Available weapons and how to get them

• Cattleman Revolver: Reliable starter weapon, good for most situations.

  • In Undead Nightmare, this is one of your default weapons.

• Schofield Revolver: Higher damage and faster reload than the Cattleman.

  • In Undead Nightmare, it's unlocked by saving Chuparosa. It’s a reliable sidearm with decent power and accuracy, useful in both close and mid-range combat against the undead.

• Double-Action Revolver: Fires rapidly, ideal for close combat.

  • In Undead Nightmare, you get it by saving Tesoro Azul. This revolver features a faster rate of fire compared to other revolvers, making it ideal for quick engagements.

• LeMat Revolver: It is a single-action revolver with a high-capacity nine-shot cylinder. It's high capacity allows for more shots between reloads and allows the player to gain the upper hand, especially in short, intense firefights.

  • In Undead Nightmare, unlock by completing the Undead Hunter Challenges. To access this challenge, players must first complete the "American Imperialism" mission to enter Nuevo Paraíso.

• High Power Pistol: Fast firing and high damage—great for intense shootouts.

  • In Undead Nightmare, this is awarded after completing 4–6 Doctor random encounters. In these encounters, you help a doctor fend off undead, and collect zombie parts for research. The doctor appears in New Austin (Everett Knox) and Escalera (Porfirio Gutierrez).

• Semi-Auto Pistol: Very fast rate of fire, best for overwhelming groups.

• Volcanic Pistol: A one-handed firearm utilizing a lever-action mechanism to chamber cartridges of pistol ammo.

  • In Undead Nightmare, It’s unlocked by saving Twin Rocks. It offers high damage per shot, making it effective against tougher undead enemies.

• Mauser Pistol: A fully automatic gun, meaning that if the fire button is held down, the gun will shoot continuously until the magazine empties, making it the only automatic weapon that isn't mounted.

  • In Undead Nightmare, it’s unlocked by completing Undead Sharpshooter Rank 5. This challenge requires the Rolling Block Rifle.

Best use of Revolvers & Pistols:

• Quick-draw duels, close to medium-range combat, and when riding horses.

• Winchester Repeater: Balanced for damage and accuracy; good for most encounters.

  • In Undead Nightmare, get this during the Survivor side mission "Paternal Pride" at MacFarlane's Ranch. It’s a balanced weapon with moderate power and high rate of fire, suitable for most combat situations.

• Henry Repeater: Fast reload, large magazine—great for fighting groups.

  • In Undead Nightmare, unlock by saving Nosalida. 

• Evans Repeater: Highest magazine size, making it ideal for crowd control and Dead Eye targeting.

  • In Undead Nightmare, unlock by completing the Undead Hunter Challenges. To access this challenge, players must first complete the "American Imperialism" mission to enter Nuevo Paraíso.

• Springfield Rifle: High accuracy and damage; slower rate of fire.

  • In Undead Nightmare, unlock by saving Ridgewood Farm. It’s a powerful single-shot rifle ideal for long-range undead elimination.

• Bolt Action Rifle: Excellent for long-range shots and precision.

• Explosive Rifle: It uses a special type of ammunition called Explosive Rounds. These rounds when fired travel just as quickly as bullets, and detonate directly on impact with a target.

  • In Undead Nightmare, unlock by saving Rathskeller Fork. This weapon deals massive area damage and is ideal for taking out large groups of undead or powerful enemies. Once acquired, it enables the Explosive Rifle Mastery Challenges.

• Buffalo Rifle: It has the smallest ammo capacity out of all in-game non-sniper rifles (a single bullet), but its high stopping power and relatively long range allows for lethal one-shots against most hostile NPCs and animals.

  • In Undead Nightmare, unlock by saving Escalera, but only after completing the final story mission "On a Pale Horse."

Best use of Rifles & Repeaters:

• Medium to long-range combat, clearing gang hideouts, and defending towns.

• Double-Barrel Shotgun: Devastating at close range, but slow to reload.

  • In Undead Nightmare, this is one of your default weapons.

• Sawed-Off Shotgun: Shorter range, but can be dual-wielded with a pistol.

• Pump-Action Shotgun: Fast firing and reload, great for clearing rooms.

• Semi-Auto Shotgun: Highest rate of fire, best for crowd control.

  • In Undead Nightmare, it can be found during the mission "A Civilized Man" in the Escalera Catacombs. It’s located at the end of a short hallway on top of a munitions crate. If missed, it may appear during random encounters, such as the "Undead Pile" event. NPCs may also spawn with it, especially near Frontera Bridge, allowing players to steal it.

Best use of Shotguns:

• Close-quarters combat, defending tight spaces, and fighting off groups (especially zombies in Undead Nightmare).

• Rolling Block Rifle: High damage, perfect for sniping enemies at a distance.

  • In Undead Nightmare, unlock by saving Pacific Union Railroad Camp. Alternatively, players may get it early by killing the Sasquatch Hunter during the mission "Birth of the Conservation Movement."

• Carcano Rifle: Faster reload and higher accuracy for long-range targets.

  • In Undead Nightmare, unlock by completing the Undead Sharpshooter Challenges. The Rolling Block Rifle is required to complete Rank 5 of this challenge.

Best use of Sniper Rifles:

• Long-range engagements, picking off enemies from cover, and hunting.

• Dynamite: Clears groups or destroys structures—use with caution.

• Fire Bottle (Molotov): Sets enemies and undead on fire, great for crowd control.

• Throwing Knife: Silent takedowns or hunting.

Best use of these weapons:

• Clearing groups, defending choke points, or stealth approaches.

• Knife: Standard melee weapon for silent or close attacks.

• Tomahawk (DLC): Throwable and powerful in melee.

  • In Undead Nightmare, unlock by saving Manzanita Post. It’s a throwable melee weapon that can be retrieved after use, making it both deadly and reusable. Getting it unlocks the Tomahawk Mastery Challenges.

Best use of these weapons:

• Stealth kills, last resort when out of ammo.

• Torch: Effective against zombies; sets them on fire.

• Blunderbuss: Uses zombie parts as ammo; extremely powerful against groups.

  • Unlock by completing the mission "A Cure for Most of What Ails You." It's one of the most powerful weapons against the undead, capable of vaporizing enemies in a single shot. Its ammo is crafted using undead body parts like ribs, eyes, ears, and tongues. Each round requires ten parts, and the weapon can hold up to 20 rounds after completing the Undead Treasure Hunter Challenge.

• Holy Water: Instantly kills undead in a small area.

• Boom Bait: Lures and explodes groups of zombies. Get it by completing the Survivor mission "Biographies and Lies." It’s a special bait that attracts undead and explodes shortly after, making it effective for clearing groups of zombies.

Best use of these weapons:

• Zombie encounters, graveyard cleansing, and town defense.