Pistols are a rather common weapon that can be found in Starfield, but by no means should it be underestimated. Players can expect a trusty sidearm to get them through thick and thin. Whether that’s fighting off dangerous alien creatures on unexplored worlds, stuck in a gunfight with the Crimson Fleet pirates, or fending off bounties. The Starfield pistol has the player’s back more than their companions.
As part of the many weapons in Starfield, the pistol will perhaps be one of the first that the player finds as they familiarize themselves with the very reason why they need a weapon at hand. There’s a variety of pistols in Starfield, as well as different ways to get them, ensuring that ballistic gunfire is always near.
Where To Get A Pistol
Since pistols are a common find among the loot of Starfield, it’s almost certain that players will find their first pistol just from the very first mission. As players fight their first band of criminals with their mining crew, they will easily be able to find a pistol in the area, or on the dead body of one of the fallen space pirates that has been killed.
If players are still wandering around aimlessly in search of a pistol, then there are a few other areas that could grant them such a reward, such as shop vendors. Vendors can be found on many different planets, but the main points of interest are the ones on New Atlantis, which acts as the central planet among the infinite galaxy and solar systems players will explore.
Once a vendor has been found, players need only to talk to them and enter their wares to find their weapons for sale and purchase one of the pistols that they have available to buy. Failing that, the next best thing is to simply explore the planets that the game has to offer, and perhaps players will find a pistol in a weapon case, which acts as Starfield’s version of chests for the wide arsenal of weapons, including the classic and beloved 1911 in Starfield.
Different Types Of Pistols
There is more than one type of pistol in Starfield, and that’s not counting the endless modifications and stats that players can find for them, and the unique ones. Players should be on the lookout for a few different variations of pistols, as some use different ammo types as well as the stats that they provide players with.
For the ballistic pistols, players can expect to find pistols that hold these ammo types:
- 27 Caliber
- 7.5MM
- .43 Ultramag
- 6.5MM
- .43 MI
- .45 Caliber
There are also Laser Pistols in Starfield, which use 1.5KV LZR as their ammo type, and they consume energy for their shots fired, making them reusable, but not as efficient as ballistic pistols, unless players use them on shielded enemies.
The last type of pistol players might find is a Particle Beam Pistol, which deals both physical and energy damage to enemies thanks to their Light Fuse ammo type. Particle Beam Pistols are more unique and offer good assaults in close quarters, but they can’t beat ol’ reliable with the ballistics.
Most of these pistols will play differently in the hands of players. Some, act as more reliable long-range weapons due to their slow rate of fire. However, some other pistols might have a rapid fire rate that makes them great for close-quarter combat. Either way, there are many different pistols players will find across their infinite journeys in Starfield.
Increase Pistol Power
Not only can players find pistols in Starfield to modify and increase their stats and attachments, but they can also use a certain amount of perks in order to further train their pistol power. Some of the best perks in Starfield will grant players intense upgrades for their weaponry, and in particular, their pistols, to truly enhance the damage capabilities of these handheld beauties.
There are three important pistol-related skills players will want to pick up if they are going all out for the damage properties with this weapon type. The first is Pistol Certification. The Rank 1 for this perk will increase pistol damage by 10%, with Rank 2 granting 25%, and Rank 3 a final whopping 50% extra damage. Rank 4 is not essential, but it will provide players with a 25% critical hit chance for 5 seconds after killing an enemy with a pistol.
The second Combat skill in Starfield to make note of is the Ballistics skill, as this focuses purely on the weapons that require bullets. Rank 1 gives a 10% damage increase, Rank 2 gives 20% more damage, and Rank 3 will provide an additional 30% damage increase. Rank 4 is pretty good for pistol uses, as the effective range of ballistics is increased by 30%, meaning the smallest ballistic weapon can be used from afar to great effect.
The final useful skill for pistol lovers in Starfield is the Lasers skill, which will increase the damage outputs of all laser weapons, including pistols. Rank 1 grants a 10% damage increase, with Rank 2 granting an additional 20%, and Rank 3 a further 30%. Rank 4 will give players a 5% chance to set the target on fire, but this passive damage bonus isn’t great when the chance is so low, and players can just shoot them dead.
Starfield is now available exclusively for PC and Xbox Series X|S.