Best Pistol and Revolver Build (Patch 1.63) - Cyberpunk 2077

By zanuffas
Last updated: 21 September 2023

This post will cover the best Pistol Build for Cyberpunk 2077. if you were wondering if can you make something deadly with these one-handed weapons - then you are in for a treat. Cyberpunk 2077 provides great perks that match this playstyle perfectly. Although one would think these weapons are weak they are very strong once the correct perks are taken.

Pistol and Revolver Build
Conclusion

Pistol and Revolver Build

What makes the build very efficient? Handgun tree allows shooting and gaining buffs while using Dodges. Pair this with Kerenzikov and you can have a very agile build. Generally, pistols are very effective at headshots thanks to the Handguns perk tree.

However, I think it all depends on your ability to land multiple headshots. Of course, after a few hour of practice, this will be easy as enemy AI is fairly predictable.

Attributes

In this section, I will cover what attributes to pick for the Pistol Build in Cyberpunk 2077

Starting the game

Reflexes +3. It is best to maximize pistol damage early in the game.
Cool +2. This will also benefit offensive capabilities, although not much early in the game.
Technical Ability +1
Body +1. Gives some bonus HP for better early survival chances.

Progression

Level	Reflex	Body	Tech	Cool	Int
10	10	6	6	6	3
30	15	11	14	8	3
50	20	12	20	16	3

Reflexes 20. We want to maximize this attribute so that we would have maximum effectiveness when using Pistols with the build
Body 12. This will be sufficient to get some health-related perks and improvements to weapon handling. This means that you will be able to shoot and reload pistols while jumping, sprinting, etc.
Technical Ability 20. I always like this tree, it allows crafting whatever you need and whenever you need - ammo, grenades, legendary gear.
Cool 16. This attribute will provide some good perks related to overall combat, particularly Cold Blood.

The pistol build does not rely on Intelligence. The main reason is that we will forgo Cyberdecks and only use Sandevistans as the operating system.

Perks

This section covers what Perks you should pick with the Pistol build. It is very important part as it can make or break any build

Handguns

The main Pistol perk tree. It provides damage-related improvements.

Engineer build Handguns cyberpunk 2077

Reflexes Level	Skill	Description
1	Gunslinger x3	Reduces reload time for Pistols and Revolvers by 25%.
1	High Noon x3	Increases Crit Chance with Pistols and Revolvers by 6%.
5	Desperado x3	Increases damage with Pistols and Revolvers by 10%.
5	Rio Bravo x3	Increases headshot damage multiplier with Pistols and Revolvers by 15%.
7	Long Shot Drop Pop x2	Increases damage with Pistols and Revolvers to enemies 5+ meters away by 25%.
9	Steady Hand	Reduces Pistol and Revolver recoil by 20%.
9	O.K. Corral	Deal 50% more damage with Pistols and Revolvers to enemies whose Health is below 25%.
9	Vanishing Point	Increases Mitigation Chance by 20% for 5 sec. after performing a dodge with a Pistol or Revolver equipped.
11	A Fistful of Eurodollars x2	Increases Crit Damage with Pistols and Revolvers by 30%.
11	From Head to Toe x2	Increases damage done to limbs with Pistols and Revolvers by 7/15%.
12	Acrobat	You can now perform dodges while aiming a Pistol or Revolver.
12	Grand Finale	The last round in a Pistol or Revolver clip deals double damage.
14	Attritional Fire	Firing consecutive shots with a Pistol or Revolver at the same target increases damage by 10%.
14	Wild West	Removes the damage penalty from Pistols and Revolvers when shooting from a distance. Now you can maximise your damage when fighting enemies from long distances with this Pistol build.
16	Snowball Effect	After defeating an enemy, the fire rate for Revolvers increases by 5% for 6 sec. Stacks up to 5 time(s).
16	Westworld	Increases Crit Chance for Pistols and Revolvers by 5% if fully modded.
18	Lead Sponge	Enables you to shoot with Pistols and Revolvers while dodging.
20	Brainpower	After a successful headshot with a Pistol or Revolver, Crit Chance increases by 7% for 5 sec.
20+	The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly	After a successful Crit Hit with a Pistol or Revolver, damage and Armor increase by 30% for 5 seconds. +1% per Perk level.

Engineering - if you use Tech Pistols

Choose these perks if you use Tech Pistol. They are very powerful and allow to shoot through walls.

Pistol build tech pistol Engineering cyberpunk 2077

Tech Level	Skill	Description
9	Up to 11	Allows you to charge Tech weapons up to 100% capacity.
12	Tesla x3	Increases the charge multiplier for Tech weapons by 55%.
14	Ubercharge	Fully charged Tech weapons deal 30% more damage.
14	Gun Whisperer	Fully charged Tech weapons do not shoot automatically. Does not apply to revolvers.
16	F*** All Walls	Reduces the charge amount needed for Tech weapons to penetrate walls by 30%.
18	Lickety Split x2	Tech weapon charge time is reduced by 20%.
20	Superconductor	Tech weapons ignore Armor.
20	Revamp	Increases damage from Tech weapons by 25%. Increases charge damage from Tech weapons by 10%. +1% charge damage per Perk level.

Engineering - if you use Smart pistols

These pistols do not have many related perks. However, they have homing bullets that try to reach the selected target.

Tech Level	Skill	Description
9	Lock and Load x2	Increases Smart weapon reload speed by 10%.

Engineering - if you use Power Pistols

These pistols allow bullets to ricochet. What does that mean? Pistol build shots can change their trajectory based on the angle you hit.

These pistols are very effective in close quarters and tight-spaced corridors, where bullets jump off to hit the target.

Pistol build power pistol Engineering cyberpunk 2077

Tech Level	Skill	Description
5	Draw the Line	Preview bullets' ricochet trajectory when aiming with Power Weapons if Ballistic Coprocessor cyberware is installed.
12	Play the Angles x3	Ricochets deal an additional 50% damage.

Crafting

I have always loved having high crafting. Making the best weapons in the game will make your gameplay much easier, especially on high difficulties.

Shotgun build crafting perks cyberpunk 2077

Tech Level	Skill	Description
1	Mechanic	Gain more components when disassembling.
5	True Craftsman	Junk items are automatically disassembled.
5	Scrapper	Allows you to craft Rare items.
11	Field Technician x2	Crafted weapons deal 5/10% more damage.
12	Grease Monkey	Allows you to craft Epic items.
16	Tune-Up	Allows you to upgrade lower-quality components into higher-quality ones.
18	Edgerunner Artisan	Allows you to craft Legendary items.
20	Cutting Edge	Improves damage and all damage-related stats of crafted weapons by 5%.

Athletics

This is a very important perk tree for a Pistol build. It will enable to shoot and reload while moving, providing greater agility during combat.

Pistol build athletics cyberpunk 2077

Body Level	Skill	Description
1	Regeneration	Health slowly regenerates during combat.
1	Pack Mule	Increases carrying capacity by 60.
7	Epimorphosis	Increases Health regen threshold from 60% to 65% in combat and to 100% out of combat.
7	Wolverine	Health regen activates 20% faster during combat.
11	Multitasker	Allows you to shoot while sprinting, sliding, and vaulting.
11	Divided Attention	Allows you to reload weapons while sprinting, sliding and vaulting.
11	Like a Butterfly	Dodging does not drain Stamina.
12	Tenacious V	Getting hit does not interrupt Health regeneration.
12	Invincible	Increases max Health by 15%.

Cold Blood

pistol build Cold Blood cyberpunk 2077

Cool Level	Skill	Description
1	Cold Blood x3	After defeating an enemy, gain Cold Blood for 7 sec. and increase movement speed by 2%. Stacks up to 1/2/3 time(s). The duration of each additional stack is 1 sec. shorter.
7	Easy Out x2	While Cold Blood is active, increases ranged weapon damage by 20% to enemies within an area of 5m.
9	Rapid Bloodflow x2	Increases Health regen inside and outside combat by 10% per stack of Cold Blood.
9	Defensive Clotting x2	Increases Armor by 8% per stack of Cold Blood.
11	Coolagulant	Stacks of Cold Blood are removed one by one, not all at once.
11	Frozen Precision	Increases headshot damage by 5% per stack of Cold Blood.
12	Icy Veins x2	Reduces weapon recoil by 6% per stack of Cold Blood.
14	Pain is an Illusion	While Cold Blood is active, reduces damage taken by 5%.
14	Cold and Calculating	Landing a Crit Hit has a 50% chance of applying a stack of Cold Blood.
16	Critical Condition x2	Increases duration of Cold Blood by 50%.
16	Coldest Blood x2	Increases max stack amount for Cold Blood by 2.

Ninjutsu

Pistol build ninjutsu cyberpunk 2077

Cool Level	Skill	Description
1	Silent and Deadly	Increases damage dealt by silenced weapons by 25% while sneaking. This is very useful as Pistols can have a silencer on.
7	Assassin	Deal 15% more damage to human enemies.
9	Sniper x2	Increases headshot damage outside combat by 20%.
12	From the Shadows x2	Upon entering combat, Crit Chance increases by 20% for 7 sec.

Build tactics

I recommend equipping Kerenzikov and using dodge often. The Handgun perk tree provides some perks that give a higher mitigation chance after using dodge.
A pistol build is the most effective when landing headshots. So to hit the head often practice a lot.

Cyberpunk 2077 silencer

A Silencer is a good option. It allows you to take out a few enemies before you are spotted. However, it comes at a cost and your damage is lowered. Due to this, I recommend trying to hit enemies in the head to not alert their companions.
There are many Pistol and Revolver choices in the game. Definitely try all of them. I personally prefer Lizzie, especially in its Legendary and upgraded version.

lizzie pistol cyberpunk 2077

Thanks to the Divided Attention perk you can sprint and reload at the same time. This makes combat much easier as you can run away when your clip is empty

Equipment recommendations

This section will cover the best equipment that you can use on Pistol Build in Cyberpunk 2077. The game provides multiple options for these types of weapons. Due to this, I suggest trying out all three types: Smart, Tech, and Power.

Smart Pistols and Revolvers

Usually, these pistols are the weakest. However, they automatically target the enemy for you. This can make the game much easier if you miss a lot of shots.

Item	Description
Chao	I personally prefer this one to the ones mentioned below. Has the largest damage and is very good in the late game.
Genjiroh	Very effective against multiple enemies. Also, deal with electric damage so is effective against drones.
Skippy	A pistol that comes with interesting dialogue and smart targeting. Part of a side quest. Maybe not the most powerful but definitely a good option in the mid-game.

Tech Pistols and Revolvers

You could say these pistols and Revolvers are the strongest in terms of pure power. What makes Tech weapons special is that they can be charged up and shot through walls.

Item	Description
Lizzie	I think this is one of the most powerful weapons in the game. It releases 4 shots. Even more when fully charged. Once obtained, it makes the game much easier.
Comrade's Hammer	An interesting weapon that has only one round per clip. It is a monster revolver that's bullets explode on impact.
RT-46 Burya	Comrade's Hammer alternative packs a strong punch and deals adequate damage. It has 4 ammo per clip
Chaos	An interesting weapon that each reload provides a different stat bonus.

Power Pistols and Revolvers

These are vanilla weapons. They usually do not have any special effects. However, they have good damage and fire rate. Use these if you prefer simple combat options of just shooting.

Although their bullets can ricochet I would not rely on this mechanic. Rather, concentrate on hitting the enemy. For this, I have a separate Ricochet build that utilizes the mechanic to its maximum

Item	Description
Crash	Has very high base damage and a headshot multiplier.
Malorian Arms 3516	Johhny's Iconic weapon. has very satisfying sounds
Archangel	Applies electrical damage and has reduced recoil.
Kongou	A decent semi-automatic pistol. Good all around.

Weapon Mods

Item	Description
XC-10 Alecto	The best Muzzle allows for silent weapon shooting. Unfortunately, when using silencer ricochet bullets are disabled and damage is decreased.
Countermass	Eliminates horizontal recoil while aiming. This will make shooting with a Revolver a breeze
Crunch	Increases damage. This is a base mod that I recommend for a Pistol build.
Neon Arrow	Reduces weapon reload time by 5%.
Vendetta	Increases headshot damage by 10%.
Penetrator	Increases Crit Chance
Pacifier	Increases Crit Damage

Armor Mods

Mod name	Description
Deadeye	+6% Crit Damage +15% Headshot Damage Multiplier
Fortuna	Increases Crit Chance by 4%
Bully	It gives an 8% Crit Damage bonus
Armadillo	Provides bonus armor. Good for increased survival

Cyberware - Frontal Cortex

Slot	Item	Description
1	Heal-On-Kill	This item provides a certain percentage of health after each enemy that you kill. The effectiveness increases with the cyberware rarity
2	Mechatronic Core	I recommend this one because it will greatly boost damage against mechs. On higher difficulties, this helps a lot in certain encounters.

Cyberware - Ocular System

Slot	Item	Description
1	Kiroshi Optics Mk.3	Enables to have additional upgrades for the ocular system. Try to get the highest rarity which is Epic. It provides 3 upgrade slots.

Mods

Mod name	Description
Trajectory Analysis	Increases headshot bonus damage by 25%.
Weakspot Detection	Increases Crit Chance by 2%.

Cyberware - Circulatory System

Slot	Item	Description
1	Biomonitor	Instantly restores a large portion of health when it drops below a certain threshold.
2	Microgenerator	Releases Electroshock when health drops below 15%.
2	Feedback Circuit	Take this option if you will use Tech Pistols or revolvers. It will allow restoring health after a 100% charged shot.
3	Bioconductor	Reduces cyberware cooldowns. Unfortunately, due to Body attribute 12 you can only equip the Rare version.

Cyberware - Immune System

Slot	Item	Description
1	Shock-n-Awe	Release electroshock when being hit. Has a certain activation chance.
2	Pain Editor	Reduces all the damage that you receive by 10%.

Cyberware - Nervous System

You can wear 2 pieces of cyberwar for the Nervous System. Try to get the highest Rarity of the mentioned item

Slot	Item	Description
1	Kerenzikov	You can now slow time when dodging or sliding.
2	Reflex Tuner	I like this Cyberware as it gives you some time when you are in a critical situation and slows down time.

Cyberware - Integumentary System

Slot	Item	Description
1	Subdermal Armor	Provides flat armor increase. Try to obtain the highest rarity for the highest value.
2	Optical Camo	This is a bad boy. You will become invisible for a few seconds which you can use to take out enemies. Really neat cyberware for a stealth build
3	Heat Converter	Increases damage if you are burning

Cyberware - Operating System

I definitely prefer Sandevistan for the Pistol build. It allows you to target enemies precisely for headshots.

Priority	Item	Description
1	Militech "Falcon" Sandevistan Mk.5	Provides 20 Crit Chance and 35% Crit Damage while Sandevistan is active. The effect lasts 18 seconds. Enough for most of the encounters.
2	QianT Sandevistan Mk.4	Gives a 15% critical chance and a 15% damage dealt increase while Sandevistan is active.
3	Dynalar Sandevistan Mk.4	Increases damage and Crit Chance by 15%. Has a 30-second cooldown.
4	Dynalar Sandevistan Mk.3	I recommend getting the Epic version early as possible as it will greatly improve your gameplay.

Operating system mods

Mod name	Description
Heatsink	Reduces Sandevistan cooldown. because we have high Tech ability, you will be able to craft higher-tier mods. Stacking a few legendary ones makes Sandevistan recharge in a few seconds
Prototype Chip	While Sandevistan is active, it increases Crit Chance by 5%.
Neurotransmitters	While Sandevistan is active, it increases Crit Damage by 15%.
Overclocked Processor	Increases duration of Sandevistan

Cyberware - Skeleton

Slot	Item	Description
1	Bionic Joints	Reduces recoil of Ranged Weapons. Pretty obvious choice for this build
2	Synaptic Signal Optimizer	Increases Health. It dramatically improves the survivability of Revolver Build in the late game.

Cyberware - Hands

Slot	Item	Description
1	Smart Link	Take this one if you will use Smart shotguns.
1	Ballistic Coprocessor	Use this cyberware if you plan to take Power pistols. The legendary version gives +50% ricochet damage.

Cyberware - Legs

Slot	Item	Description
1	Reinforced Tendons	My personal favorite makes traversing much easier.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading this post on the best Pistol and Revolver build in Cyberpunk 2077. It should cover all the details you need to know: perks, best weapons, and attribute allocation as you progress through the game.

Feel free to leave a comment

Discussion

‌

Anonymous

Feb 17 '24

i love how this makes my character feel like a johnny silverhand meets john wick. the build is very good and i love playing with it. thank you so much for making this build!

also are there any reccomended arm cyberware that would go good with this? im currently using the projectile launcher for when i need to take out a group at once.

zanuffas

For 1.63 version arm cyberware are somewhat disappointing, on higher difficulties. So Projectile Launcher is the optimal one in my opinion