Pistols

Pistols are backup weapons. They can fill in a few gaps in your rifle’s or shotgun’s effectiveness. They’re also last-ditch weapons when you run out of ammo, and your only weapon when you carry a meatshield.

The basic Snub Pistol is your starting sidearm. You must pick up the Boltok and Gorgon. Go after the pick-up pistols and practice with them. While they’re less important than the ‘true’ power weapon pick-ups, it’s important to know how to fight effectively with them. The Boltok in particular can help your team out of sticky situations if you have a steady hand and a keen eye.

Snub Pistol

> The Snub Pistol is an accurate and quick-firing semi-automatic handgun. It’s standard issue for all combatants.

Weapon Profile

The Snub Pistol is the default sidearm for everyone in multiplayer. Consequently, it isn’t an especially strong weapon. You have to unload almost a full magazine into another player to down and kill him. However, the Snub Pistol is accurate, it can zoom, and it fires almost as quickly as you can mash the trigger. Furthermore, unless you pick up another pistol, you must use it when you have a meatshield.

You can also use the Snub Pistol as a makeshift ‘long-range’ weapon if you’re using the Retro Lancer or even the Lancer occasionally. You can quickly switch and start firing at a target at medium to medium-long range.

You don’t want to pit your Snub Pistol against a serious long-range weapon like the Hammerburst or Longshot. But you can definitely down targets at a decent range if your aim is true. If you’ve swapped out your rifle for a power weapon, this may be your only option!

Spend a few matches practicing the switch from your rifle or shotgun to the pistol to quickly down a target at medium range. Just as you should automatically switch to a shotgun at close range, it’s important to train your instincts to know when to switch to the pistol.

Boltok

> The Boltok is a powerful sidearm with vicious recoil and the potential for lethal headshots.

Weapon Profile

A high-damage, slow-firing weapon with heavy recoil, the Boltok is a pocket sniper rifle. It’s accurate enough to hit targets at a distance, particularly when you’re zoomed. Downing a target takes only three body shots (or two shots if one is a headshot), and it works very well for downing enemies when you coordinate your fire with a teammate.

You can use the Boltok to help break a hold on power weapons. It’s often positioned in an out-of-the way area that one can reach safely when the enemy team guards the power weapon areas. The Boltok also typically has infinite spawns…that is to say, you can outfit your whole team with Boltok pistols, unlike most weapon pickups. So, if you spend a little time gearing two players with Boltoks, you can use them to hammer away at an entrenched team from a distance.

The Boltok also has the distinction of possessing an unusual Perfect Reload bonus: it gains firing rate rather than damage. While this means you can potentially down a target in a shorter timespan just as a damage boost would, it also means you have to compensate more aggressively for the ferocious recoil.