Best Weapons In Hunt: Showdown 1896

Key Takeaways

• Hunt: Showdown 1896 offers a more hardcore experience with visual upgrades, new content, and gameplay changes.
• The update emphasizes rewards for mastering weapons and gunfights, with teamplay remaining crucial.
• New weapons like the Bomb Lance shake up the meta, providing players with unique options for gameplay.

Hunt: Showdown 1896 is the new, upgraded version of the same extraction shooter that comes with visual improvements, UI refresh, new content, and a few significant gameplay changes to make the experience a bit more hardcore than before while valuing the skills of the players.

With this re-release, Crytek shook up the things that once were quite easy to achieve, more like long-range kills with sniper rifles. The gunfights in Hunt: Showdown 1896 will be more lethal and players are rewarded for mastering each weapon and improving their aim, though teamplay is still a crucial part of the experience.

Updated on December 3, 2024, by Mehrdad Khayyat: After a significant visual upgrade and rebranding, Hunt: Showdown 1896 continues to deliver more content to the game and get the problems out of the way one after another.

The developers added four new weapons recently with Update 2.1.1, shaking up the meta a little bit, especially for those who love sniping and getting kills from a long range. So, this list indeed requires a revisit.

22 Crossbow

A Great Beginning To Master Bow Gameplay

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) that 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.

21 Cavalry Saber

Economic And Effective Option To Slay Undead And Bosses

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 who 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 but is a little more expensive at the price of $50.

20 Bomb Lance

Specialized In Melee And Short-Range Battles With Devastating Damage

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 4, meaning it can be used at (short) range, as well.

The explosion deals 150 damage, meaning if the player manages to hit an opponent with it, the shot 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 the secondary weapon on the loadout. Got a flyswatter? That would probably do.

19 Bomb Launcher

One-Shot Enemies By This Old-School Grenade Launcher

Bomb Launcher can be easily considered as a counterpart to Bomb Lance, but it works a bit differently and it could earn players multi-kills if they know how and when to use the bombs.

Bomb Launcher does not deal big damage on hit, but instead, it causes the launched bomb to explode after a short delay, which can instantly kill opponents if they are the proximity of the explosion.

Bomb Launcher comes with bigger reserve ammo compared to Bomb Lance and it only focuses on ranged battle without any significant melee superiority.

18 LeMat

Combination Of A Pistol And A Shorty

Lemat 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 under-barrel. 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.

Even as a pistol, LeMat has a significant drop-range which makes it great for mid-range battles. The reload time is quite time-consuming, but a magazine size of 9 is not too bad for a pistol that can deal up to 97 body damage.

17 Vetterli 71

A Beginner-Friendly Rifle To Train Aiming Skills

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 at 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. Even the iron sight for Vetterli 71 is easier to use compared to other rifles as it gives the player a clean look at their target before firing.

16 Sparks

Built For The One-Shot-One-Kill Masters

One of the highest damage-per-shot weapons in the game at a staggering 149 (players have 150 health, for context), the Sparks is a sniper’s dream. For players who 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 in case of missing a few shots.)

15 Nagant M1895 Silencer

Best Secondary Weapon For Solo Hunters

The Nagant M1895 Silencer is useful for players who enjoy a quieter and more deadly approach. Unfortunately, without pinpoint accuracy with 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 who 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 hunter, especially in solo plays.

14 Uppercut

Doing A Rifle’s Job Within A Pistol’s Range

The Caldwell Conversion Uppercut has a price of $414. It combines well with the “Fanning trait” although it is massively outperformed by the Caldwell Conversion Chain Pistol, which is available at a much lower cost of $84.

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.

13 Officer

A Compact Pistol With Significant Damage Rate

The Nagant 1895 Officer is a good all-rounder. It’s also reasonably priced at $96 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. The total ammo might not be enough for a pistol, so Officer users will still need to shoot carefully.

12 Bornheim No.3

Semi-Automatic Pistol For Sustained Firing

Semi-automatic pistols in Hunt: Showdown 1896 are usually popular as they allow players to keep firing without the need to take cover after every shot. While Bornheim No. 3 is not the best pistol in this category, it is a cheap starter to train aiming skills with pistols and get adapted to their wider sway.

While it cannot duke Dolch 96 out, Bornheim No. 3 comes with an easily tamable vertical recoil compared to its main nemesis, which is why it is a better option for new players or those who are not good at running and firing. Also, Bornheim offers a slightly higher fire rate and drop range.

11 Maynard Sniper

A Solid Rifle For Sharpshooters To Hold Position

Added with the 2.1.1 update to Hunt: Showdown 1896, Crytek finally brought a brand-new sniper rifle to the game, and it is indeed the best one to ever exist!

The Maynard Sniper comes with a significant damage-to-range ratio, and while it can’t kill the opponents with a single body-shot, it will leave them so close to death by triggering a simple trap.

With a Sway score of 69, Maynard Sniper is even better than some other scope-free weapons. Thanks to its clear scope vision, Maynard can be a great starter for anyone who wants to try sniping in the game.

10 Dolch 96

Most Powerful Semi-Automatic Pistol With Fast Reload

The Dolch 96 is, shot for shot, the most powerful side-arm in the game and is even more powerful than most 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 $690.

9 Officer Carbine

Best Medium-Slot Option For Those Running With A Shotgun As Primary

The Nagant M1885 Officer Carbine is a suped-up version of the original Officer side-arm taking it from a short-range weapon to a mid-long-range one. 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 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. Unlike the base version, Officer Carbine will not be unlocked from the very beginning. The players will need to earn up 450 XP with the base version of Officer or any other variant to unlock this.

8 Conversion Chain Pistol

Great For Rushing The Opponent Hunters

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.

With the trait, hunters will be able to annihilate other players and even bosses with crumble under the pressure of this weapon. The trait will increase the overall fire rate of this weapon, making it more like a semi-automatic pistol but with a larger magazine. The reload speed, however, is a big problem to consider. Players must think of taking cover before they are down to zero bullets in the magazine.

7 Centennial

Great Starter For Training Long-Range Gunfights

Centennial is one of the most versatile weapons in the game. Through the use of the base version, players will learn to get to grips with the weapon and its handling very quickly, so when the modified variant becomes available it is deadly in the right player’s hands.

It deals 123 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 Centennial can nail a lethal headshot at ranges of up to 140 meters. The weapon also comes with a large magazine, which is all a rifleman needs to keep firing at their target even with flawed aiming.

6 Krag

Bolt-Action Rifle With Minimal Recoil

Krag comes with a pretty long drop range and an acceptable damage rate. While it cannot one-shot the rival hunters, it has a very minimal vertical recoil, which makes the sustained fire much easier compared to most other rifles listed here. So, Krag can be a good companion for any starter in Hunt: Showdown 1896.

The weapon comes with the same magazine size as Mosin-Nagant, but the player will have to put in the bullets one by one, which forces a longer reload time for Krag and pushes it way behind its Russian competitor on the list. However, it is still a superb weapon to fire when moving.

5 Rival 78 Mace

A Reliable Shotgun With Brief Reload Time

Rival 78 might not be the best shotgun in Hunt: Showdown 1896 when it comes to the damage amount, but it does have some other great stats that make it work pretty well for those who want to endure longer in the gunfights.

It is one of the few shotguns in the game that comes with sub-5 reload time. Although the magazine can only hold two bullets at a time, it’s still something to consider for players who may not always have a cover to hide behind for a chill reload.

The weapon’s damage, however, is still quite deadly, and it can one-shot opponents at the proper range.

4 Auto-5

Easy-To-Use Semi-Automatic Shotgun

The Crown and King Auto-5 shotgun is one of the most powerful short-range weapons in the game and has a fast rate of fire at 24. It has a damage level of 194 and is the absolute destroyer in PvP matches that can one-shot any hunter in the proper range.

Auto-5 only comes with 11 bullets overall, and players should really keep those rounds for rival hunters unless there are none left on the map. Auto-5 is semi-automatic, and it comes with a lower reload speed compared to other shotguns on the list. However, the weapon is quite expensive.

3 Specter 1882

Pump-Action Shotgun With Lethal Bullets

The best advantage of shotguns in close-range fights is not their devastating damage. In fact, it’s the weapon’s ability to remain accurate even in hip-fire that makes shotguns popular in Hunt: Showdown 1896. Now, if a shotgun can deal enough damage to one-shot anyone in its range, then why not have it in the arsenal?

Although Specter 1882 has a longer reload time compared to Auto-5, it comes with far less sway compared to the latter and more bullets in reserve. Of course, the extra damage dealt by Specter 1882 cannot be ignored either, which makes it useful against bosses as well.