Hunt: Showdown, Crytek's survival-horror FPS, has recently been released for PlayStation 4. Before launching for PC and Xbox One back in mid-2019, the game suffered a tumultuous development, with its original studio, Crytek USA, being shutdown in 2014. Despite this, Hunt: Showdown has received reasonably warm reviews from critics, with many praising its nuanced gameplay and tense atmosphere.
The game is set in 1890, in an alternative history where the world has been invaded by an inter-dimensional horror that mutates people and animals. These mutants are extremely dangerous and must be hunted down by the game's players. Doing so will earn players Blood Bonds, which can be spent on upgrading their character and gear.
The Crimson Harvest
Hunt: Showdown presents a unique take on the survival-horror formula, which can be quite confusing for new players. At the heart of the game's progression is the Blood Bond currency, which can be earned in a variety of ways, and should be focused on from the beginning.
The simplest way to earn Blood Bonds is by gaining Accolades during a match, which provide the following rewards:
- Bronze Accolade - 1 Blood Bond
- Silver Accolade - 2 Blood Bonds
- Gold Accolade - 3 Blood Bonds
Accolades can be earned in many different ways, including performing well in matches, extracting successfully after defeating the boss, or killing multiple hunters on the cross-play enabled servers. Players will only earn Blood Bonds for their top five Accolades, however, so a small number of Golds is better than a lot of Bronzes.
Another way to gain Blood Bonds is through completing Masteries in the Book of Monsters and Book of Weapons, or by finishing Weekly Challenges. These methods require a little more planning than the Accolades, but if managed well can allow new PlayStation 4 players to build up a sizeable stash.
Spending Blood Bonds
Once earned, there are several options for players to spend their Blood Bonds and improve their character, the simplest being cleaning weapons and respeccing Hunters, ensuring they're in the best shape to face the horrors of Hunt: Showdown's Bayou.
Much larger amount of Blood Bonds, up to 200, can be used to unlock powerful Legendary Weapons. But for those who don't want to grind this many at once, there is always the option of purchasing them through the game's microtransaction store.
Hunt: Showdown is available now on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
