Did you miss the latest Developer Livestream? Here's a quick recap with everything you need to know about the upcoming Event, Road to Hell. Let us know your favorite part in the comments.

His home country prepared Edward Kelly perfectly for the Hunt. He already knew how to outsmart an elaborate host of elements that were forever out to kill you. He also knew how to start a fight, and even better, how to end one.

The new DLC, It Takes a Rogue, arrives alongside Road to Hell on June 10th.
Wishlist now - https://store.steampowered.com/app/4556010/Hunt_Showdown_1896__It_Takes_a_Rogue/


Our newest DLC, It Takes a Rogue, is available for Wishlist on Steam now and will be available for all platforms next week! This new DLC is iconic, if we may say so ourselves…

The Ironclad is a Legendary Hunter who hails from the chaotic badlands of old Australia, laying low in the years since his alleged death. But when he discovered what was happening in Louisiana, he knew it was time to don his old armor once again…

We sat down with some of the designers to learn about the inspiration for this Hunter, the design process, and how the design took inspiration from the infamous Ned Kelly himself.

First up we spoke to the Character Designers:

From a purely visual perspective, the armor was too iconic to ignore. Ned Kelly’s helmet and armor are probably the strongest and most recognizable parts of his appeal, especially because they are directly connected to his final stand at Glenrowan in 1880, where the Kelly Gang wore homemade armor during the confrontation with police.

For us, it was a great opportunity to take that instantly recognizable silhouette, the so-called “bucket head” look and translate it into a Legendary Hunter. It gives the character a very strong visual identity, while also carrying a lot of story weight.

What we liked most was the clash of two worlds: the rough outlaw figure from 19th-century Australia, combined with this almost medieval, knight-like idea of armor, bravery, and last-stand mythology. The armor has a practical purpose in terms of protection, but visually it also says something about defiance, survival, and the way Ned Kelly has been remembered over time.

The armor wasn’t only cool, visually, but was one of the most iconic ways to represent the historical figure and get across the conflict between him being an outlaw whilst also being a Robin Hood-esque type figure.

One of my favorite elements is the green silk sash. At first glance, it feels like an unusual detail, and that is exactly why it works. It makes you ask: why is this here? The sash connects to a more human side of Ned Kelly’s story. According to the State Library of Victoria, Kelly was awarded a green silk sash as a child after saving another boy from drowning. That small detail adds a layer of contrast to the character. He is not presented only as an outlaw or a violent figure, but as someone surrounded by myth, contradiction, and personal history.

Another detail I really like is the rough writing on the back of the coat, which references the Jerilderie Letter, Kelly’s long written justification of his actions before his death. It gives the design a strong narrative element without overexplaining it. These are the kind of details we like when we design characters—they are subtle, grounded, and connected to the real story.

The biggest challenge was finding the right balance between authenticity and visual appeal. We wanted the character to feel truthful to Ned Kelly and his story, but also to work as a Legendary Hunter in our world.

Hunt has a wide range of character types, but there is always something connecting them. For us they need to feel grounded, dangerous, and believable, while still having a unique twist. With Ned Kelly, the challenge was to respect the historical reference without turning him into a simple costume or a one dimensioned “armored outlaw.”

We had to make sure the design carried the iconic elements, the armor, the silhouette, the roughness, the personal details, but also felt gritty, immersive, and naturally placed within the Hunt universe.

In the end, I think the final design finds a strong balance between authenticity, mythology, and visual appeal. It feels menacing and iconic, but there is also more depth to it. Like Ned Kelly himself.

After the character concept was outlined, the Narrative Team then worked on fleshing out the story for the DLC.

Lots of reading. It was really interesting to learn the details of Ned’s upbringing and see how directly it influenced the kind of man he grew up to be. There is a lot of tragedy and violence in his story, with some people seeing him as a Robin Hood-type hero and others swearing he was a hardened criminal and terrorist. No matter which way you see him, we think it’s safe to say that he was massively influential in Australian culture.

It was pretty fascinating to do a deep dive on the history of Australian bushrangers in general. Escaped convicts and other various outlaws mixed with the brutally unforgiving landscapes of Australia’s badlands planted all kinds of wild story idea seeds in our minds.

While we added several true-to-life elements to his story, we also embellished the truth here and there, in true Hunt form, like Character Art did. We kept some (allegedly) accurate details in the form of quotes (the name It Takes a Rogue comes directly from the Jerilderie Letter), but we also changed certain details about his background as well as added one bigger twist...that Ned actually faked his own death!

It Takes a Rogue will be out on all platforms next week! For Steam players, make sure to Wishlist it here and get notified when this fascinating DLC is available. The DLC comes with one Legendary Hunter (The Ironclad) and three Legendary Skins: Such Is Life (Mosin-Nagant Avtomat), Widow's Son (Pax Trueshot), and Make a Rise (Vitality Shot).

We hope you enjoyed reading all about how The Ironclad was designed and what goes on behind the Hunt curtain, and we look forward to seeing your own stories unravel in the fight against the Corruption.

Your Hunt: Showdown 1896 team