What's the point of using pistols in this game?

[Amplifier]

I'm struggling to understand any usefulness in pistols here. Shotguns do more dmg than pistols. Rifles do more range and dmg than pistols. Sniper rifles are for long range and more dmg too.

The only advantage I see in pistols is the low weight but the game is way too generous with carrying capacity anyway so this isnt an issue.

So... what's the point of even putting any skill points toward pistols? I also heard silencers can be attached to rifles anyway

[felmari]

preference. in actuality all weapons are viable on their own. you kind of have to chose a group though for specializing unless your going all in as some kind of weapon master which will limit points you can put in other things quite a bit.

[Mr_Blank]

I love the pistols, think they’re a great finisher after you’ve mag dumped a couple enemies,’or got them to low health.

[Project Paindora]

Its all about finesse.

Im on my third pistol playthrough

One with a Qian'Ti Sandy, one with a Biodyne Zerk. Its about speed and crits. learning to work the skill tree. Take a long look at the Cold Blood and Handgun Tree. Take body to at least 12.

Third was a runner I wanted options with. When (for whatever insane reason) you crit with a Legendary Short Circuit slotted in your deck, you hit them for electrical damage as well. Slap that 10% crit silencer on your best lexi and go to town. I forgot I even had a deck.

Gotta think outside the box.

This isnt Call of Duty

[Mander]

Pistols have a higher-than-normal damage by design: in short, even without slotting dedicate perks, pistols do a ton of damage for their size. Especially if you can pop headshots consistently.
At low level there is almost nothing better: other class of weapons overcome the difference after investing perks/STATs. Never the less, it is utterly possible to decimate anything in game with a pistol build (especially a tech/pistol build)

[Gillsing]

Free ammo (until you run out and find another 500) and the mandatory shooting from the side of a car that someone else is driving? And you have to use pistols to raise the skill if you want to get those extra perks for other stuff.

[Bahamut_A6M5]

Actually, pistols have more damage per shot than almost all weapons, except sniper rifles and melee. Their lower RoF and bullet spread makes them land shots consistently and more frequently than rifles, SMGs and shotguns. Also, you don't want silencers in assault rifles; their damage per bullet is low so, putting a silencer on them means even less damage per bullet. If you are to put a silencer into an assault rifle, wait until Assault 16+ (ideally), 12+ if you really need it (lower skills and you are gimping yourself).

[egg fu]

depends a lot on your build. i can't one shot with an assault rifle on my cold blood build. pistols like the overture gets the job done due to its better headshot multiplier bonus.

[Oneblock]

Why use weapons at all? A decent ram deck and selection of quickhacks can deal with pretty much any situation.

Is it a preferred play-style and appeal? I never handed Skippy in simply because of his Bum Dee Dum.

[Babaganoosh]

With this logic, what's the point of using anything? You can just short circuit everything in the game and it 1 hits almost everything lol.

[Bogmore]

Headshooting from cover using an overture with a silencer and not alerting others.

[Grobut]

Originally posted by reignworld:

Rifles do more range and dmg than pistols

Someone only looked at the DPS numbers..

Pistols, and revolvers especially, do heaps more per-shot damage than most of the rifles. Ignore the Damage Per Second numbers and look a little lower, and you'll see the per-shot damage numbers, the damage each fired bullet does.

As a stealthy player, it's hard to beat a silenced Overture, or a silenced Nue if you want to combine it with slowmo. They hit like a truck, and none of the rifles, not even Overture, is as silent.

[Rabidnid]

Originally posted by reignworld:

I'm struggling to understand any usefulness in pistols here. Shotguns do more dmg than pistols. Rifles do more range and dmg than pistols. Sniper rifles are for long range and more dmg too.

The only advantage I see in pistols is the low weight but the game is way too generous with carrying capacity anyway so this isnt an issue.

So... what's the point of even putting any skill points toward pistols? I also heard silencers can be attached to rifles anyway

The get a higher headshot multiplier than everything but snipers which more than makes up for their slightly lower raw damage. Also for people RPing it's the obvious choice for day to day carry.

[Jules]

I just like using Johnny's weapon.

[Garou]

My first character, back when the game came out, used a silenced pistol and with various stealth related perks that thing did massive damage. And in late game I had a single shot legendary tech revolver which did even more damage with proper perks.

[Gillsing]

Oh yeah, there are also that perk combination that allows for carrying a body while using a pistol, and using that body for some extra damage mitigation.