During your stay in Columbia , you’ll find a vast arsenal of weapons, each with its own unique strengths and abilities. Every gun Booker finds can also be upgraded up to four times, allowing a gun to be more efficient, deal more damage, or affect more enemies.
In this section, you’ll find data for each weapon—including damage and rate of fire—along with tips on how to use every armament, as well as strategy for when and why you should upgrade.
Warning!
There are spoilers in this section. You should not use this guide before you progress through the game if you do not want to discover any storyline-related details!
Weapon data contains the following stats:
Damage (Min): Damage dealt by a gunshot is random—this stat shows the minimum amount of damage a shot can inflict.
Damage (Max): As opposed to the minimum damage, this is the most damage a single shot deals. These two numbers are based on Normal difficulty; the numbers will be lower or higher on harder or easier difficulties, respectively.
Critical Multiplier: This is a measure of how much the damage will be multiplied on a critical hit. This is usually a headshot, but might be different on certain enemies like the Motorized Patriot .
Rounds per Minute: How many times you can fire the weapon if you press the button as quickly as possible—or hold down fire for a minute with an automatic weapon. Generally, the higher the number, the faster you can fire the weapon.
Magazine Capacity: How much ammo a single clip holds when you first pick up the weapon. You can increase this stat on several weapons through upgrades.
Reserve Capacity: How much ammo can be held for a weapon outside of the clip. You can likewise increase this stat through weapon upgrades.
Notes: If a weapon has any special feature or utility, it is listed in this field.
Lessons Learned from Wounded Knee
Here are some general tips to consider when picking your weapon load out:
Use the weapon you want: You can get through most of the game using only the weapons you prefer, as long as you keep upgrading them. Don’t feel pressured to use a weapon just because it’s new.
Booker can only carry two weapons, so make sure the ones you have are fully loaded: If you’re running low on ammo, consider switching to a different weapon. You will often pick up ammo for weapons you aren’t using, so switching to any available weapon should give you a fully loaded gun.
Many weapons have increased accuracy when aiming down the Iron Sights: You can control the random spray of gunfire by entering into Iron Sights, so use them especially when fighting enemies at a distance, even with the Pistol.
Don’t needlessly spend money on upgrades: Don’t buy every weapon upgrade available, especially if they’re for weapons you don’t use or prefer. Focus on a few weapons so you’ll have enough money to afford the more expensive Vigor upgrades.
Reload after every fight to stay prepared for anything: After clearing out a wave of enemies, reload both your weapons before moving on. You don’t want to run into a group of adversaries with an empty clip!
Search everywhere: You can not only find more ammo on enemy corpses and in boxes lying around, but you can also walk over defeated enemies’ weapons to add their ammo to your own. If you’ve defeated an opponent using the same weapon as you, you won’t receive a prompt to pick up their weapon, but you’ll still get the ammo for your gun.
Don’t rely on Elizabeth too much: Elizabeth does give you ammo, but not continually. After giving you ammo once, it’ll be a while before she’ll find enough to give you more for a particular weapon. If you run out of ammo after Elizabeth helps you out, consider switching to a different weapon.
Broadsider Pistol
Stats
Damage (Min)
Damage (Max)
Critical Multiplier
Rounds per Minute
Magazine Capacity
Reserve Capacity
Notes
85
115
3.5x
400
12
108
—
Upgrades
Upgrade
Cost
Function
First Available In
Damage Boost 1
$199
Increases damage by 25%
Inside Hall of Heroes
Damage Boost 2
$199
Increases damage by 25%
The Factory
Ammo Increase
$404
Increases reserve ammo to 162
Finkton Docks
Clip Increase
$275
Increases clip size to 18
Battleship Bay
Strategy
The Broadsider Pistol is the first weapon you’ll find in Columbia . The Pistol doesn’t deal much damage, but its speed and high ammo count make it a valuable weapon throughout most of the game.
Although it doesn’t deal much damage per shot, the Pistol can fire very quickly—as fast as you can pull the trigger! The Pistol also reloads quickly, so when using the Broadsider, don’t be afraid to spray ammo everywhere!
The Pistol deals huge damage on a critical hit, which is often enough to take out many soldiers in one to two shots. When using the Pistol, aim toward the heads of your enemies to take them out quickly.
Triple R Machine Gun
Stats
Damage (Min)
Damage (Max)
Critical Multiplier
Rounds per Minute
Magazine Capacity
Reserve Capacity
Notes
72
88
1.5x
600
35
105
—
Upgrades
Upgrade
Cost
Function
First Available In
Damage Boost 1
$236
Increases damage by 25%
Welcome Center
Damage Boost 2
$236
Increases damage by 25%
The Factory
Accuracy Boost
$512
Reduces spread by 75%
Inside Hall of Heroes
Clip Increase
$391
Increases clip size to 70
Finkton Docks
Strategy
Shortly after escaping Raffle Square, you’ll find the Rolston Reciprocating Rifle or Triple R, an automatic rifle that can quickly unload into your enemies. The greatest asset of this Machine Gun is its availability—almost every group of enemies you’ll fight has at least one soldier carrying one, giving you many opportunities to replenish your ammo.
Unfortunately, you’ll need to replenish its ammo fairly often, as it chews through your supply almost immediately. Even though you can carry a reserve of 105 bullets, this is only enough to reload three times, so you might quickly find yourself low on ammo.
Damage dealt by the Machine Gun is very low, and the critical multiplier isn’t very high, so don’t waste your bullets aiming for headshots. Target the center of mass on enemies to compensate for the Machine Gun’s spread and ensure that all shots fired hit your target.
China Broom Shotgun
Stats
Damage (Min)
Damage (Max)
Critical Multiplier
Rounds per Minute
Magazine Capacity
Reserve Capacity
Notes
765
1035
1.5x
45
4
20
Damage degrades with distance
Upgrades
Upgrade
Cost
Function
First Available In
Damage Boost 1
$255
Increases damage by 25%
Finkton Docks
Damage Boost 2
$255
Increases damage by 25%
Emporia
Reload Increase
$456
Increases reload speed by 50%
Finkton Docks
Spread Boost
$360
Increases spread by 20%
Downtown Emporia
Strategy
The China Broom Shotgun, most likely named for the way it spreads buckshot in a fan-shaped pattern, is a very powerful weapon that deals pretty good damage from far away and huge damage up close! This Shotgun is one of the best secondary weapons you can carry, since it gives you a powerful weapon that you can save for heavy hitters and close-range encounters.
Save the China Broom mostly for close confrontations. From point-blank, the China Broom can deal enormous damage, easily enough to kill a soldier enemy in a single shot and occasionally two foes at once!
The greatest disadvantage of the China Broom is its lengthy reload time—it can take a long time to fully reload all four rounds. Once you can buy the Reload Increase upgrade, do it—it’ll speed your reload significantly, nearly removing the gun’s greatest drawback!
In the middle of a fight, you can cancel the reload and fire as soon as a single round has been loaded into the chamber. Don’t waste time waiting to reload all four shots unless you are safely out of combat.
Bird’s Eye Sniper Rifle
Stats
Damage (Min)
Damage (Max)
Critical Multiplier
Rounds per Minute
Magazine Capacity
Reserve Capacity
Notes
595
805
2.5x
50
4
20
Using Iron Sights activates scope
Upgrades
Upgrade
Cost
Function
First Available In
Damage Boost 1
$349
Increases damage by 25%
Inside Hall of Heroes
Damage Boost 2
$349
Increases damage by 25%
The Factory
Fire Rate Boost
$654
Increases fire rate by 100%
Finkton Docks
Recoil Decrease
$288
Decreases recoil by 50%
Finkton Docks
Strategy
If you need to take out an enemy from a very long distance, the Bird’s Eye Sniper Rifle is the perfect weapon. Activating Iron Sights allows you to use a scope that lets you target opponents from quite far away.
When using the Sniper Rifle, you might be tempted to aim for headshots, but you should try to aim at center mass whenever possible—a single body shot is enough to take out any soldier on normal difficulty, even late in the game.
While the Sniper Rifle is great against enemies from far away, it’s much harder to use when attackers get close. Aiming while looking down the scope is slow, and it’s very difficult to use the Bird’s Eye while firing from the hip.
In most situations, it’s generally best to not hold on to a Sniper Rifle for too long—whenever you might need one, you’ll probably be able to find one. If you really want to carry one around, keep a secondary weapon constantly stocked to use when enemies get close.
Barnstormer RPG
Stats
Damage (Min)
Damage (Max)
Critical Multiplier
Rounds per Minute
Magazine Capacity
Reserve Capacity
Notes
1250
1750
—
40
2
8
—
Upgrades
Upgrade
Cost
Function
First Available In
Damage Boost 1
$385
Increases damage by 25%
Inside Hall of Heroes
Damage Boost 2
$385
Increases damage by 25%
Emporia
Clip Increase
$816
Increases clip size to 3
Inside Hall of Heroes
RPG Speed Boost
$333
Increases projectile speed by 100%
Downtown Emporia
Strategy
The Barnstormer RPG is an incredibly powerful weapon that fires a slow-moving but deadly rocket-propelled grenade toward your enemies. These rockets inflict incredible damage and can take out several enemies in a single shot or destroy a heavy hitter very quickly.
It’s best to employ the RPG against adversaries that are fairly far away, as using it too close can backfire, since Booker isn’t immune to the explosion damage caused by RPG ammo. It’s also generally not worth the ammo to use the RPG against single foes—save the RPG for heavy hitters or massive groups.
RPG explosions have the same fire effect as the Devil’s Kiss Vigor, which allows you to use it instead of Devil’s Kiss in certain combos. Also, it can set oil slicks on the ground ablaze, which allows you to create a devastating wall of flames!
Be careful when using the RPG against distant enemies because the grenade itself doesn’t travel very quickly. You might fire a rocket at your opponents but find they’ve moved out of the way long before the rocket reaches them!
Huntsman Carbine
Stats
Damage (Min)
Damage (Max)
Critical Multiplier
Rounds per Minute
Magazine Capacity
Reserve Capacity
Notes
213
287
2.25x
240
8
72
—
Upgrades
Upgrade
Cost
Function
First Available In
Damage Boost 1
$357
Increases damage by 25%
Inside Hall of Heroes
Damage Boost 2
$357
Increases damage by 25%
Emporia
Clip Increase
$484
Increases clip size to 12
Finkton Docks
Recoil Decrease
$333
Decreases recoil by 60%
The Factory
Strategy
The Huntsman Carbine Rifle is an incredibly powerful semi-automatic rifle that features a high rate of fire, a quick reload speed, and massive damage, especially on critical hits. From the first time you find one to the final battle, the Carbine can easily carry you through the end of the game as your go-to weapon.
The Carbine functions similarly to the Pistol, with longer range—though it fires rapidly, you should mostly attempt headshots. A critical hit with the Carbine does massive damage and can fell many soldiers throughout the game in one or two shots.
You can also use the Carbine with great accuracy even when firing from the hip. Simply aim toward an enemy’s head, and watch them drop.
The Carbine is a very strong weapon and should be an integral part of your arsenal. If you’ve been using the Pistol or Machine Gun primarily, replace it with the Carbine as soon as you can.
The Pig Volley Gun
Stats
Damage (Min)
Damage (Max)
Critical Multiplier
Rounds per Minute
Magazine Capacity
Reserve Capacity
Notes
550+200
650+250
—
120
8
24
Damage degrades with distance from explosion
Upgrades
Strategy
The Pig Volley Gun is a unique weapon that fires explosive shells in an arc, allowing you to lob projectiles behind cover, over obstacles, and into groups of enemies.
Volley Gun projectiles deal big damage, often taking out soldiers in a single shot. While Volley Gun projectiles do deal splash damage, it’s not very much, and it’ll take more than a few hits to inflict any significant damage on your opponents. You should focus on direct shots instead of relying on area-of-effect explosions.
You can use its low-damage explosions to your advantage, however, and employ the Volley Gun against enemies up close without hurting yourself too much. The Volley Gun also reloads very quickly, making it a decent close-range alternative to the Shotgun.
Paddywhacker Hand Cannon
Stats
Damage (Min)
Damage (Max)
Critical Multiplier
Rounds per Minute
Magazine Capacity
Reserve Capacity
Notes
510
690
3x
75
6
18
—
Upgrades
Upgrade
Cost
Function
First Available In
Damage Boost 1
$448
Increases damage by 25%
The Factory
Damage Boost 2
$448
Increases damage by 25%
Emporia
Reload Increase
$656
Increases reload speed by 50%
The Factory
Recoil Decrease
$350
Decreases recoil by 20%
Downtown Emporia
Strategy
The Paddywhacker Hand Cannon is an immensely powerful pistol that has a slow rate of fire and low accuracy but deals enormous damage with every shot.
The Hand Cannon functions completely differently than the normal Pistol—its rate of fire is incredibly low, but its normal damage is incredibly high. The Hand Cannon also has a very long reload time, so you need to make every shot count.
Its high damage makes it very useful against heavy hitters, especially when they’re stunned. Zap a heavy hitter with Shock Jockey and blast them a few times with the Hand Cannon, and they’ll be down for the count.
Peppermill Crank Gun
Stats
Damage (Min)
Damage (Max)
Critical Multiplier
Rounds per Minute
Magazine Capacity
Reserve Capacity
Notes
70
130
1.5x
1500
100
100
—
Upgrades
The Crank Gun has no upgrades.
Strategy
The Peppermill Crank Gun is the signature weapon of the Motorized Patriot and is a high-powered Gatling gun that chews through ammo and tears through enemies just as fast.
The Crank Gun is fairly uncommon, however, as it can only be found near defeated Motorized Patriots and in a few Tears located in the world. You can only replenish its ammo by finding another Crank Gun, so it’s difficult to try to finish the game while Booker is equipped with it.
You should generally try to pick up the Crank Gun whenever possible. Though you probably shouldn’t take it with you, use it to easily and quickly dispatch any soldiers or heavy hitters nearby.
Vox Huntsman Burstgun
Stats
Damage (Min)
Damage (Max)
Critical Multiplier
Rounds per Minute
Magazine Capacity
Reserve Capacity
Notes
85
115
2.25x
265
30
120
Fires in three-shot bursts
Upgrades
Strategy
The Burstgun is a modified version of the Huntsman that fires in a three-shot burst instead of a single, powerful shot. The Burstgun is the most common Vox weapon and is found everywhere in the latter half of the game.
Compared to the Huntsman, the Burstgun is considerably weaker: its three shots—even if they all hit—deal about as much damage as one from the Carbine, but with a chance that an individual round might miss. When using the Burstgun, it’s best to aim for center mass to make sure all three hits connect rather than risk losing important critical damage.
However, since ammunition is plentiful, it can be a very useful tool late in the game. If you need a weapon, there’s a good chance there’ll be a Burstgun lying around that you can use while you collect more ammo for your preferred weapons.
Vox Triple R Repeater
Stats
Damage (Min)
Damage (Max)
Critical Multiplier
Rounds per Minute
Magazine Capacity
Reserve Capacity
Notes
170
230
2x
350
20
60
—
Upgrades
Upgrade
Cost
Function
First Available In
Damage Boost 1
—
Increases damage by 25%
—
Damage Boost 2
$416
Increases damage by 25%
Downtown Emporia
Recoil Decrease
$711
Decreases recoil by 50%
Emporia
Clip Increase
$449
Increases clip size to 40
Downtown Emporia
Strategy
This Vox-modified Triple R has a much slower rate of fire but deals significantly more damage per shot. The Repeater is a very useful late-game weapon, since it is very common throughout the latter stages, giving you many opportunities to refill your ammo.
Even though the Repeater is modified from the Machine Gun, it functions much more like the Carbine, but with a higher rate of fire. It doesn’t deal quite as much damage on a critical hit, however, so enemies will require multiple headshots to take down.
The high rate of fire makes it very useful against heavy hitters, especially after they’ve been made vulnerable by a Vigor. Put the effect on an enemy, then lay into their weak spots to quickly take them down.
The Vox Pig Hail Fire
Stats
Damage (Min)
Damage (Max)
Critical Multiplier
Rounds per Minute
Magazine Capacity
Reserve Capacity
Notes
580
820
—
545
5
25
Damage degrades with distance from explosion
Upgrades
Upgrade
Cost
Function
First Available In
Damage Boost 1
—
Increases damage by 25%
—
Damage Boost 2
$688
Increases damage by 25%
Downtown Emporia
Radius Increase
$415
Increases explosion radius by 100%
Downtown Emporia
Clip Size
$399
Increases clip size to 8
Downtown Emporia
Strategy
This modified Pig fires projectiles that have the unique ability to bounce off walls and detonate in mid-air. While ammo for the Hail Fire is rare, its unique functionality makes it a powerful weapon.
The projectile fired by the Hail Fire differs based on how long you hold the trigger—if you tap it, the projectile bounces off walls until it hits an enemy. If you hold the trigger down, the projectile still bounces off walls until it hits a target, but will also explode when you release the trigger.
In general, you should use the normal fire version in most situations. However, if you’re attacking enemies in a group or behind cover, lob a shot over cover, then release the trigger when the shot is near an adversary to detonate it, ignoring their cover!
Unfortunately, very few enemies carry the Hail Fire, so ammo for it is generally scarce. If you want to use this unique weapon, you’ll often find yourself buying more ammo from Dollar Bill, so make sure you’ve purchased all the upgrades you can before committing to it.
The Heater
Stats
Damage (Min)
Damage (Max)
Critical Multiplier
Rounds per Minute
Magazine Capacity
Reserve Capacity
Notes
1360
1840
1.5x
35
1
8
Damage degrades with distance, sets enemies ablaze
Upgrades
Upgrade
Cost
Function
First Available In
Damage Boost 1
—
Increases damage by 25%
—
Damage Boost 2
$554
Increases damage by 25%
Downtown Emporia
Spread Boost
$467
Increases spread by 20%
Downtown Emporia
Reload Increase
$752
Increases reload speed by 50%
Emporia
Strategy
The Heater is a modified China Broom that only holds a single bullet, but fires an extremely powerful shot that sets enemies ablaze and deals massive damage.
Any adversary caught up close is annihilated instantly by the Heater, and if the shot doesn’t dispatch them immediately, they’ll probably be finished off by the fire damage!
Unlike the Shotgun, the Heater is only useful at very close ranges. Even though it deals huge damage, be careful using it against heavy hitters that can seriously injure Booker whenever he gets too close.
Ammo for the Heater is very scarce, especially if you choose to steal it while you’re in Soldier’s Field . Much like the Hail Fire, you’ll need to visit Dollar Bill for more Heater ammo, so try to use it sparingly.
