Revolver

On most wipes this is the first gun that feels like a gun. It needs a Level 1 workbench, researching it is cheap, and the Outpost weapons vendor sells it if you would rather spend scrap than find one. The awkward part is the metal pipe in the recipe, which you will usually pull from crates or road signs.

It fires pistol bullets, and you can click quickly, so up close you can empty the cylinder into someone rushing you. Further out the accuracy drops, and rapid fire throws your shots wide. Past short range, slow down and re-aim between shots.

Many players pair it with a crossbow: the bow lands the first heavy hit, the revolver finishes, and they say it wins plenty of fights in the opening hours. Against anyone in metal armour it struggles, because it needs far more hits than you will get time for.

It takes muzzle attachments and silencers but no sights, so a muzzle brake is the usual cheap upgrade. When high quality metal starts piling up, move to the Python or a semi-auto pistol and keep the revolver as a spare for farming runs.