M41A Pulse Rifle MK2 - This is the standard and it’s good for a reason. Reliable, accurate, takes all the common attachments, uses the abundant 40-round 10x21 mags. If you’re new or don’t have a specific plan, just take this and you’ll be fine.
M41A Pulse Rifle MK1 - Massively overrated by people who think bigger mag = better gun. Yes it holds more rounds than the MK2, but it doesn’t take MK2 magazines which means you’re going to be constantly bottlenecked by the extremely rare MK1 mags you’ll have to scavenge and manually refill with loose rounds. It also doesn’t take most attachments. Literally just grab a MK2 with extended mags.
M4RA Battle Rifle - Deceptively marketed as a DMR for standing back and picking shots but it’s actually a chaser gun, not a stand-still sniper rifle. This allows you to run at full speed while wielded, whch makes it incredibly effective for pursuing retreating xenos. If you know how to position and chase properly this gun absolutely shreds, but people sleep on it because they try to use it like a sniper
M39 Submachine Gun - Specialized chaser weapon that requires you to actually be smart with your ammo management. The high fire rate means you’ll burn through your magazines in record time if you just spray and pray like an idiot. Good for running down wounded xenos and shredding in close quarters, but you need trigger discipline and you need to bring a ton of mags or you’ll be dry in two pushes. Skip this if you have trigger discipline issues
M37A2 Pump Shotgun - Used to be way better but it’s still good for hunting backliners if you play aggressively. Buckshot has basically no range and disappears after like 3 tiles so you need to use this thing like a melee weapon and go for point-blank shots. Get in their face, blast them, get out. Requires balls and good positioning or you’re just going to get yourself killed
M4A3 Pistol - Trash. Why are you using this. Low damage, low capacity, no reason to take it over literally any other sidearm. If this is your choice you’ve already lost.
Revolver - Trash. People take it because they think it looks cool. It doesn’t do enough damage to justify the tiny ammo capacity and slow reload. You will run out of bullets mid fight and die.
M10 Auto Pistol - Actually decent if you can aggressively chase and shred backliners, but it has the same ammo problem as the SMG where you’ll blow through magazines instantly. Only worth it if you’re confident in your ability to push wounded targets and you bring like 8+ mags.
VP78 Pistol - Not worth the points. Mediocre damage, nothing special about it, you’re better off spending those points on literally anything else like AP mags.
SU6 Smart Pistol - Deals no damage. Has IFF which is cool in theory but the damage output is so pathetic it doesn’t matter. Novelty gun.
MOU53 Shotgun - Actually pretty solid. Good for dumping flechette rounds into armored targets and the break-action reload is faster than you’d think once you get used to it. Requires you to be good at constantly reloading since it’s only three shots, but if you can manage that it’s a versatile weapon that handles both close and medium range.
88 Mod 4 Pistol - Surprisingly good because the rounds are armor piercing. Does way more damage than you’d expect from a sidearm. Still not worth bringing over more primary ammo in most situations, but if you’re going to bring a pistol, bring this one.
XM88 Heavy Rifle - Only take this if you are exceptionally good at sprite-clicking and can consistently land shots under pressure. Deals an absolutely insane amount of damage if you can chain your shots but requires god-tier accuracy. Also don’t take this if you’re prone to friendly fire because one accidental shot will absolutely destroy a marine. High skill ceiling weapon that’s a liability in the wrong hands. Not for beginners.
General Take on Sidearms: Bringing sidearms is never worth it. If you’re ever in a situation where you lose your primary gun (literally just use a magharness and never lose it lmao) you’re already fucked and a pistol won’t save you. The inventory space you waste bringing a sidearm and its ammo would be infinitely better used just bringing more ammo for your primary weapon.
