Hunt: Showdown 1896 Update 2.9 Adds Blood Moon Cycle and Burgess Shotgun

Hunt: Showdown 1896's Update 2.9, published September 8 2026, launches the Blood Testament event with two headline additions: a dynamic nighttime condition called Blood Moon and a new weapon family built around the Burgess shotgun.

What Changed

Blood Moon Time of Day

• A new dynamic condition active in Incursion areas, cycling between two phases during a mission.
• Intense Blood Moon: a storm builds, the moon breaks cover, monsters grow more aggressive and attack faster.
• Dark Blood Moon: clouds obscure the moon, visibility drops, and monster behaviour returns to normal.
• Both phases cast a red glow across the map; the effect intensifies when the moon clears the clouds.

New Weapon: The Burgess

• A foldable, slide-action long-barrel shotgun occupying Weapon Capacity Size 3.
• Carries a 6-round magazine; trades speed for bulk with long equip and unequip animations.
• Compatible with the Bulletgrubber Trait to recover ejected live shells.
• Supports five ammunition types: Basic, Dragon Breath, Flechette, Penny Shot, and Slugs.
• Two variants ship alongside it: the Burgess Bayonet (melee attachment, even longer deploy animation) and the Burgess Trauma (reinforced stock that converts the heavy melee into a hammer strike).
• All three variants unlock through the Battle Pass during Blood Testament and persist through Prestige; they transition to standard weapon progression once the event ends.

Other Changes

• A new LeMat High Velocity custom ammo type arrives for the LeMat and LeMat Carbine lines, with distinct damage, muzzle velocity, drop range, recoil, and reserve values for each platform.
• The Hunting Bow's one-hit kill range to the upper body at full draw has been reduced (source text cuts off before the full detail).

For players, the Blood Moon system in particular introduces a moment-to-moment tactical layer that didn't previously exist — the same Incursion plays differently depending on which phase is active.