Subsistence: Weapon Tierlist and Tips

So the Formula is this:

Final Damage = (Weapon Damage – Damage Reduction) x 1.5 (Headshot Damage) (or x3 if they have no helmet)

Fully Geared Hunter has 28% Protection.
Hunter without a Bulletproof Vest but with a Helmet will be around 15%-20% Protection.
Rogues without a Helmet or Bullet Proof Vest will have x3 damage bonus in the head without Protection.

To know the exact damage reduction you will have to do: Weapon Damage x Protection (Fully Geared Hunters is 28) ÷ 100 = Damage Reduction.

For example, a Hunting Rifle has a damage of 49. Using the formula, a headshot on a fully geared Hunter will deal 54 damage to the head. The Hunter will still die in two headshots, but that’s not really ideal, is it?

I am now going to explain each weapon’s advantages and disadvantages from the tier list, you can check all damages & repair costs here: https://subsistence.fandom.com/wiki/Weapons .

Hunting Rifle : Even upgrading it at lvl 4 it will deal 88 damage, headshoting a fully geared hunter will deal 96 damage, It’s completely pointless to upgrade, as the Lever Action Rifle, when fully upgraded, will deal 105 damage, allowing you to one-shot headshot kill fully geared Hunters using the same ammo.

Revolver : It needs to be fully upgraded one-shot headshot kill on fully geared Hunters. The problem is that the bullets are rare and expensive to craft, although the weapon itself is cheap to repair. For example, 44. Rounds cost 5 bullet casings and 12 gunpowder, whereas 7.62mm bullets cost 4 bullet casings and 10 gunpowder. This means that if you crafted 100 44 Rounds, you could instead make 120 7.62mm bullets for the same cost. While 44. Rounds deal +2 extra damage per round, the 20% additional cost is just not worth it. I still think it’s decent to have if you’re lucky enough to find a large stash of 44. Rounds, but I wouldn’t recommend crafting the bullets.

The Revolver can still achieve a one-shot headshot kill on gas masked hunters in the volcanic zone if it is at level 1 Fire Power. However, you’ll run out of ammo quickly since there are many miners and their loot is mostly just wood and 9mm ammo. I’d recommend using your Magnum if you find a large stash of 44. Rounds in a plane crash crate, but otherwise, the Revolver will likely gather dust in your base.

M9 Pistol : Even when fully upgraded, it can’t one-shot headshot a naked rogue, dealing 96 damage in the head. I don’t find it worth upgrading. I mostly use this gun to destroy Hunters’ base doors, as it’s faster to spam shots and reload than using a pickaxe. If you rarely use 9mm ammo, you’ll end up with stacks of it, which can be used to break doors.

Maybe you don’t mind having to double head tap naked rogues or triple head tap fully geared Hunters with a 9mm pistol, but this will lead to faster durability loss compared to one-shot kill weapons and more constant repairs so higher repair costs. Personally, I find it quite unappealing to have to shoot a Hunter multiple times in the head to kill it, even though 9mm ammo is very cheap. It’s just not very enjoyable.

Some players might use the 9mm for rapid hip-fire, similar to a shotgun, due to its high DPS, dealing about 350 damage in just 1 second if you click really fast and the weapon is fully upgraded. However, personally, I prefer using the Double Barrel Shotgun. It’s safer to use, and the ammo is also common, with lower durability costs. Also, shotgun ammo is more cost-effective. For every 100 rounds of 9mm ammo, which can deal 3,200 damage, you could instead craft 26 shotgun shells for the same cost, which deal 5,200 damage and would have way less costs in repairs. So, it’s not worth crafting 9mm ammo.

Hunting Bow : If you’re skilled with this bow, you can get nearly free kills when Hunters aren’t wearing helmets. You can use it early in the game to hunt animals using the hit-and-run tactic. Overall, it’s a very cheap and reliable weapon that gets the job done in skill-full hands.

It is completely useless against fully geared Hunters, as it will only deals 37 damage to the head, requiring 3 arrows to kill. Never use this bow against armored Hunters unless you have a death wish, use the 9m Pistol instead. (I know this weapon is not upgradeable).

Recurved Bow : It is a better version of the Hunting Bow, providing at lvl 0 +3 damage increase with wooden arrows compared to the Hunting Bow.

I don’t recommend going beyond level 1 firepower as it allows you to one-shot headshot kill fully geared Hunters using premium arrows. Upgrading further doesn’t offer significant advantages as you will never be able to kill Hunters with one head-shot using wooden arrows. The only potential benefit would be using premium arrows to one-shot headshot moose with firepower level 4, as it would deal 288 damage at level 4 with a headshot. However, this comes with very high repair costs just to achieve that. I recommend sticking with level 1 and not upgrading further.

By keeping it at level 1 Firepower, the repair costs are much cheaper, allowing you to use those materials to craft more premium arrows if you want, making the weapon a lot more useful.

Shotgun : This is your favorite early-game weapon: it’s very cheap to make and gets the job done. It deals the same damage as the Double Barrel but has reduced range and fire rate. It’s honestly very useful, inexpensive, and effective without any upgrades needed, capable of killing fully geared Hunters with a single point-blank shot.

Shotguns don’t seem to follow the damage formula. I suspect they simply ignore Protection when you shoot Hunters at point-blank range.

Double Barrel Shotgun : The point of this weapon is to deal a lot of damage in a blink. You can kill moose, pumas, bears, and other high-health animals instantly. Upgrading it to level 1 allows you to a one-shot headshot kill on fully geared Hunters with a slug from quite a distance, almost like a rifle. I don’t find it worth crafting slugs, but they are commonly found in hunter bases, plane crashes, and underwater cave loot crates. Whether or not to upgrade beyond level 1 is up to you. Upgrading fully will allow the weapon to deal 200 damage per shot, allowing you to kill many animals with less than 200 health at a cheaper ammo cost, but be aware that it will be more expensive to repair.

Lever Action Rifle : In my opinion, this is the best weapon in the game. At level 4, it can kill fully geared Hunters with a single round and range. The ammo is extremely common, frequently found on Hunters and in crates. You’ll often end up with more bullets after a raid, as long as you don’t miss your headshots. Repairing it requires weapon parts, crystals, and scrap metal, which are relatively easy to obtain.

I would prioritize upgrading the Lever Action Rifle to level 4 as a priority. Upgrade the Recurve Bow only to level 1, and the Double Barrel Shotgun only to level 1 to use Slugs efficiently. Upgrading the Revolver to level 1 is worth considering, but further upgrades are not necessary, as the Lever Action Rifle’s ammo is cheaper. The reason is to limit upgrades costs or you’ll end up constantly grinding for more Crystals to repair weapons that don’t offer significant advantages beyond level 1 firepower, while you could be using those crystals for better things.