Summary
- Fallout 3 players should keep pistols in their arsenal for good weapon variety.
- Wild Bill's Sidearm is a stronger.32 variant for higher damage output and durability in battles.
- Paulson's Revolver is the top pistol, offering unique shotgun-like functions for maximum damage power.
Pistols will be some of the most used weapons for most players as they traverse the post-apocalyptic wastelands of Fallout 3. Players should expect pistols to remain in their arsenal from the initial escape of Vault 101 to the time the credits roll. Thankfully, the game has a wide array of pistols and unique variants of them to choose from.
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To keep each entry feeling fresh, the list will attempt to restrict each weapon (including its variants) to a single entry. With this in mind, each entry features stats, including damage, fire rate, spread, and range. These determine how and where a gun should be used. Speaking of where a pistol is, each entry will also detail how players can get their hands on the pistols being discussed.
6 Chinese Pistol
An Early-Game Weapon With A Fast Rate Of Fire
- Damage: 4
- Rate of Fire: 6
- Magazine Capacity: 10
Most likely one of the earliest pistols that players will come across, the Chinese Pistol deals very low damage, but with a fast rate of fire, a decent amount of damage can be dealt if accurate. Unfortunately, the spread is the second-worst out of all the pistols on offer in Fallout 3.
Players can find this weapon in a wide variety of places. Raiders often carry this weapon at lower levels, and it will be available from most vendors. Specifically, this weapon can be found inside the Museum of Dave in the Republic of Dave.
5 Wild Bill's Sidearm
A Significantly Better Version Of The.32 With A Higher Damage Output
- Damage: 10
- Rate of Fire: 3
- Magazine Capacity: 5
A unique variant of the inferior.32 pistol, Wild Bill's Sidearm is an improvement on that weapon in many ways. Firstly, the damage and critical hit damage is improved from 6 to 10 and 6 to 15. It is also far more durable than its base version. Players will be able to fire over 800 rounds before it needs fixing.
To get this weapon, players have to locate Wild Bill as part of a quest called "Wild Bill's Last Stand." This quest can be launched by speaking to Milly in the Downtown area of The Pitt before making one's way to the steelyard to find Bill.
It should be noted that this quest and weapon are only available in The Pitt, an add-on for Fallout 3.
4 Silenced 10mm Pistol
Very Useful In Stealth Situations
- Damage: 8
- Rate of Fire: 6
- Magazine Capacity: 12
Coming with a suppressor as standard, this pistol allows for silent kills if the player can make the first couple of shots count. The rate of fire and magazine capacity help greatly here; the speed of attack can make up for a missed shot in a stealth situation. Stealth shots are always critical hits, and with all relevant perks leveled up, it can deal 80 damage per second. The major drawback is that once a player is discovered, it is not very useful.
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This weapon can be acquired in a variety of places and settings. It can be found in Megaton, where it is carried by Mister Burke around the entrance of Vault 108, or bought from many shops, including Flak 'N Shrapnel's in Rivet City.
3 Dart Gun
Allows Players To Immediately Cripple An Enemy's Legs
- Damage: 6
- Rate of Fire: 6
- Magazine Capacity: 1
The Dart Gun is an extremely effective tool for dealing with difficult enemies in Fallout 3. Hitting an enemy anywhere on their body will immediately cripple their legs. This weapon is an invaluable piece of a player's arsenal as it makes dealing with a creature like a Deathclaw much easier. It also deals poison damage over time to all organic enemies.
Players can't acquire this weapon by simply finding it in the wastelands. They must gather a Paint Gun, Toy Gun, Surgical Tubing, and Radscorpion Poison Gland. Completing the "Head Of State" side quest (found in the Temple of the Union) will provide players with the schematic for the weapon as a reward. The Dart Gun can then be created at a Workbench.
2 Blackhawk
Doubles The Chance Of Landing A Critical Hit
- Damage: 55
- Rate of Fire: 2.3
- Magazine Capacity: 6
The Blackhawk is a very powerful variant of the Scoped.44 Magnum. Another variant of this weapon is Callahan's Magnum, but considering the unpopular in-game story choice a player has to make to acquire it, the Blackhawk is arguably the better option.
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Critical hit damage is the key component here, offering an additional 45 damage per shot and doubling the chance of landing a crit. It is also incredibly accurate and can deal incredible damage in a short amount of time. To acquire the Blackhawk, players should complete the quest "Agatha's Song" and ask for a reward at the end. Her house is west of the Scrapyard.
1 Paulson's Revolver
Functions More Like A Shotgun Than A Pistol
- Damage: 45
- Rate of Fire: 2.3
- Magazine Capacity: 6
Paulson's Revolver takes the top spot as the best pistol in Fallout 3. It operates unlike any other pistol in the game, which gives it an advantage over the rest. It fires out 9 projectiles per shot rather than the standard 1 projectile of all other pistols. Each projectile has a chance to cause a critical hit, which means that this weapon has the highest possible damage per second in the pistol category.
It can only be found in the Mothership Zeta add-on and from the body of a character called Paulson. He isn't dead when players meet him, so a morally debatable choice may have to be made for those who wish to acquire his weapon.
Fallout 3
- Released
- October 28, 2008
