# Hunt: Showdown 1896 Update 2.8.1 Now Live - Product: Hunt: Showdown 1896 (https://whatsnew.fyi/product/hunt-showdown-1896) - Vendor: Crytek - Date: 2026-07-01 - Original notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/594650/view/710027547571651816 - Permalink: https://whatsnew.fyi/product/hunt-showdown-1896/releases/2026-07-01-update-2.8.1-now-live What's New is an index, not a publisher: every entry below links to the vendor's own release notes, which are the authoritative source. Entries are labelled where they are hand-curated sample data, pre-releases, or drawn from a secondary source such as a developer blog. Reuse: the summaries, labels and curation here are © What's New. Quote freely with attribution and a link back; wholesale republication of the corpus is not permitted — terms: https://whatsnew.fyi/terms. The vendors' own release notes remain their publishers'. --- - **changed** — Adjusted reserve ammo for most shotguns, increasing full-size shotgun ammo and reducing sawn-off shotgun ammo - **changed** — Adjusted prices of Terminus, Terminus Shorty, Slate, Slate Riposte, Rival 78, Rival 78 Trauma, Rival 78 Shorty, and Rival 78 Mace - **changed** — Increased Springfield 1866 damage from 132 to 139 - **changed** — Increased Springfield 1866 High Velocity damage from 126 to 132 - **changed** — Increased Springfield 1866 Explosive damage from 123 to 125 - **changed** — Increased Springfield 1866 Shorty damage from 130 to 135 - **changed** — Increased Springfield 1866 Shorty High Velocity damage from 123 to 128 - **changed** — Increased Springfield 1866 Shorty Explosive damage from 123 to 125 - **changed** — Reduced Berthier 1892 damage from 132 to 128 - **changed** — Reduced Berthier 1892 Spitzer damage from 113 to 109 - **changed** — Nitro Express no longer has random deviation when firing from ADS over longer distances - **changed** — Shadow Leap trait interaction time reduced from 4 to 3 seconds - **changed** — Increased Mako 1895 reserve ammo from 8 to 10 for Basic, FMJ, and Explosive - **added** — Player Profile Avatars from DLC hunters will be automatically unlocked for players who own the corresponding DLC with Chapter 2 Hunters, Update 2.8.1 is now live! You will find description below. Make sure to check again tomorrow for the start of Road to Hell: Chapter 2, which will bring the arrival of the Cargo Balloon. You'll also be able to witness the tragedy of the 26th Regiment's downfall up close in the free Story Challenge "The Regiment's Last Stand." There will be a separate announcement for Chapter 2 on July 2nd. ##### Gunplay The Inventory Rework opened new possibilities and incentivized greater loadout diversity, though some new pain points have been noted. We've seen the feedback and are bringing the first set in a series of changes aimed to fine tune the system further. We’ll continue observing player feedback and weapon data to ensure the arsenal will slowly but steadily find its new balance. What we have seen so far is very encouraging, but there is still more work left to do and some equipment has not yet fully settled as players keep experimenting with new combinations. ##### Shotguns We've adjusted the reserve ammo of most shotguns, increasing the amount full-size shotguns carry while reducing sawn-off shotguns. - Auto-5 - Basic from 6 to 8 - Flechette from 6 to 8 - Slugs from 4 to 5 - Penny Shot from 9 to 12 - Rival 78 - Basic from 8 to 12 - Flechette from 8 to 12 - Dragon Breath from 8 to 12 - Slugs from 5 to 8 - Penny Shot from 12 to 18 - Homestead 78 - Basic from 8 to 12 - Flechette from 8 to 12 - Dragon Breath from 8 to 12 - Slugs from 5 to 8 - Penny Shot from 12 to 18 - Romero 77 Alamo - Basic from 5 to 12 - Dragon Breath from 5 to 12 - Slugs from 3 to 8 - Penny Shot from 8 to 18 - Starshell from 3 to 8 - Slate - Basic from 6 to 12 - Dragon Breath from 6 to 12 - Slugs from 4 to 8 - Penny Shot from 9 to 18 - Specter 1882 - Basic from 10 to 12 - Flechette from 10 to 12 - Dragon Breath from 10 to 12 - Slugs from 6 to 8 - Penny Shot from 15 to 18 - Terminus - Basic from 8 to 12 - Flechette from 8 to 12 - Dragon Breath from 8 to 12 - Slugs from 5 to 8 - Penny Shot from 12 to 18 - Rival 78 Shorty - Basic from 6 to 4 - Flechette from 6 to 4 - Dragon Breath from 6 to 4 - Slugs from 4 to 3 - Penny Shot from 9 to 6/list] - Romero 77 Shorty - Basic from 5*2 to 2*2 - Dragon Breath from 5*2 to 2*2 - Slugs from 3*2 to 1*2 - Penny Shot from 8*2 to 3*2 - Starshell from 3*2 to 1*2 - Specter 1882 Shorty - Basic from 8 to 4 - Flechette from 8 to 4 - Dragon Breath from 8 to 4 - Slugs from 5 to 3 - Penny Shot from 12 to 6 - Terminus Shorty - Basic from 6 to 4 - Flechette from 6 to 4 - Dragon Breath from 6 to 4 - Slugs from 4 to 3 - Penny Shot from 9 to 6 _**Dev Note: **With sawn-off shotguns becoming Size 2, they now have become an enticing choice with few downsides. To make them feel more fitting in the Size 2 category, we've decided to reduce their reserve ammo across the board. Full-size shotguns, on the other hand, have stagnated, dropping a little in usage with the recent changes. To strengthen their position and give players that still want to build their loudouts around shotguns viable options, we’ve added reserve ammo to full-size shotguns across the board, making them a stronger alternative compared to the sawn-off shotguns._ Alongside the ammo changes we've adjusted the prices of some shotguns: - Terminus: 238 -> 168 - Terminus Shorty: 218 -> 148 - Slate: 333 -> 313 - Slate Riposte: 343 -> 323 - Rival 78: 150 -> 170 - Rival 78 Trauma: 160 -> 180 - Rival 78 Shorty: 125 -> 145 - Rival 78 Mace: 135 -> 155 ##### Other Changes **Springfield 1866** - Increased Damage from 132 to 139 - Increased High Velocity Damage from 126 to 132 - Increased Explosive Damage from 123 to 125 **Springfield 1866 Shorty** - Increased Damage from 130 to 135 - Increased High Velocity Damage from 123 to 128 - Increased Explosive Damage from 123 to 125 _**Dev Note: **With Dumdum Ammo becoming Scarce, _[Truncated at 4000 characters — full notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/594650/view/710027547571651816]_