Secondary Weapons

Pistols (and Dual Pistols)

Damage: Low
Penetration: Low
Accuracy: Medium
Range: Short to intermediate
Rate of Fire: Medium
Reload Time: Fast
Fire Mode: Semi-automatic
Magazine Capacity: 15 (30)
Total Ammo: Unlimited
Enhanced Variant: Magnum Pistol

Magnum Pistol

Damage: High (for pistol)
Penetration: Medium
Accuracy: Medium
Range: Medium
Rate of Fire: Medium
Reload Time: Medium
Fire Mode: Semi-automatic
Magazine Capacity: 8
Total Ammo: Unlimited
Enhanced Variant: Pistol (and Dual Pistols)

You begin with a Pistol, which is used when you are incapacitated, no matter whether or not you’re armed with a Melee Weapon (which takes the place of a Pistol or Magnum). Your trigger finger needs to be itchy—the faster you manually fire, the more bullets are released from the chamber.

Dual-wielding is advisable, for obvious reasons (greater ammunition and rate of fire). Pistols are accurate and perform better at longer ranges and are, therefore, a good choice to pair with a Shotgun so you have range and flexibility with your takedowns. (Although having a teammate perform this function is usually a better plan.)

Alternatively, you can partner Pistols with a Sniper Rifle, so you can fire on long-range foes while moving, which is more difficult with a Sniper Rifle, especially one that is scoped. You can also flip to a pair of fully loaded pistols or a Magnum hand-cannon instead of reloading your Primary Weapon if you need to keep on firing, or if you’re worried about your Primary Weapon’s ammunition reserves (a problem with SMGs).

The Magnum (which you can pick up during the Hotel stage of Dead Center when a Primary Weapon isn’t yet available) is a great alternative to a Primary Weapon if you want quick headshot executions of the Common Infected, instead of a large number of shots (which the Pistols are better suited for).

This hand-cannon is usually a better bet than Pistols, as it also has unlimited ammunition but is far more effective. Its drawback is its relatively small chamber, but this is made up for with a quick reload time. Note that you can’t duel-wield the Magnum.

With either Secondary firearm, you may wish to drop it for a Melee Weapon to give you greater flexibility.

Melee Weapons

Melee Weapons are a variety of armaments, or tools appropriated for violent use, that are designed to be swung and struck about the heads and bodies of the Infected during frenzied bouts of close-quarters fighting. They slay between one and three Common (or Uncommon) Infected with a single swipe, but aren’t nearly as effective on the tougher Special Infected, such as Chargers, Tanks, and Witches. (Primary Weapons or projectiles are recommended for them.)

Some Melee Weapons bludgeon (the Cricket Bat), while others slice (the Katana), and the amount of blood and dismemberment you’ll see on your screen varies with each. However, the damage all of these items do is identical. You can also Melee Shove a foe (or a couple if you’re surrounded), before attacking with your Melee Weapon, but this isn’t as necessary as with a firearm.

Use Melee Weapons when you’re swarmed, when you’re guarding a narrow exit (such as the hatch of the wrecked airliner during Swamp Fever), or when you want to slay a Boomer, and don’t mind getting covered in Bile. (In fact, the Melee Weapons are the go-to armaments when this occurs, and actually make tackling a Boomer a lot less of a problem.) Spinning on the spot and striking with Melee Weapons is also encouraged. The following table shows where to find specific Melee Weapons during the campaigns:

Melee Enhanced

Chainsaw

Damage: Very High
Penetration: N/A
Accuracy: N/A
Range: Very Short
Rate of Fire: N/A
Reload Time: N/A
Fire Mode: N/A
Magazine Capacity: N/A
Total Ammo: 30 seconds of continuous use

This gardening implement, now repurposed for Infected nullification, is a melee combat-fan favorite. After a couple of seconds’ delay to start the motor, this becomes a terrifyingly violent bringer of blood. Produce and activate the Chainsaw as the zombies close in, and not when they reach you or you’ll be mauled for a couple of seconds.

The damage the Chainsaw causes is horrific and impressive, cutting through Infected bones like butter and dropping multiple foes the moment it strikes. Note you have to press your Weapon button for the blades to reach their fastest speed and for you to thrust the weapon. When this occurs, any Common or Uncommon foe is torn apart.

Special Infected are also susceptible to the Chainsaw, but those with more melee aggression (such as the Charger, Tank, and Witch) can easily overcome the attack with their own strikes, even though the Chainsaw can damage them. So attack while these foes are preoccupied.

The fuel for the Chainsaw slowly depletes and is good for 30 seconds of continued use. So, you should thrust the Chainsaw only when enemies are within the blade’s range. But for cutting through a solid circle of Infected, there’s nothing better; in fact, you might encourage your friend to throw a Bile Bomb over you just so you can really let rip! Note that once the chainsaw’s fuel runs out, you’ll be equipped with a single pistol in its place.