The pistols in Cyberpunk 2077 are nothing to scoff at. They may not be as flashy as the average assault rifle, but they do the job right and they do it well. Many of the pistols in the game are incredibly powerful, enough to take down even the toughest of opponents. In fact, when it comes to close-range combat, pistols should be V's weapon of choice. There are a ton of pistols in this game, but the most worthwhile are classified as iconic. These pistols will really make Night City an easier place to get through, especially during the various main and side quests the players will have to overcome in Cyberpunk 2077.
Most people would assume that pistols are far from effective in a game where there are simply too many firearms to choose from, but that isn't necessarily the case. In fact, there are many ways players can use pistols in a creative manner to completely decimate their enemies, and it helps that the iconic variants bring something new to the table and let players land accurate shots on their foes without missing a beat!
Updated October 6, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: There are many pistols in Cyberpunk 2077 that players can wield to dish out some serious damage. This might seem surprising, given how unimpressive these weapons look compared to the many other firearms in the game. However, it's the deceptive power of the pistol that makes it a fast and effective weapon. What's more, the iconic variants of this weapon type are quite effective indeed. There are many iconic pistols available in the game that can take an enemy out with a few shots, which is infinitely satisfying in a game where shooting up enemies is key to victory for players who pursue such a build.
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16 Scorch
Weapons that can charge their shots are a blast to use in Cyberpunk 2077. These types of guns can deal a veritable truckload of damage that can one-shot most enemies with ease. While accuracy is mandated in these weapons, players who land these charged shots will attain an immense sense of satisfaction after watching an enemy breathe their last in no time at all. Scorch is one such iconic pistol that lets players unleash these charged shots with little to no problem.
The modifier of this weapon is pretty decent, replenishing a charged shot round in the magazine and letting players unleash a hail of bullets on their enemies without having to reload too frequently. It also unleashes three bullets at once with a charged shot, which pretty much guarantees that most enemies will be taken down in a single hit.
The requirements for unlocking this gun, though, are pretty odd. Players must own both GWENT: The Witcher Card Game and the Phantom Liberty expansion on GOG Galaxy.
15 Lexington x-MOD2
Shoot to Thrill is a decent side quest for players who wish to test their skills at a firing range against other competitors. It's not all that hard to get first place, however... and players should definitely aim for this goal if they want to use one of the best weapons in the game that is highly underrated.
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The Lexington x-MOD2 is a great handgun that players can whip out in battle to take out waves of enemies in no time at all, especially if they're pretty accurate with their headshots. This iconic weapon enhances the damage of headshots, which is pretty helpful for obvious reasons. The scope of this weapon can't be removed, but that isn't a problem unless players really don't want any kind of scope on their handgun.
14 Death And Taxes
Death and Taxes is a pretty unique weapon that splits a bullet in half. This is meant to increase the chances of it hitting the target, meaning that players will be able to rely on this weapon more for mid-range hectic gunfights where getting the best aim possible may be quite tough.
Death and Taxes is Maiko's weapon, and can be obtained from her office in the Clouds. If players miss this weapon, then they can still find it in Judy's Apartment after this quest is completed and Maiko sends an email to her computer.
13 Seraph
Weapons that set enemies ablaze are pretty common in Cyberpunk 2077, but that's not the only benefit of using the Seraph gun. Not only does every successive shot increase the chances of an enemy being set on fire, but the damage to an enemy is also increased if they're burning to a crisp as well.
This makes the Seraph a perfect weapon for players who want to add insult to injury while peppering their enemies with bullets in Cyberpunk 2077. However, getting this weapon is easier said than done, since players need to complete all of Sebastian Ibarra's fixer gigs to get this iconic pistol in their stash.
12 Apparition
The Apparition is a modified version of the JKE-X2 Kenshin pistol. It is apparently a popular choice among Arasaka agents, and rightfully so. The gun monitors its user's vitals. Once the user's health reaches low, the gun will increase its critical chance, fire rate, reload speed, and damage. The gun also has a charged shot capability, which deals twice as much damage.
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The Apparition can be acquired during the "War Pigs" side job. It's available for those with a Corpo lifepath, making it one of the few exclusive items that are only available to players who pursue a certain lifepath. While it's true that this system was hyped to the moon and back but didn't really pay off all that much, it's appreciated that CD Projekt Red made the effort of letting players enjoy different perks with each lifepath, regardless of how minor these changes may be.
11 Archangel
Archangel is an iconic power weapon. Like all power weapons, the gun's bullets can ricochet off surfaces. The Archangel provides reduced recoil and an increase in electrical damage, critical damage, shock chance, and headshot damage multiplier.
The weapon is given to players by Kerry after the end of the "A Like Supreme" side quest.
10 Chaos
The Chaos iconic pistol is another modified version of the JKE-X2 Kenshin pistol. While powerful, this gun's effects are not especially reliable, although they are unique. The gun's perks and status effects are applied randomly each time the user reloads. Effects included are critical chance, chemical damage, poison chance, and headshot damage multiplier. The gun also has a charged shot capability.
Chaos can be obtained during the mission called "The Pickup." It can be looted from Royce in the event that players become hostile during the deal and decide to take out the Maelstrom instead of cooperating with them.
9 Dying Night
The Dying Night pistol is the modified version of the M-10AF Lexington pistol. This iconic pistol provides a 50% increase in headshot damage and also significantly reduces reload time. The bullets of the gun will also ricochet off surfaces, allowing the opportunity to hit more opponents.
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The Dying Night pistol can be claimed as a reward by completing the "The Gun" side gig, which requires the player to pick up a weapon from the 2nd Amendment shop.
8 Genjiroh
The Genjiroh iconic pistol is the modified version of the HJKE-11 Yukimura. This gun will increase the user's round per shot by four. It increases magazine size and projectile speed and allows the users to target up to six targets simultaneously using its smart capabilities. Other perks are additional critical damage, electrical damage, shock damage, and headshot damage multiplier.
The gun can be found during the mission "Play it Safe." It is located behind a closed door before reaching the second sniper. The door requires a code to open, which is 2906. Those who have a Technical Ability of 11 can open the door by hacking it too.
7 Kongou
The Kongou iconic pistol is a powerful weapon. This gun allows the players to ricochet their bullets off surfaces regardless if they have the necessary Cyberware upgrade or not. The gun also has reduced recoil and an increased rate of fire. It does have a smaller magazine size compared to other weapons.
The Kongou can be found at Yorinobu's penthouse during "The Heist" main mission. It's located on Yorinobu's nightstand, insinuating that the weapon belongs to him.
6 La Chingona Dorada
La Chingona Dorada is a modified version of the Nue pistol. This gun used to belong to Jackie. The design of the pistol is apparently inspired by a mixture of Japanese technology and the style of the Valentino gang. The gun has the ability to ricochet bullets off surfaces. It reduces reload time and provides an extra mod slot. On top of that, it also provides the user with a higher chance to apply stun and burn.
La Chingona Dorada can be acquired after completing the "Heroes" side quest. The weapon can be found on the offering table and serves as a memorable keepsake for a character that fans didn't really spend a lot of time with but still love because of his magnetic personality.
5 Lizzie
Lizzie is an iconic tech pistol and a modified version of the Omaha pistol. According to its official in-game description, "the gun looks like a toy but it sure doesn't shoot like one." No, it definitely doesn't.
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Lizzie fires four projectiles per shot, providing extra damage. However, if the gun is fully charged, it fires five shots instead. It has 10 rounds per magazine. The gun can be found in the basement of Lizzie's bar.
4 Malorian Arms 3516
Malorian Arms 3516 is an iconic power weapon. Despite being officially listed as such, the Malorian Arms 3516 can also be classified as a tech weapon. The bullets will penetrate through walls when aiming down the sights, like other tech weapons. The gun has high thermal damage and a headshot damage multiplier.
The Malorian Arms 3516 used to belong to none other than Johnny Silverhand. It can be obtained during the side job "Chippin' In" and is easily one of the coolest pistols that fans can check out if they love the Johnny sections in Cyberpunk 2077.
3 Plan B
Plan B is an iconic power weapon and a modified version of the Liberty pistol. The gun's power capabilities allow it to ricochet its bullets off surfaces. It will also increase physical damage, critical chance, bleeding chance, and headshot damage. The gun is a fairly powerful weapon, but it does have a very glaring downside: each shot will cost its user a Eurodollar.
Plan B used to belong to Dexter DeShawn and it can be looted from his corpse in the scrapyard after the "Playing for Time" mission.
2 Pride
The Pride iconic power weapon is a modified version of the Liberty pistol. It increases its user's physical damage, critical chance, bleeding damage, and headshot damage. The bullets of the gun can also ricochet off surfaces with added damage. On top of those, the weapon grants a slight chance to apply stun.
Pride can be acquired during one of the final missions in the game called "Knockin' on Heaven's Door."
1 Skippy
An iconic smart weapon, Skippy is by far the most interesting gun in the game for the simple fact that it actually talks to its user. This is due to the weapon's artificial intelligence. Skippy will often comment on V's actions, and sometimes on its own.
Skippy scales to the player's level. The more powerful the player is, the more powerful the gun will become. It can be acquired during the "Machine Gun" side job.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.