On March 18, 2026, a large-scale 2.7 update called Devil’s Trail was released for Hunt: Showdown 1896. The rules of survival in the swamps of Louisiana and the rocky gorges of Colorado have changed — now the locations are covered with smoke from fires, and the search for evacuation points and stagecoaches has become an independent quest for players. At the same time, the Hunters themselves now leave much more clues for their pursuers. All the details of the latest patch are in our material.
Table of Contents
The plot of Devil’s Trail and the combat pass of patch 2.7
The plot of Devil’s Trail is tied to the dark story of two cousins from the Anishinaabe people, former military intelligence officers known as He-Who-Flies and the Red Crow. The Indians were hired to collect data on Pollution, but the reality of Louisiana turned out to be much scarier than any reports.
The search for shelter leads the heroes to the Cook, a character with extremely specific culinary preferences for human flesh. He promises salvation through a Hunter initiation ritual. As a result, the scouts gain Dark Vision, but the price is exorbitant: the whispers of Filth drive them crazy, turning a data collection mission into a bloodbath for their own pleasure. All the battlepass content is somehow tied to this crazy trio.
New and Returned Hunters in Devil’s Trail
In addition to key figures from the paid branch, Crytek brings back familiar characters and expands gang lines.:
-
Rewards for the Story challenge: Jeanne Damon: The Catcher and Leon Ulitsky: The Fugitive returned to the game — players remember these skins even before switching to the new engine.
-
Replenishment of the Turncoat Gang: You can now pick up a Bandit and a Robber for Blood Bonds. Both newcomers adhere to the style of their leader and hide their faces behind characteristic high collars.
Fireman and Monster Balance Changes in Hunt Showdown 1896
A new type of threat has been added to the bestiary — the Firebreather. This is a former pyromaniac from the Traitor’s gang, who now wanders among the ordinary Possessed and pours flames all around.
Firebreather Features:
-
Uses flamethrower mechanics from past events.
-
Detonates when receiving stab wounds (like Inferno).
-
It is immune to suffocating bombs — it will not be possible to extinguish it.
The developers have also shaken up the balance of familiar creatures. Inferno now deals minor damage, “charring” the health bar, but has become more vulnerable to poisonous bullets (although he still doesn’t mind the clouds of poison themselves). An important change has affected Leeches and Animals: now a skill is 100% likely to drop out of them, but you need to pick it up quickly — it disappears 90 seconds after activation by the first player. To add atmosphere to the monsters, new animations of passive behavior have been added, so that the swamps will become a little more “alive”.
Well, stalking in Hunt: Showdown 1896 goes to a completely different level — the strategy within the framework of the Devil’s Trail event has changed radically. Now, at the beginning of each match, the gameplay turns into a “blind” hunt: evacuation points and supply stagecoaches are hidden by the fog of war. The only way to clarify the situation is to get to one of the two Scout Towers marked on the map.
Reconnaissance towers and a system of presence traces
The tower is not just a firing point, but a strategic hub. It is there that hunters can get a scout map to restore information about the area. In addition, tarot cards, sniper rifles, and information about new burnt carts will be displayed on the towers. These wagons are a fat source of event points, they are easily recognizable by the columns of smoke on the horizon.
By the way, you can now find competitors based on indirect evidence — Crytek has added a “presence trace” system to the game:
-
Medicine: used first-aid kits now leave bloody bandages on the ground.
-
Interactive: posters and boxes immediately show that they have already been searched.
-
Environment: open doors can no longer be tightly closed — there is always a gap.
-
Parkour and noise: climbing over fences leaves noticeable footprints, and blown barrels or startled crows “give” locations a pile of debris and feathers.
Footprints that speak for themselves
The tracking mechanics in Hunt: Showdown 2.0 received a major upgrade in patch 2.7 — and it’s not cosmetics. The evidence now forms a real chain: the searched box, the blood puddle, and the trampled grass by the window work together, forcing you to read the map differently.
The footprints became talking. I jumped over the fence and there was a footprint on the board. I picked the lock, and there were splinters nearby. I fired recently — the casings are still smoking. The Crytek developers clearly listened to the community: every detail is tied to a specific hunter’s action, and not scattered randomly.
The cost of the mistake has increased. A thrown bandage or a startled flock of birds — and the position is revealed. In cramped locations like Lawson Delta, tracking 2.7 is especially ruthless: where luck used to save, now everything is decided by attentiveness.
Along the way, Hunt: Showdown 2.0 turns into a game not so much about accuracy as about the ability to read space. Watch out for the crows, or you’ll be the prey yourself.
Tarot Cards and Hearing Enhancement Skill in Patch 2.7
The information advantage in patch 2.7 is also provided by mystical tools. Tarot cards have become a powerful tool for those who prefer to know about the enemy in advance: — “High Priestess”: hovers in the air for 30 seconds, pointing a stream of smoke at the nearest opponent (duplicated by a mark on the compass). — Pathfinder: briefly highlights on the map all the clues that other players have already explored. — The “All Ears” skill: when Dark Vision is activated, it directively and very powerfully amplifies all sounds in the direction where the character is looking.
Cross-play and weapon rebalancing in Hunt Showdown 1896
Crytek did not forget about the technical side either. The main news for console developers is a full-fledged code invite. Now PlayStation and Xbox players can safely gather in one lobby. On a PC, this feature is also useful: you can quickly invite a person to a party without wasting time adding Steam friends.
The interface has been “combed” once again. In the Hunters window, you can now hire and immediately equip fighters in one menu, and switching skins for guns is implemented through convenient arrows.
What has been tweaked in the balance of weapons:
-
Small caliber: punches through walls a little more vigorously.
-
Vetterli Cyclone: the damage dropped to 120 units, but the recoil increased — it became more difficult to shoot, and now there are only 16 rounds in stock.
-
“Mako”: the rifle has become angrier — the delay between shots has been reduced to 1.35 seconds, and a full reload now takes 11 seconds instead of 13.
-
Berthier and Romero “Alamo”: both barrels have become faster — the reloading of the “Alamo”, for example, has almost doubled (from 14 to 8.2 seconds).
-
LeMat “Mower”: it is now possible to throw new cartridges in 18.2 seconds.
-
Flamethrower rifle: burns longer due to the increased tank, but the damage to mobs has been slightly reduced.
The changes also affected magical effects: the “Sun” map now works for a minute and a half, and the “Tower” has learned how to shoot wild targets — Demons and Abominations. At the same time, all tarot cards now have predictable spawn points, which reduces the impact of randomness on the outcome of the hunt.
