Developer Insight: Inventory Slot Rework
Hunt: Showdown 1896 Patch Notes — June 2, 2026
Aggregated from Steam, cross-tracked with Battle.net coverage on GamePatchNote.
Hunters,
As part of Update 2.8, we’re excited to announce that we have created a new Inventory Slot rework! This rework opens up more balancing options, giving players a fairer experience and allowing for more loadout diversity and experimentation. This will change up how you play as well as how others will play against you. Learn all about the changes below as well as what the experts themselves prefer to go for!
So, what’s changed?
Weapon Slots
First of all, Weapon Slots have changed from Small, Medium, and Large to now have a Size number assigned to them between 1 and 5. This new capacity system helps to differentiate between the power of the weapons instead of just their bulkiness.
With the new system, you can now equip your two slots with any combination of weapons that add up to a maximum total Weapon Capacity of 5. Quartermaster has changed to fit the new system and now adds 1 point for a total of 6, keeping its previous purpose of allowing more loadout options. Check out the below screen and what to expect.
With the new system, we can now differentiate between Carbines and full-size rifles, which open up some room for balancing between the two classes. Now, most Carbines are Size 3, whereas rifles are typically Size 4. This opens up a lot of loadout diversity for players and allows for some new combinations that were previously not possible, even with Quartermaster.
Combination changes
We have listened to feedback on certain powerful weapons and combinations, and are confident the new system will be a big step forward.
In the previous system, we often found it challenging to balance certain weapon combinations because the Weapon Slot sizes were limiting. As a rule, we tend to lean towards keeping every weapon as viable as possible rather than nerfing things so much that players never want to use them.
Altogether, this meant that there were combinations that were deemed powerful but that we struggled to balance. However, with the new system we are able to move some of the weapons around, making certain combinations slightly more difficult to get initially or even stopping some from being possible at all.
We understand that there might be some players out there who are disappointed with some of their usual combinations no longer being possible, but rest assured that we will carefully monitor the situation. Overall, we are confident this change will help with managing powerful loadouts and the overall balancing of the game.
We are aware that Hunt can be a lot to take in for new players, so we are hoping this new system is more welcoming to the newcomers in Hunt, as this now makes it clearer which weapons are more powerful by having a more granular slot and number Size system assigned to each.
Tools and Consumables
We are delighted to announce that the previously separated 4 Tool Slots and 4 Consumable Slots have now been merged into 8 total Equipment Slots which can hold either a Tool or a Consumable. This means you are no longer restricted by type and can place Tools or Consumables in any slot combination. There is, however, a limit on Consumables: up to 4 per type (Throwables, Placeables, Shots, and Tarot Cards). For example, this means that you cannot bring more than 4 Consumables that are thrown. If you try to equip another, you will get a pop-up letting you know that you’re at the limit.
These limits are in place to help bring balance to the system and try to reduce spam where possible. The main advantages of the change come from the ability to move the item types around. Due to the nature of the previous system, it often felt like you only had one or two actual choices for Tools, since a First Aid Kit and Melee Tool of some kind feel mandatory. Same for Consumables—if you want to focus on Traps, for example, you might feel like you are wasting Consumable Slots with items you’re not really interested in.
With the new system, you can better tailor your loadout to your playstyle by, for example, picking an extra Consumable or two in place of your Flare Pistol and Choke Bombs. You could also choose a couple more Traps instead of Explosives, etc.
During playtesting, this is where we found the most value from the Equipment Slot rework. We feel the changes lean further into Hunt’s nature, allowing you to interact with the sandbox in a way that best suits you.
Balancing Considerations
With this new update, we have added some new balancing considerations, including:
The more modern Long Ammo weapons (Mosin-Nagant, Berthier 1892, Krag, and Lebel 1886) have now been converted to a new Ammo type, Special Long Ammo. This means that they still share with each other, but no longer with regular Long Ammo (Sparks, Martini-Henry, Uppercut, etc.) and can only be resupplied from Special Ammo Crates, Ammo Boxes, and Full Restocks. Another update is that there are now extra ammo pools depending on new weapon flexibility, meaning that weapons no longer need to compete against their bigger cousins directly. This allows us to take a step back from the balancing and adjust them to match their new competitors with the same Size number. There is a reduced ammo pool for the Berthier 1892, Vetterli 71, and Frontier 73C (all of which are Size 3), but increased ammo pools for the Uppercut and Nitro Express (which are Size 2 and 5).
Dumdum, Explosive, and Spitzer Custom Ammo types will also be scarce now, as well as Frag Arrows for the Hunting Bow and the Waxed Frag Charge for the Bomb Launcher and Bomb Lance.
Loadout Inspiration
To get you accustomed to this new change, the devs have written out their new favorite loadout combinations to give you some inspiration! Check out their go-tos below:
With the new system, I like to go with the 1865 Carbine and the Bomb Launcher with Steel Balls and Harpoon Ammo. The 1865 Carbine has good damage, cycle speed, and still comes with a good amount of ammo. The Bomb Launcher works great as a shotgun when you're up close, but can also deal well with monsters. Since this combo doesn't require Quartermaster, I can still choose the other starting Traits I would usually go with.For Traits, I usually go with Necromancer as first pick, Iron Eye for the 1865, then Dauntless, as you never know when you might need it. Also, Kiteskin and Vigilant.
Paul – Snr. Technical Designer
My favorite new loadout is: Berthier Riposte + Rival Mace. The Berthier at Size 3 is a bit of a powerhouse right now, especially with the cycle rate buffs from Update 2.7. The Riposte and Mace variants can handle all your PvE needs and free up all your Equipment Slots. You’ll probably want the Iron Eye Trait and an Ammo Box, but other than that, go crazy! Have I mentioned this loadout doesn’t require Quartermaster?For even more spice, bring Incendiary Ammo in the Berthier to top off your clips by switching ammo types.
Hunter – Publishing
I run a Vetterli Marksman and a LeMat Carbine. The LeMat handles close-quarters fights while the Vetterli is for longer ranges. I often use High Velocity Ammo on the Vetterli. This loadout requires Quartermaster, since both weapons are Size 3.For Tools, I bring a Throwing Spear to deal with monsters. I also bring a First Aid Kit and Choke Bombs to support teammates. I bring Alert Trip Mines to create chaos, mostly to the detriment of my teammates. My last Tool is the Decoy Fuses. Those I use for pressure and intimidation.
Consumables are a Regeneration Shot, a Concertina Bomb, and a Waxed Dynamite Stick. The Regeneration Shot helps in longer fights. The Concertina Bomb is great for controlling the new Stronghold. I combine a Waxed Dynamite Stick with my Choke Bombs to catch enemies off guard.
For Traits, I start with Quartermaster and Scopesmith. Later I add Frontiersman, Surefoot, Poltergeist, Witness, Doctor, and Physician. Poltergeist is especially useful for disrupting enemy Hunters inside the Stronghold.
Simon – Technical Designer
My favorite new loadout is: Mosin Obrez Sharpeye and the Carbine Officer with Quartermaster.These two weapons offer a versatile loadout for every range. The Obrez gives hard-hitting Long Ammo pressure and scoped picks, while the Carbine dominates close to mid fights with fast follow-up shots. Its main weaknesses are lack of true close-range, one-shot power, limited ammo efficiency, and the Obrez’s sway/recoil making aggressive indoor fights harder against shotguns. But if you are a sharpshooter, meaning you hit a lot of your shots, then you'll be deadly with it.
Delaney
I’ve tried to adopt some of the loadouts I’ve played before to the new system and really came to appreciate the Frontier family—especially the Marksman with High Velocity Ammo with its Size 3, and pairing that up either with a Size 2 weapon out of the box, or occasionally add Quartermaster to pair it with another Size 3 weapon, like the Hunting Bow. I also found it more acceptable to sometimes pick a Dolch Precision or Auto-4 as my second Size 3 weapon, or even main them paired with another Size 2 backup, like a Scottfield Precision or Specter 1882 Shorty, with the respective Traits.As for other equipment, I really appreciate the extra flexibility of having a 5:3 or 3:5 split between Tools and Consumables. It’s usually enough to shift my loadout slightly towards one or the other, based on how I plan on playing the next round. A few more Traps here, or maybe some extra Shots alongside a few Explosives, or an Ammo Box while keeping Tools to the basics that round.
Dennis – Gameplay Director
We hope this new update inspires some fresh ways to play, while remaining familiar but with more overall flexibility and added incentives to try out combinations that were harder to justify before. Make sure you dust off some of the awesome Legendary Skins you haven’t played in a while and start blasting! We look forward to seeing your new combinations and how this changes up the game. As always, please let us know your feedback via our socials. We will be listening!
Your Hunt: Showdown 1896 team