A full guide on weapons and equipment found within the Radius. These pieces of equipment are, strictly speaking, not for combat. But they can help a great deal with navigation within the Radius.

 

Flashlights, Illumination Devices

All kinds of light-creating devices to help you see in the dark. Not only do they obviously help you see at night, but having a flashlight handy is paramount when exploring building interiors, as you cannot rely on the building being well-lit.

Flashlight

A standard torch. It can be placed on your torso slots and can light most areas up at short to mid-range when held in one of your hands. It is very useful when searching dark areas indoors or finding your way around at night, but it presents the significant problem of requiring a hand during combat. Unless you are confident in your ability to fight one-handed with a light or fight two-handed in the dark, you may want to seek a hands-free option.

Lamp

Lamps are alternative, short range versions of flashlights that can be turned on, attached to your chest slot, and still illuminate the area in front of you. They are shorter range and colored red or green instead of projecting white light, but they do not require any hands once in place. This allows you to keep both hands free for other tasks, like shooting and loading firearms.

Parachute Flare

Single-use parachute flares can be launched into the air and provide a decent amount of illumination for a medium-sized area while in the air. The flares last for approximately a minute after being launched.

The advantage of parachute flares is they can be launched a short-to-medium distance from yourself and illuminate areas in front of you that you’re not sure about while keeping you relatively concealed (not counting the noise you make launching it). This illuminates any potential threats over the flare’s area, and you can easily pick them off.

The disadvantage is they are consumable and last a relatively short time. They also are not very useful indoors (I mean, you can use them, but you’re probably not gonna like the results). Don’t be afraid to use them outdoors to give you a little more situational awareness as otherwise they’re not usually worth lugging all the way back to base.

Headlamp

A flashlight, but it is mounted to your head. Once unlocked at security level 2, drop everything you need to in order to buy it. It is a hands-free version of the flashlight that follows where you look and can easily be turned on and off with one hand. Once you have one of these, needing to keep flashlights and lamps on you is no longer as big of a deal.

Anomaly Detection/Navigation

These pieces of equipment are mainly used to interact with or avoid most anomalies safely.

Probes/Advanced Probes

Sacks of probes are limitless small sacks of empty cartridges that may be thrown around with impunity. When touched by a probe, most anomalies will respond in some manner, which might help you determine their borders or features. All advanced probes have an orange ribbon tied to them, making them much simpler to track in the air as they are hurled. Be cautious that certain anomalies dislike being probed and will generally let you know by attempting to kill you.
You won’t need another sack of probes after your first one or two, and they’re dirt cheap, so don’t pick up more if you come across them, but one is always handy.

Detectors

A detector can be used to detect the presence of artifacts. Most of the time these exist inside anomaly clusters, but there are specific types of artifacts that are not found in clusters. Therefore, it is wise to keep an ear out for your detector’s ticking, indicating an artifact is nearby. Artifacts are a good source of income and are always worth the weight in your bag.

Detectors begin to “tick” when an artifact is nearby. Hold the detector out to view the indicator on the front. The indicator is blue when facing away from the nearest artifact but turns to a bright green when facing towards it. The frequency of the ticking increases as you get closer to the artifact. It is important to note that the detector works in all three dimensions. If you can’t locate an artifact’s source around you, try angling the detector above and below you.

Artifacts are generally invisible to the nak*d eye until “pulsed” with the detector. Once you are almost certain as to where the artifact is, use the trigger on the detector to pulse the area in front of the detector. Once pulsed, the artifact will reveal itself and can be collected. Multiple artifacts can exist within the same anomaly cluster, and revealed artifacts will no longer generate a response from the detector. If your detector keeps ticking after revealing an artifact, odds are there’s another close by.

GP-5 Gas Mask

A gas mask can be purchased and equipped to increase your resistance to anomaly damage and nullify the effects of the Haze Anomaly (the poison gas cloud). This makes them wise to equip whenever you plan to foray into an anomaly cluster and they are outright required to get into some anomaly clusters or areas covered by Haze anomalies if you don’t want to take damage. It is, however, a little restrictive on your peripheral vision and your character makes an awful breathing racket while wearing it which can make it difficult to hear subtle sound cues. This means you can usually keep it in your bag until it is actually needed.

As your mask takes hits and prevents you from taking damage from Haze anomalies, it takes damage itself and will eventually require repairs. Make sure to keep it in decent condition by occasionally bringing it back in for repairs. As the durability of the mask decreases, the amount of anomaly damage it protects you from also decreases. Haze protection will always be full unless the mask entirely breaks.

Survival Equipment

Generally speaking, this is medicine and food.

Medicine

Medicine can be used to recover health without needing to go back to base and purchase your health back (although I play with the ‘sleeping restores health’ option on because frankly without it getting hit is extremely punishing and requires either 30 medipens or constant trips back to base).

Medipen

A spring-loaded syringe with medical goodness that nobody elaborates on within. A single syringe restores around 75% health or so over a short amount of time, so it can get you out of a tight spot where needed. The syringe is immediately consumed and discarded upon one use.

‘Regen’ Artifact

You will start with a half-used Regen artifact in your bag. Holding this artifact in your hand and using the trigger toggles its restorative properties. While the artifact is active, your health slowly recovers and the artifact’s durability slowly degrades. Once the artifact is fully degraded, it is destroyed. The regen’s healing properties can be toggled off simply by using it in your hand again, allowing you to carefully measure how much you use it. Regens are rarely found in anomaly clusters further in the Radius (usually within Podeba Factory, Kholok Zarya, and Pechorsk Castle).

Food

Food is a requirement in the Radius to keep you energized. As time passes, you may notice your Stamina bar is yellow at the top instead of blue. This represents your hunger. Hunger progresses right-to-left along your stamina bar. While hungry, your maximum stamina is reduced. Eating removes the hunger portion of your stamina bar and allows your stamina to recover again. Sleeping for a long period of time will also cause you to be hungry depending on the amount of time passed.

Some food can be used more than once while others are consumed instantly. It is a good idea to keep at least one can of food on you should you stay out too long. Canned food stays the same weight no matter how many times it has been eaten out of, so finish them to avoid lugging around heavy half empty cans.

Snack Bar – 0.2 kg, single use, 15% per use

Tourist’s Delight – 0.5 kg, five uses, 10% per use, 50% total (orange, half height can)

Canned Pineapple – 0.7 kg, five uses, 15% per use, 75% total (red and yellow can)

Tushonka (Canned Meat) – 1.0 kg, ten uses, 10% per use, 100% total (red and white can)

Energy Drink – 0.5 kg, single use, 10% per use (used to also restore fautige, but this mechanic has since been removed)

Cigarettes – Up to 20 per package. Lighter required to smoke. Smoking a cigarette slowly provides a small amount of nutrition, enough to at least to prevent hunger from increasing even on the highest hunger setting.

Weapon Maintenance

These tools are required to keep your weapons maintained and operating effectively. The only other way of repairing weapons and equipment is via the repair booth in the train car back at base, which costs money. If you want to avoid spending money or avoid malfunctions in the field on long deployments, it is highly suggested to reserve some space for cleaning equipment.

It is greatly recommended to keep a full set of weapon cleaning equipment in your base and to regularly maintain your weapons after use. If possible, it is a good idea to fully repair any weapons or magazines you intend to sell as to obtain the maximum sell price for them (sell price of objects degrades linearly with condition, so something at 50% condition sells for 50% value).

Blue conditioned weapons and magazines are in good condition and will rarely, if ever, cause a malfunction.

Yellow conditioned weapons and magazines are well-worn and degraded, but still functional and salvageable if repaired. They can cause malfunctions occasionally, especially if both of them are damaged.

Red conditioned weapons and magazines are heavily defective or damaged and cannot be repaired except by paying the repair booth in the train car (which usually costs a good deal). Only repair these if you intend on using them or cannot purchase new ones. These weapons and magazines will frequently cause misfires and malfunctions and are not advisable to use.

Gun Cleaning Rod & Toilet Paper

Both of these will not degrade with use. A gun cleaning rod tipped with a piece of tissue paper can be used to increase the durability of weapons with a blue durability bar (somewhere around 80%+ condition). Multiple pieces of tissue are usually required for weapons that have been used more, but eventually you will reach 100% condition and a unique sound que will play to indicate the weapon is fully repaired.

It is highly recommended to keep a cleaning rod and a roll of paper in your bag as to repair your weapons in the field during longer deployments. This can prevent the need of an oil and brush to repair your weapons and help reduce the chance of malfunctions.

Cleaning Oil & Toothbrush

A toothbrush will not degrade with use, but cleaning oil has a finite amount in each can. Once the can is completely consumed, it will drop from your hand and shortly despawn. The oil and brush is required to restore durability to any weapon with a yellow condition bar (somewhere between 50-80% durability), as well as required to restore magazines that are at least in yellow condition (between 50-100% condition).

Oil is a limited resource, so its a good idea to try and be conservative with it to avoid purchasing more. You will need to to maintain your magazines, though keeping your magazines in top condition is not usually needed if your weapons are in good condition as well. It can also be useful to stop weapons in the field from dropping below a yellow condition into red, where it may only be repaired by the train car’s repair booth, though unless you happen to find and use that weapon in the radius already damaged the odds of this happening is unlikely.

Loot & Encumberance Levels

There are about five flavors of loot you might come across. Note that the further into the Radius you go, the higher value loot spawns become in general. Grey crates in the Pervomany Route are worth a lot less then grey crates at Pechorsk Castle.

Ambient loot – These are randomly spawned bits and bobs that are regenerated each time the tide comes. They are typically extremely low value you but you may occasionally find something that isn’t two pistol cartridges. Most buildings have searchable cabinets and other areas that will spawn food or other low-value items.

Static Loot – This loot is pre-placed throughout various areas, especially inside buildings or other notable structures. This loot is notable for never respawning when the tide cycles. You will eventually be able to tell just from the spawn what is static loot and what is ambient loot.

Stashes – Stashes are pre-placed in the world and never regenerate. They are one-time only and are in specific locations throughout the Radius. Some are extremely high value. Many areas of the Radius have notes which hint at the locations and contents of various stashes.

Orange Crates – Wooden orange crates with a green light on top of them. These contain a small cache of low to medium value loot. Sometimes you can find a weather monitor or some high quality ammunition or magazines inside them, but typically there is not an extreme amount of items or value present. They are worth checking out and randomly appear in pre-defined locations throughout the radius each tide.

Weapons Crate – A long, grey, plastic crate with a green light on top. These contain a good sum of medium to high quality loot. Typically they contain at least one firearm, but if not they will spawn anywhere from 6-8 items, usually magazines or ammunition boxes. Always try to check these. These reset similarly to how orange crates spawn when the tide comes through.

Encumbrance

The weight of the gear you carry heavily influences your options for moving and dealing with attackers. It is recommended to keep a close eye on your weight and optimize it where possible; avoid carrying gear that is not needed or required and minimize your weight by eliminating gear that you don’t need without compromising your mission. Not every mission will require a handgun, nor will every mission need a primary weapon, so don’t always take both.

The overall weight of your gear is shown on top of your bag when removed. Anything currently attached to your character (either in your bag, on your rig, in your drop pouch, or in your hands) counts towards your overall weight. In addition, your watch also has a light showing your current level of encumbrance.

There are five “levels” of being encumbered:

White (<0 kg) – Technically only achievable with mods as your base gear weighs 0.4 kg.

Green (0-15 kg) – Light weight. High movement speed, low stamina consumption when sprinting. Easy to move around between cover and travel long distances quickly.

Yellow (15-30 kg) – Medium weight. Slightly slower movement speed, stamina drains more quickly. It is still possible to move quick and travel distance fairly quickly.

Orange (30-50 kg) – Heavy weight. Significantly slower movement speed to the point where it is difficult to quickly reach cover under fire. Stamina drains faster, slower movement speed makes it difficult to cover distance in a timely manner.

Red (50+ kg) – Over-encumbered. Movement speed is restricted to a glacial crawl. Impossible to travel any significant distance and a sitting duck if under fire. Cannot sprint. If you reach this level of encumbrance you should stash heavy gear somewhere and come back for it later.

Ammunition Types

There are various types of ammunition that can be found or purchased throughout the Radius. Each typically serves a different purpose and they will be outlined here.

Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) Ammunition

No special markings.

These are standard cartridges for any given caliber that offer standard performance of that caliber. They are typically unremarkable and are effective against unarmored targets. Depending on the caliber, many rounds may be needed to do appreciable damage to armored targets. Some higher calibers (like 7.62 rifle cartridges) have some inherent armor-penetrating ability due to the size of the cartridge.

Armor-Piercing (AP) Ammunition

Black horizontal stripe across the front of containers. Ammunition has a black tip.

AP cartridges offer much superior armor-penetration ability and almost always allow an on-target shot to penetrate a target’s armor and deliver damage. Unfortunately, they come at a slightly reduced overall damage. This makes AP cartridges uneconomical to use against unarmored targets, since it not only wastes the potential of the AP round but does less overall damage.

AP cartridges are still nigh-required to progress into Podeba Factory, since most enemies begin to sport armor in the factory. It is advisable to keep one or two magazines of AP cartridges ready to go in case you unexpectedly spot or make contact with an armored target. It is highly recommended to take AP ammunition or a high-caliber rifle with you if going into or past Podeba Factory.

Over-Pressure (+P) Ammunition

Red horizontal stripe across the front of containers. Ammunition has a red tip.

+P cartridges have a higher muzzle velocity and deal substantially more damage compared to standard FMJ rounds. They are not quite as effective as penetrating armor as AP cartridges, but they are still very much capable of reliably penetrating armor on top of delivering substantially more damage. +P Cartridges are typically the most expensive and are usually only available for pistol calibers. This can make them a deadly combination when paired with a pistol-caliber submachine gun like the PPSh-41 or MP5K.

Surplus Copper Hollow Point (CHP) Ammunition

Yellow horizontal stripe across the front of containers. Ammunition has a yellow tip.

Low-quality surplus cartridges for some larger-caliber firearms. CHP cartridges have reduced performance compared to FMJ rounds such as reduced damage and armor penetration, but they are a good deal cheaper to purchase in large amounts than other types of ammo, including standard FMJ rounds.

It can be economical to use surplus rounds to clear low-security areas on the way to higher-security areas, saving your more expensive ammunition for tougher enemies (keeping a magazine aside of lower-quality ammunition for use on fodder enemies is a good idea) without needing to take in another weapon. Otherwise, it is typically desirable to purchase “real” ammunition for your weapons.

Sub-sonic (SS) Ammunition

Green horizontal stripe across the front of containers. Ammunition has a green tip.

Under-loaded cartridges designed to travel below the speed of sound. Subsonic cartridges deal reduced damage and have reduced muzzle velocity, but generate less noise when fired, especially when using a suppressor. Suppressors are most effective when paired with subsonic ammunition which can help keep you hidden if you really, really don’t want to be heard when dealing with nearby enemies.

Subsonic ammunition is also generally cheaper than FMJ ammunition, giving it a similar niche to CHP ammunition.

12 Gauge Buckshot Shells

Red horizontal stripe across the front of the container. Casing of the shotgun shell is red.

Standard buckshot shells for shotguns shoot a tight cone of approximately nine pellets. Each pellet individually has low armor penetration and low damage, but all nine pellets connecting at close to medium range provides stopping power against unarmored targets unmatched by most other calibers for its price.

The spread of buckshot can make it a great option to deal with fast-moving or difficult to hit targets, such as Spawns, and the stopping power generally ensures the target stays in the dirt. Buckshot falters heavily against armor, but multiple shells at close range can sometimes simply overwhelm armored enemies. Many shotguns can be upgraded to either increase or decrease the spread of buckshot shells, depending on your preference. A narrower spread can help buckshot deal with enemies more reliably at longer distances, but an increase can be more forgiving of aiming errors at close range or hit multiple targets more reliably.

12 Gauge Slug Shells

Blue stripe across the front of containers. Casing of the shotgun shell is blue.

12 Gauge slugs fire a single, heavy projectile instead of a spread of pellets, making the shotgun more akin to a rifle when loaded with slugs. Slugs have immense energy and stopping power and can simply crush through armor by sheer kinetic force alone, giving them decent anti-armor capability.

Slugs trade the sometimes-desirable spread of buckshot for sheer stopping power and armor penetration, but still lack the overall versatility and armor-penetration of a proper rifle caliber or +P cartridges. They do allow shotguns an option against armored targets which makes them valuable to keep on hand or in your shotgun’s side saddle for armored targets.

Weapon Durability, Condition, and Malfunctions

Weapon/Magazine Durability

Every item in the game has a “condition” bar shown on it when examined. This bar is generally used as an item’s health and an item is typically destroyed if its condition is entirely depleted. Condition matters on most items, and items with a lower condition sell for proportionally less compared to a full-condition item.

Some weapons, magazines, or items are more durable than others. This means they can be used proportionally more before they begin to fail or risk being destroyed entirely. It can be beneficial to take more durable though less effective equipment to avoid running into maintenance-related problems in the field.

Weapon/Magazine Condition

Weapons and magazines both have condition, which affects how reliable the weapon is when used. The condition of both items is collectively used to determine how often the weapon may misfire or jam, so it is advisable to keep both parts of your weapons (the weapon itself and its magazines, if any) in good condition to avoid misfires and jams.

You will notice the condition bar is also colored. This assesses the relative condition of the item. For weapons, it has special meaning:

Blue – Near top-condition (usually above 80%). These will rarely, if ever, fail. For weapons in this condition, they can be repaired by cleaning the barrel with a cleaning rod and paper tissue. Magazines can only be repaired with a brush and cleaning oil.

Yellow – Worn or degraded condition (usually from 50-80%). Weapons and magazines in this condition start to see significant chances of misfiring or jamming. It is recommended to repair weapons and magazines in this condition to avoid permanently damaging them by degrading them past yellow condition. Weapons and magazines in this condition must be repaired with a brush and oil.

Red – Significantly damaged or malfunctioning condition (below 50%). Weapons and magazines in this condition and lower have a very frequent chance of misfiring or jamming and must frequently be cleared to continue operating. Unless you have no other option or the situation is significantly low-risk, it is not recommended to try and use weapons and magazines in this condition. Weapons and magazines in this condition can only be repaired by the repair booth at base.

Weapon Malfunctions

As far as I have found, there’s only two types of malfunctions right now in the game:

Pull trigger, no bang

This is commonly called a misfire or failure to fire. Even though the weapon is loaded and trigger pulled and hammer comes down, no bullet comes out. On most semi-automatic firearms like pistols and rifles, rack the bolt or slide again to cycle a new round and reset the trigger. This should allow you to fire. If this still doesn’t fix it, make sure the safety isn’t enabled and make sure you have a loaded magazine inserted.

For double-barrel shotguns, you can press the B button to manually recock the shotgun’s triggers without opening the breech. After recocking, pressing the trigger will attempt to fire again. Opening/closing the shotgun’s breech also works to recock.

Jams, Double-feeds, Stovepipes

This happens on a semi-automatic weapon when the round in the chamber fires, but the next round fails to cycle into the chamber. This is usually seen by the slide or bolt being half opened and a cartridge jammed in the receiver. To diagnose this, simply rack the slide or bolt again to manually cycle the action and remove the offending cartridge. If there’s still ammunition in the weapon, it should be ready to fire again.

Weapon Statistics & Features

Each weapon has a general bar of statistics attached to it when examined which gives you a general idea of where its strengths and weaknesses lie, as well as inherent statistics like its caliber. I’ll try to explain them all here.

Damage

Generally speaking, this is how much damage is inflicted to the target when a fired projectile from this weapon connects with its target, assuming there is no armor. Damage is generally directly tied to a weapon’s caliber, however certain weapons manage to squeeze some extra damage out of a cartridge compared to a different weapon of the same caliber.

Damage is also heavily influenced by enemy armor and what type of ammunition you are using. When a firearm is loaded with a round in the chamber, the weapon’s stats will change to reflect how the currently loaded round affects its stats. For example, loading a Surplus CHP round or an AP round will show a damage reduction on the weapon’s stat panel, while +P will show an increase.

Keep in mind that enemy armor has a good chance to completely negate damage from a weapon (this is indicated by sparks and a ricochet sound when the round impacts an armored target). Utilizing AP or +P ammunition, or higher caliber firearms, can help your weapon penetrate armor more reliably. A bullet’s tendency to pierce armor can be found by examining a bullet of that caliber.

Accuracy

Accuracy determines how far a projectile fired from this weapon deviates from its point of aim. Whenever you point and shoot at weapon at a target, the gun will ever so slightly deviate the bullet fired a slight angle away from what you fired at. This makes less-accurate weapons like pistols and sub machineguns less viable to use at a distance since this deviation causes them to miss smaller targets frequently.

Weapons that are highly accurate (such as sniper rifles) typically deviate very little from where aimed and can reliably hit whatever you are aiming at if your shot is true.

Recoil

Recoil determines how much your weapon’s point of aim is offset immediately after firing. Weapons with high recoil are harder to control and keep on target when firing quickly or in bursts, making them more difficult to accurately keep rounds on target quickly. Vice versa, weapons with low recoil are generally easy to maintain on your target, even with distance and in short bursts.

Many factors play into recoil such as caliber, weight, and upgrades. Lower caliber weapons that weigh more (such as pistol caliber submachine guns like the MP5K) are very controllable and can easily keep many rounds on target, whereas light weapons with heavier cartridges (PPSH-Short) quickly spray rounds off target if fired outside short bursts.

Fire Rate

Fire rate dictates how quickly this weapon can fire uninterrupted. This typically is only relevant to automatic weapons. Weapons that fire faster can put more lead downrange in an emergency, but this can be wasteful and can also be hard to manage recoil-wise. It can sometimes be wise to opt for weapons with lower rates of fire which makes them still fast, but more controllable.

Reliability

Reliability determines how resistant a weapon is to malfunction when worn or damaged, as well as its total durability. A weapon with high reliability can be used for longer without suffering as much wear and malfunctions as a weapon of lower reliability. Typically speaking, many AK-pattern rifles are known for high reliability and tolerance to faults, whereas more specialized weapons like the FN-17 have a lower reliability and quickly become faulty if not maintained.

Weapon Features

I’ve listed a lot of “weapon features” on weapons to describe some built-in features of some types of weapons. This is a list of most of them for easy reference:

Manual Safety – Weapon has a safety that can be engaged or disengaged by switching firemodes. If you pull the trigger but don’t hear a click, your safety is probably on. (Note: Every single AK-pattern weapon including the AKM, AK-74/M/u, Tiger Rifle, AS Val, VSS Vintorez, OC-14 Groza, and Sagia, has a safety which physically blocks the chamber from opening fully. If you try to cycle the chamber while the weapon is on safe, you won’t cycle a round into the chamber)

Semi-auto fire – For weapons with multiple firing modes, this is the mode of fire that fires one shot per trigger pull.

Burst fire – This is a mode of fire that fires a set number of shots per trigger pull automatically, usually three.

Full-auto fire – This is a mode of fire that continues firing the weapon while the trigger is held.

Side Saddle – This weapon has a saddle on the receiver or buttstock that holds up to 6 extra rounds of ammunition for the weapon. These are present on any weapon that is loaded by individual rounds (shotguns and the Mosin Nagant).

Manual Recocker – For double-barrel shotguns, this weapon can have its trigger reset by pressing the B button to attempt to fire again in case of a misfire.

Progressive Trigger – A special trigger which fires a single round on a half trigger pull, but will fire in full-auto mode when the trigger is fully depressed.

Folding Stock – The stock of this weapon can be folded to the side to reduce the weapon’s overall length.

Collapsable Stock – The stock of this weapon can be collapsed to reduce the weapon’s overall length.

Built-In GP-25 – This weapon has a built-in grenade launcher suitable for VOG-25 grenades.

Paddle Magazine Release – Most AK-series weapons have a paddle magazine release which allows you to grab magazines out of them directly instead of needing to eject them with a button press first. This feature also allows you to eject a magazine from the weapon by hitting it with another compatible magazine in your other hand. This allows you to quickly select a magazine, remove the current one, and quickly insert the new one in one motion.

Weapons: 9x18mm

The 9x18mm cartridge is a soviet pistol cartridge widely used in the latter half of the 20th century in the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries. It is similar to the 9x19mm cartridge used in NATO countries, though slightly weaker.

Low cost but low damage. Weapons using it tend to have high magazine capacities and low recoil. It serves well in early game against weak enemies, but even AP/+P ammunition has difficulty against harder targets unless deployed en-masse.

Makarov PM

Type: Semi-automatic pistol

Feed: 8-round magazines

Features: Manual safety

Strengths: Extremely cheap, extremely reliable, low recoil, easy to maintain, ubiquitous, lightweight

Weaknesses: Low damage, small magazine size requires frequent reloading, only useful against the least dangerous fodder enemies

A soviet pistol which replaced the Nagant M1895 Revolver and the Tokarev T-33. Noted for its incredible simplicity, light weight, excellent reliability, and being composed of approximately 27 parts in total (whereas modern pistols usually have twice as many or more), making it dirt cheap to manufacture by the thousands.

Your starter pistol that you will get to know and love well. You will also learn to know its weak points well. It is very serviceable within the starting area and is generally useful to deal with Spawns, Fragments, and the occasional unarmored Mimic Policeman. Its shortcomings quickly become apparent when dealing with multiple enemies in a short timeframe, or with more difficult targets that require more rounds on target to kill.

Despite its shortcomings it is still very lightweight and logistically low-profile which makes it suitable to come back to occasionally for some lower-security area runs until you find a better 9×18 handgun to replace it.

Gsh-18

Type: Semi-automatic pistol

Feed: 18-round magazines

Strengths: Low recoil, generally cheap ammunition, high magazine capacity

Weaknesses: Low damage, struggles against harder targets

A more modern approach on the aging Makarov PM handgun which ultimately replaced it in the 1990’s (though in reality, it is chambered for 9x19mm). The Gsh-18 comes to the table with a more than doubled magazine capacity compared to the Makarov which addresses at least one major issue with your starter handgun. Still, the caliber of this weapon leaves a lot of damage to be desired against harder targets. The full magazine can be used to nail harder targets into submission, but this could be wasteful depending on how much ammo you have to spare.

This is still a very serviceable upgrade to the PM and can generally replace it as a low-security or low-threat-enemy handgun, with a minimal increase in overall weight. +P or AP ammunition can make it a viable weapon against armor in a pinch.

OC-33

Type: Select-fire pistol

Feed: 27-round magazines

Features: Manual safety, semi-automatic fire, full-automatic fire

Strengths: Extremely high magazine capacity, extremely high rate of fire, generally cheap ammunition

Weaknesses: Full-auto difficult to control outside close range, can be wasteful, requires semi-frequent maintenance, held back by low damage inherent to its caliber

Developed to replace the Stechkin APS for several special police units within Russia, this pistol sought many goals: namely to make the weapon less complex to manufacture and easier to control than its predecessor.

A machine pistol that can be fired in full-auto mode, boasting a massive magazine capacity. This makes it a monster for dealing with enemies inside buildings and at close range, but tends to falter at longer ranges or in sustained engagements. It can be tempting to let off fat bursts of 9×18, but this can quickly chew into your ammunition reserves or force you to reload at an inopportune moment.

It makes for a good trap card or backup close-quarters weapon that fits in your pistol slot if you decide to bring a long-range weapon for your primary, but it does tend to wear out rather quickly due to its internals and the volume of rounds that tend to be put through it. Despite this, if you can restrain yourself from the full-auto firing mode, it is a dependable backup pistol with very manageable recoil.

PP-91 Kedr

Type: Closed-bolt Submachine gun

Feed: 20/30-round magazines

Features: Folding wireframe stock, manual safety, semi-automatic fire, full-automatic fire

Strengths: High magazine capacity, good rate of fire, generally cheap ammunition, stable platform to sling 9×18 from

Weaknesses: Low damage inherent to its caliber, requires a primary weapon slot, can conflict with a pistol of the same caliber, stock/sights are awkward to aim through

This weapon shared many design principals of stamped sheet metal SMGs of its time, namely: be dirt cheap, be easy to produce, have a high magazine capacity, and egronomics below all else. This type of thinking resulted in many “boxes with magazines attached to them”, such as the infamous MAC-10/11, Sa vz. 25, MAT-49, and a thousand UZI variations.

A sub-machine gun with decent rate of fire and passable accuracy, as well as good magazine capacity. This is the most stable platform to be slinging large volumes of 9×18 from, however the weak caliber will struggle against most harder targets. This makes the weapon a difficult choice to take into the Radius, as a lightweight pistol of the same caliber can typically get the same results against most targets you’ll use 9×18 on as this weapon which is heavier and requires a primary weapon slot.

The Kedr can win out in overall volume of fire where required, but logistically it is a very difficult choice to justify lugging around as your primary weapon and will require a lot of ammunition to keep your targets down compared to most other intermediate calibers. The folding stock also tends to obstruct your view if you do not properly tilt your head to acquire the weapon’s sights.

Weapons: 9x19mm

The most popular pistol cartridge in the world, used in a wide variety of firearms and the standard caliber of NATO countries, many non-NATO countries, and of many law enforcement and paramilitary organizations.

A slight upgrade to the 9x18mm round, the 9×19 offers a bit better ballistics but otherwise mostly shares the same characteristics. More modern handguns are available with the use of 9×19 which gives it a much greater edge over the aging soviet handguns employing 9×18.

M9 Beretta

Type: Semi-automatic pistol

Feed: 15-round magazines

Features: Manual safety

Strengths: Good magazine capacity and passable damage and accuracy make it a reliable sidearm

Weaknesses: Not the lightest, caliber still leaves some damage and armor penetration to be desired

The Beretta 92FS manufactured in Italy, most well known for being adopted by the US Army as the M9A1 as a standard-issue pistol.

A generally versatile pistol that is pretty easy to maintain and keep on target, though it weights a bit more than some other options. The low recoil, high magazine capacity, and general ease of operation make this a very good choice for most encounters, even into the later parts of the game.

Glock 17

Type: Semi-automatic pistol

Feed: 17-round magazines

Strengths: High damage for a 9x19mm firearm, good magazine capacity, low recoil

Weaknesses: Less accurate than most other pistols

The Austrian Glock 17. These well-designed bricks are used by law enforcement agencies around the world.

It boasts slightly higher damage and magazine capacity compared to the M9, however it has noticeably worse accuracy. This makes it much more suitable for close encounters (where pistols tend to shine), however it loses utility when trying to hit targets from medium range.

Variation – Glock 18c – This is a Glock 17 but with a fire selector for fully-automatic fire attached to the side of it. This allows the G18c to empty an entire magazine in an instant, but the recoil is uncontrollable to say the least. This can make it useful in an emergency but otherwise, it is virtually the same as the G17.

MP5K

Type: Closed-bolt, delayed roller-blowback submachine gun

Feed: 30-round magazines

Features: Manual safety, Semi-automatic, three-round burst, and fully-automatic firing modes, collapsable stock

Strengths: Versatile in both close and medium-range engagements, high magazine capacity, decent damage and rate of fire where needed, small and manuverable for indoors

Weaknesses: High maintenance, pistol caliber cartridge is still weaker than most rifle calibers, struggles outside medium and close range

A legendary German-manufactured sub-machine gun originally developed in the 1960’s and is still one of the most widely used SMGs in the world with over 100 variants and clones. If you were a SWAT or Special Forces team in the 90’s, you had MP5’s. There was just no question about it.

The MP5-Kruz (“kruz” meaning “short” in German) is a cut-down version of a full MP5, making it even more compact than it normally is. This makes it highly maneuverable in tight spaces, especially since the stock can be collapsed. High magazine capacity and the option of multiple firing modes allow this weapon to pick targets off at a bit of a distance or clear rooms with a high volume of fire. This makes it a great weapon to take alongside a non-9×19 pistol, or by itself if you don’t anticipate the need of a pistol.

This weapon still falters due to its inherent caliber; 9×19 is still a pistol caliber and can struggle against armor and may struggle to deal appreciable damage to harder targets without multiple hits; though usually you can overwhelm those targets with a good burst. Loading AP ammunition or +P ammunition can also even the playing field. This weapon is also fairly high maintenance and will likely require some service in the field if used for an extended period of time.

Weapons: .357

A powerful pistol cartridge developed by Smith & Wesson which was based upon the .38 Special cartridge. .357 Magnum’s introduction in 1935 was the herald of the “Magnum Era” of pistol cartridges.

A high-power pistol cartridge that is currently only used in the Desert Eagle. Its performance is very good for a handgun cartridge and it is capable of dealing with armor by itself fairly reliably.

Desert Eagle (.357)

Type: Gas-operated semi-automatic pistol

Feed: 9-round magazines

Features: Built-in Rail B (top), built-in Rail S (bottom), manual safety

Strengths: Immense stopping power for a handgun without using +P ammo, great for close and mid range against heavier targets

Weaknesses: Low magazine capacity, extremely high maintenance, somewhat inaccurate at range

A massive, impractical pistol which is only widely known for elevating itself into meme and pop-culture status due to chambering the .50 Action Express cartridge, the “largest centerfire cartridge of any magazine-fed self-loading pistol”. The .50 AE cartridge is so large that the Desert Eagle uses a recoil system used in rifles to cycle itself. This weapon has and continues to appear in movies, TV shows, and even the videogame you are PLAYING RIGHT NOW.

Sadly, this version in game is chambered for the .357 Magnum cartridge which defeats the meme status of the pistol. Still, this is a dependable weapon which has no trouble putting enemies into the dirt and is capable of punching through armor on its own for the most part. The weapon itself is rather high maintenance and will need some tending to if you plan on putting a lot of rounds through it, so just be ready for that.

Weapons: 12 Gauge

12 Gauge shells are by far the most popular shotgun caliber in the world today. While historic shells utilized brass or paper and black powder, modern shells utilize a highly engineered mix of a plastic casing, the shot, a wad or shot cup to keep the shot uniformly grouped on firing, and the brass and powder to propel the shot. Shotgun shells are notable for being loadable with just about anything you can fit inside a shotgun shell.

Shotguns boast high stopping power at close range and decent utility out to mid range. Nothing can beat a shotgun at close range for pure stopping power compared to its price. These are a great low-security area tool to clear out less dangerous enemies at close range and kill them nearly instantly, however shotguns naturally falter at range or against most armored targets.

Izh-27/Double Barrel Shotguns

Type: Double-barrel Shotgun

Feed: Breech-loaded, one shell for each barrel, maximum 2 shells

Features: Manual recocker for misfires, six-shell side saddle for additional shells

Strengths: Accessable early-game, high close-range stopping power, easy to handle, simple to clear misfires

Weaknesses: Small magazine capacity limits usefulness against multiple targets, falters at range, typically heavy for its usefulness

For berevity’s sake, I will be covering all of the double barrel shotgun variants here. They are great for blasting low-security and low-threat enemies apart early in the game or in low-security areas due to being able to quickly dispense two shells in the general direction of any threat with a high degree of success. In the unlikely event of a misfire, you can just press the B button to recock the chamber, or open/close the chambers again. It does however prove unsustainable outside close range and is not a great choice against targets that can shoot back from a distance.

Slugs do offer an option against more armored or distant targets, but overall your are still very limited. It is a great tool early game for conserving other types of ammunition and quickly dealing with close-range targets, but its usefulness falters off entering the factory areas.

Variation – Izh-27 Side-by-Side: A double barrel shotgun with a side-by-side barrel configuration instead of the usual over-under configuration. These are only available from loot crates. The SxS configuration is generally inferior for accuracy to the over-under configuration, but I do find it easier to load.

Variation – Izh-27 Side-by-Side Sawn-Off: The side-by-side variation, but with the barrel and stock cut down to the shortest usable length possible. This significantly cuts the weapon’s overall weight (by 1 kg) and makes it much more manuverable indoors, enhancing its ability to clear tight rooms but reducing its ability to deal with things at range. Make for a great trap card when clearing rooms early on.

Variation – Izh-27 Sawn-Off: The normal over-under configuration, but sawn down like the above variant. It has all of the benefits of the above variant without placing the barrels at an akward angle for shots outside of point blank range.

Izh-81

Type: Pump-action shotgun

Feed: Tube-fed, 4 shell capacity (+1 chambered, 8+1 if upgraded)

Features: Six-shell side saddle for additional shells

Strengths: Great and consistent stopping power at short-to-medium range, good magazine capacity, flexible between slugs and buckshot with practice if needed

Weaknesses: Somewhat bulky indoors, manual action is slow, reloading is shell-by-shell

A familiar and mass-produced pump-action shotgun which eventually ceased production and was converted into the MP-133 shotgun. It is quite versatile and has a good magazine capacity, making it fairly passable against multiple threats at close range without needing to pause and reload. With enough practice it can be easy to load slugs into the tube and chamber them to quickly swap to ammunition capable of defeating armor without skipping a beat.

The drawback is a general lack of range that most shotguns share outside of medium range and the manual pump action. If unfamiliar with the pump action, it can be easy to fumble this weapon under pressure or short-stroke the action, which stops the gun from chambering. Even if you are familiar and comfortable with its operation, it will always be slower than something semi-automatic or fully-automatic, so the first one or two shells had better kill whatever you’re shooting at.

SPAS-12

Type: Semi-automatic gas-operated shotgun

Feed: Tube-fed, 7 shell capacity (+1 chambered, 11+1 if upgraded)

Features: Six-shell side saddle for additional shells

Strengths: Massive up front damage potential and can quickly dispense its entire magazine until whatever its pointed at stops moving, flexible between slugs and buckshot if needed

Weaknesses: Much easier to chew through shells, somewhat bulky, reloading is shell-by-shell

Also known as “that shotgun that was in Jurassic Park”. The SPAS-12 is an oddity which was developed in Italy in the late 1970’s for military and police as a combat shotgun. Interestingly enough, the SPAS was designed with a pump-action mode of operation which could be used to fire less-lethal and low-pressure shells, but very few games replicate this. Also, the folding stock had a hook on the end of it which was apparently to be used to brace the shotgun under the user’s arm to be fired one-handed from a vehicle in true police fashion.

Essentially a direct upgrade to the Izh-81, the SPAS-12 comes with a semi-automatic firing mode by default which allows you to quickly dispense up to 8 shells. This comes with the drawback of making it easy to overzealously empty your magazine and require a lengthy reload, as you still have to load each shell manually. Still, it is a close quarters monster and is nearly unmatched for clearing out narrow spaces.

Sagia-12k

Type: Semi-automatic gas-operated shotgun

Feed: 5/10-round magazines

Features: Folding stock, manual safety

Strengths: Unmatched up-front damage potential, magazine based feed makes reloading quick if spare magazines are on hand

Weaknesses: Magazine capacity is still rather small which can lead to ammo being chewed through quickly, magazines now must be carried unlike with other shotguns that only require the shells

A semi-automatic shotgun designed upon the AK-platform. Essentially, the Russians decided to upscale the AK series’ gas system, magazines, and chamber to accept shotgun shells and this is the result.

The end-all of shotguns. You can dump 11 shells on target, switch the magazine, then dump 10 more. The only downside is you are now required to carry, load, and maintain Sagia magazines for this weapon, but that’s a small price to pay for being able to flatten most things that look at you at close range. Its other singular drawback is its general difficulty in dealing with heavily armored targets outside medium range, or dealing with armor when you only have buckshot. This is mostly solved by using slugs or another longer-range weapon.Also, 10-round Sagia magazines can only be found in the radius; you can only purchase 5-rounders at most.

Weapons: 5.56x45mm NATO

The 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge was developed in the 1970’s to eventually replace 7.62x51mm NATO’s role in the US Military as its frontline infantry cartridge. Soldiers in Veitnam reported that the 7.62 NATO cartridge used in the M14 was too heavy and had too much recoil in full-auto to be controllable. This pushed most nations at the time to develop lighter-weight, intermediate cartridges to allow soldiers to carry more ammunition for the same weight while maintaining most of the lethality of the larger round. This pattern was also observed in Warsaw-Pact countries who replaced the aging 7.62x39mm cartridge with the smaller 5.45x39mm cartridge around the same timeframe.

The standard rifle cartridge of most of the free world. It is a good middle ground between a full sized rifle cartridge and pistol cartridges and performs decently both at close range and at a distance.

AUG

Type: Gas-operated select-fire bullpup assault rifle

Feed: 30-round magazines (affectionately referred to as “waffle magazines” due to the grip texture)

Features: Manual safety, progressive trigger, semi-auto fire, full-auto fire (or burst fire with upgrade)

Strengths: Good damage, egronomics, durability, and control over recoil, effective at most ranges, bullpup layout reduces overall weapon length without sacrificing accuracy, making it manuverable indoors

Weaknesses: Select fire lacks a dedicated semi-auto firing mode, bullpup layout can be awkward to reload if unfamiliar with it

The Steyr AUG, developed in Australia. It is an effective platform to sling 5.56 NATO from and is generally a strong all-around rifle, however it lacks a dedicated semi-automatic fire mode. The progressive trigger allows a half-trigger pull to fire a single shot while the full pull engages fully-automatic fire, but if unfamiliar with this trigger layout it may lead to accidental sprays of full-auto fire. This can be unwanted if you are familiar with other semi-automatic firearms and want to precisely drop a number of rounds with full trigger pulls, so it tends to make the AUG spray by accident.

This weapon is noted to be quite durable compared to the M4A1 and requires less maintaining to keep running.

M4A1

Type: Gas-operated select-fire assault carbine

Feed: 30-round STANAG magazines

Features: Manual safety, semi-auto fire, full-auto fire

Strengths: Strong all around, good damage and control over recoil, effective at most ranges

Weaknesses: Almost full-sized rifle so somewhat difficult to move around indoors, not exceptionally accurate at long distance

The standard-issue rifle of various branches of the United States Military. The M4A1 was the first iteration of a cut-down version of the M16A2 assault rifle, citing the need to have a lighter, shorter, and more manuverable version of the rifle with a fully-automatic firing mode. The M4A1 is quite servicable in almost all roles and supports a great number of attachments out of the box to further adapt its use to the mission at hand.

This rifle is noted for having a rather high maintenance profile compared to the AUG and may more frequently require cleaning. This can be a hassle if using the weapon heavily for several magazines.

Weapons: 7.62x51mm NATO

A heavy cartridge first developed in the 1950s closely related to the .308 Winchester cartridge. 7.62 NATO has good ballistics and is usually employed in battle rifles, designated marksman’s rifles, and medium machineguns due to its ballistics and stopping power. Eventually it was replaced in the 1970s by 5.56x45mm NATO for most infantry weapons, citing 7.62 NATO had extreme recoil when used in full-auto firing modes and weighed too much. Despite this, 7.62 NATO still remains in service today in a wide variety of firearms.

7.62 NATO weapons all share good damage and range. Due to the size of the cartridge, even FMJ rounds are viable to penetrate enemy armor. Overall these weapons make great primary weapons to take into later areas of the Radius, however they all weigh significantly more than most loadouts with smaller cartridges.

M14

Type: Gas-operated battle rifle

Feed: 20-round magazines

Features: Manual Safety

Strengths: High stopping power, accuracy, and magazine size make it a good marksman’s rifle for most areas, can work at close range in a pinch

Weaknesses: Heavy, ammunition heavier than smaller cartridges, awkward indoors, high recoil if fired quickly

The legendary M14 battle rifle which saw extensive use in Vietnam among other conflicts before the introduction of the M16A1. Powerful and accurate, it can easily reach out and hit most targets at good distances while still remaining flexible at medium and close range due to a high magazine capacity and semi-automatic firing.

The default crown-and-leaf sight can be somewhat difficult to aim through as the aperture is very small, making it difficult to see sometimes, though this can be addressed by replacing the base sight with a Rail B mount and mounting an optic of your choice. A 4x sight or a holographic sight are both good choices for this weapon.

Despite its strengths, the weapon and combined ammo is very heavy. You may have to consider reducing the amount of ammunition you are carrying or adjust other portions of your loadout to maintain a comfortable weight.

FN FAL

Type: Gas-operated battle rifle

Feed: 20-round magazines

Features: Manual safety, semi-automatic firing, fully-automatic firing

Strengths: High stopping power and decent magazine size, full auto can be used in a tight spot at close range

Weaknesses: Heavy, base sight is awkward to aim through, high recoil in full auto, not as accurate as other 7.62 rifles

The FN FAL, produced by FN Hestral in Belgium and known to the British Army as the L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle, or L1A1 SLR. Designed in the early 1950’s it has seen service in a wide number of countries and is still in use today. It shares many similarities of 7.62 NATO battle rifles of having high stopping power, good armor penetration, decent range, and sports a full-auto firing mode if needed.

While quite effective against almost all targets, it is less accurate and hard to keep on target while firing in full-auto compared to other semi-automatic battle rifles in this class. It is also quite heavy compared to most other loadouts due to the weight of the rifle and ammunition. I also find the base sight is too close to the rear of the rifle which makes it very difficult to naturally aim with the weapon’s iron sights, making me much prefer the M14 for its accuracy and control. Still, the FAL is much easier to use in close quarters where volume of fire is usually required over accuracy.

FN-17

Type: Gas-operated battle rifle

Feed: 20-round magazines

Features: Manual safety, semi-automatic firing, fully-automatic firing, folding stock

Strengths: High stopping power and decent magazine size, full auto can be used in a tight spot at close range, pre-equipped with various rails for attachments

Weaknesses: Very expensive and high maintenance, hard to control in full auto, heavy

The SCAR-Heavy (or just SCAR-H) rifle, also manufactured by FN Hestral in Belgium. Designed and produced in 2004 to satisfy various needs of various US Special Forces groups, a SCAR-Light (SCAR-L) variant which was to fire 5.56 NATO was also developed but later scrapped.

The FN-17 shares many similarities with the FN FAL in a more modernized package. The availability of rails for mounting attachments by default increase the weapon’s flexibility without needing to invest in upgrades, and a folding stock can help with portability in close quarters. Unfortunately the weapon is quite demanding on maintenance and will need regular cleaning to keep it operating at top condition.

DVL-10 Diversant

Type: Integrally suppressed bolt-action rifle

Feed: 10-round magaines

Features: Manual safety, folding stock, integrated suppressor

Strengths: Intergral suppressor never degrades, high accuracy and damage at range

Weaknesses: Slow bolt-action makes it hard to use at closer ranges, very heavy

An oddity of a rifle which is Russian-made but chambered in 7.62 NATO. Designed as an integrally suppressed sniper rifle and does exactly that, it does not require you to run suppressors through the train’s repair booth each time you bring them in. The caliber affords very high stopping power and range, while the action of the weapon ensures it is extremely accurate.

The biggest downsides of this rifle is that it falters heavily outside its very specialized role; it is extremely heavy compared to other weapons and like most bolt-action weapons is difficult to at close range or in close quarters effectively. A strong pistol or another weapon is recommended alongside this one, however a secondary weapon is even more weight to consider.

Weapons: 7.62x25mm

A soviet pistol cartridge developed prior to the adoption of the 9x18mm cartridge. This round is notable for being “necked” (the casing becomes more narrow towards the front) and having relatively high penetration for a pistol round.

The 7.62x25mm round has decent penetration even without utilizing AP/+P ammunition. This makes it possible to engage armored targets with FMJ rounds without being overly-wasteful for the most part, though heavier ammunition is recommended against more dangerous enemies.

Tokarev T-33

Type: Semi-automatic pistol

Feed: 8-round magazines

Strengths: Very high muzzle velocity for a pistol, decent damage for its size, logistically low profile

Weaknesses: Small magazine size, outclassed by other specialized pistols for damage

The infamous pistol of the Red Army. The Tokarev is very serviceable when you are running low on 9×18 for your PM and have been saving stacks of 7.62×25. The pistol is decently accurate and requires minimal lead due to very high muzzle velocity which makes it surprisingly good at engaging targets from a medium distance with a steady hand. AP or +P ammunition can also put the pain on armored targets which makes this a versatile sidearm in most areas of the zone.

Unfortunately its major limiting factor is its magazine size. This makes it challenging to use against multiple targets or in tight spaces where followup shots are urgently needed. It is usually best to fill this gap with a primary weapon capable of doing so. Otherwise, the Tokarev makes for a great early game gun to become familiar with, as well as a serviceable firearm if taken care of into the later game.

PPSh-41

Type: Open-bolt submachine gun

Feed: 35-round magazines, 71-round drum magazines

Features: Manual safety

Strengths: Spray streams of 7.62×25 at high rate of fire and with extremely high magazine capacity, controllable with short bursts out to mid range

Weaknesses: Somewhat heavy, caliber can lack stopping power against heavier targets without specialized ammunition, packing a lot of ammo can be hefty

The full-length version of a PPSh-41. Compared to the short version, the full-length version’s expense of weight comes with the comfortable advantages of much more manageable recoil which allows it to be used at medium range to much greater effect.

Combined with the weight of the ammo, weapon, and magazines though, the amount of bulk from this weapon quickly starts to add up when stacked next to your other equipment. It does make for a very nice early and mid-area room-clearer that doesn’t have to pause to reload often, but it falters when taken outside the areas it excels in.

Variant – PPsh-41 Short – A heavily cut-down version of the PPSh making the barrel and stock the minimum length required to make the weapon usable. This increases its manuverability indoors and significantly reduces overall weight, but makes the gun practically unusable outside of short range. This is a difficult choice to take very far into the Radius as it leaves a lot of stopping power at range to be desired. Can be passable if taken as a backup weapon for room clearing.

Weapons: 5.45x39mm

The 5.45x39mm cartridge is effectively the Warsaw-Pact equivalent of NATO’s 5.56x45mm cartridge. Both were developed in the 1970’s as a measure to increase the number of cartridges a soldier could carry for the same weight as current, heavier, and larger caliber cartridges. 5.45x39mm was developed to replace the aging 7.62x39mm cartridge then-used in the AKM assault rifle.

A comparatively lighter weight but also lighter-hitting round compared to 7.62x39mm. While being smaller, it still has good ballistics and control which make it suitable as a somewhat all-purpose cartridge that can perform well at most ranges. Compared to 7.62x39mm, it has less stopping power and armor piercing ability, but weighs less per round as is more controllable in terms of recoil.

AK-74

Type: Gas-operated select-fire assault rifle

Feed: 30-round bakelite magazines (or 30-round plastic AK-74M magazines, which are slightly lighter and more durable)

Features: Manual safety, semi-auto fire, full-auto fire, paddle magazine release, GP-25 mount

Strengths: Effective at most ranges, great magazine capacity, rate of fire, and flexibility with attachments

Weaknesses: Fairly heavy, especially with a lot of ammo, can’t as reliably reach out and whack things that 7.62x39mm can, somewhat awkward to manuver indoors

One of the rifles of the Soviet Army which replaced the aging AKM (of which the AKM replaced the AK-47). This rifle is a good all-around weapon if it can be sustained with ammo, and has good options for attachments to adjust it to the mission. It has enough space underneath the barrel to mount a GP-25 grenade launcher, increasing its flexibility against various types of targets. The paddle magazine release allows you to simply grab magazines from the weapon to remove them, instead of needing to use the B button to drop it first.

Its only downside is its rifle-length form makes it somewhat difficult to use indoors and in close quarters, so a strong pistol for room clearing may be desirable. It also weighs a good deal (just over 3 kg unloaded) by itself, not counting magazines, attachments, and a decent load of ammunition, plus your other gear. This rifle can be overkill in most lower security areas before Podeba Factory.

Variant – AK-74M – This variation is the AK-74 ‘Modernized’. It sports lightweight plastic furniture instead of the usual wooden furniture on the AK-74. This slightly reduces the overall weight of the weapons by a few tenths of a Kg, and improvements to the gas system and muzzle break reduce its recoil. Besides these key differences, it functions identically to the AK-74.

AKS-74U

Type: Gas-operated select-fire assault carbine

Feed: 30-round bakelite magazines (or 30-round plastic AK-74M magazines, which are slightly lighter and more durable)

Features: Manual safety, semi-auto fire, full-auto fire, paddle magazine release, folding stock

Strengths: Significantly lighter weight than the full-size AK-74, folding stock can improve manuverability in tight quarters, good rate of fire, magazine size, and effective out to mid range

Weaknesses: Recoil stronger compared to full sized rifle, less able to deal with threats at a distance due to decreased accuracy

A cut-down carbine version of the AK-74 with a folding stock and shortened barrel. This rifle was designed to be issued to personnel not on the front lines such as vehicle crews, pilots, engineers, and other non-combat personnel. It sacrifices accuracy and recoil management for greatly reduced weight and portability (it is approximately 0.5 kg lighter than the AK-74).

The barrel is unfortunately too short to support a GP-25 grenade launcher, but most other attachments will fit similar to the AK-74. Overall this is the ‘close quarters’ version of the AK-74 if you plan to be fighting in tight spaces.

Weapons: 7.62x39mm

A cartridge developed and deployed in the 1940’s alongside the development and deployment of the SKS, AK-47, and AKM rifles. This cartridge remained the standard cartridge for most infantry weapons of Russia and Eastern Bloc countries until the 1970’s where it was mostly phased out in favor of the smaller and more agile 5.45x39mm cartridge. Essentially, this cartridge is the Warsaw-Pact analogue to 7.62x51mm NATO.

7.62x39mm is dependable against most targets without going completely overboard with 7.62 NATO. It has good ballistics and armor-piercing capability which makes it attractive to take into tougher areas of the Radius.

AKM

Type: Gas-operated select-fire assault rifle

Feed: 10/30-round magazines

Features: Manual safety, semi-auto fire, fully-auto fire, paddle magazine release

Strengths: Higher than average caliber offers good armor penetration, very adaptable with attachments, good magazine capacity, fairly strong all around

Weaknesses: Ammunition and weapon rather heavy, may leave accuracy at distance to be desired

The “Avtomat Kalasnikova Modernizirovannyj”, or just “Automatic rifle, Kalashnikov, Modernized” if you don’t speak Russian runes, designed in 1959 and replaced the commonly-mistaken-for AK-47. Majority of the changes to the AKM optimized it for mass production, which it did a good job of since it is the most prevalent variation of the AK series of firearms and is still used today by various armies.

This is a dependable weapon system with few downsides besides weight. It still has very good range and decent accuracy, so with a stable shot it can be used to pick targets off from a distance and be ready to rock in full-auto when a Slider hears you and teleports behind you. Its 30-round magazines also make it fairly capable of sustained combat provided you have enough of them on hand, while 10-round magazines can be used to load less frequently used ammunition (like FMJ for low threat enemies).

A great portion of adaptability to the AKM is its ability to host various attachments to further specialize it to the mission. Suppressors, laser sights, optics, and a GP-25 grenade launcher are good assets that can easily be grafted to the AKM to fit it to your needs.

SKS

Type: Gas-operated carbine

Feed: Modified to take 10/30-round AKM magazines (normally has an internal 10 round magazine)

Features: Manual safety, paddle magazine release

Strengths: Good accuracy and stopping power, fairly capable of followup shots with semi-automatic fire, great magazine capacity

Weaknesses: Compared to AKM, no full-auto reduces capability at close range, longer and more difficult to maneuver indoors, no GP-25 attachment point

The “Samozaryadny Karabin Sistemy Simonova”, or just “Siminov’s Carbine, Self-Loading” (or various translations thereof), or just “SKS” if you don’t have time or patience. A fine rifle introduced in 1945 and then promptly copied by nearly every nearby country, and then doomed to be replaced and overshadowed by the AK-47 and AKM in the 1950’s almost immediately.

The SKS is a reliable and longer-range option compared to the AKM in this same category. Logistically speaking, since they use the same ammunition and magazines, they are virtually identical save for the SKS’s inherent accuracy and range advantage versus the AKM’s inherent fire rate and flexibility advantage.

Depending on the mission at hand, an SKS can be a valuable asset to more reliably wax enemies from a distance where the AKM may struggle, though the AKM is more useful (especially with a GP-25 launcher attached) in close quarters. This choice will mostly come down to mission and user preference as both weapons are very serviceable even against armored enemies with FMJ ammunition due to the caliber of the weapons.

Weapons: 7.62x54R

Mosin-Nagant

Type: Bolt-action rifle

Feed: 5-round internal magazine

Features: Manual safety, six round buttstock saddle for additional ammunition

Strengths: Unmatched stopping power and accuracy at range, high armor penetration even without AP ammunition, fairly low maintenance, PU scope mount still allows use of iron sights

Weaknesses: Slow bolt-action makes followup shots difficult without skill, liability to use in close quarters, low magazine capacity and round-by-round reload

One of the most notable and mass-produced Russian infantry rifles in history, originally designed in 1891 and still fighting wars against itself and winning today. The Nagant finds its niche as a long-range rifle capable of dealing with virtually any target you can hit at range before it can hit back, making it a great sniper’s rifle and a decent option for dealing with threats at medium range as well. It has extremely high stopping power per shot, and even non-AP rounds generally do not have trouble penetrating armored enemies. The side-saddle of the Nagant is notable for making it easy to store up to six armor-piercing rounds for quick access in case the need arises to reliably penetrate armor.

This rifle does have plenty of drawbacks when used outside of its primary role as a long range weapon; the manual bolt action must be worked each shot which makes timely followup shots (especially on targets shooting you) very difficult. The magazine must be reloaded round-by-round. The weapon is very long and difficult to use in close quarters. The small magazine size makes engagements with multiple targets problematic.

This makes it a good idea to carry a very reliable pistol or secondary weapon with you in case you need to clear enemies out at close range or clear a building. Otherwise, for general outdoor exploration, the Nagant is a good rifle that can deal with most things from a distance before they become problematic.

Tiger Rifle

Type: Gas-operated marksman’s rifle

Feed: 10-round magazines

Features: Manual safety

Strengths: Great stopping power and good accuracy at long range, high armor penetration even without AP ammunition, quick follow-up shots, easier to reload than the Nagant

Weaknesses: Difficult to use in close quarters due to length and magazine size, high maintenance

A marksman’s rifle based on the Russian SVD-63 rifle. Similar to the Nagant, it is a mighty long-range weapon with good armor penetration. This rifle covers many of the Nagant’s weak points such as having much faster followup shots and a much easier way to reload but comes with the issue of being much higher maintenance. Still, it can put just about anything down into the dirt with only a few rounds, with magazine swaps taking substantially less time than the manual loading of the Nagant.

Weapons: 9x39mm

A Soviet rifle cartridge developed in the 1980s as a variation of the 7.62x39mm round which was subsonic, but had better range and armor penetration than a comparable subsonic round of 7.62x39mm. The solution was to fit a heavier projectile (almost twice the weight) into the existing casing of a 7.62x39mm round, which resulted in the 9x39mm round.

9x39mm is noted for having reliable armor penetration at short range, even with FMJ projectiles, as well as decent damage. Two weapons chambered in this cartridge also feature integrated suppressors which further expands the usefulness of the cartridge and removes the need to acquire and maintain removable suppressors. Unfortunately, the weapons using this round typically suffer from high maintenance, reduced capability at range, and lower-than-average magazine capacities. The ammunition is also expensive.

OC-14-4A ‘Groza’

Type: Select-fire bullpup assault rifle

Feed: 20-round magazines

Features: Manual safety, semi-auto fire, full-auto fire, paddle magazine release, integrated GP-25 grenade launcher

Strengths: Bullpup layout easy to maneuver indoors, GP-25 offers flexibility against grouped or entrenched targets if you have grenades, decent rate of fire and damage

Weaknesses: Heavy, awkward to load due to magazine position, sights and mounted sights are in an awkward position due to mounting, low magazine capacity for an assault rifle

The OC-14 “Groza”, with the 4A model sporting an integrated grenade launcher. Based heavily upon the AKS-74u, it was quickly developed, adopted, and dropped from service between 1994-1999.

The Groza is a hard hitting close range rifle. Maneuverable indoors and with a hard-hitting 9×39 round, it is a good asset for close up and medium range work, but quickly falls out of favor when trying to engage things at longer distances. The GP-25 built in comes in handy if you have VOG-25 grenades on hand and can be a potent force multipler.

Unfortunately the weapon is fairly heavy, magazine size somewhat limited, and the mounting for optics is pretty far off the bore of the weapon, which can make aiming and acquiring targets somewhat difficult if not familiar and practiced with the weapon. Otherwise, if played to its strengths of an indoor or close quarters weapon, there’s not many that can compete with it.

AS ‘Val’

Type: Select-fire assault rifle

Feed: 10/20-round magazines

Features: Manual safety, semi-auto fire, full-auto fire, paddle magazine release, integrated suppressor, folding stock

Strengths: Integral suppressor and caliber aids in keeping you hidden while firing, short and agile indoors, good damage and controllable up close

Weaknesses: Limited magazine capacity, limited attachment options

Developed in the 1980’s as a replacement for heavily-modified standard issue weapons for special forces units of the Soviet Union, the AS ‘Val’ phased out weapons such as the AKS-74UB which were complex to maintain and modify to acceptable levels for special forces units.

The Val is hard hitting up close and maintains a much lighter profile compared to the Groza, removing a lot of unneeded bulk from the weapon while keeping around the same magazine size. The profile of attachments for the weapon is also much closer to the barrel, making it easier to acquire targets.

It does, however, struggle outside of close range and has difficulty picking off targets outside close range with high accuracy. It is recommended to utilize this weapon as a room-clearer and street-sweeper, not as a designated marksman’s rifle.

VSS ‘Vintorez’

Type: Sniper Rifle

Feed: 10/20-round magazines

Features: Manual Safety, paddle magazine release

Strengths Integral suppressor and caliber aids in keeping you hidden while firing, good damage, decent accuracy out to medium range

Weaknesses: Not as accurate, long range, or damaging as most conventional sniper rifles, sacrifices these characteristics in exchange for being suppressed

Also developed in the 1980’s, and what the AS Val was ultimately based upon, in Russian “Vintorez” can be translated as “thread cutter”. Principally the Vintorez was designed as a suppressed sniper/marksman’s rifle for special operations.

A larger, more reliable, and more accurate version of the Val, designed for taking things out at a longer range instead of clearing rooms. The Vintorez moves away from a lot of the Val’s strong points to address its weak points instead, making it a good rifle for scouting open areas without attracting a lot of attention.

As predicted it does not perform as well indoors or in close quarters as the Val, and the up-to-20 round magazines leave some room to be desired. The Val and Vintorez magazines (20 and 10 rounds each respectively) are interchangeable between these weapons, thankfully allowing the Vintorez the option of a 20 round magazine if needed.

Overall, compared to the DVL-10 which is your only other option of an integrally suppressed long range rifle, this Vintorez is much more adaptable for followup shots and close range engagements then the bolt-action nature of the DVL-10.

Attachments

Attachments can be affixed to firearms that have the proper mounting specifications for them. Each attachment serves a particular function and can enhance your capabilities with particular weapons, generally making them easier or more convenient to use.

To add attachments to a weapon, bring the attachment close to the area it is to be mounted and it should automatically attach. To remove one, you need to enter dressing mode (hold B), then grab the attachment off the weapon (targeting is finnicky, might take a few tries).

Attachments that mount to a “Rail S” are generally for smaller weapons such as Pistols and sub-machine guns. Attachments that mount to a “Rail B” are usually for long guns and full-sized rifles. Most modern firearms come with rails pre-equipped (almost all pistols except the Makarov and Tokarev have an under-barrel rail S for a laser). Be sure to visit the train car’s upgrade function with new weapons to view what types of upgrades are available for your firearms. If a weapon is lacking a rail you need, odds are there is an upgrade that can make one available.

Important to note, any attachment can be fitted to one of your rails regardless of orientation as long as the mounting is correct. You can put a laser on your top rail, or an optic on your bottom. How useful this is will be entirely up to you.

Laser Pointers

Mounting Rail S (Red), Rail B (Green, long weapons)

Strengths: Allows much more accurate aiming from the hip without needing weapon sights at close and medium range, visible confirmation of point of aim

Weaknesses: Makes you slightly more visible in the darkness

A laser pointer can be affixed to your firearm on a Rail B or Rail S (depending on size of the weapon). You can toggle the laser pointer on and off by using the B button on your off-hand while the weapon is gripped in both hands.

Laser pointers make aiming without using sights (especially in the darkness) many times easier and generally allows you to shoot enemies from the hip at close and medium range. They also make a valuable addition for clearing rooms as you do not need to restrict your vision while navigating tight rooms by keeping your weapon’s sights within your view; you can simply use the laser pointer to confirm where you are shooting as you track and clear the building.

Laser pointers don’t weigh a lot and only make you slightly more visible in the darkness, but they can easily be turned off, so they are usually a very good choice to keep on your weapon. An important note is that the laser will naturally point to a location slightly adjacent to your actual point of aim since it is not perfectly in-line with the barrel. You may need to correct for this as you aim. If you have no need of an optic, you can put Rail B laser on the top rail of most long guns which aligns the laser more vertically with your barrel and may make aiming easier at close range.

Flashlights

Mounting: Rail S, Rail B

Strengths: Allows hands-free illumination when aiming with your weapon, doubles as a flashlight removing the need to carry one

Weaknesses: Overshadowed in usefulness by laser pointers when you get a headlamp

Mounting a flashlight to your weapon can make acquiring targets in low-light areas such as buildings or at night much easier to do, without needing to hold a flashlight. Unfortunately a lot of this utility is lost when you get a head lamp and the mounted versions of lights fall out of favor.

Suppressors

Mounting: Pistol Suppressor (handguns and pistol caliber weapons), NATO suppressor (NATO rifles), PBS-1 Silencer (AK-series rifles), DTK Suppressor (Mosin-Nagant, SKS, Tiger Rifle)

Strengths: Greatly reduces the noise of your shots, especially with subsonic ammunition

Weaknesses: Limited durability, can only be repaired in the repair box

Suppressors are very useful tools to help prevent you from getting swarmed by enemies as soon as you fire off a few shots. The sound of gunshots travel a great distance and can usually attract enemies a great distance away. Even without subsonic ammunition, a suppressor can be helpful to hide you from most enemies in the area except those in close proximity of you.

Unfortunately they are a money sink as they must frequently be repaired since they degrade as the weapon is fired. Weapons with integral suppressors (like the DVL-10, AS Val, and VSS Vintorez) bypass this issue by having the suppressor as part of the firearm itself and thus never needing individual repair, beyond repairs normally required to maintain weapons.

Optics

Mounting: Pistol Sight Mount (Viper P only), Rail B (most NATO optics), PU Mount (PU Scope), Dovetail Mount (PSO-1 Scope)

Strengths: Various optics of your preference can adapt your weapon to different situations and make it easier to acquire targets at various distances

Weaknesses: Weight, some restrict your field of view (sniper scopes)

Various optics include reflex and holographic sights for close-range engagements, the Specter 4/1x for close/mid range targeting, and longer-range scopes for acquiring targets at a distance. Each has their own niche they fill and it is advisable to try them out as you see appropriate to get a feel for what each one does.

Many optics also have back-up iron sights (BUIS) on top of them for close-range engagements, and some can be toggled for different magnification levels.

Grenade Launchers

Mounting: GP-25 Launcher Mount (AK-74/M, AKM)

Strengths: Dispenses explosive VOG-25 grenades with reckless abandon which can quickly clear out difficult to kill or clustered targets

Weaknesses: Have to carry grenades too, heavy

A force multiplier for assault rifles that allows you to dump a grenade in the direction you’re aiming which explodes on impact. It is extremely useful to deleting enemy formations but weighs a good bit, in addition to needing to carry additional grenades.

Launchers cannot be unloaded once a round has been placed into them. Be careful and check the attachment by examining it to see if a grenade is loaded. Also know that a launcher cannot be used as a stand-alone device; it must be mounted on a weapon to be operable.

Explosives/Melee

Combat Knife

Weight: 0.25 kg

A basic cutting/stabbing instrument. Most of its utility comes from being able to eat from cans with it, though in certain situations it can be beneficial to have quick access to a knife. It is recommended to keep them somewhere on your person where they can quickly be reached with your off hand (if you are right handed for firearms, I would recommend keeping it on your right forearm so you can grab it with your left hand without letting go of your gun).

Blades are most useful against low-threat enemies to quietly kill them or dispatch them without making too much noise. Spawns can be dodged and promptly stabbed or cut to death quickly, and fragments can be finished off by cutting their central orb once destabilized. Knives can be thrown a good distance, though it takes some practice to throw them accurately. Fragments can be killed by repeatedly throwing and grabbing the same knife most of the time.

Against more dangerous targets like Seekers, Sliders and various Mimics, knives should only be used when the moment presents itself and as a last resort. Knives when swung penetrate armor, so it is an option to cut a seeker’s head open with a quick swipe if they ambush you. Otherwise your firearm is probably a better option.

Knives degrade quickly as they deal damage, though they are pretty cheap and plentiful so its not a big deal if you lose one. They can also only be repaired by the repair booth in the train car. As a note, cutting (with a swipe) seems to deal significantly more damage then stabbing (with a thrust). I also literally just learned this by accident, you can hold a knife in a stabbing grip by pressing the B button.

Variation – Spetznaz Combat Machete – A larger and heavier (about 0.7 kg) knife with increased durability and length. This makes it easier to swing around and still hit things and allows it to be used more before being destroyed, however it is quite a bit heavier.

RDG-5 Grenade

Type: Offensive Hand Grenade

Fuse: 3 seconds

Weight: 0.25 kg

A cheap, lightweight, mass produced hand grenade. “Offensive” hand grenades have a blast radius that is “lower than the average distance they can be thrown”, making them less dangerous to chuck in the open without cover. Because of how unreliable grenade tossing physics are in the game, I strongly recommend against throwing any grenades that you cannot run away from or hide behind a strong wall from as the number of times I’ve blown myself up when not doing that is worryingly high.

These are lightweight, fairly strong when chucked or dropped in an enclosed area, and sell for practically nothing, so they are useful tools when the need arises. They are good to chuck inside rooms or drop nearby clusters of enemies on the off-chance it clears some out for you. The kill radius is somewhat small, but they are still a better option to chuck in ahead of yourself then to go in without one if you happen to have one. They are also fairly light for their utility, making them attractive to carry in a decent number.

F1 Grenade

Type: Defensive Hand Grenade

Fuse: 5 seconds

Weight: 0.6 kg

A similar cheap, mass produced hand grenade, with striking similarities to the United States Mk2 “Pineapple” grenade (fun fact: both this grenade and the Mk2 pineapple were based upon the French’s F1 grenade in WW I, which explains why they look so similar). The F1 Grenade is designated as “defensive” as it has a much larger blast radius that makes it dangerous to use without cover. It is highly recommended to only chuck these when you have good cover nearby as the blast radius is rather large and the shrapnel generated flies long distances. The explosive radius also tends to go through walls and other cover, so moving back is highly recommended.

Heavier than an RDG-5 but with good destructive capability. Chucked on the inside of a room they can typically liquidate any assets within. A good tool to have on hand in case it is too dangerous to peek inside a room or down a hallway. The blast radius and damage is excellent enough to kill most targets that it lands within a close distance of, however these grenades are over twice as heavy as their lesser counterparts.

VOG-25 Grenade

Type: 40mm Caseless Rifle Grenade

Fuse: Kinetic, explodes on impact

Rifle grenade rounds suitable for use with the GP-25 grenade launcher for AK-pattern rifles and the integrated grenade launcher of the OC-14 “Groza” rifle. Since the rifle grenade itself is caseless (the entire grenade is fired), VOG-25 grenades are loaded right into the front of the launcher and are ready to fire.

These lightweight grenades make a potent force multiplier if you are taking along a rifle which can support it, giving you a very quick and effective option to deal with clustered targets quickly and at a distance, without needing to free up a hand to sling a grenade. Reloading can also be done one-handed and in one step so as long as extra grenades are available. The grenade itself has fairly slow projectile speed, but it is easy to land it nearby enemy targets so as long as they have a hard surface to detonate it on nearby or the floor is an easy target.

GP-25 Grenade Launcher

Type: Underbarrel 40mm caseless grenade launcher attachment

Feed: Muzzle-loaded, single VOG-25 grenade

Features: Adjustable rangefinder

Strengths: Can be used to quickly suppress or remove heavy or clustered targets nearby cover without moving your aim off-target

Weaknesses: Needs grenades, difficult to land grenades at distance

This grenade launcher attaches to the underbarrel of most full length AK-rifles, such as the AK-74, AK-74M, and the AKM. Loading of grenades is done by simply placing them in the front of the launcher. Firing the grenade is done by holding the weapon in both hands and using the trigger on your off-hand.

The right side of the launcher has an adjustable range finder which increments in 100m intervals. It can be used to determine how sharply to angle the weapon to land a grenade at the specified distance over flat terrain. If you know the approximate distance to your target, you can use the rangefinder to land the grenade right at the target’s feet.

RDG-2 Smoke Grenade

Type: Smoke Screening Device

Fuse: 3 seconds

Weight: 0.15 kg

A cheap Soviet smoke grenade used for screening movement or signalling. It is quite lightweight on its own, however I do not typically find them very useful. In theory they can be used to screen your movement and allow you to push to a different point of cover or make an escape by blocking your attacker’s view, but given the AI in this game I sincerely doubt they have enough effect to not get you blasted, and/or the AI will simply advance through the smoke.

They also do not sell for virtually anything, so unless you plan to test your luck, avoid them.

Enemies

I’ll be brief, there are better guides that cover enemies.

A quick note, many enemy types can spawn armored unless explicitly mentioned they cannot be armored. Armored enemies have visible yellow/orange plating covering them, and bullets which do not penetrate the armor will spark and ricochet off their point of impact. It is recommended to use high-caliber weapons or AP ammunition to deal with armored variants.

Fragment/Phantom

Threat: Very low, only threatening when close

Strengths: Must be finished off by destroying its central core once destabilized, otherwise it reforms. This makes it difficult to take out at long-range. Its meandering nature can also force you to make noise to take it out, attracting other more dangerous entities. Phantoms are difficult to see.

Weaknesses: Chest, then the core once destabilized. Phantoms will vanish instantly instead of needing to be destabilized. Enemy is very slow and can merely be outran if needed.

A very weak and probably the first enemy you will encounter. They are very slow and only a threat in close quarters or at very close range. Fragments can spawn armored, which can complicate quickly taking them out, especially if pressured at range or locked in a confined area.

Spawn

Threat: Low, threatening when close or closing

Strengths: Fast and difficult to hit, accurate when leaping, often distracts you from more dangerous enemies or requires you to make noise to take it out, attracting more dangerous enemies

Weaknesses: Incredibly low HP, almost anything can take it out. Will be momentarily immobilized and stunned if it misses a leap, you can force them to miss a leap by side stepping when they jump. They emit a tell-tale buzzing sound from a long range which can be used to find them and take them out as they approach.

The equivalent of cats if cats were radius entities and constantly acting out. They move fast, can notice you from a long range, and can sufficiently occupy your attention long enough to cause you problems if not taken out quickly. Side-stepping them and stabbing with a knife is also a viable (silent) strategy. Cannot be armored.

Seeker

Threat: Medium-low

Strengths: Silent until close, sprints at you when it spots you, can be difficult to hit in close quarters with a long weapon

Weaknesses: Head, Easy to spot at range due to the red around the head, tends to run in a straight line, so they are easy to shoot in the head when seen at a distance and approaching

The first jumpscare adversary you’ll face. These men have a bad tendency of spotting you from a mile away and not telling you until they’re right up behind you when you’re doing something else. They strike by firing light from their faces, which may be somewhat unsettling. Shoot them in the face to render them inoperable. This enemy’s armor does not protect the head, which is unusual.

Slider

Threat: High

Strengths: Teleports at regular intervals making them hard to hit, high damage, easy to be taken by surprise

Weaknesses: Head, Once aware of one, easy to wait and watch for it, then shoot it when it tries to teleport next to you

Almost never will you get the drop on a slider before the slider gets the drop on you. Listen for what sounds like air popping at regular intervals; this is the sound made by the slider when it teleports. If you see a slider teleporting around, it’s probably looking for you. Making too much noise may draw his attention to you and provoke an attack. Shoot the head as many times as necessary to knock him back to the ground. His melee attacks deal a lot of damage, so try not to get hit. If you hear a slider teleporting, immediately back up and look around to see where he’s coming from so you don’t get caught off guard.

Mimics

Threat: Medium-Extreme

Strengths: Ranged attack from firearms

Weaknesses: Head, grenades, give themselves away by constantly chattering

Throughout the radius, various mimics will be encountered. For the sake of brevity, I’ll cover the majority of them in brief detail here. For example, you can take advantage of breaks in a mimic’s attack cycle because they, like everyone else, must reload. You can predict when a mimic needs to reload by counting the number of rounds they fire. The majority of mimics can be armored.

Police (PM Pistol) – Medium threat. Fairly accurate but lower overall DPS.

Commando (Shotgun) – Medium threat, high up close. Hunting shotgun. Will generally pepper you at a distance for minor damage but are lethal up close.

Gunner (AKS-74U) – High threat. High magazine capacity and three round bursts make him challenging to shoot without waiting for a gap in reload.

SWAT (AS ‘Val’) – High threat. Heavy hitting. Cannot be armored, but has built in additional health to compensate. Hits hard.

Sniper (Tiger Rifle) – Extreme threat. Heavy hitting, long-range, very accurate. Take them out first before they notice you, or else you will never be able to come out of cover without eating a huge bullet. Cannot be armored.

This is all for Into the Radius VR All Weapons & Equipments hope you enjoy the post. If you believe we forget or we should update the post please let us know via comment, we will try our best to fix how fast is possible! Have a great day!