It’s not difficult to run short on cash in Hunt: Showdown, but there are plenty of loadout options for those looking to only spend a few Hunt Dollars.
Weapon permanence in Hunt: Showdown forces players to manage an economy in between excursions into the bayou. Every item in the game comes at a price, and it’s not difficult to end up strapped for cash. Buying effective loadouts on a tight budget can be tricky, but there are plenty of weapon combinations available for players who only have a couple thousand Hunt Dollars in the bank.
The most important aspect to saving money is deciding which Hunters to hire. Those running particularly low on Hunt Dollars will usually want to grab the free Hunter that is available after every match. Tier 1 Hunters might also be worth it, provided their Traits have good synergy with their weapons. Personal preference will always play a role in Hunt: Showdown, making it a lot like preparing efficient loadouts in Escape From Tarkov, but grabbing a free Hunter and using whatever random weapons they came with is nearly guaranteed to provide at least some margin of profit.
To be truly effective, however, there are a few items that might be considered necessities. Tools and Consumables can become unexpectedly costly when refilled between each round, but taking Dusters, a First Aid Kit, Choke Bombs, and two Weak Vitality Shots will only cost a total of $85. Dusters are a good all-around melee Tool, a First Aid Kit is always wanted, and teammates will appreciate the Choke Bombs. The Weak Vitality Shots provide extra healing at an incredibly cheap $10 each. Other affordable Consumables to consider might be a Firebomb, for burning downed enemy Hunters, or a Weak Stamina Shot, helpful for exploiting Hunt: Showdown boss weaknesses to certain melee types or making a fast escape with a Bounty Token.
Hunt: Showdown‘s most wallet-friendly, effective weapon combination can be seen in the image above – a Romero 77 paired with the Caldwell Conversion Pistol. At $34, the Romero is the only shotgun under $100 and has both higher damage and a greater effective range than the second cheapest, the Caldwell Rival 78. In fact, the Romero has the best effective range of any shotgun in the game, which more than makes up for its single shell chamber. The Caldwell Conversion Pistol, at $26, is only $2 more expensive than the Nagant M1895, and has better damage, effective range, and rate of fire. The entire loadout pictured above (including Tools and Consumables) is only $145.
If some more range is needed without increasing the price too much, or having to make enemies to drop their weapons, the Winfield M1873C is a measly $41, and its compact ammo reserve will stack with the Conversion Pistols. At $128, the Winfield M1873 Swift is a better deal with a bit of foresight. If the Swift can be paired with the Levering Trait, it becomes extremely effective from close to medium range, and its speed loader is well worth the extra money. Alternatively, if close range is ideal, swapping the full-size Romero for a Romero 77 Handcannon opens up a variety of good, medium-slot budget items. The Winfield M1873C Vandal, Springfield 1866 Compact, and Nagant M1895 Precision can all be bought for $35 or less and can be paired with the Handcannon for some versatility.
Long ammo rifles in Hunt are generally the best weapons in terms of stats, but only two might enter consideration for those short on Hunt Dollars – the Martini-Henry IC1 for $122, and the Sparks LRR for $130. The major downside is that each only houses one round in the chamber, so they should be paired with a small slot weapon that has a decent fire rate. The game’s two double-action revolvers, the Nagant M1895 Officer and Caldwell 92 New Army, satisfy this criteria, but their respective prices of 96 and 90 Hunt Dollars begin to push the bounds of what can be considered budget pricing when combined with the aforementioned long ammo rifles.
Hunt: Showdown is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
One of Kyle’s earliest memories is of watching his older brother play Ocarina of Time, which probably explains how he ended up as an Editor for Screen Rant’s Gaming section. His tenure at SR began in late 2020 as a contributing Game Features writer before quickly becoming a Staff Writer, a role that gradually progressed into an Editor position. A terminal Midwesterner who graduated from the University of Kansas, Kyle also has knowledge and interest in literature, film, film adaptions of literature, and history. When not talking about The Legend of Zelda, Dark Souls, Mass Effect, or some PlayStation exclusive, he’s probably droning on about the works of Cormac McCarthy, Frank Herbert, Stanley Kubrick, and Wes Anderson. Or he’s trying to get you to watch Mad Men. He’s a firm believer in three hours being the perfect length for a movie, but thinks a lot of games are much too long. When not sedentary, Kyle enjoys traveling to the National Parks, seeing new cities, and has ambitions to explore abroad.
