Video Games
“Devil’s Trail” Event on Now in ‘Hunt: Showdown 1896’ [Trailer]
Launched alongside Update 2.7, Crytek has unveiled a new in-game event for Hunt: Showdown 1896 in “Devil’s Trail”. The event introduces game-changing scouting and tracking mechanics, a new big Battle Pass with plentiful rewards, a fire-spitting new monster, and “comprehensive improvements” for new players.
Devil’s Trail offers a unique tactical twist for players: making information the most valuable currency. Supply Points, Extraction Points, and new Event-exclusive Burned Convoy locations are now hidden from the start of your mission. As a result, players must actively uncover them using Scout Towers scattered across the map, which contain interactive Scouting Maps that reveal hidden locations, new Tarot Cards, custom ammunition, and Traits.
The new event makes it even more responsive to player presence, creating more environmental storytelling. Everything you do leaves traces, and everything you see tells a story. Examples include doors that never fully close once opened, ammo crates and First Aid kits remain visibly used, used Traits leave scorch marks and more.
As for the new Tarot Cards, they take tracking to another level:
- The High Priestess reveals the direction of the nearest enemy Hunter, confirming whether you’re truly alone
- The Pathfinder shows all Clues discovered by any Hunter on the map, helping you understand where the action is
And the new “All Ears” Trait transforms Dark Sight into a directional listening device, reducing ambient noise and amplifying enemy sounds in your view direction, which will come in handy during difficult weather conditions.
Players will also have a new monster on their hands with the Firebreather. Found among groups of Grunts, this Corrupted pyromaniac spews fire, while engaging it in melee results in small bursts of fire erupting from its body with each strike. Water Bottles and Choke clouds kill it instantly, and water temporarily disables its fire breath. Just don’t go throwing explosives around it.
The update also aims to ease new players into Hunt: Showdown 1896 with a whole host of improvements. For example, monsters and Boss Targets are introduced gradually until Bloodline Rank 10, with Boss Target health reduced for newer players. Hunter Bot difficulty also scales with player level. A new cross-platform invite system debuts with this update, allowing players across Steam and the Microsoft Store to team up, while PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series players can now team up together on the console side.
Cryek also teased future updates for Hunt: Showdown 1896, kicking off in mid-April with the return of the “Inferno” Time of Day with increased Hellborn activity, a new Firefighter Supply, and a DLC release.
Devil’s Trail is live now for Hunt: Showdown 1896 on Steam, the Xbox Series and PlayStation 5 until June 10.
When Season 7 “Project Boneyard” arrives for The Outlast Trials on July 14, players will be greeted with the return of Prime Asset Sergeant Leland Coyle. And he’s not alone. Launching for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation, and Xbox, Project Boneyard will include a new Trial, two fresh MK-Challenges, major updates to Escalation and Invasion, new customization features, and a new Ex-Pop enemy stalking the Prison Farm known as The Biter.
Season 7 will see Reagents sent into Murkoff’s latest correctional nightmare in the Prison Farm. At the center of it all is Sergeant Coyle, returning in a prominent new role for the season’s new Trial, Locksock the Warden.
The American prison is a meat grinder, taking in sociopaths and criminals and extruding functioning members of society. But strict routine, severe conditioning, and close quarters create a crucible for power dynamics built on violence, contraband, and flesh.
With the new Trial, you are freedom. The indefinable promise that keeps prisoners at the grindstone that turns authority to profit and back again. Don’t let false authority stand in the way of real capital. Kill the Warden, and set yourself free.
Season 7 also brings with it two new MK-Challenges. In “Bribe the Judges”, you are the master, whose property is the purpose of the law. Salary reminds enforcement that their monopoly of violence only exists for your monopoly of capital. Collect the bribes in order to pay the judges. Meanwhile, “Cancel the Broadcast” has you sabotaging the broadcast and defiling the faithful with blood in order to be let out.
Then there’s the new Ex-Pop stalking the Prison Farm in The Biter. Having had its arms removed to prevent further self-harm, Biters are universal sadists, still capable of grievous harm with their mechanically enforced jaws. Though Biters are kept chained by the neck for safety, you should approach them with caution, as their augmented legs grant them unexpected velocity.
If that’s not enough content for you, from July 14 to August 11, Twitch users who tune in to participating The Outlast Trials Twitch streams can earn rewards through the latest Twitch Drops campaign. You can read up on the full details from the FAQ on developer The Red Barrels’ website.
Lastly, Project Boneyard also introduces a range of new features and improvements for The Outlast Trials, designed to “expand player expression, streamline preparation, and improve the overall experience” across key modes. That includes the introduction of Rig Customization, Knife Customization, Loadout Presets, and Mastery Tasks, giving players new ways to “prepare for therapy” and personalize their approach before entering the Trials. The update will also bring major reworks to both Escalation and Invasion, with significant changes designed to improve the flow, structure, and overall player experience of both modes.
More details on these features, and the full contents of Project Boneyard, will be revealed closer to launch.