Zombie Hunter University, Fairview

Pistols serve the same function as Rifles, allowing students to kill individual zombies without getting dangerously close.

Pistols come in two varieties:

1. Automatics have High Critical Chance (requiring 112 points in Critical Hit) and Average Firing Speed (twice per second).
2. Revolvers have Very High Critical Chance (requiring 80 points in Critical Hit) and Slow Firing Speed (1.5 per second).

Revolvers tends to have smaller ammo capacity than Automatics, making it more important to invest stat points in Reloading.

All pistols are Average Accuracy, which means they need 80 points for Reliable Aim and 100 points for Perfect Aim.

Pistols have a couple of disadvantages compared to Rifles:

1. Pistols are less accurate than Rifles, so eventually students will need to bump up their Accuracy stat. (Most builds compromise with 80 points; if students want Perfect Aim, they should use rifles.)
2. Pistols lag behind Rifles in Damage per Hit and Damage per Second, so it will take more Proficiency Points to get a useful Pistol than it would take to get a useful Rifle. For example, a 40-proficiency M1 Garand can one-hit kill a Siren. The first Pistol that can do this is the 100-proficiency Alpha Bull.

The second point makes Pistols a poor choice for third weapon. Most builds will max first and second weapon proficiency by Level 50, leaving only 20 to 30 points for the third weapon (depending on what if any bonus points the build began with). After Level 50, only 2 proficiency points are awarded per level, and levels take longer and longer to achieve; consequently, it could take weeks or months to equip the Alpha Bull, leaving students holding onto a sub-par weapon in the meantime.

Despite their differences, Pistols and Rifles converge later: both offer high-end options suitable for Hybrid Builds.

Below is a list of recommendations for students planning to use pistols.

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BLUE & GREEN ZONE WEAPONS

Beta Tomcat

• Proficiency 5
• Accuracy: Average
• Critical Chance: High 
• Firing Speed: 2/second
• Clip Size: 7
• DPH: 3.03/15.13
• DPS: 6.05/25.41
• DPC: 21.21/88.97

Most students begin their academic careers equipped with this handgun. (Students with stat boosting professions, such as Firemen, who begin with a Fire Axe, and Policeman, who begin with a shotgun, are exceptions.)

The Beta Tomcat is weak, but it is better than nothing; perhaps its greatest utility is as a stat-booster: the version provided at the outset is non-transferable (it cannot be sold in the marketplace, only scrapped), but it is cheaper to Mastercraft than a regular Beta Tomcat (only $1,000 instead of $6,000). Students should quickly scrap together the cash however they can and Mastercraft this pistol (along with the Pen Knife, the other weapon provided to most freshman). Then hold on to the Beta Tomcat until it is possible to equip three solid weapons with good M.C. stats.

Webster 1942 Revolver

• Proficiency 40
• Accuracy: Average
• Critical Chance: Very High 
• Firing Speed: 1.5/second
• Clip Size: 7
• DPH: 7/35
• DPS: 10.5/44.1
• DPC: 49/205.8

Early pistols are weak. The Webster 1942 is the first one capable of killing every zombie in the Blue Zones with a single critical hit, making it the first one we recommend. Its drawback is the small magazine size - only seven rounds, which can cause problems for beginning students who have yet to invest stat points in Reloading.

CK 99 Automatic

• Proficiency 45
• Accuracy: Average
• Critical Chance:  High 
• Firing Speed: 2/second
• Clip Size: 10
• DPH: 7.75/38.75
• DPS: 15.5/65.1
• DPC: 77.5/325

The 45-proficiency CK 99 will also kill all Blue Zone zombies with a single critical hit, and at a faster firing rate, but being an automatic pistol, it requires 112 in Critical Chance -not a likely situation for students using such a low-level pistol.

The next two Automatic Pistols, the SIC Apollo and the USP, are identical to the CK99 except for larger ammo capacity - worth having for students with low Reloading stat. 

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Subsequent firearms (the Kolt Anaconda revolver, the CK 97B automatic, the Desert Fox automatic, and the SW 500 revolver) offer marginal improvements in Damage Per Hit and Damage Per Second. Unfortunately, none of them can one-hit-kill a Siren - nor, indeed, any zombie that cannot be one-hit-killed by a Webster. Their advantage consists in taking fewer shots to kill stronger zombies.

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YELLOW & ORANGE ZONE WEAPONS

Alpha Bull revolver

• Proficiency 100
• Accuracy: Average
• Critical Chance: Very High 
• Firing Speed: 1.5/second
• Clip Size: 5
• DPH: 17.5/87.5
• DPS: 26.25/110.25
• DPC: 131/367

This is the first sidearm capable of killing a Siren with a single critical hit, making it a must have for students entering the Yellow Zones around Precinct 13. The Alpha Bull can also one-crit kill all normal zombies in the Yellow Zones except for the Blood Dog. 

The only down side is the small ammo capacity (5 shots). Maximum Reloading is essential for optimizing this weapon, but it is worth the investment in stats. Even without maximum reloading, the Alpha Bull is an effective weapon, capable of killing any non-mutant Dead Frontier zombie with a single clip. (Note: In practical terms, the Alpha Bull is nearly identical to the VSS Vintorez Rifle, though the stat requirements are different.)

475 Magnum automatic pistol

• Proficiency: 110
• Accuracy: Average
• Critical Chance: High
• Speed: 2/second
• Clip Size: 16
• DPH 15.85/79.25
• DPS: 31.7/133.14
• DPC: 253/1065

Thanks to its faster firing speed, this automatic pistol will outperform the Alpha Bull against stronger mutant zombies in the Orange, Red and Black Zones: Brutes, Leapers, Spiders, Tendrils, Bloats, Rumblers, Black and Irradiated Long Arms. This makes it useful for students working on a critical build (112 points in Critical Chance) who are moving past Fort Pastor in search of better loot.

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RED & BLACK ZONE WEAPONS

Greyhawk 55 revolver

• Proficiency 120
• Accuracy: Average
• Critical Chance: Very High
• Speed: 1.5/second
• Clip Size: 12
• DPH: 23.2/116
• DPS: 34.8/146.16
• DPC: 278/1169

The first pistol that can one-crit kill a Blood Dog, the Greyhawk outperforms both the Alpha Bull and the 475 Magnum against most of the stronger mutant zombies in the Orange, Red, and Black Zones: Spiders, Brutes, Leapers, Tendrils. It kills Flesh Hounds and Black and Irradiated Long Arms (which have 200 health points) in less than a second. For students spending much time in the Red and Black Zones, this is a useful tool.

The Greyhawk falls short only up against Black and Irradiated Rumblers, which it cannot kill in less than a second. This would be a small matter in a less densely populated area, but in the Black Zones, students will need to put these seemingly ubiquitous zombies into the graves as quickly as possible.

DoubleShot AAX revolver

• Proficiency120
• Accuracy: Average
• Critical Chance: Very High
• Speed: 1.5/second
• Clip Size: 14
• DPH: 27.25/136.25
• DPS: 40.88/171.68
• DPC: 382/1602

Outside of limited edition and unique weapons, the Doubleshot has more DPH and DPS than any other sidearm. Most importantly, it can kill Black and Irradiated Rumblers with two critical hits, delivered in .66 of a second, making it essential for students in the Black Zones near Secronom Bunker. (Note: The DoubleShot is essentially the same as the limited-edition Marksman G8 rifle in terms of DPH and DPS, though of course it requires different stats for optimization.)

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SPECIAL WEAPONS

Corpse Shooter Revolver
(limited edition)

• Proficiency 110
• Accuracy: Average
• Critical Chance: Very High
• Speed: 1.5/second
• Clip Size: 24
• DPH: 21.5/106.27
• DPS: 31.88/133.88
• DPC: 516/2143

The limited-edition Corpse Shooter is one of the best single-shot weapons in the game. Its DPH and DPS fall just short of the Greyhawk, but it delivers much more Damage Per Clip because of its large ammo capacity - very convenient when dealing with swarms. Though a revolver, it offers the Fast Reload Speed of an automatic; however, the main advantage of the Corpse Shooter is its lower proficiency requirement: senior students reaching Level 50 can save 10 points in Pistols and use them for another weapon instead.

Vlock XD11 Automatic
(limited edition)

• Proficiency 120
• Accuracy: Average
• Critical Chance: Very High
• Speed: 2/second
• Clip Size: 18
• DPH: 18.15/90.73
• DPS: 36.29/152.42
• DPC: 326.7/1,371

Although a limited-edition weapon, the Vlock XD11 automatic is the only "affordable" option for  seniors and graduate students with Critical Builds, who want the advantages of an automatic pistol. It's expensive but obtainable without risking bankruptcy. The only other 120-proficiency automatic pistols are unique Dusk gear and the limited-edition Desert Rat, which is astronomically exorbitant.

Return to Introduction to Weapons