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Discover the best Pistols in STALKER 2 Heart of Chornobyl along with their properties and how to get them.
STALKER 2 Heart of Chornobyl offers various Pistols that play a crucial role as a secondary or alternative weapon at close to medium range. All the regions of the Zone include relentless enemies and mutants that you will encounter throughout the journey. Using a weapon with high damage with a good penetrating rating and range will let you eliminate the enemies easily from a safe distance. However, not all weapons and Pistols have perfect stats so you must equip the best ones in the gear or put in your inventory while exploring the Zone. In this guide, we will tell you about the best Pistols in STALKER 2 Heart of Chornobyl.
Pistols Overview in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl
The Chornobyl Anomalous Zone is a dangerous area, where stalkers need to arm themselves in order to survive. Therefore, the members of the various factions have access to a large selection of equipment and weapons. Pistols play a crucial role in the game as they are the secondary or third weapon choice for most fights. You can find various kinds of Pistols in the hands of enemies, making these weapons more common in the game. Moreover, their common availability also makes these weapons’ ammunition economy greater, allowing you to get ammo easily.
You can purchase Pistols from Traders in the game, loot from stashes and dead enemies, or find them randomly in the Zone depending on their rarity. One of the best advantages of Pistols is that you can equip them with all kinds of Attachments. Attach a Sight to increase the range, add an Extended Magazine for more bullets, attach a Suppressor to suppress the sound and flash of the weapon, and more. So, there are many ways you can enhance the capabilities of Pistols.
Pistols have a high rate of fire allowing you to eliminate the threats easily compared to other types of weapons like Shotguns and Sniper Rifles. It is best to use Pistols when you run out of bullets in your primary and secondary weapons or do a quick switch to a pistol instead of reloading the weapons. However, you can switch to a different weapon type if you want to handle a situation differently. We will discuss the best five Pistols to use in Stalker 2 depending on their overall stats and what makes them unique in combat.
Five Best Pistols in STALKER 2 Heart of Chornobyl
Pistols will always be your second or third priority in any encounter as they are most reliable with their high rate of fire at close range. However, you still want to hold on to the best ones and upgrade them at the Technician for further enhancements.
NOTE: The following list of Pistols includes the base Pistols, not Unique Pistols. However, the best Unique Pistol that you get is Deadeye as it comes with its own red dot sight and deals decent damage. You can easily run that weapon from the mid-game to the end game.
Here are the five best Pistols in STALKER 2 Heart of Chornobyl that you should use in your journey through the Zone.
- Rhino: It has the highest stats including Damage, Penetration, Range, and Accuracy than all other Pistols in the game.
- PTM (Skif’s Pistol): The default weapon of Skif (the main protagonist). It deals decent damage at a close range and has good accuracy.
- UDP Compact: It deals decent damage with the same Penetration Rating as Skif’s Pistol but with higher accuracy and rate of fire.
- Gambit: It has the same accuracy as the UDP Compact with a high rate of fire.
- APSB: It has the least damage than all the other Pistols, but it has the same Penetration Rating as the Rhino Pistol.
1. Rhino
- Caliber: 9×39
- Supported Ammo Types
- 9x39mm PA (Regular)
- 9x39mm SP-6 (Armor-piercing)
- 9x39mm PPE (Expansive)
- 9x39mm SP-5 (Flat)
- Magazine: 6
- Weight: 1.58 kg
- Inventory Size: 3×2
- Value: 9819 K
With its high caliber, this revolver is often marketed as a hunting weapon, proving equally effective against African buffalo and Zone chimeras. Rhino is probably the best Pistol in the game as it has the highest damage than any other pistol. Instead of using the normal pistol ammunition, it uses AR ammunition (9×39) and lets you deal high damage to enemies. Moreover, it has a good Penetration Rating that allows you to mostly two-hit armored enemies at a decent range.
| Stat Name | Stat Value |
|---|---|
| Damage | 5 |
| Penetration | 3 |
| Rate of Fire | 3.6 |
| Range | 1.9 |
| Accuracy | 4.1 |
How to Get Rhino Pistol
You can get the Rhino Pistol by looting Snitch’s body located at the start of the cave in the big Gas Cloud puddle near the Chasm location in the Yantar region. To upgrade this weapon, you can bring it to Harpy Technician in the Yaniv region.
2. PTM (Skif’s Pistol)
- Caliber: 9×18
- Supported Ammo Types
- 9x18mm PST (Regular)
- 9X18mm RG028 (Armor-piercing)
- Magazine: 8
- Weight: 0.05 kg
- Inventory Size: 2×1
- Value: 55 K
Skif’s honorary PTM. A somewhat painful reminder of the army that became a comfortable, familiar weapon. PTM or Skif’s Pistol is one of the best pistols in the game that you have right from the beginning of the game. It has decent damage output with a decent penetration rating. However, its range is pretty low which puts you in a position to take close-range fights. One of the best things about this weapon is that its durability decreases considerably slower than other weapons. If you run out of bullets for other weapons, switch to Skif’s Pistol to clear out the rest of the threat.
| Stat Name | Stat Value |
|---|---|
| Damage | 1.6 |
| Penetration | 1.1 |
| Rate of Fire | 4.92 |
| Range | 0.55 |
| Accuracy | 3.3 |
How to Get PTM (Skif’s Pistol)
PTM is the most common pistol in the game, and Skif’s Pistol is the main protagonist’s personal weapon. You will have this weapon right from the beginning of the game. To upgrade this weapon, you can bring it to any Technician, starting with Lens at the Zalissya base in the Lesser Zone region.
3. UDP Compact
- Caliber: .45
- Supported Ammo Types
- .45 ACP FMJ (Regular)
- .45 ACP AP (Armor-piercing)
- Magazine: 15
- Weight: 1 kg
- Inventory Size: 2×1
- Value: 1,623 K
A pistol known for its ergonomic design, accuracy, and reliability. Widely favored in the Zone, it is sought after by both professionals and affluent newcomers. UDP Compact pistol is one of the best pistols in the game with decent damage and penetration rating. However, its range is not that great but if your aim is precise you can put it to great use. Moreover, you can find various attachments to increase ammo capacity and suppress it.
| Stat Name | Stat Value |
|---|---|
| Damage | 1.3 |
| Penetration | 1.1 |
| Rate of Fire | 4.96 |
| Range | 0.6 |
| Accuracy | 3.9 |
How to Get UDP Compact Pistol
You can purchase the UDP Compact from Weapon Merchant, Huron at the Slag Heap base in the Garbage region. To upgrade this weapon, you can bring it to Diode Technician at the Slag Heap base.
4. Gambit
- Caliber: 9×19
- Supported Ammo Types
- 9X19mm FMJ (Regular)
- 9x19mm +P (Armor-piercing)
- Magazine: 15
- Weight: 0.72 kg
- Inventory Size: 2×1
- Value: 3,425 K
The meaning of a sacrifice at the beginning of the game can only be truly appreciated in the endgame. Gambit is one of the better pistols in the game with a decent damage and penetration rating. Headshots with this weapon can take out enemies without armor in one hit. However, its range is not that great which puts you in a difficult position of close-range combat.
| Stat Name | Stat Value |
|---|---|
| Damage | 1.2 |
| Penetration | 1.1 |
| Rate of Fire | 4.95 |
| Range | 0.6 |
| Accuracy | 3.9 |
How to Get Gambit Pistol
NOTE: Work in progress. We will update the exact location of Gambit.
5. APSB
- Caliber: 9×18
- Supported Ammo Types
- 9x18mm PST (Regular)
- 9X18mm RG028 (Armor-piercing)
- Magazine: 18
- Weight: 1.21 kg
- Inventory Size: 2×1
- Value: 13,402 K
A silenced pistol, once a staple of the Soviet Special Forces. In the Zone, it quickly became a tool of choice for discreetly resolving all manner of problems. APSB is a great Pistol weapon that comes with its own suppressor. Moreover, it’s magazine capacity is greater than any other pistol and it has the same Penetration Rating as the Rhino Pistol. It is best that you use this weapon with only armor-piercing ammunition as you will be able to take out the enemies with a few shots whenever you switch to it during combat.
| Stat Name | Stat Value |
|---|---|
| Damage | 1.1 |
| Penetration | 3 |
| Rate of Fire | 4.93 |
| Range | 1 |
| Accuracy | 3.1 |
How to Get APSB Pistol
You can find the APSB Pistol by taking the Portal located at the western edge of the Chemical Plant region. To upgrade this weapon, you can bring it to Harpy Technician at the Yaniv Station base.
FAQs about the best Pistols in Stalker 2
1. Question: What is the best overall Pistol in the game?
Answer: Rhino is the best overall pistol in STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl due to the highest Damage, Penetration Rating, and Accuracy among all the other pistols. Players can use the Rhino weapon as a primary and secondary weapon unlike other pistols and take down armored enemies and mutants with ease.
2. Question: What is the best Pistol for beginners?
Answer: PTM (Skif’s Pistol) is the best for beginners in STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl due to its lowest weight and high durability. It deals decent damage with a high rate of fire and good accuracy.
3. Question: Are Pistols good weapons?
Answer: Yes, Pistols can be your backup or Alternative weapon in STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl. You can equip them quickly from the gear wheel whenever you run out of ammo in your primary and secondary weapons. Moreover, you can do a quick switch to a Pistol weapon to take out the threat at close range because switching weapon is quicker than reloading.
4. Question: What attachments can be used with Pistols ?
Answer: You can equip the Attachments like Sight, Extended Magazine, Laser, Suppressor, and more on Pistols. Attach a Sight to increase the range, add an Extended Magazine for more bullets, attach a Suppressor to suppress the sound and flash of the weapon, and more.
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