Hunt: Showdown 1896 Walkthrough — Start to Endgame

Hunt: Showdown 1896 is a tense PvPvE extraction shooter set in a monster-infested Louisiana bayou during the late 1800s. The 2024 engine upgrade to CryEngine 5.11 dramatically improved visuals and performance while adding the new Mammon's Gulch map. Every match drops 12 players (solos, duos, or trios) into a map where they hunt AI boss monsters while watching for other hunters doing the same. The permadeath system means losing a hunter erases all their equipped gear and earned traits, making every firefight genuinely nerve-wracking.

This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. Follow this path to avoid common traps that stall most players.

Quick Progression Summary

Phase 1: Getting Started — Stillwater Bayou

The original map featuring swamp terrain, flooded compounds, and dense vegetation. Water splashing is a major sound giveaway. Key compounds include Pitching Crematorium, Healing Waters Church, and Blanchett Graves. The open water areas between compounds are extremely dangerous for rotations.

Level/Difficulty: All skill levels Key Rewards: Boss bounty tokens, contraband weapons from dead hunters, trait XP

What to Do in Stillwater Bayou

1. Learn bounty extraction. Each map spawns 1-2 boss monsters in random compounds. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
2. Pick Shotgun Rusher as your starting role. It's the most forgiving option.
3. The Sparks + hand crossbow combo (known as 'Sparky') is one of the most lethal budget loadouts — Sparks body shot leaves 1 HP, then a quick hand crossbow bolt finishes the kill instantly.
4. Acquire your first weapons upgrade — Caldwell Rival 78 or whatever's available.
5. Clear all main content before moving on.

Phase 1 Checklist

• Understand bounty extraction fundamentals
• Shotgun Rusher selected and functional
• Stillwater Bayou main content cleared
• Ready for Lawson Delta

Phase 2: Early Game — Lawson Delta

A more arid map with farmland, industrial areas, and elevated terrain. Features longer sightlines than Stillwater making long ammo more dominant. Fort Bolden and Windy Run are common boss spawns with excellent defensive positions.

Level/Difficulty: All skill levels Key Rewards: Boss bounty tokens, better sightlines for sniper play

What to Do in Lawson Delta

1. Work on dark sight. Dark Sight is activated by holding the world map button and highlights interactable objects, clues, and boss locations through walls in a blue-tinted vision mode. This system becomes critical from here on.
2. Farm for Caldwell Rival 78 if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
3. Burn downed hunters by throwing a Lantern or Fire Bomb on their body. This starts a 60-second burn timer that permanently removes health chunks. Enemies must use Choke Bombs to extinguish, revealing their position.
4. Complete all objectives before pushing to DeSalle.
5. Consider whether Long Ammo Sniper might suit your playstyle better than Shotgun Rusher.

Phase 2 Checklist

• dark sight integrated into gameplay
• Caldwell Rival 78 acquired
• Lawson Delta fully cleared
• Ready for DeSalle

Phase 3: Mid Game — DeSalle

The largest map with a small American frontier town, vineyards, and canyon terrain. DeSalle has the most vertical gameplay with multi-story buildings and cliff faces. Upper DeSalle and Lower DeSalle create natural map division for rotations.

Level/Difficulty: All skill levels Key Rewards: Boss bounty tokens, diverse terrain for all playstyles

What to Do in DeSalle

1. Master trait system. Hunters earn trait points from XP gained during matches. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
2. Start working toward Mosin-Nagant. It's the best weapon and becomes accessible around now.
3. Crouch-walking makes no footstep sounds. Use this when approaching compounds where you suspect enemies. Sprint only in open areas where you've confirmed safety.
4. This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
5. Start investing in permadeath for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.

Phase 3 Checklist

• trait system mastered
• Mosin-Nagant acquired or in progress
• DeSalle fully cleared
• Ready for Bounty Lair

Phase 4: Late Game — Bounty Lair

The compound where the boss spawns, identified by the final clue. Boss compounds have limited entry points making them defensible but also trappable. During the 3-minute banish phase, your position is broadcast to all players on the map via lightning effects.

Level/Difficulty: Mid-late match Key Rewards: Boss bounty tokens worth $500+ each, bonus XP, upgrade points

What to Do in Bounty Lair

1. Finalize your build. You should be running Long Ammo Sniper or Shotgun Rusher with optimized gear.
2. Mosin-Nagant should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
3. Concertina Bombs placed on doorways create impassable barriers that deal massive bleed damage. Place them on the exits of a boss compound while banishing to force enemies through specific chokepoints.
4. sound traps optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
5. Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Extraction Points.

Phase 4 Checklist

• Build fully optimized
• Mosin-Nagant upgraded to max
• Bounty Lair fully cleared
• Ready for Extraction Points

Phase 5: Endgame — Extraction Points

Three extraction points spawn per map at the edges. They require a 5-second channel to extract. Enemy teams often camp extractions when they know bounty carriers are heading there. Always approach extractions from unexpected angles and check bushes.

Level/Difficulty: End of match Key Rewards: Successful extraction saves your hunter, gear, and all earned XP/traits

What to Do in Extraction Points

1. Extraction Points tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
2. The Caldwell Uppercut uses long ammo, meaning it shares ammo with rifles like the Mosin and Sparks. Bring an Uppercut as your secondary to effectively double your long ammo reserve.
3. The endgame loop: run Extraction Points, optimize gear, push harder content.
4. Experiment with Bomb Lance for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
5. This is where sound traps mastery separates good players from great ones.

Phase 5 Checklist

• Endgame content on farm
• Best-in-slot gear acquired
• Extraction Points fully cleared
• Ready for challenge content

Common Progression Mistakes

• Sprinting everywhere and triggering every sound trap on the map — experienced players track your exact position by listening to crows, dogs, and footstep audio cues.
• Fighting Immolators with bullets or fire — they explode when hit with concussive or fire damage, hurting you and alerting everyone nearby. Use stabbing melee weapons instead.
• Staying in the boss compound after banishing without trapping exits — the lightning column tells every player on the map exactly where you are.
• Reviving teammates in the open without checking for snipers — always smoke or choke the body first, or drag them behind cover before reviving.
• Bringing a full long-ammo loadout into a compound fight — you need at least one close-range option because most PvP kills happen inside 20 meters around boss lairs.

Key Tips for Smooth Progression

1. The Sparks + hand crossbow combo (known as 'Sparky') is one of the most lethal budget loadouts — Sparks body shot leaves 1 HP, then a quick hand crossbow bolt finishes the kill instantly.
2. Burn downed hunters by throwing a Lantern or Fire Bomb on their body. This starts a 60-second burn timer that permanently removes health chunks. Enemies must use Choke Bombs to extinguish, revealing their position.
3. Crouch-walking makes no footstep sounds. Use this when approaching compounds where you suspect enemies. Sprint only in open areas where you've confirmed safety.
4. Concertina Bombs placed on doorways create impassable barriers that deal massive bleed damage. Place them on the exits of a boss compound while banishing to force enemies through specific chokepoints.
5. The Caldwell Uppercut uses long ammo, meaning it shares ammo with rifles like the Mosin and Sparks. Bring an Uppercut as your secondary to effectively double your long ammo reserve.

For detailed build optimization, see Hunt: Showdown 1896 builds. For quick wins, check tips & tricks.