After a long and seemingly difficult development period, Hunt: Showdown has finally made it out of early access. It has gone through several changes throughout the course of its production and even began life as a spiritual successor to the Darksiders series.
Thankfully, the effort and time were worth the wait in what is one of the best and most original takes on the battle royale formula. By implementing survival horror themes and stealth, Hunt is not only difficult but it presents players with a feeling of tension that is completely lacking in games like PUBG and Fortnite.
In addition to the horror-themed gameplay mechanics, one of the biggest draws of The Hunt is the variety of weapons it offers. Let’s take a look at some of the best available in the game according to stats, price, and usefulness in battle.
Updated on October 17th, 2020 by Drew Ferguson: Still being constantly updated, improved, and refined, Hunt Showdown has remained one of the most unique and rewarding entries into the FPS, Survival, Battle Royale, and Horror genres. Many of the updates throughout 2020 has focused on balancing weapons, adding new weapons/traits, and refining existing mechanics. As such, some weapons have improved in viability while others have waned, slightly. This list has been updated to include five more weapons that, either because they're a good value for what they bring or simply because they're completely and utterly amazing, absolutely need some spotlight.
15 The Crossbow
The Crossbow might not be the easiest weapon to use. It has a spectacularly low skill floor, but it also has an incredibly high skill ceiling. Most variations of this are silent, and some of them have bolts that can be retrieved, making ammo an easy commodity to manage. It has some serious projectile drop, but once players get used to managing that and the travel time, it's a weapon that can do some ludicrous damage while keeping under the (metaphorical) radar.
It's a weapon that has some incredible variety, too. There's the hand crossbow version (which most players will have to start with) which only takes up a medium weapon slot, though it's definitely a bit less beefy. Some variations on the crossbow poison enemies, some fire explosive bolts, etc. There's a ton of potential when it comes to crossbows, and getting a kill on another player with one of these is one of the most rewarding feelings in any video game.
14 The Lemat Mark II
The Lemat Mark II doesn't necessarily excel at anything, but it's on the list because of its versatility. It might not be the cheapest option, but it's a pretty decent pistol with a solid magazine size and a shotgun underbarrel. This is a weapon that can accompany players into a lot of different situations, freeing them to bring just about anything as their second weapon, since this is a small weapon. Unload this thing, shotgun and all on whatever is in front of you, and watch it melt away with some serious speed.
13 The Vetterli 71 Karabiner
The Vetterli Karabiner isn't the best rifle in the game, but it has some really good value. It's one of the least expensive rifles in the game, while still doing some really solid damage and having a scoped variety. It's a weapon that's very easy to use in medium-range, has a decent amount of ammunition before needing to reload, and is a solid weapon for players to get their feet wet with before transitioning to the more expensive rifle varieties.
12 The Sparks LRR
One of the highest damage-per-shot weapons in the game at a staggering 149 (players have 150 health, for context), the Sparks LRR is a sniper's dream. For players that want to keep their distance and prefer to set up ambushes from afar, this is going to be one of the weapons of choice. This weapon even comes with a silenced variation, making it difficult for enemies to even locate where the shots are coming from, which is especially useful when engaging with multiple enemies. (Or if you happen to miss.)
11 The Bomb Lance
Let's be honest, this weapon would make the list based on the name alone, but good for us, it's a beast of a weapon, too. The Bomb Lance deals absolutely catastrophic melee damage, and has an ammo capacity of five, meaning it can be used at (short) range, as well. The explosion deals 150 damage, meaning if you manage to hit a player with it, it is going to kill them unless they have a specific build. Regardless, it will do unspeakable damage to them, making them an easy kill for whatever else you happen to be carrying around. Got a flyswatter? That would probably do.
10 The Nagant M1895 Silencer
The Nagant M1895 Silencer is available at rank 28 and is useful for players that enjoy a quieter and more deadly approach. Unfortunately, without pin-point accuracy in regard to headshots, it doesn’t have great stopping power compared to others on this list.
The Silencer’s real usefulness, however, is its ability to create distractions and diversions. It is unrivaled and perfect for those that love to fight tactically. In addition, it’s also a great weapon for killing zombies and hellhounds quickly and silently without drawing the attention of a mob.
9 The Caldwell Conversion Uppercut
The Caldwell Conversion Uppercut is available once the hunter reaches a rank of 44 and has a price of $275. It combines well with the “Fanning trait” although it is massively outperformed by the Caldwell Conversion Chain Pistol, which is available much earlier at level 32.
Nevertheless, the Uppercut has devastating stopping power in the right hands and perfectly complements weapons better suited for long-range. However, hunters need to make sure their aim is good or they could potentially waste the limited ammo.
8 The Nagant 1895 Officer
The Nagant 1895 Officer is a good all-rounder that becomes available at level 10. It’s also reasonably priced at $26 for such a powerful side-arm at close range. It’s a good weapon to complement long-range rifles due to its stopping power if the enemy gets a little too close for comfort.
Additionally, it handles as well as the Nagant M1895 but with a much higher damage per second. It has good accuracy thanks to its sights and is great for getting headshots.
7 The Cavalry Saber
A melee weapon, the Cavalry Saber may seem quite limited when compared to weapons that double up as both a firearm and a melee weapon like the Romero 77 Hatchet. However, not only does it maintain the user’s silence it gives them the capability to dispatch enemies and monsters in quick succession.
It’s also great for players that like to get up close and personal because its piercing capability can dish out massive bleeding damage to any point of an enemy’s body. It also has a much better range than the machete and cheaper at the price of $22. However, hunters need to achieve the level rank of 50 before they can purchase it.
6 The Dolch 96
The Dolch 96 is, shot for shot, the most powerful side-arm in the game and is even more powerful than most of The Hunt’s shotguns. It’s a semi-automatic with a 10-shot magazine and is based on the real-life German gun the Mauser C-96.
It’s deadly no matter where the bullet hits the body, meaning that it’s forgiving when caught in a bind where players are forced to react as quickly as possible. Its 10-shot capacity means that it’s very capable of putting away ten enemies in succession with some well-placed shots. Unfortunately, it’s ridiculously expensive at $750 and players need to be at a level of 61 to attain it.
5 The Nagant M1895 Officer Carbine
The Nagant M1885 Officer Carbine is a suped-up version of the original Officer Carbine side-arm taking it from a short-range weapon to a mid-long range weapon. It’s also one of the easier weapons in the game to handle with headshots being much easier to attain due to its recoil.
It’s available for players at a level 17 and above and is reasonably priced at $36. It has a high rate of fire and is easy to control for even the most inexperienced players. It’s definitely worth getting this modified weapon as soon as possible.
4 The Caldwell Conversion Chain Pistol (With Fanning)
The Caldwell Conversion Chain Pistol is a fairly useful, albeit standard, side-arm that can hold a lot of ammo. With the addition of the “fanning trait," however, it becomes one of the most deadly guns in the game. The players need to make sure that their hunter has the fanning trait in order to get the most out of the weapon.
With the trait, hunters will be able to annihilate other players and even bosses with crumble under the pressure of this weapon. However, it isn’t attainable until the player reaches a level of 32 but on the plus side, it is very affordable at just $33.
3 Winfield M1873
The Winfield M1873 is one of the most versatile weapons in the game. Through the use of the M1873C version, players will learn to get to grips with the weapon and its handling very quickly, so when the M1873 variant becomes available at level 14 it is deadly in the right player’s hands.
It deals massive 85 chest damage within a 10-meter range and players that are well-versed in its use can be dangerous at medium and long ranges. Hunters with good accuracy using the M1873 can nail a lethal headshot at ranges of up to 67 meters.
2 The Crown And King Auto-5
The Crown and King Auto-5 shotgun is the most powerful short-range weapon in the game and has an incredibly fast rate of fire at 70. It has a damage level of 64 and is the absolute destroyer in PvP matches. No other shotgun in the game comes close to the Auto-5.
Being such a powerful weapon, it takes a lot of work to earn the Auto-5 as it doesn’t unlock until the player reaches level 92. So the weapon takes a long time to earn but the pay off will be very much worth the effort. Just be sure to include a well-balanced loadout to complement it.
1 The Mosin-Nagant M1891
The Mosin-Nagant M1981 is by far the best weapon in the game. It caters to players that are fighting in long-range conflicts and close quarters due to its bayonet variant. It can cause a significant amount of damage at long ranges even when the player’s aim isn’t that great but it’s devastating at close range with a well-aimed shot.
The Mosin-Nagant can only be achieved once the player has reached level 67 and has a cost of $450. It has a range of 70, damage of 46, control at 40, and a good reload speed at 60, making it one of the most powerfully balanced weapons in the game.