HUNGER weapons and gear

How many weapons there are and where to get them

Officially, one thing is known: according to the Steam description, HUNGER will have more than 40 weapons at Early Access launch. Game director Max lists muskets, rifles, pistols, revolvers, swords, axes, spears and clubs in the IGN video, and says melee is not meant to be an add-on to shooting. The developers also plan more ranged and melee weapons and new weapon types after launch.

Where you get weapons follows the official looting and trading rules:

1. Loot in an Expedition: chests, wardrobes, barrels, weapons leaning against walls, player bodies and Hunger bodies. Locked containers need keys. Barracks can hold weapons, armor or ammunition.
2. Vendors in the Chateau: each has a specialty, a limited restocking supply, and prices that depend on reputation. Higher reputation unlocks rarer goods.
3. Quests: later questlines can reward weapons.
4. Crafting: the Gunsmith and Metallurgist professions make firearms and melee weapons (learning costs 50 silver, and you first need to finish Eloise's quest "Making Dough"). According to the fan database the recipes require high levels, so this is a later route.

From player experience (Reddit, October 21-24, 2026): blue carts often hold the simplest pistols and rifles, and the Auster can be bought from Reynauld after a few quests. Players find heavy ammo mostly in crates on Jacques Bridge, or buy it from Reynauld.

Weapon types

The table below comes from the fan database hunger-companion.com (data from the beta files). Rarity names are the database's; players themselves talk in colors: gray, green, blue, purple, gold.

The same database counts 24 firearms and 13 melee weapons, which is fewer than the official "more than 40". Why the gap exists is unknown (the data may be incomplete or from a different build). "Rifle" and "musket" are database labels: players call the Drak a "musket" and the Jäger a "single-shot rifle".

Two things are worth knowing from the Steam description and the changelog. Glass grenades and the "experimental hand mortar" appear in the store description, but the beta weapon data does not list them as player items. The "Farsight" versions (Drak, Swan, Voir) are variants of the same weapons, not a separate attachment system.

Firearms are slow: players describe long reloads (one opinion about the Louisville mentions around 20 seconds without masteries), and reloading can be multi-stage. Bullets are not hitscan, but at typical fight distances players say they behave as if they were instant.

Melee combat and parrying

Melee costs Energy, not Stamina (sprinting, jumping and dodging use Stamina). When Energy runs out you are Exhausted: you attack slower and block worse. Every weapon has its own heavy attack, and a swing in the wrong direction (for example a thrust with an axe) is weaker. A feint (the R key) costs no Energy.

From the official Closed Beta changelog (October 19, 2026):

• Parrying: a block timed to the exact moment you are hit parries the blow and stuns the enemy.
• Swapping weapons takes 4 seconds (new draw animation), so a "firearm + backup melee" pair costs time.
• "Lunge Tech" was removed: you can no longer jump or dodge during a lunge.
• Heavy attack damage and block costs were rebalanced, Short Sword reach was improved, and the Arms mastery tree (melee) was added.
• Hitmarkers show the armor rarity of the enemy you hit.

From the earlier Tech Test 3 you keep dodges (Left Alt + direction) and staged reloads: an interrupted reload resumes from the stage you reached.

Armor and healing

Every player has a fixed 100 HP that does not grow with level. Chest armor has its own durability as a second layer of health, while helmets and greaves are damage modifiers. Putting on chest armor takes 10 seconds, and in the beta higher rarity slows your movement. The developers want the survivability gap between no armor and the best armor to sit in a "narrow range", and armor is not visible on the character.

The numbers are disputed: the fan database and one player comment give chest armor durability in steps of 20 (from 20 to 100 depending on rarity), while another player writes that a plate has 25. Values from Tech Test 3 and the beta get mixed in circulation, so treat them as approximate. Players also note that a blue helmet can noticeably reduce the headshot bonus (one of them gives a reduction of half).

Repair and healing are separate items:

• Armour Tongs: reusable, slow repairs between fights.
• Armour Plates: single-use plates that quickly replace armor sections.
• Bloodbag: reusable, slow, charged with your own blood before the Expedition. In the beta it speeds up with continued use.
• Ampoule: single-use and fast, but damage interrupts the healing.

Medicines take the Medicine slot, and plates and tongs take a tool slot.

Which weapons players recommend to start

Below are opinions from r/GOODFUNHUNGER, October 21-24, 2026. These are views of individual players, not game data.

• Pricker and stealth: you get the Pricker dagger free from Louis (the "I've hit a rough patch..." option). One player advises starting with a dagger and sneaking to strip bigger locations of armor, medicine and weapons.
• Louisville + Auster: the pair recommended most often for the start. One user says a Louisville shot plus both Auster shots to the chest will kill someone in purple armor. Players add that the pair needs a weapon swap (4 seconds) and a melee weapon in reserve.
• The Louisville dispute: the thread "The Louisville, and PVP in general" shows two camps. Some call it one of the best bursts in the game and see it in most kills. Others write that at higher levels it cannot kill someone in top-tier armor, and the reload hurts.
• Longsword + pistol: one player logged more kills rushing with this pair than with the Louisville.
• Semi-autos and automatics (Vepr, Volant, Lasher, Belier): some players see them as the main mid-game threat. Some want them weakened, others reply that they are expensive.
• Melee in PvP: opinions range from "melee isn't worth it in PvP" to "melee is the main source of PvP, and guns are a tool for building an advantage".

Tips for your first Expeditions: do not bring four weapons, carry little ammo and medicine, and get a bag first. At level 10 players praise the one mastery that lets you run while reloading early ramrod weapons. Critics of the beta describe a large gear and mastery gap between new and experienced players, and the developers have promised to narrow it. For more on first steps, see the beginner's guide.

What is not there yet

• Attachments and scopes: there is no confirmed attachment or optics system. The fan database only has "Farsight" variants.
• Weapon durability: no mention of weapon wear or repair was found (armor is what you repair).
• Player traps: the developers confirmed they will not be in Early Access ("not part of the Early Access launch but will arrive later"). Map traps exist in the world, and you will be able to craft your own later.
• Grenades and the hand mortar as items in the beta. Further weapons and weapon types are announced for after launch.

FAQ

How many weapons are in HUNGER?

The Steam description promises more than 40 weapons at Early Access launch. The fan database built from the beta files lists 24 firearms and 13 melee weapons. There is no official full list.

What is the best weapon to start with?

Players most often name the Louisville with the Auster, or the free Pricker dagger in a stealth game. Opinions on the Louisville are split, so these are opinions, not facts.

Do weapons break in HUNGER?

No mention of weapon durability was found in the official materials. What you repair is armor (Armour Tongs and Armour Plates).

Are there traps and grenades in HUNGER?

Player traps will not be in Early Access. Glass grenades and the hand mortar are in the store description, but the beta does not have them as player items.

How do you parry?

Block at the moment you are hit: a well-timed block parries the blow and stuns the attacker (a Closed Beta change).