This Classic Budget Loadout Is LETHAL! Marathon & Katana | Hunt: Showdown 1896

Hi guys, REX here — and welcome back to my budget loadout series, where I’ll cover cheap but reliable setups I genuinely recommend you try out.
Together with my community, I’ve set an upper price limit of 600 Hunt Dollars per loadout. I’ll keep things as cheap as possible without sacrificing efficiency — and I’ll always show you where you can cut costs further if you want to run these on an absolute budget.

Today we’re running the Marathon Swift, paired with the Katana — a classic budget loadout that’s been popular for a long time and still holds up as a fun and effective way to play Hunt: Showdown.

On the Marathon, I’m running high velocity ammo.
This bumps the bullet speed up to 555 meters per second, making it much easier to land accurate shots at mid to long range compared to the base velocity. With its solid fire rate, large compact ammo pool, and speed-loader mechanism, the Marathon doesn’t rely on a sidearm the same way slower rifles do — which is why pairing it with a melee weapon works so well.

Now, let’s talk about the Katana.
It’s incredibly strong in close range if you get pushed, works extremely well for bosses and PvE, and shines when enemies overcommit around corners or in tight spaces. The Marathon handles most ranges on its own, while the Katana gives you a deadly option in close quarters.

For tools, I’m running dusters, medkit, fusees, and decoy fuses.
Dusters pair well with the Katana by giving you blunt damage for immolators and hive swarms, while decoy fuses help mask movement, force repositioning, and create pressure before committing to a push with the Katana. For teams, I recommend swapping the decoy fuses for choke bombs.

Consumable-wise, I’m running the following:
A small vitality shot, a small regeneration shot, a large stamina shot to keep momentum high early game, and an ammo box to back up the Marathon’s compact ammo since I don’t bring a pistol for backup.

Trait-wise, Martialist is a core pickup for this setup and very strong on the Katana, as it enables a more powerful swipe attack when the weapon is sheathed.
For solo, I like running Necromancer, Martialist, Vigilant, Kiteskin, Magpie and Dauntless, or skip the last 3 in favor of Iron Eye, which allows you to stay in ADS and simultaneously increases firing speed.
In teams, I’ll prioritize Necromancer, Resilience, Martialist, and Vigilant.

This loadout is absolutely lethal if played correctly but relies heavily on solid movement and positioning. If enemies keep their distance, the Marathon with high velocity can pressure them consistently — and if they push too aggressively or misjudge spacing, the Katana punishes that instantly.

The total cost for this loadout is 585 Hunt Dollars, keeping it just under the 600 Hunt Dollar cap. You can cut the price further by running the regular Marathon without special ammo, downgrading the stamina shot, and replacing the ammo box for a waxed dynamite — bringing the total cost down to just 407 Hunt Dollars.

But without further ado — let’s dive into it.