Hunters,

a new terrifying event crawls out of lair on September 24 ^th 2025: Web of the Empress. It will come together with Update 2.5 and infest the Bayou with the plague of Bileweavers. A grotesque origin story, disgusting new enemies, an exciting new Tarot Card game system, new scarce weapons, all included. The Update will also bring lots of gameplay improvements, balancing changes and bug fixes, spotted and fixed thanks to the tireless help of the Hunters community!

Look in the face of the new threat now in the cinematic Trailer:

A New Threat Crawls Upon You

After being attacked by Hunters, the high-society Empress was saved when spiders infested her wounds, their webbing staunching the flow of blood. Though she awoke in excruciating pain and was irrevocably corrupted by the experience, she reveres the resulting creatures as her offspring. These grotesquely swollen former spiders, corrupted now and known as Bileweavers, have since swarmed the bayou, growing exponentially with each generation into fiercely territorial swarms that defend their domains with violent disregard for all, including the Empress who claims a maternal bond they do not reciprocate.

While a single Bileweaver may be weak, they are never alone; swarms of them defend their domains, pouncing upon any Hunter that dares to wade into their high-risk, high-reward nesting grounds.

Their ravenous hunger is mirrored in their colossal nests, which evolve from small mounds into tornado-like structures towering above the canopy. Bound by yards of powerful webbing that uproots trees and tears apart buildings, these nests are speckled with bulging eggs and piled with the dead to feed the newborn swarm. Within these vast, destructive infestations, brave souls may find powerful rewards, including:

• New Wildland and Homestead 78 scarce weapons.
• Destiny's Dial, a machine that grants randomized rewards like traits and buffs.
• Sealed rewards: Scarce and Burn Traits, restoration kits, and ammo boxes.
• Powerful Tarot Cards.

Get Caught in Arcane Webs of Tarot

The Web of the Empress introduces 12 single-use consumable Tarot Cards, each with a unique and potent effect based on its traditional meaning. These cards can tip the scales of fate but often come at a dire cost. Tarot cards are an additional gameplay system that deepens the game of Hunt: Showdown 1896 and brings a new layer to its intense tactical battles.

Some of the Tarot Cards include:

• The Empress: Grants the Catalyst, Necromancer, and a random rare trait.
• The World: Reveals the location of all Boss targets.
• The Fool: Copies the last Tarot Card you used this Mission.
• The Hanged Man: Allows you to spectate the nearest enemy Hunter. The target will be warned afterwards.
• The Tower: Unleashes massive damage to monsters and Targets in a large radius, but sets the user on fire.

Players will be able to find the Tarot Cards in Bileweaver Nests at web-covered locations, earn them through Dark Tributes or loot them from dead Hunters. A new in-game hint system will help players to learn each card's effect while inspecting a card held in hand.

More information and details about Tarot Cards game mechanics will be available soon.

A Swarm of Gameplay Balancing and Meta Changes in Update 2.5

Crawling out along with Web of the Empress, update 2.5 brings a great number of fixes and improvements to the gameplay, ui and game meta. New Scarce Weapons: Homestead 78 (a long barreled Rival) and Wildland (a modified, high-capacity Centennial) found in the dark corners of the Bayou and the Gulch. Better Melee Combat: Melee weapon hit detection has received significant improvements for better consistency and the maximum reach of melee attachments has been increased.

A lot more awaits players in the Update 2.5: weapon balancing, trait updates, audio adjustments and a much awaited UI & Lobby rework streamlining the Lobby Hub. The Update also addresses a vast number of bugs and exploits, including fixes for boss behaviour, hunter bots, UI issues, and many other gameplay details and quirks – all thanks to the community reports!

Hunters, be ready to venture forth into the monster's lairs and deal with the Bileweavers infestation. Soon you will be able to go and play with the Empress children, save your skin in a fight or perish in exciting new ways with Tarot Cards, taste the improvements of the Update 2.5 and more – on September 24 ^th 2025.

Keep an eye on our channels and may the Corruption spare you.

- Your Hunt: Showdown 1896 Team

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