Way of the Hunter 2 Ammo: How to Buy, Change & Carry It

By Rowan Ashby · Updated October 4, 2026

“How do I buy ammo” and “how do I change ammo” are some of the most common Way of the Hunter 2 questions, because the system changed late. Ammo Change was tested on the Experimental branch in early September and reached everyone in Update 0.5.0 on September 22, 2026, one week before 1.0.

Do you need to buy ammo?

Not for the basics. Every weapon has one default ammo type that is free and unlimited. Since 0.5.0 it sits in your storage permanently, so you no longer claim it in the shop. You only pay for alternate ammo types.

How to change ammo, step by step

These are the steps from the official FAQ:

1. Open the Shop from the laptop in your lodge, or from the vicinity menu in the field. Buy the ammo types you want.
2. Open Storage and pick the rifles and shotguns you want to bring.
3. Put ammo into your ammo slots. You can fill several slots with the same type.
4. Equip the ammo to your rifles. There is an Auto-equip Ammunition button that does this for you.

In the field, the radial menu shows equipment details and pre-selects the ammo that is currently loaded, and the HUD shows an ammo type indicator.

How much ammo can you carry?

Slots turn green when the ammo matches a weapon you are carrying and red when it does not. Weapon slots follow the same colour logic.

Why ammo type matters

The studio describes ammo types as different balances of penetration and cavity size. More penetration helps on big, heavy animals; a larger cavity does more damage on lighter game but can waste meat. The official site puts it as adapting “to the animal, the situation, and the shot you need to make”.

Ammo names in the game

Brands that appear in the patch notes: Lewellings Grande Strike (.375 H&H Magnum), Lewellings Grande Swift (.308 Win and 6.5 Creedmoor), Nucleus Break (.45-70 Government, .270 Win) and Nucleus Break Buffed (.300 Win Mag), Lewellings MagWave and MagWave Buffed, and Rapid Buckshot (12 ga).

Ammo by caliber: class, unlock level and energy

A Russian-language Steam guide lists each load’s animal class range, the player level that unlocks it and its energy in joules at range. Ammo names and classes are read from in-game item cards; the first load in each caliber needs no level.

The .308’s other two loads (including Nucleus Break, level 10) are left out: the guide labels both rows with the same ammo card, so we cannot tell which numbers belong to which. What stands out: the late-unlock loads lose much less energy past 150 m (.338 Grande Hunter keeps 4,160 J at 300 m against Grande Strike’s 3,470), while .375 Stable Impact hits hardest close in but falls off fastest. The guide also says the Christensen Arms Evoke (.243) needs player level 13.

Known ammo problems at 1.0

From the studio’s known issues list for 1.0:

• Missing accuracy stat in the shop and storage for slugs, bolts and arrows.
• .308 Winchester (Grande Swift): recoil is lower than listed.
• 12 gauge (Rapid Buckshot): recoil is higher than listed.
• Patch 1.1 fixed wrong stats for .375 H&H (Grande Strike), .45-70 (Nucleus Break), .270 (Nucleus Break) and .300 Win Mag (Nucleus Break Buffed).

Bows and crossbows

Arrows and bolts were not part of the first Experimental version. Update 0.5.0 added bow and crossbow support to Ammo Change.

Next: every gun and caliber · beginner tips.

Sources: Ammo Change announcement (Sep 4), Update 0.5.0 notes (Sep 22), Nine Rocks 1.0 FAQ, known issues for version 1.0, Patch 1.1 notes, checked October 4, 2026.