Starfield sports an impressive collection of weapon types, each packed with a variety of special quirks that make flexible usage of weapons common. That said, finding the right weapon for the job is important. Due to their relatively low mass compared to other weapons, Starfield Pistols are a good comfort pick for deep space exploration as they leave you with more inventory room to pick other items.
That said, these sidearms are typically meant to support your main weapons. The best Starfield pistols can potentially act as your main weapons. Below is a list of some of the best pistols you can find to help you on your journey. We have also ranked these pistols in Starfield so you know which ones are the hottest guns to get.
1. The Prime
A rare pistol with an impressive 61 physical damage, The Prime is at the top of our list for Starfield’s best pistols. It also comes with a very impressive range and a high 79.8% accuracy, making it quite effective as a long-range sniping pistol to fish for headshots.
Though the low magazine size means you’ll have to make each shot count, there are 3 spare weapon mod slots, so you could slot in an extended mag slot down the line. Regarding the 5 pre-existing slots, the Laser Sight and Penetrator rounds are quite noteworthy for their utility in accuracy and damage.
The special perk of The Prime pistol, ‘Elemental’, also causes the next shot to randomly deal a new type of damage between Corrosive, Incendiary, Radiation, and Poison.
You can get The Prime by visiting the ‘Laredo Firearms’ store in Akila City in Starfield.
2. The Zapper
A rare pistol, The Zapper, while shackled to a lower base damage at 12 Physical damage, still makes up for it in utility owing to its very high magazine size of 28, allowing for extended exchange of bullets.
The perk, Tesla, will cause bullets to damage and slow down enemies near wherever the bullets hit, adding a nice element of crowd control to this pistol. The 5 pre-slotted mods, including the Large Magazine mod, boost the weapon’s utility.
You can obtain this weapon via the shopkeeper in ‘Rowland Arms’ in Akila City.
3. Va’Ruun Starshard
The particle beam pistol Va’Ruun Starshard is obtained by looting the corpses of hostile Va’Ruun soldiers. Finding them is relatively rare, but you may occasionally find a Va’Ruun spaceship while drifting through space, so be sure to board the ship and clear the crew for a chance to get Va’Ruun weapons.
Va’Ruun Starshard deals a mix of 26 Physical and 80 Energy damage, making it quite handy in dealing with various enemy types.
Combining that with its high accuracy and long range, the pistol is good for medium-range engagements. It has 7 spare weapon mod slots so you can mix, match, and tune up its already impressive base capabilities even further.
4. Elegance
Elegance is a rare pistol, but still one of the best in Starfield. This pistol can be purchased from Rowland Arms in Akila City. This pistol is especially lucrative because you can snag it relatively early, staying top of the line for a great deal of your playthrough.
The pistol comes packed with an impressive 64 Physical damage base stat and pre-installed with 5 weapon mods i.e., Reflex Sight, Suppressor, Penetrator Rounds, High Powered, and Binary Trigger. Beyond that, it also comes equipped with the ‘Shattering’ perk, allowing you to bypass heavy armor to quickly take down armored enemies.
5. Keelhauler
The Legendary pistol Keelhauler is obtained after completing the quest Echoes of the Past in Starfield. This is part of the Crimson Fleet faction questline, unlocked in the middle of the recruitment quest.
The Keelhauler pistol comes equipped with 4 weapon mods, i.e., Long Barrel, Recon Laser Sight, Compensator, and Fully Automatic. The fully automatic mod adds high burst fire capability to the weapon, making it quite effective at quickly taking down foes.
Beyond that, Keelhauler comes equipped with 3 perks, namely, Staggering to trigger the stagger effect on enemies, Berserker, which deals more damage the less armor one has, and Frenzy, which has a small chance to trigger the frenzy status in a target. It also sports high base damage at 86 physical damage, making the Keelhauler pistol one of the best ballistic weapons in Starfield.
