Pistols as main weapon?

[IceSquirrel]

Is it possible to have pistols as main weapon? and still be effective.
I haven't wanted to sacrifice enough perks on pistols. But they have such low damage that it seems impossible to compete with other weapons. Especially considering they have such small magazines.
Have noticed that almost all high ranked players have power armor and heavy weapons. So I guess they are the best.

[Spartykins]

I wouldn't build pistols with damage in mind

that being said crusader pistol with the pyro receiver is ok, circuit breaker is ok, gauss pistol is kinda slow dps wise imo but can work, haven't tested the 44 revolvers but they also feel a bit slow, I assume you can also use a plasma flamethrower with a pistol grip but I also haven't tried that either

you can make any pistol work well with a bloodied build but I'd avoid the single action army since that reload cripples you imo

[Eriskumma]

Publicado originalmente por Spartykins ❤:

I'd avoid the single action army since that reload cripples you imo

Quad SAR is hilarious, it takes so long to reload that you probably get higher DPS out of black powder pistol. :D

[ianghorn]

1 of my characters uses pistols. I can do the everyday, solo most public events and expeditions. I'm not going to take out any bosses by myself but its fun to play and a change from my more meta characters.

[MOON LEGS]

I recommend using an automatic ultracite laser gun broken down into a pistol. Alternatively, a plasma thrower is quite effective on more hostile creatures such as a gulper or bear. Legendary with +50% damage to animals is good. The ultracite receiver increases damage against scorched and is also effective on other enemies especially when using the wave emitter. Combing a science card with a pistol damage card may be your best bet for the least amount of cards to dedicate.

[lordoftheapes79]

Pistols are a choice. They're fine, but you'll never do the same amount of damage as anything else.

[Hefutoxin]

Publicado originalmente por Eriskumma:

Publicado originalmente por Spartykins ❤:

I'd avoid the single action army since that reload cripples you imo

Quad SAR is hilarious, it takes so long to reload that you probably get higher DPS out of black powder pistol. :D

You can interrupt the reload to shoot how ever many bullets you've got.

It's an odd weapon that gets unique situations. Quick hands perk and a few legendary affixes are much better due to the reload mechanic. Not amazing, but more interesting choices than standard META.

[Eriskumma]

Publicado originalmente por Hefutoxin:

You can interrupt the reload to shoot how ever many bullets you've got.

I know, was just thinking out loud the DPS difference between quad SAR and BPP if you shoot the gun empty, reload and repeat. :) BPP has almost 3 times the damage and they are surprisingly fast to reload, haven't done any tests or math but DPS:s of BPP and Quad SAR must be in the same ballpark. At least it feels like it, reloading the quad SAR from empty to full is THAT slow. :D
While SAR is the underdog of revolvers (I rank pipe revolvers higher due suppressor) they are fun guns for easier events like Most Wanted, Line in the Sand etc and have role playing potential. :)
Some Western-themed RP build could be fun, just SAR:s, lever actions, double barrel shotguns, dynamite etc. :)

[Dracul]

Pistols lag behind all other weapon types hands down, they CAN work but the agility tree just has so many important cards in it that getting them AND the damage cards for pistols tends to require some sacrificing. On top of that they typically cant compete with any other weapon due to their low damage and low ammo count - which is a real shame as the single action and western revolver feel and sound amazing.

there are a few special cases/legendary combinations but they are so niche and kind of unfun IMO. The 10mm auto can become a discount fixer if you really wanted too (crit machine with low AP cost) but may as well just use a fixer at that point. If you really want to use one just for giggles, western revolver is the best balance of form and function, gunther's big iron would be really nice if some ahole at bethesda didnt saddle it with two-shot so it annoyingly underperforms.

[tbloyzz]

Technicallly, riflemen are not much better. Jumping around with their bloodied fixers and believe they make an impact while the big gunners do all the work. They should have an eviction notice for riflemen only. I guess they would end up as rad toast.

[KitKat]

Publicado originalmente por tbloyzz:

Technicallly, riflemen are not much better. Jumping around with their bloodied fixers and believe they make an impact while the big gunners do all the work. They should have an eviction notice for riflemen only. I guess they would end up as rad toast.

At least Fixer can be switched to full-auto (aka commando) and actually deal solid DPS through that.

But yes, I think the current lowliest of lows in terms of effectiveness are Pistols, followed by Shotguns, then Semi-auto Rifles.

[tbloyzz]

Publicado originalmente por KitKat:

Publicado originalmente por tbloyzz:

Technicallly, riflemen are not much better. Jumping around with their bloodied fixers and believe they make an impact while the big gunners do all the work. They should have an eviction notice for riflemen only. I guess they would end up as rad toast.

At least Fixer can be switched to full-auto (aka commando) and actually deal solid DPS through that.

But yes, I think the current lowliest of lows in terms of effectiveness are Pistols, followed by Shotguns, then Semi-auto Rifles.

Oh, absolutely. An auto Fixer is a totally different story. Actually, a fully modded Handmade, Tesla or Railgun do pack a punch as well. Sadly this cannot be said about auto pistols.

[Traveler]

I don't use pistols because their buffs are mostly in the Agility tree and those points are much better spent in support of other weapons and stealth.