and deliver even better gameplay spaces for future Events.

Without spoiling too much, we do have a new 17th compound in the works, which we are crawling with excitement to reveal to you…keep an eye out on the web for more info…






Balance Changes

We were happy to see that almost all the changes resonated with you as a community. Changes such as Health Chunk Restoration, the price for the Fast Fingers Trait, and item name display are all because of you making your voice heard.

But for this section, we primarily want to talk about two of the lowest rated changes for the Salveskin Trait and the Dark Dynamite Satchel. These two had the highest number of dissatisfied responses among all balance changes. Let's talk about Salveskin first. The changes to this Trait were more of a fallout from all the changes made to the burning speed of downed Hunters, which saw a higher positive response. Currently we are still seeing Salveskin as the 5th highest chosen Trait across our whole player base. As you would expect, when filtering from lower to higher MMR ranges, the pick rate for the Trait drops. In 5-6star lobbies, it becomes the 15th highest chosen Trait, after being in the top 10 before Update 2.4. This drop brings it to the level of other Traits such as Conduit, Physician, Witness, and Vigilant. So even though its utility was reduced, it is still one of the most used Traits, which we are happy with.

Next, we will look at the Dark Dynamite Satchel change, and the mixed reception that it received. One reason players may not have liked this change was due to it enabling ambush playstyles. We have also seen a general sense of fear in the community of its ambush playstyle becoming too powerful without a counterplay option. Dying to a low audible ambush setup is not fun, especially on the heels of some of our streamers showcasing some creative ambush setups (Kudos!).

Before Update 2.4, the Dark Dynamite Satchel was among the least used Consumables. Even though its pickup rate has increased since the change, it is still in a low position. When looking at explosives only, it is still the least used Consumable across all lobbies apart from a 6-star lobby. We understand your concerns about this change and are still investigating its pick rate and effectiveness in fights, but we don’t anticipate making any further changes at the moment.






UI Changes

Regarding UI, we are happy to see most changes have been received positively.

That said, we anticipated mixed reactions to the Gear Screen Filter behavior change. Some players prefer equipping the same items every time, and altering the remembered filter behavior understandably impacts their flow. With the addition of more dedicated custom loadouts, we hoped to ease that friction, but we’ll continue to keep a close eye on feedback and adjust as needed. Regarding one of the lower-rated changes—the Lobby Screen navigation—we’ve heard your frustrations loud and clear. Players who focus on Soul Survivor or switch between game modes have found it frustrating to always be dropped back into the Bounty Hunt lobby, rather than returning to their previously selected mode. To be honest, this was an expected criticism. The current setup was only the first step toward a larger design overhaul. The good news? A more comprehensive solution—one we teased some time ago—is on the way and will be landing in Update 2.5!



As you can see in the charts below, we can see a huge difference between where we were with the UI in Scorched Earth vs this Event. We will continue to work on improvements and make sure you have a better experience with each update.







Audio Changes

We are delighted to get so much feedback regarding the current state of audio in Hunt: Showdown 1896. Over 98% of you are using headphones, which highlights the vital role sound plays when hunting in our world, both in terms of immersion and gameplay readability.




When it comes to spatial audio, 60% of you are now using CrySpatial, our custom-built solution. CrySpatial is tailor-made to enhance positioning and clarity, giving you a better read on danger, footsteps, and the intensity Hunt is known for. While we believe that CrySpatial is the optimum way to experience Hunt’s audio, we are happy to see a number of players are exploring other solutions to discover what works best for them. We are continuing to test and improve mix clarity across the various spatial audio solutions to ensure Hunt’s immersive soundscape is experienced by all our players.



We’re also very happy to report that a majority of players feel that the audio has improved since the launch of 1896. We recognize that there are still opportunities to improve our audio readability, and these results help us to evaluate pain points and continue to refine the experience.



In Conclusion


We hope you find these survey results insightful and can see the benefit of how your survey feedback is shaping the future of Hunt. Let us know if you would like us to continue these deep dives into your survey results via our socials! We look forward to sharing more about our upcoming update very soon!


-Your Hunt: Showdown 1896 Team

We’re live for the final Twitch Drops stream! 💜

Join us for gameplay, community giveaways, and one last chance to earn this week’s rewards just by watching.

https://www.twitch.tv/crytek

We’re live for Week 2 of Twitch Drops!

Join us for some gameplay, giveaways, and a chance to earn this week’s rewards just by watching.

Tune in and let the Drops do the rest.
twitch.tv/crytek

Hunters,

Thundershower has returned to the Bayou! Our latest in-game Event, Judgement of the Fool, sees the skies crack and the heavens open with this long-awaited storm. In today’s blog, we wanted to share a peak behind the curtain, chatting to the development team behind Thundershower to reveal the craft and the passion that went into creating this unique weather condition.

Meet the Storm
Thundershower is a dynamic Time of Day condition that cycles between intense and lighter rain. This creates unique visual and gameplay variety on every map it appears. Like all special Time of Day conditions, the Thundershower introduces significant gameplay twists: rain masks footsteps, ravens are disturbed by the storm, and fog rolling in as the storm intensifies - reducing visibility. These effects are far more than cosmetic, they fundamentally alter how players approach Bounty Hunts.

The team has built a whole new audio system for Thundershower, which has now been enhanced for CRYENGINE 5.11 engine upgrade. Designed to create an ultra-realistic, dynamic soundscape, this system immerses players completely within the stormy environment. Now, let's dive deeper into the inner workings of the Thundershower.

The role of ambience in game design
Hunt: Showdown 1896 is renowned for its tense atmosphere, and its audio design plays a pivotal role in crafting that experience. Every sound in the game is diegetic. If you can hear it, it exists in the world, and locating its source can mean the difference between survival and certain death. Animals, monsters, creaking windmills, crackling fires, rustling vegetation, howling wind - all contribute to the Bayou’s living soundscape. The only exception? Crickets in the bushes where you’re hiding - these exist purely as ambient audio.

While environmental sounds deepen immersion, they must never obscure critical audio cues, such as enemy Hunters. This balance becomes especially challenging when introducing new weather conditions. The Thundershower, for instance, naturally muffles players’ ability to pinpoint sounds yet it also demands a dynamic, engaging soundscape that avoids repetition and is enjoyable to listen to. Striking this balance is no easy feat.

How the Audio Design Team made it rain
Creating convincing rain in a game is challenging and the complexity of its sound design can easily go unnoticed. A raw recording of real rain produces little more than fatiguing noise. Our brains perform psychoacoustic filtering, letting us tune out the constant background noise of rain while focusing on distinct details. Games and cinema, however, can’t replicate this natural adaptation. The effect is akin to standing in a reverberant room: you might not notice the echo until you hear a recording of it, where the unnatural persistence becomes jarring.

Another hurdle is environmental specificity. Real-world rain recordings are tied to their original surroundings, creating dissonance when players rapidly traverse different spaces. Dynamic positioning, shifts between indoor and outdoor areas, and varying acoustics in game all make pre-recorded rain feel artificial and disjointed.

That’s why procedurally generated rain is far more effective than static recordings. By reconstructing rainfall through layered systems simulating how droplets strike wood, metal, puddles, and foliage developers craft a dynamic soundscape that avoids monotony. Each surface contributes its own rhythm and tone of drips and splashes, building an immersive storm without overwhelming the player. The challenge lies in compensating for the absence of touch, smell, and taste, using sound alone to sell the physicality of rain all while ensuring it enhances gameplay rather than obscuring it.

Technical implementation
The expansive maps in Hunt: Showdown 1896 presented a unique challenge for rain implementation: manually placing individual audio emitters would be impractical at this scale and would impact performance negatively. This limitation drove the development team to create an automated systemic solution using raycasting.

The system works by casting multiple rays from the sky downward around the player's position. When a ray intersects with a surface, the system dynamically generates an audio emitter at that location. Each emitter plays dripping sounds specifically tailored to the material it struck whether it’s wood, metal, stone, or foliage. This raycasting approach enables highly localized rain effects that accurately respond to the diverse materials throughout the environment in Hunt: Showdown 1896 maps.

The following chart shows the audio grid visualizing multiple layers around the player that come into play when simulating a rain in Hunt: Showdown 1896:




A hyper-realistic detailed rain soundscape is created by many overlapping dripping sounds. Players experience true spatial audio: hearing distinct raindrops pattering on a metal roof to their left while simultaneously detecting different impacts on a wooden plank to their right. This precise positional audio creates unparalleled immersion.

In summary: thundershowers audio ambience is built from the following layers:

• Dynamically generated rain spot emitters
  
• A subtle surround rain sound for additional width and to smooth transitions from the rain spot emitters
  
• Rumbling surround Wind
  
• Environmental sounds such as violent wind gusts, groaning trees, rustling underbrush, and distant thunderclaps to complete the living environment

On top of these layers, many more dynamic effects are added:

• Footsteps transform into squelching boots, maintaining environmental authenticity while improving enemy Hunter detection
  
• Compounds come alive with amplified rattling, creaking structures, and water dripping through cracks
  
• Wind howls through doors and windows
  
• Interior spaces gain richer ambience than in regular times of day, balancing the gameplay advantage of sheltered positions

The sounds change dynamically with the intensity of the storm, from a light shower to a full blown rainstorm.

We hope this has been an enjoyable deep dive into the making of the Thundershower. And remember, Hunters, if you can’t hear your enemy – they can’t hear you either.

Your Hunt: Showdown 1896 Team

We’re going live with Twitch Drops!💜

Join us on stream to earn this week’s rewards and take part in some special giveaways along the way.

Tune in, hang out, and let the Drops roll in.👇
www.twitch.tv/crytek

Hunters,

Round 2 of the Community Contest has begun. From today until August 17, score kills with the following Hunters and lead your team to victory:

Team Fool: Bone Mason, Dorothy Alice: Nightmare, Oliver Whitman (all variants)
Team Judge: The Prescient, Dorothy Alice: Dream, Jane Eddings (all variants)

The winning team will unlock new lore and advance the story, along with receiving BB weapon discounts: Silent Sting (Bornheim Silencer) for Team Fool, and Ignis Fatuus (New Army) for Team Judge.

Good luck!

***

The soil of the hunting grounds is soaked with the blood of those who fought in the name of The Fool. Does all that death avenge those lost to the grisly side effects of the Miracle Mouth All-Cure? No. The Pale Judge does not think so, not yet. He thinks that more blood should be shed. That it should go beyond soaking into the soil and should overflow from the mouths of graveyard statues and tint muddy puddles crimson all across the bayou and the gulch. The Pale Judge wants The Fool to understand that he doesn't stand a chance. That murderous chaos only exists to be extinguished by those chosen few with the power to pass the ultimate judgment.

But The Fool has thoughts of his own.

He thinks all that freshly shed blood is only a matter of perspective. Blood paves the road to Hell, and The Fool believes that road was carved out especially for The Pale Judge. That at the end of that bloody, bloody road, there is something waiting. A courtship with madness. A realization that whether The Fool lives or dies, The Pale Judge's dead daughter will stay dead, and the world will continue to rot like the bloated corpses of this Corruption. At least the corpses made by The Fool are smiling—well, some of them anyway. His warning: Let all those blinded by The Pale Judge's influence feel the wrath of madness in every unnoticed corner, every Hideout and grove and mine tunnel.

Hold your breath, Hunter. Pull the trigger. Choose a side and see for yourself what lies in store for the future of The Pale Judge and The Fool.

Hunters,

It’s that time of the year when Thundershower soaks the bayou and washes blood from bounties. Alongside the storm, Legends Return brings back beloved Hunters and equipment with updated visuals. New players gain their first chance to play with this iconic content, while veterans enjoy fresh takes on past favorites.

And it’s also time for a new Twitch Drops campaign to bring you the goods and rewards from the past, giving you another chance to earn a handful of rewards. With each week comes a different set of rewards!

The campaign begins at 3pm UTC on August 6th, 2025, and will end at 3pm UTC on August 27th, 2025.

Watch any participating Hunt: Showdown 1896 streamer to unlock the rewards.

• Week 1 (Aug 6th – 13th)
  
  
  • Watch for 30min – 1 Supply Crate
    
  • Watch for 60min – Gator Eye (Charm)
    
  • Watch for 90min – 1 Supply Crate
    
  • Watch for 150min – The Marquis (Knife)
    
  • Watch for 180min – 1 Supply Crate
    
  • Watch for 240min – Bingham Brash (Martini-Henry Riposte)
• Week 2 (Aug 13th – 20th)
  
  
  • Watch for 30min – 1 Supply Crate
    
  • Watch for 60min – Moondial (Charm)
    
  • Watch for 90min – 1 Supply Crate
    
  • Watch for 150min – Alley Cat (Bornheim No. 3)
    
  • Watch for 180min – 1 Supply Crate
    
  • Watch for 240min – Old Tusk (Springfield 1866)
• Week 3 (Aug 20th – 27th)
  
  
  • Watch for 30min – 1 Supply Crate
    
  • Watch for 60min – Hera’s Gift (Charm)
    
  • Watch for 90min – 1 Supply Crate
    
  • Watch for 150min – Seven Sights (Sparks Sniper)
    
  • Watch for 180min – 1 Supply Crate
    
  • Watch for 240min – Random Hunter

If you already own the items above, then you will unlock a similar reward from a select pool. For a full list of items and details on rewards, check out the FAQ on our website.

• Previous Twitch Drops Hunters will have priority.
  
• If you already own all previous Twitch Drops Hunters, then you will unlock a random Hunter from the list of Blood Bond Hunters.
  
• There is also a small chance to unlock Bad Hand, Union Suit: Red Drawers, or Union Suit: Sunday Best as individual Hunters.
  
• If you already own all previous Twitch Drops and Blood Bond Hunters, then you will receive 10,000 Hunt Dollars.

Like our previous Drops campaigns, we are bringing back the Supply Crates. These will grant you several in-game item instances, such as Weapons, Tools, Consumables, and a random amount of Hunt Dollars.

Watch any participating Hunt: Showdown 1896 streamer to gain up to 3 Supply Crates per week.

Each Supply Crate will contain these 8 item instances:

• 1 x Random Rifle
  
• 1 x Random Pistol
  
• 1 x Random Shotgun
  
• 1 x Random Special Weapon
  
• 3 x Random Tool or Consumable
  
• 1 x Random amount of Hunt Dollars

For more info on how to link your account and address other potential issues, visit our FAQ page on our website.

Get your rewards while watching and kick off the rainy season by getting new Skins into your hands. We’ll see you in the Bayou.

-Your Hunt: Showdown 1896 Team

Hunters,

Today, we are excited to launch Thundershower and Legends Return! Read more about them below!


Folklore whispers that warm August days foretell a long winter, while August rains bring blessings like honey and wine. But in the bayou, the Thundershower falls like lead, a deadly weight on Fools and Judges alike. Thundershower demands vigilance: it smothers the sounds of creeping danger, shrouds vision in thick fog, and clears the path of crows for those bold enough to press forward through the deluge.

Thundershower transforms the bayou and mountains with its hyper-realistic, dynamic storm. It brings even more variety to Hunt: Showdown’s 1896 tense Missions. Complex, layered soundscapes of dynamic rain, thunder, howling wind, and environmental effects (like squishy footsteps and rattling structures) force Hunters closer together, obscuring vision with fog and masking creeping dangers.

Duration and Availability

• Thundershower will be initially available only in Stillwater Bayou and Mammon’s Gulch, with plans to expand it to the other maps in the near future.
  
• The chances of having Thundershower are:
  • Stillwater Bayou 30% chance.
    
  • Mammon's Gulch 20% chance.

Today we’re introducing a brand-new initiative, Legends Return, which will reintroduce iconic, historic Hunters and Skins for our community. The collections will feature beloved items from times gone by, with a new or unique twist.

These battle-worn Hunters bring with them the scars of many years spent striving to survive and profit in the unforgiving world of Hunt. In the ‘From the Jaws of Defeat’ collection, you can rediscover:

• The Scaled Warrior - Once the Reptilian's ward, he has proven himself the true heir by defeating his mentor to claim the first kill of Rotjaw. Strong yet wise, he carries his mentor's legacy.
  
• The Skinner - Defined by pain and vengeance, he found a new path when faced with the Reptilian. Lured by riches over revenge, they now hunt together.
  
• Ferryman’s Toll - For each kill, The Scaled Warrior embedded a coin into this rifle. When he finally took down Rotjaw, he sunk in one last coin, confident his toll to the ferryman would be paid in full.
  
• Nola’s Tiller - This Bomb Lance, carved from the wreckage of The Skinner’s old boat, once drove him further and further into bloodshed. But it was also a means to guide him out towards calmer seas, back to the man he once was.
  
• Howling Gale - The Scaled Warrior once hunted to get away from grief’s wild headwinds. But somewhere along the way, he found himself enjoying the finer things again. His heirloom handgun was imbued with that finery.
  
• Golden Bruiser - The Reptilian once won this primal prize from Felis. The right to wield it passed onto The Scaled Warrior when the Reptilian deemed him worthy of taking up his mantle.

Judgement of the Fool continues through any weather. With Thundershower intensifying the challenge and legendary Hunters joining the fray, there's no better time to test your mettle in the storm-swept bayou.

Hunters,

The live servers are back online — Update 2.4.0.2 is now live!

You can find the list of fixes below.

Happy hunting!

• Fixed an issue where all Charms from the Judgement of the Fool Event were correctly displayed in the Shooting Range but did not appear during normal Bounty Hunt Missions
  
• Fixed an exploit where Compact Ammo could be replaced with Buckshot, allowing players to shoot Buckshot at long range while retaining the Compact Ammo count

Hunters,

The live servers are back online — Update 2.4.0.1 is now live!

You can find the list of fixes below.

Happy hunting!

• Fixed an issue where all Charms from the Judgement of the Fool Event were correctly displayed in the Shooting Range but did not appear during normal Bounty Hunt Missions
  
• Fixed an exploit where Compact Ammo could be replaced with Buckshot, allowing players to shoot Buckshot at long range while retaining the Compact Ammo count