“Web of the Empress” Event is Crawling into Hunt: Showdown 1896
Crytek has officially announced “Web of the Empress,” a massive new in-game event for its popular shooter, Hunt: Showdown 1896, set to launch alongside Update 2.5. Dropping on September 24, 2025, the update will introduce new enemies, a game-changing Tarot Card mechanic, and a host of gameplay improvements.
A New Threat Creeps into the Bayou: The Bileweavers
The update’s central theme revolves around the grim origin story of The Empress, a character resurrected and corrupted by an infestation of spiders. The resulting creatures, known as “Bileweavers,” are poised to become the bayou’s newest nightmare.
While weak individually, these creatures move in swarms, fiercely defending their territory. Hunters brave enough to venture into their colossal nests will face high risks for a chance at high-value rewards. Here’s what awaits inside these infested grounds:
- New Weapons: Two new scarce weapons, the Homestead 78 and the Wildland.
- Destiny’s Dial: A machine that grants players random traits and buffs.
- Sealed Rewards: Includes scarce Burn Traits, restoration kits, and ammo boxes.
- Powerful Tarot Cards.
Game-Changing Tarot Cards
The Web of the Empress event introduces 12 different Tarot Cards to the game. These single-use consumables each possess a unique, powerful effect that can turn the tide of a battle. However, this power often comes at a dire cost. Players can find these cards in Bileweaver Nests, earn them through the Dark Tribute system, or loot them from fallen Hunters.
A few of the revealed cards include:
- The Empress: Grants Catalyst, Necromancer, and a random rare trait.
- The World: Reveals the location of all Boss Targets on the map.
- The Tower: Unleashes massive damage to monsters and targets in a large radius, but sets the user on fire.
Other Changes Arriving with Update 2.5
Beyond the “Web of the Empress” event, Update 2.5 brings a slew of balance changes and improvements. Notably, the melee combat system has received significant enhancements for better hit consistency. The update also includes weapon balancing, a rework of the UI and lobby system, and numerous bug fixes based on community feedback.