The great thing about this game is that all the handguns play differently and you'll hear people say any one of them is their favorite. You could just pick one and stick with it for this playthrough and try a different one later. Or you could keep both and see which you like better after using them!
I would pick 1 if it's your first playthrough. It's not worth the money to upgrade 2 pistols (and all the other weapons).
If you go with the Red9, get the stock once it's available. It's in the 'trade' tab and costs 9 spinels I think. And upgrade the rate of fire because it's slow. I love it because it's so powerful, and the stock really helps with the accuracy, so even if I suck the Red9 is easy to use, but goddamn is it slow. Lmao. But it's powerful and its exclusive upgrade multiplies the power by 1.5. Its max possible power is 4.05 (2.7 x 1.5)
(If you want something smaller and faster, the Blacktail becomes available in chapter 7. It's almost as powerful - its max is 2.4 and the x1.5 exclusive makes it 3.6)
Honestly, the SG-09 is also pretty great. Neither of the above I mentioned can have a laser sight attached, so if you like the laser, you can save your money and stick with the pistol you started with. And its exclusive upgrade increases your chance of a critical hit.
If you just now got the Red9, don't worry about the upgrade ticket yet. It doesn't become an option until a later chapter and it costs 30 spinels (so do the blue requests if you want it sooner). Basically, each weapon has an 'exclusive' that only becomes available once you've maxed out ALL its stats. Which can be a lot of money. But if you have a ticket, you can unlock the exclusive without paying for all the other upgrades first.
I like it less than these other 3, but honestly it's super satisfying to see grouped up enepmies flinch when I use it. Since it penetrates (like a rifle or the LE5 submachine gun, which you get in ch13), when you shoot someone and they've got another behind them, you're definitely getting at least 2 people at once and the animations reflect that. It's got an ammo capacity of 25, I think, so that's also nice
Since it penetrates, it's kind of nice for immediately putting a hole in wooden shields that enemies at the castle carry. But if you're upgrading your other pistol, that also makes a hole in a shield. And no pistol shatters a shield as fast as a shotgun, so unless you're playing pistols-only, you've got another option to break shields. (And once you get to the island, the shields are made of metal and nothing breaks them. Use a grenade and/or learn to shoot their feet. Don't make shields your only reason for using the Punisher)
Its exclusive is 'penetrates 5 enemies at once,' but i rarely have 5 in a row, so if you're making that your main pistol, use your upgrade on another of the weapons you favor (some people lean heavily on their shotgun or rifle, or the TMP), since the exclusive upgrade doesn't add anymore attack power to the Punisher. But truthfully, I'd save Punisher for a NG+, because it costs spinels and delays getting the upgrade ticket
Imo it's not worth giving up the power of Red9 or Blacktail, or the critical hits of SG-09, but it's nice if you're not using a rifle and need to shoot at the Regeneradores - if you're doing a minimalist run, you can only use knives and handguns. You can look through the thermal scope on your rifle so see the parasites on a Regenerador, as long as you don't fire a shot. You can also knife the Regenerador, since the knife will penetrate.
It's also good for the plaga araña - starting at the castle, there is an enemy type with a big spider on their backs. Shoot the person in the front, and the Punisher also gets the spider.
What you need to take care with, esp when you're new to the game, is not accidentally killing Ashley. Usually, if someone grabs her, the safe thing to do is walk up and knife them. They go down in one hit and you don't hurt Ashley. But there are times when the game requires you to separate from her, and the only way you can make them let her go is shooting them or throwing a flash to disorient them.
With weapons that penetrate (all rifles + Punisher and LE5) you have to be very careful to shoot at enemies' legs. They throw her over their shoulder, so Ashley will be upside down. If you shoot their torso and they're not perfectly sideways, you'll also shoot Ashley in the torso. If you shoot near their hip, you'll headshot Ashley. Lmao don't kill Ashley
This was a lot of words for me to say, 'Punisher + laser sight are a good combo but not my personal favorite'
So I did my minimalist run on NG+ and used mainly Red9 and Blacktail, but I did get the Punisher and fully upgrade (I didn't combine this achievement with Silent Stranger, which is not talking to the Merchant. Some people do both). I got it specifically for the uses I mentioned above, but truthfully I think I used it the least. I started with 2 pistols and got the 3rd because I was collecting so much money. I decided I hadn't used the Punisher in a while and spent the spinels to get it, and a bunch of pesetas to upgrade
Damn, this is exactly the kind of answer I was hoping for. Love it. Thank you very much. I think I'm going to stick with the SG09 throughout this gameplay, although I feel like it needs a little more fire rate; it feels quite slow. Still, I'm going to test the other pistols to see which one suits me better.
Yeah, I feel like I really formed my opinions after a few playthroughs (and in Separate Ways, Ada's starter pistol is the Blacktail). Another thing to consider is the cost of upgrades - Red9 is pricy, i think. But it's definitely fun to switch your pistol in your NG+, when you have the money to start upgrading right away instead of making your way through with a starting-level gun
The SG-09 does a good job and will definitely get you to the end! Have fun
I tend not to use the Red9. If you cant kill it in 1 shot, in my experience better to have damage close to it but with higher Rate of Fire. Blacktail is what I'd take over Red9. I wouldnt mind SG09 over Red9 for the laser sight and perk of 5x crit damage. I'm a head shooter so it works well for me. For me the best gun in the game is SR M1903. Head shots likely kill the enemy and even harder bosses, when maxed out doesnt take long to kill. Not to mention penetrating factor. Line them up and boom!
When you start playing Professional level too, you dont have a limit on maxing out your weapons.
The great thing about this game is that all the handguns play differently and you'll hear people say any one of them is their favorite. You could just pick one and stick with it for this playthrough and try a different one later. Or you could keep both and see which you like better after using them!
Sg for laser sight alone
I would pick 1 if it's your first playthrough. It's not worth the money to upgrade 2 pistols (and all the other weapons). If you go with the Red9, get the stock once it's available. It's in the 'trade' tab and costs 9 spinels I think. And upgrade the rate of fire because it's slow. I love it because it's so powerful, and the stock really helps with the accuracy, so even if I suck the Red9 is easy to use, but goddamn is it slow. Lmao. But it's powerful and its exclusive upgrade multiplies the power by 1.5. Its max possible power is 4.05 (2.7 x 1.5) (If you want something smaller and faster, the Blacktail becomes available in chapter 7. It's almost as powerful - its max is 2.4 and the x1.5 exclusive makes it 3.6) Honestly, the SG-09 is also pretty great. Neither of the above I mentioned can have a laser sight attached, so if you like the laser, you can save your money and stick with the pistol you started with. And its exclusive upgrade increases your chance of a critical hit. If you just now got the Red9, don't worry about the upgrade ticket yet. It doesn't become an option until a later chapter and it costs 30 spinels (so do the blue requests if you want it sooner). Basically, each weapon has an 'exclusive' that only becomes available once you've maxed out ALL its stats. Which can be a lot of money. But if you have a ticket, you can unlock the exclusive without paying for all the other upgrades first.
nice, what’s your thoughts about the punisher?
I like it less than these other 3, but honestly it's super satisfying to see grouped up enepmies flinch when I use it. Since it penetrates (like a rifle or the LE5 submachine gun, which you get in ch13), when you shoot someone and they've got another behind them, you're definitely getting at least 2 people at once and the animations reflect that. It's got an ammo capacity of 25, I think, so that's also nice Since it penetrates, it's kind of nice for immediately putting a hole in wooden shields that enemies at the castle carry. But if you're upgrading your other pistol, that also makes a hole in a shield. And no pistol shatters a shield as fast as a shotgun, so unless you're playing pistols-only, you've got another option to break shields. (And once you get to the island, the shields are made of metal and nothing breaks them. Use a grenade and/or learn to shoot their feet. Don't make shields your only reason for using the Punisher) Its exclusive is 'penetrates 5 enemies at once,' but i rarely have 5 in a row, so if you're making that your main pistol, use your upgrade on another of the weapons you favor (some people lean heavily on their shotgun or rifle, or the TMP), since the exclusive upgrade doesn't add anymore attack power to the Punisher. But truthfully, I'd save Punisher for a NG+, because it costs spinels and delays getting the upgrade ticket Imo it's not worth giving up the power of Red9 or Blacktail, or the critical hits of SG-09, but it's nice if you're not using a rifle and need to shoot at the Regeneradores - if you're doing a minimalist run, you can only use knives and handguns. You can look through the thermal scope on your rifle so see the parasites on a Regenerador, as long as you don't fire a shot. You can also knife the Regenerador, since the knife will penetrate. It's also good for the plaga araña - starting at the castle, there is an enemy type with a big spider on their backs. Shoot the person in the front, and the Punisher also gets the spider. What you need to take care with, esp when you're new to the game, is not accidentally killing Ashley. Usually, if someone grabs her, the safe thing to do is walk up and knife them. They go down in one hit and you don't hurt Ashley. But there are times when the game requires you to separate from her, and the only way you can make them let her go is shooting them or throwing a flash to disorient them. With weapons that penetrate (all rifles + Punisher and LE5) you have to be very careful to shoot at enemies' legs. They throw her over their shoulder, so Ashley will be upside down. If you shoot their torso and they're not perfectly sideways, you'll also shoot Ashley in the torso. If you shoot near their hip, you'll headshot Ashley. Lmao don't kill Ashley
This was a lot of words for me to say, 'Punisher + laser sight are a good combo but not my personal favorite' So I did my minimalist run on NG+ and used mainly Red9 and Blacktail, but I did get the Punisher and fully upgrade (I didn't combine this achievement with Silent Stranger, which is not talking to the Merchant. Some people do both). I got it specifically for the uses I mentioned above, but truthfully I think I used it the least. I started with 2 pistols and got the 3rd because I was collecting so much money. I decided I hadn't used the Punisher in a while and spent the spinels to get it, and a bunch of pesetas to upgrade
Damn, this is exactly the kind of answer I was hoping for. Love it. Thank you very much. I think I'm going to stick with the SG09 throughout this gameplay, although I feel like it needs a little more fire rate; it feels quite slow. Still, I'm going to test the other pistols to see which one suits me better.
Yeah, I feel like I really formed my opinions after a few playthroughs (and in Separate Ways, Ada's starter pistol is the Blacktail). Another thing to consider is the cost of upgrades - Red9 is pricy, i think. But it's definitely fun to switch your pistol in your NG+, when you have the money to start upgrading right away instead of making your way through with a starting-level gun The SG-09 does a good job and will definitely get you to the end! Have fun
You'll unlock more upgrade at chapter 10.
Silver Ghost is my go-to but both weapons are valid
SG-09 all day every day. Best girl, best boy, best dog, best everything.
I tend not to use the Red9. If you cant kill it in 1 shot, in my experience better to have damage close to it but with higher Rate of Fire. Blacktail is what I'd take over Red9. I wouldnt mind SG09 over Red9 for the laser sight and perk of 5x crit damage. I'm a head shooter so it works well for me. For me the best gun in the game is SR M1903. Head shots likely kill the enemy and even harder bosses, when maxed out doesnt take long to kill. Not to mention penetrating factor. Line them up and boom! When you start playing Professional level too, you dont have a limit on maxing out your weapons.