Hunt: Showdown Rending Damage Challenge: Apparently, Stabbing People Isn't Enough
The Written in Blood Rending Damage challenge in Hunt: Showdown 1896 appears to count Bleeding damage over time rather than the full damage dealt by Rending weapons. That's why you can bury a Katana in someone's chest and receive barely any progression for your efforts. The most promising solution is Flechette shotgun ammunition, preferably with a Burgess, and keeping enemy Hunters bleeding for as long as possible without immediately killing them. Crytek hasn't confirmed whether this behaviour is intentional or a bug. However, multiple players have reported the same problem, and the evidence points toward Bleeding damage being considerably more important than the initial hit.
Bleeding is already ruining perfectly good firefights elsewhere in Hunt. See how Blood Testament's Bloodweavers turn a small injury into a spectacularly unfortunate tactical situation. Apparently, even the wildlife has discovered the benefits of kicking someone while they're down.
Why Rending weapons barely progress the challenge
Chapter IV of Written in Blood asks you to deal 750 Rending Damage to enemy Hunters. Naturally, you'd assume the solution involves taking a Rending weapon into the Bayou and introducing it to several unfortunate strangers. Perfectly reasonable assumption. Unfortunately, Hunt seems to have a different understanding of the assignment.
Crytek's official manual describes Rending as a damage type that tears flesh and causes Bleeding. These are related mechanics, but there's an important distinction:
Direct Rending damage: The immediate damage inflicted when your weapon connects with a Hunter.
Bleeding damage: The additional health lost over time while the Hunter suffers from the Bleeding status effect.
According to repeated player reports, the first contributes surprisingly little progression compared with the second. Imagine hitting someone with a Katana, leaving them bleeding, then killing them before they've lost much additional health. You've inflicted substantial damage, demonstrated a worrying enthusiasm for sharp objects and probably ruined somebody's evening. Yet the challenge might reward you with practically nothing. Meanwhile, someone peppered with Flechette pellets who staggers behind a wall and spends several seconds bleeding could provide considerably more progression.
Apparently, the important part of the sword attack isn't the sword. It's what happens after the sword has finished its shift. Community discussions throughout September and October 2026 describe this discrepancy. However, without controlled testing or an official explanation, we cannot establish whether direct Rending damage is completely excluded or merely counted inconsistently.
Best method: Flechette ammunition and prolonged Bleeding
Flechette shotgun ammunition is currently the strongest practical recommendation for completing this challenge. Unlike conventional buckshot, Flechette fires small dart-like projectiles designed to inflict Bleeding. It can therefore wound an opponent while creating opportunities for continued health loss. The Burgess is particularly interesting. Current community weapon data lists its Flechette ammunition at 110 damage with Medium Bleeding, making it a reasonable choice for applying the status effect without relying entirely on immediate kills.
Here's how to approach it:
Equip a shotgun with Flechette ammunition. The Burgess is a promising choice, although other Flechette-compatible shotguns can work.
Aim for non-lethal body hits. You want the Hunter bleeding, not immediately decorating the nearest wooden fence.
Maintain pressure. Hold an aggressive angle, reposition or threaten another attack to discourage them from stopping the Bleeding.
Reapply Bleeding when practical. Additional hits can intensify the effect, depending on the target's condition and traits.
Check progression after the match. Compare the result with your usual Rending loadout rather than assuming every hit contributed its full damage.
The peculiar thing is that you're no longer necessarily trying to win the fight as quickly as possible. You're trying to make the opponent's remaining life deeply inconvenient. Ordinarily, Hunt rewards the player who finishes an injured enemy before they recover. Here, the apparent challenge logic encourages you to maintain a bizarre professional relationship with your victim. You need them injured, terrified, unable to bandage and, most importantly, still breathing. If this were a medical procedure, the hospital would have been shut down before lunch, the surgeon arrested and the receptionist quietly relocated to Paraguay.
Distance and Bloodless can affect your results
Flechette works at range, but distance affects Bleeding severity. Shooting someone from another postcode might apply weaker Bleeding than a closer hit, even if the pellets connect. Find a distance where you can reliably wound enemies without immediately killing them. Also remember that Bloodless prevents Bleeding from escalating beyond Light Bleeding. An opponent carrying that trait can therefore limit the additional damage you hope to accumulate.
Finished arguing with the Rending challenge? Hunt has another delightful accounting exercise involving Tarot Cards. Find out how to earn five Halloween community points per card and whether sacrificing useful equipment is actually worth it.
Other weapons that can help
Flechette isn't the only way to make Hunters bleed. Crytek's player guide identifies several weapons and tools capable of applying the status effect. However, they aren't equally suitable for this particular challenge.
Weapon or equipment | Practical usefulness |
Dumdum ammunition | Reliable Bleeding potential, although strong direct hits can end fights too quickly |
Stalker Beetles | Can apply Bleeding and pressure enemies remotely, but require setup |
Bow and Crossbow | Cause Bleeding, although powerful direct hits can kill before much additional damage accumulates |
Concertina | Can injure and bleed Hunters repeatedly, but reported challenge progression is inconsistent |
Frag Bombs | Cause Bleeding, unfortunately accompanied by a considerable enthusiasm for immediate death |
Katana and Bomb Lance | Rending-capable weapons, but players report disappointing progression when enemies die quickly |
Concertina deserves particular caution. Some players recommend it, while others report receiving surprisingly little progression despite catching opponents in the wire. That makes it difficult to recommend over Flechette without controlled testing. Frag Bombs have a more straightforward problem: they're exceptionally good at killing people. Normally, this is considered a desirable characteristic of explosives. However, for a challenge that seemingly rewards prolonged blood loss, it becomes something of a professional disadvantage.
Is Bounty Clash better for farming Rending Damage?
Bounty Clash is worth considering whenever it's available, mainly because it concentrates PvP encounters into shorter, more aggressive matches. More engagements create more opportunities to inflict Bleeding, and community players have specifically recommended the mode for this challenge. However, Bounty Clash also encourages rapid kills. You'll still need to avoid immediately finishing every wounded opponent if your priority is accumulating Bleeding damage. There's no verified evidence establishing it as the fastest farming mode.
Is the Written in Blood Rending challenge bugged?
Possibly, but Crytek hasn't confirmed it. The challenge wording suggests that dealing Rending Damage should provide progression. Repeated player reports, however, indicate that the resulting Bleeding damage is considerably more important. That discrepancy deserves questioning, particularly because Crytek has already corrected a separate damage-classification problem elsewhere in Written in Blood.
Update 2.9.1 fixed weapons and Tools failing to contribute properly to Chapter II's Piercing Damage objective against Armored enemies. However, those patch notes did not identify or resolve the Chapter IV Rending progression issue. The two problems shouldn't be treated as the same bug without evidence.
Until Crytek clarifies how the challenge is supposed to work, Flechette remains the most defensible practical recommendation based on current player reports. And if you're wondering why stabbing someone apparently doesn't satisfy the game's administrative definition of stabbing someone, welcome to the Bayou. Even murder has paperwork now.
Fancy a different flavour of suffering? Hunt earned a place among CRIMENET's 10 Best Horror Games To Play Right Now. Explore nine other excellent ways to spend your evening being hunted, murdered or financially ruined by your own decisions.
Hunt: Showdown 1896 Written in Blood FAQ
Why isn't my Rending Damage challenge progressing?
Player reports suggest the challenge primarily counts Bleeding damage over time rather than direct weapon damage. Crytek hasn't confirmed whether this is intentional or a bug.
What's the best weapon for the Rending Damage challenge?
A shotgun using Flechette ammunition is currently the strongest player-recommended option. The Burgess is a promising choice because it can inflict Medium Bleeding.
Does Katana damage count toward Written in Blood?
Players report surprisingly little progression from Katana attacks. Killing an enemy immediately may prevent much additional Bleeding damage from accumulating.
Can I complete the challenge with Dumdum ammunition?
Dumdum can inflict Bleeding and may help with progression. However, Flechette is generally recommended because it allows more opportunities to keep enemies bleeding.
Is the Written in Blood Rending challenge bugged?
Possibly, but there is no confirmed Rending-specific bug acknowledgment or fix from Crytek. The exact cause of the inconsistent progression remains unknown.
Comments