The best weapons in Hunt: Showdown

Hunt: Showdown meshes a wide array of influences to make a multiplayer shooter unlike many of its peers, requiring players to reconsider what they expect. Between the swarms of zombified grunts, your opponents, and trying to find and slay each round's bounty, a lot of tact is needed to conquer Crytek's desolate wasteland.

Your loadout is crucial. All the Hunt: Showdown weapons offer strengths and weaknesses, and it's up to you to find exactly what matches your playstyle. Certain rifles may be powerful, but too loud, attracting unwanted attention. Machetes and axes necessitate close-quarters combat, putting you at serious risk if you miss the first swing. Synergy is key, both for yourself and your team. Here are the best weapons to get you wins in Hunt: Showdown.

Hunt: Showdown light weapons

Caldwell Pax Claw

Stats: Capacity: 6/9, Range: 40, Damage: 32, Control: 30, Rate of Fire: 55, Reload Speed: 40, Melee: 26, Stealth: 30, Heavy Melee: 34

A modification on the classic Wild West revolver, the Caldwell Pax Claw requires the Caldwell Pax, first.

The additional knife increases melee damage exponentially, making it a strong backup tool. Becoming surrounded by a mindless horde is a routine occurrence in Hunt: Showdown, and it's good to have something ready in case you need to explode a bunch of heads and escape. The Caldwell Pax Claw serves this purpose nicely, with the added bonus that if anything gets too close or you need to conserve ammo, the sharp end can easily cleave through flesh, zombified or otherwise.

Machete

Stats: Melee: 32, Heavy Melee: 48

It doesn't have the same heft as the axe, or grace of the Cavalary Saber, but you can swing the Machete faster and use it to cut through undergrowth—very handy for Hunt: Showdown's ample marshes. Between the exploratory uses and damage, this is a worthwhile choice if you know what you're doing with a primary long-range weapon.

Hunt: Showdown medium weapons

Romero 77 Hatchet

Stats: Range: 10, Damage: 72, Control: 30, Rate of Fire: 10, Reload Speed: 40, Melee: 32, Stealth: 20, Heavy Melee: 48

You'll have to upgrade through a couple of Romero 77 models—the Handcannon and Talon—to get this sawn-off version. But, the payoff is worth it:the Romero 77 Hatchet is a hefty medium-sized piece of kit.

Between the sheer force of this thing's blasts and the lovely piece of sharpened steel on the end, this is a rugged firearm that will make short work of any enemy you face. This is particularly good for the close-quarters battles with the game’s bounties. The major drawback is the noise generated: every foul beast nearby will know all about it. It's single-barrelled, so be wary of the reload speed. It's reliable, if you can handle it.

Hand Crossbow Poison

Stats: Range: 30, Damage: 48, Control: 60, Rate of Fire: 10, Reload Speed: 10, Melee: 6, Stealth: 90, Heavy Melee: 12

The Hand Crossbow Poison is pure assassin apparatus. At medium, there's a slight speed advantage to the larger versions; it's perfect for a bit of ranged hunting.

Not only is it precise but, even if you lose that perfect shot, hitting a limb will induce toxic damage your target has to deal with. If you're quick and quiet, you can run circles around foes.

Hunt: Showdown heavy weapons

Crossbow

Stats: Range: 40, Damage: 80, Control: 70, Rate of Fire: 10, Reload Speed: 10, Melee: 24, Stealth: 90, Heavy Melee: 36

After you've acquired the Hand Crossbow Poison, buy the Crossbow, one of the best heavy weapons on offer. The Crossbow needs practice and finesse to wield appropriately, but it's worth it.

Among the most accurate and quiet long-range guns, you can park on the outskirts and score critical shots and still be hard to spot. A single well-placed arrow—the closer the better—to the upper body will be the end of most grunts, and will deal decent damage to monsters and other opponents. Its greatest asset, however, is that you can retrieve fired bolts from dead bodies, allowing you to let the bodies pile up without spending an arrow.

Vetterli 71 Karabiner Bayonet

Stats: Range: 60, Damage: 44, Control: 50, Rate of Fire: 40, Reload Speed: 40, Melee: 24, Stealth: 20, Heavy Melee: 64

On the other hand, if you're all about sheer firepower, the Vetterli 71 Karabiner Bayonet is Hunt: Showdown's top-of-the-line heavy firearm.

This thing feels like a knock-out punch, even from 50 yards away. The Vetterli 71 handles whatever you put in its cross hairs. Sound is an issue—these gunshots reverberate far and wide—and regular reloads will make you vulnerable. Few things are quite as satisfying as running through an unsuspecting other player with the bayonet, though.

Hunt: Showdown legendary weapons

Special legendary skins for your weapons can be bought and earned in Hunt: Showdown. These variations are gorgeous and, if you choose not to spend any real world currency on them, serve as great reflections of your hard hunting work. Nevertheless, they are cosmetic and have no bearing on the gameplay.

To earn legendary weapons the old-fashioned way, you must prestige by getting to rank 100 in your Bloodline. Your ranking then resets to the prestige counter, and at each of the following levels, you’ll be given a set legendary skin: 5, 10, 25, 50, 100.

You’ll get a random legendary skin at each of these levels: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 20, 30, 40, 60, 70, 80 and 90.

Alternatively you can buy them with Blood Bonds, which you can earn in-game or purchase with real money.

Once a legendary weapon is unlocked, it's locked to your account. If you die and the weapon is taken, simply buying it back from the store for the regular cost will restore it and the legendary skin to your inventory.

The Legendary weapons earned through prestige are:

Level 5: ‘Louisiana Lustrum’, Sparks LRR

Level 10: ‘Golden Ticket’, Bornheim No. 3

Level 25: ‘Silver Quarter’, Quad Derringer

Level 50: ‘Fifty Laurels’, Winfield M1873

Level 100: ‘The Centenary’, Mosin-Nagant M1891