Hunt: Showdown 1896 – Update 2.3 Completely Removes Revive Bolts

The Garden of the Witch is the next event coming to Hunt: Showdown 1896, launching alongside the 2.3 update. While this update brings significant quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes, one of the most notable changes is the removal of Revive Bolts. These munitions have been a controversial addition since their release, and while many players are pleased to see them go, some remain unconvinced. Let’s dive into the details.

Update 2.3 Removes Revive Bolts From Hunt: Showdown 1896, And We're On the Fence About It

According to Crytek’s Developer Insight blog post, Hunt: Showdown 1896 is set to receive a wave of changes when Update 2.3 launches alongside The Garden of the Witch event on March 26, 2025. One of the biggest reveals from the post was this statement: “Based on feedback from our players and internal teams, we have made the decision to remove the Revive Bolt from Hunt with Update 2.3.”

As expected, many players who have criticized Revive Bolts since their introduction were thrilled by this decision. Across Reddit and X (formerly Twitter), fans have been celebrating, with comments like “Bye-bye, Revive Bolts! You won’t be missed.” and “Very happy with the decision to remove Revive Bolts. More significant changes like this will be what the game needs to thrive again.”

It’s understandable why higher-ranked players, in particular, are happy about this removal. Revive Bolts made securing kills more difficult and provided no counterplay for those without them. However, not everyone is on board with their complete removal, and some players, myself included, believe a balance adjustment would have been a better approach.

Many fans previously suggested ways to tweak the mechanic rather than outright removing it—such as adding a timer, an audible cue, or other balancing elements that would make them fairer without erasing them from the game entirely. The concern now is that this decision could set a precedent where, instead of balancing controversial mechanics, Crytek simply removes them.

While we don’t know exactly how these decisions are made, we can only hope this isn’t the start of a larger trend. Regardless, Revive Bolts will officially be removed from the game on March 26, 2025. While some of us may be a little disappointed to see them go, the wider community seems to agree that this is a step in the right direction.