This is a quick guide that will hopefully help those looking to learn about the various weapons available for pick up in game and attempting to decide what they might want to use, before they establish favorites on what weapons they really like after using them. Introduction This is a quick guide that will hopefully help those looking to learn about the various weapons available for pick up in game and attempting to decide what they might want to use, before they establish favorites on what weapons they really like after using them. The opinions listed here are my own and may differ from that of other players may have; they are also based on my own gameplay experience which consists of some limited 2-3 player coop and single player play in Marksman difficulty. Feel free to experiment with the different weapon setups as you like. There is no good or bad weapon layout that you can’t have fun with in the various parts of the game. What is written here is suggestive to elements that I have found useful; but of course you can still do well with any weapon on hand provided you know its strengths and weaknesses. At most, these are considerations that you may look into when playing and trying to decide what weapon to use, pick up, or ignore throughout your gameplay. Noting where Credit is due, Gamestar565’s Basic Weapon Guide was used as a base for this guide. The format of his guide weapon names come from there. Opinions and some extra information added to weapons though is entirely of my account. Beginner Setup Loadout Recently a question had been asked in the Stream Discussion boards on what a good Loadout might be for a beginner to this game. The best answer he got was the first one which stated “All of them”. Personally weapon favorites are far and wide for all players; however I figure this guide should have at least one complete layout suggestion on my part so I’ll throw in some ideas on a setup to look into: Primary: Select the Mosin Nagant Secondary: Add the Blyskawica Sidearm: Choose the Luger P08 Equipment: Pick up Two F1 Grenades, One Stielhandgranate, One Landmine, One Trip Wire Mine, Zero Dynamite. I won’t bother explaining why you might choose this Loadout instead of going with one someone else might suggest or even the default Loadout the game starts you with. There really isn’t logical discussion that could be made on why certain weapons might be better then others. What can be said is that every weapon works differently and you’ll never know what your favorite will be until you’ve gone through and experienced how each and every weapon operates yourself. Primarys In game there a total of 10 Primary Weapons that a player may choose from. Of these weapons, the Preacher is not available on Loadout and can only be found as one makes his way through the various Missions available. Primary Weapons are scoped rifles (with the exception of the Preacher) which the player can use to snipe targets with before the close in on the players position. The rifles themselves are broken down into either two groups: Bolt Action and Semi-Automatic. Springfield 1903 (Bolt Action, High Velocity, Horrible Zoom, 5 Round Magazine) – Extremely Accurate but with limited range on the Rifles Scope, the Springfield is an extremely effective weapon that usually hits wherever your crosshairs are pointing. At closer ranges you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a decent zoom through the scope to hit whatever target you want to hit; just note that at longer ranges you’ll probably have to move closer to properly see the targets you want to hit. The Springfield is perhaps most useful in the first mission “Village of the Dead” due to the limited visibility generated by the abundance of fog. In “Cathedral of Resurrection” it can also work well since most enemies that you have to aim at will be walking down alleyways in straight lines. Type 99 (Bolt Action, High Velocity, Very High Zoom, 5 Round Magazine) – Think Springfield but with a Scope that has High Zoom, the Type 99 will let you hit targets from far away with little effort. Not too effective even with things are moderately close though since the scope magnification makes it difficult to target. While bullets usually hit where you point the crosshairs, bullets will slightly veer off at extreme ranges. Use the Type 99 in “Labyrinth of Death” or “Subway of Hell” where you’ll have some distance between you and the stuff you’re trying to hit. Taking out Snipers, Elite Zombies, or the Occult General at a long distance becomes quite doable when you have the Type 99 in your hands and can make consistent headshots with total ease. Mosin Nagant (Bolt Action, High Velocity, Medium Zoom, 5 Round Magazine) – The Mosin is essentially the Springfield with just a bit better zoom. Just like the Springfield it features a high velocity bullet that generally doesn’t miss its mark of where you placed the crosshairs. Apply what was said for the Springfield to the Mosin basically but with a little distance to it. Pick up the Mosin for “Cathedral of Resurrection” if you feel that the Springfields magnification is a little too low for what you need. I’d also say the the magnification is also good enough to make it work in “Library of Evil” where enemies aren’t at some spectacular distance and aren’t necessarily in your face. Karabiner 98k (Bolt Action, Low Velocity, Best Zoom, 5 Round Magazine) – The Karabiner 98k is an interesting weapon, in that it has an impressive Zoom, but can be quite inaccurate to hit things with. As far as uses go, the best thing the Kar 98k is used for is seeing targets from very far away. That can actually be beneficial for spotting Bottles of Blood and identifying the locations of special Zombies like Elites and Snipers The Kar 98 will probably come in handy specifically for “Labyrinth of Death” due to the extreme range that Snipers might be firing you at from, for hitting the Bottles of Blood, and for picking off Elite Zombies at long range. Inaccuracy might be a problem but that just means that you may end up having to settle for aiming for the torso at long range when targeting Grunts. Lee Enfield MKIII (Bolt Action, Low Velocity, Subpar Zoom, 10 Round Magazine) – A Bolt Action Rifle that features 10 Rounds instead of 5, this is a good rifle if you are in close quarters with zombies and would rather avoid using the Scope. Using the scope, the rifle does have about as bad a zoom as that of the Springfield with accuracy matching the Kar 98k, but additional rounds does mean less reloading of the rifle to continue firing. The Enfield can work well in “Cathedral of Resurrection” and “Library of Evil” where you can go without the scope or pick it up for a little bit of distance. Additionally against the Occult General, the extra rounds mean that you can likely knock out the Occult Generals protective skulls and continue firing to make headshots after. SVT-40 (Semi-Automatic, Low Velocity, Worst Zoom, 10 Round Magazine) – The SVT-40 is probably your first choice Semi-Automatic Rifle with its fast action shooting and rather large Magazine. While Accuracy and Zoom might be suffering on this rifle, you can quickly decimate enemies if you can land your shots without having to reload as much as you would on another rifle. One thing to note about the SVT-40 is that this can be an extremely effective weapon for putting down special zombies. Similar to what was mentioned with the Enfield, you will likely have enough shots to waste an Occult Generals defenses and still having a few rounds to pump into the general to boot. Additionally, the quick firing can usually mean it is easier to lay extra shots into Elite Zombies as they stumble. “Village of the Dead” and “Cathedral of Resurrection” can provide ample opportunity for the SVT-40. Gewehr 43 (Semi-Automatic, Low Velocity, Extreme Zoom,7 Round Magazine) – With Zoom almost as good as that featured on the Kar 98, the Gewehr is the choice rifle for those looking for a Semi-Automatic rifle that could have some use in sniping. Along with the uses suggested for the Kar 98; the beauty of this Semi-Automatic rifle is that you can fire with at least some concept of accuracy on a distant target. Use this where the Kar 98 was mention; to snipe bottles or to shoot the torso’s of zombies really far away. Additionally this is the best rifle of the semi-automatics for distance killing of special zombies. That would make it perhaps a good rifle to take with you in “Labyrinth of Death” and “Subway to Hell” where you can stay at a distance. M1D Garand (Semi-Automatic, Low Velocity, High Zoom, 8 Round Magazine) – With a fairly decent Zoom, the Garand holds a sort of ‘middle of the road’ prospect in between the SVT-40 and the Gewehr in terms of Zoom level and Magazine capacity. It’s Accuracy and use mostly falls in the middle of the two as well, which can make it a good substitute for those rifles or where you need something that fits ‘in the middle’. Use the Garand in “Cathedral of Resurrection” if you perhaps feel the SVT-40 to be too inaccurate for your needs. Where the Garand will really shine however will probably be in “Library of Evil” as the bigger Magazine and decent Zoom can allow for and easier time in the varying environments that come at you. M1 Carbine (Semi-Automatic, Low Velocity, Horrible Zoom, Reduced Damage, 15 Round Magazine) – When it comes to sustained fire at range, the M1 Carbine comes to deliver. Featuring the highest magazine of any rifle, one can rapidly fire shot after shot at enemies. Sadly, along with the general loss of Accuracy and Zoom, the M1 Carbine also does less damage; something seemingly unique to this rifle. Against anything other then a Grunt you may find yourself having more difficulty taking them down, and in general you’ll be consuming a lot of ammunition with the M1 Carbine since you may have to shoot even basic Grunts more when you aren’t aiming for headshots. Consider taking the M1 Carbine in to “Village of the Dead” perhaps, or take it into Coop where friends can help make up for your difficulties. Preacher (Shrapnel Spread, No Zoom, Individual Round Reloading, Double Barreled Rifle/Shotgun) – A Double Barreled Rifle or Shotgun with a limited Ammo Supply but a hefty payload in terms of damage. A Few shots from the Preacher to the head of an Elite Zombie or the Occult General when he’s corporal is usually enough to bring them down. This weapon comes at the major disadvantage though in terms of being unable to snipe things from Secondarys One can find that there is total of 7 Secondary Weapons in game. Unlike Primarys or Secondarys however, there are 2 weapons not available on Loadout; those being the Panserfaust and 12 Guage Shotgun. Secondary Weapons are Submachine guns (with the exception of Panserfaust and 12 Gauge Shotgun) and are best used at close to mid range to kill targets that have gotten to close to comfortably use the Primary Weapons on. MP-40 (More Ammunition, Decent Accuracy, High Rate of Fire, Medium Recoil, Decent Damage, 32 Round Magazine) – Firing quickly, fairly accurately, with decent enough damage, and finding plentiful ammunition for the MP-40; The MP-40 is a great secondary for those who like to make heavier use of the Submachine guns. It comes off as fairly average in terms of the available Submachine guns in each aspect of how you might use a Secondary weapon. The MP-40 works well in places like the “Library of Evil”, since enemies sometimes come at you from close up or far away and the versatility of the submachine gun can make it see a lot of use in multiple situations. Note that if you really like to make use of submachine guns in general, then this is probably the one to go for. Thompson M1 (Increased Accuracy, Stable Rate of Fire, Low Recoil, Improved Damage, Less Ammunition, 30 Round Magazine) – The Thompson is an incredibly powerful submachine gun that can both accurately shoot and do decent damage. It’s greatest failing though is that ammunition is hard to come by so using the Thompson is something a player should scarcely want to do. Its versatility though will make it good for whatever situation it does get used for though. You’ll likely get the best use for the Thompson in “Labyrinth of Death” as a result of the player being able to get away with using everything else in the arsenal, to the point of even only using the Primary weapon, and using the Thompson when an undesirable situation pops up. Of course, the Thompson is really good enough to use anywhere; it’s just a matter that you run out of ammunition often and may have trouble replacing it. MP44 (Increased Accuracy, Stable Rate of Fire, Limited Recoil, Reduced Damage, 30 Round Magazine) – Similar to the Thompson but with reduced damage, the MP44 is a great submachine gun for popping heads with. While spraying zombies or Skeletons will be somewhat ineffective with the MP44 due to lower damage, in situations where you can make rapid instant kill shots you’ll be hard pressed to find a better weapon. In “Village of the Dead” you’ll likely find the best use for the MP44. As enemies tend to cluster at the bottom of stairs or shuffle in straight lines towards you, you’ll be in the best position to make plenty of headshots. Generally that’s just the theme of the gun, where you can make lots of headshots, pull it out and rack up multiple kills at once. PPSh-41 (Reduced Accuracy, High Rate of Fire, Extreme Recoil, Pathetic Damage 71 Round Magazine) – While one might be tempted to rip through a magazine with the PPSh-41, hitting anything with the PPSh-41 is already difficult due to how inaccurate the gun is coupled with the guns recoil. Even if you do hit your enemies, the damage is next to nothing. Best fired in controlled bursts and at the head if you mean to kill anything.. “Subway to Hell” provides many excellent situations for the PPSh-41 to shine. In situations where zombies close in the PPSh-41 can give one space to move and navigate away since the ability to stumble rows of zombies for a small duration is very possible. Against an Occult General it can be used to knock out the defensive skulls, and in a Siege it can be used to rack up a stream of kills – provided you are good at making headshots. Blyskawica (Decent Accuracy, Stable Rate of Fire, High Recoil, High Damage, 32 Round Magazine) – When it is time to kill some zombies up close there isn’t anything better then the Blyskawica. This thing will tear through zombies quickly killing them with scarce little ammunition used to do so. Just be sure to control your burst so your bullets don’t go wide while using it. There really isn’t any specific campaign where the Blyskawica is good or bad. Probably the best Campaign for it is “Cathedral of Resurrection” though since there are many situations where you may get zombies coming in too close and you need to dispatch them quickly or else you will be overwhelmed. Panserfaust (Explosive Area of Effect, Single Shot RPG) – ZOMBIES GO BOOM! Great for taking a group of zombies all at once, care needs to be taken with the Panserfaust due to the explosive force hurting you at close range. That and the ammunition is limited and can run out quick. Still, when you want a group of zombies to go ‘bye bye’ instantly…. To put it honestly, this is mostly just a ‘for fun weapon’ in my eyes. You will likely make better use out of other Secondary Weapons then the Panserfaust in almost any situation. Of course, nothing is stopping you from picking it up, firing it off, and then picking up your previously held Secondary Weapon again. 12 Gauge Shotgun (Shotgun, Shrapnel Spread, Individual Shell Reloading, 6 Shell Magazine) – Nothing says Zombie Hunting Time until you are holding a Shotgun. Honestly, the game wouldn’t be complete without it! Best uses for the Shotgun are to take out columns of enemies, Skeletons, or Suicide Grunts. Be wary of the reload as each shell needs to be loaded individually in the Shotgun, though it doesn’t need to be fully reloaded to fire. The Shotgun also isn’t a rapid fire weapon like a submachine gun. You’ll have to find a Shotgun to use it in all instances since it isn’t available on Loadout. Much like the Panserfaust I see it is a ‘for fun weapon’ but this one makes up for it by being specifically useful for specific enemies that some might have trouble with; that and direct hits to the torso or heads with shotgun instantly kill Grunts. Sidearms Players may choose from one of 4 Sidearms in game. The Webley is the only Sidearm not available on Loadout. Unlike Excluded Weapons for Primary’s and Secondary, the Webley doesn’t function as much as an exotic difference in how it operates. Sidearms are Pistols (Webley’s being Revolvers) and are best used at close range to finish off Zombies when you want to conserve ammunition on your other weapons or for those instances with the Occult General where you want to take out his Circling Skulls; Sidearms are much more accurate then Submachine guns and fire faster then Rifles. Colt 1911 (Improved Damage, Reduced Ammunition Available, 7 Round Magazine) – Colts deliver a substantially powerful shot that can quickly put down zombies within a few hits. Better yet, it can knock out Skeletons or Suicide Grunts quicker then the Luger or Tokarev. Less ammunition and a smaller magazine may mean that substantial use of the Colt will lead to running out of bullets, but with tempered use the pistol can serve very well as backup weapon in times of need. This is a good weapon to consider using for the “Village of the Dead”, “Labyrinth of Death”, and “Library of Evil”. These missions usually feature Skeletons or Suicide Grunts that the Colt can be used effectively on. One can usually avoid running out of ammunition due to the Primary weapons seeing heavy use for each of those missions. Luger P08 (Decent Damage, High Rate of Fire, 8 Round Magazine) – Lugers provide decent damage but at a substantially faster firing speed; which along with the lack of recoil for pistols one can mean they can inflict a lot of damage. Great for players who want to make heavy use of a pistol in combat, the Luger exceeds the Colt as a better pistol for killing regular Grunts. Great for “Village of the Dead”, “Labyrinth of Death”, and “Subway to Hell”, the Luger can be used willy nilly all over the place for the pistol loving lunatic. There is a lot of situations where one can decide to go to town with the Luger, either due to enemies appearing close or simply shuffling towards the player in an unstoppable horde. Tokarev TT-33 (Reduced Damage, Improved Accuracy, 8 Round Magazine) – Aim for enemies from a distance or for zombie heads as they approach, the Tokarev is good for those players who like to make well placed pistols shots. The damage on the Tokarev is indeed a lot lower then both the Colt and the Luger though so avoid getting into situations where enemies are in close and giving you a beat down. A good weapon for “Cathedral of Resurrection”, Library of Evil, and “Subway to Hell; the Tokarev can see some good use landing headshots or taking out the skulls running around Occult Generals. Paired with GTFO weapons for emergencies or with proper foresight on when to put the Tokarev away, one should enjoy the pistol to its fullest. Webley (Extreme Damage, Revolving Cylinder Firing & Reloading, 6 Shot Revolver) – Easily winning out any contest as one of the most damaging weapons in the game, the Webley provides some heavy punch and can take out anything besides Occult Generals and Elite Zombies in a single shot. Reloading the Webley is similar to the Shotgun in that it takes time to fully reload, though you don’t need to fully reload to fire it. It also fires substantially slower then the pistols due to it being a revolver. Webleys are of course not available on Loadout so you’ll be picking them up during the mission as you play. Since they are quite powerful they do well against lone targets as they advance close on you; though against several enemies one has to be careful not to be overwhelmed. A great ‘for fun weapon’ to use if you are confident you can place your shots well and like ‘one shot killing’ everything without having to hit the head; or for those daring few who might decide to take an Elite Zombie up close. Equipment Players have access to 5 different explosives and may carry up to 2 of each type of explosive. Grenades must be thrown by the player and will explode shortly after being thrown. Other Explosives must be placed and activate under different circumstances. Players may only choose 5 explosives on Loadout, but the player may discard taking certain explosives over taking an extra of another one of their explosives too. Explosives are used as traps against enemies as they approach the player’s position. They can be used to clear out multiple enemies at once, to guard certain areas from enemy movement, or as an alternative means of defeating Elite Zombies. Caution is advised though as a player can blow himself up in his own blast if not careful. F1 Grenades (Large Area of Effect, Scarcely Found, Thrown for Less Distance) – Used to quickly dispatch of a moderate sized group of zombies at a very short distance, the F1 Grenade is very powerful and easy to use. They are however hard to come by so one should be choosy on when and where one should use the F1 Grenade – not when they can get a lot of kills! A great explosive in “Village of the Dead”, “Library of Evil”, and “Subway to Hell”, use it during Sieges or when Elite Zombies rear their ugly heads to clear out the riff raff before moving on to more important matters that need killing. Stielhandgranate (Small Area of Effect, Easily Found, Thrown for More Distance) – A much more common grenade one can fine, the Stielhandgranate is nonetheless multipurpose intensive in what it might be used for. Set off Dynamite, make Explodable Objects explode, or knock out a small zombie cluster. Use the Stielhandgranate and use it often since you won’t have any problems procuring them; and because they can be a lot harder to use and you may not accomplish what you wanted to do when you threw it. One will probably make the best use of the Stielhandgranate in “Village of the Dead”, “Cathedral of Ressurection”, and “Labyrinth of Death” due to enemies clustering together or in confined areas and the fairly plentiful resupply one can get as needed.. Land Mine (Average Area of Effect, Commonly Found, Placed by Player, Proximity Activated) – Set it and forget it, the Land Mine is best used to help soften up advancing Zombies before they build up and overwhelm you. Capable of taking out groups, use the Land Mine in the thick of enemy advancement where it can make several kills. Awesome for any Siege Event really, use Land Mines in “Village of the Dead”, “Cathedral of Ressurection”, and “Subway to Hell” to decimate incoming hordes into more manageable tidbits to snipe off or kill with your other weapons. Trip Wire Mine (Small Area of Effect, Rarely Found, Placed by Player, Trip Wire Touch Activated) – Requiring a bit of foresight and planning in setup, Trip Wires don’t cause a lot of damage but can work great at setting off Explodable Objects or to catch enemies that get in your blind spots and flank you. Not really too effective at netting multiple kills, set it off somewhere as a sort of warning device or perhaps in the path of a Suicide Grunt. Works great in “Village of the Dead”, “Labyrinth of Death”, or “Library of Evil” as a sort of back up trap to save yourself with or just to cover all your bases so you don’t suddenly find yourself surrounded because you didn’t realize zombies had walked up behind you. Dynamite (Massive Area of Effect, Scarcely Found, Placed by Player, Damage Activated) – The king of explosives, the Dynamite packs the biggest punch and will decimate large swaths of enemies for massive kills – along with the player and his friends if he isn’t careful. Best placed when the player has some foresight on where plenty of zombies will go and can be set off safely without catching the player. Take the Dynamite into “Labryinth of Death”, “Library of Evil”, and “Subway to Hell” and place it on entire group spawns to eliminate them before they blink an eye or after they have advanced into the blast range.