Best Starfield pistols

Looking for the best pistols in Starfield? If you want to be a space cowboy, then pistols will quickly become your weapon of choice in Starfield. Thankfully, opting for pistols doesn't mean that you're always stuck with early-game weapons, as there are some incredibly strong unique pistols that will drop enemies at incredible speed. Of course, the best pistols in Starfield won't be easy to find if you're just setting off on your adventure among the stars. Thankfully, we're here to help.

In this guide, we'll cover the five best pistols in Starfield, including details on what makes them so strong and where to get them. If you're honing in on a pistol playthrough, make sure to check out our list of the best builds in Starfield to learn which skills you'll need.

Starfield best pistols

Below, you'll find our list of the best pistols in Starfield:

1. Sir Livingstone's Pistol
2. Deadeye
3. Trickshot
4. The Mutineer
5. Keelhauler

Below, we'll break down everything you need to know about each of these pistols, including how to get them all.

5. Sir Livingstone's Pistol

Sir Livingstone's Pistol is a unique variant of the Old Earth Pistol, and it's one of the best weapons in Starfield. It deals huge damage, and it also comes with a couple of mods to increase your clip size, range, and accuracy: the Large Magazine and High Velocity.

Thankfully, you can also get this pistol quite early. To get Sir Livingstone's Pistol, you must take the Kid Stuff trait. Then, when you first arrive at the Lodge in New Atlantis, go to meet your parents in the Residential District. Your parents will give you many gifts over your adventure, and soon after visiting them for the first time, they'll give you the first gift: Sir Livingstone's Pistol.

4. Deadeye

The Deadeye is a fantastic unique revolver that's highly accurate and incredibly strong. If you're embracing the space cowboy mentality, then this is the weapon for you. It doesn't just look the part - the Deadeye has a Laser Sight, Compensator, and Penetrator Rounds so that you can pick off any foes in a duel with very few shots.

To get the Deadeye, you must head to Akila City and help the Sheriff with the Galbank robbery. Defuse the situation (or blast your way through the heist crew in the bank) and return to the sheriff to receive an offer to join the Freestar Rangers.

Speak to Emma Wilcox in the Rock, a nearby tower overlooking Akila City. She will then tell you to take and complete a random mission from the nearby mission board. After doing so, return to Emma and the Sheriff to officially become a Freestar Ranger deputy, and get the Deadeye pistol as a reward.

3. Trickshot

Magshots are one of the strongest pistol types in Starfield, and the unique Trickshot is the best of the bunch. The Trickshot will drop enemies in just a few shots with its high damage, but its unique Skip Shot ability will give you a guaranteed damage boost fairly often. This ability makes you fire two projectiles with every fourth shot using the Trickshot, giving you extra firepower that will often be enough to finish off your opponent.

To get the Trickshot pistol, land at 1-Of-A-Kind Salvage on Niira, in the Narion system. Head to the outdoor balcony that looks out over the mech fields, and leap over to the Mech Husk that is standing nearby. Use your boost pack to reach the top of the mech, and then loot its head to get the Trickshot pistol.

2. The Mutineer

The Mutineer has a huge damage stat of 371, and its Fully Automatic mod means it'll rip through enemies at incredible speed. It also has the Space-Adept ability, which makes the Mutineer slightly situational.

While raiding enemy ships in space, the Mutineer gets an additional 30% damage. However, while on a planet, its damage decreases by 15%. That isn't enough to make it feel bad while running around on the surface of planets, but it'll certainly feel most effective while embracing your inner pirate among the stars.

To get the Mutineer, fast travel to the Eye in the Alpha Centauri system. There, you can speak to Vladimir Sall and learn about his past as a member of the Crimson Fleet. This will eventually give you a new activity in your quest log, which sends you to visit Vlad's house. This is located on the moon Syrma VII-A, in the Syrma system. Land at Vlad's Villa and head down to the basement to find the Mutineer on a table within.

1. Keelhauler

The Keelhauler is a legendary pistol that matches the Mutineer's huge damage and also comes with the Fully Automatic mod, but it has a faster fire rate and higher accuracy, making it instantly better.

That's not all. The Keelhauler also comes with a whopping three traits: Staggering, which will occasionally stagger your target; Berserker, which increases your damage while unarmored; and Frenzy, which can make enemies turn on each other. These traits give you far more control over enemies in combat, making it much easier to tear through entire bases without breaking a sweat.

To get the Keelhauler, head to the MAST building in New Atlantis and speak with Tula to join the Vanguard. Complete your Vanguard orientation training and then get the Deep Cover quest, which sends you undercover as a member of the Crimson Fleet.

Complete this quest to get into the Crimson Fleet as a spy, and then complete Rook Meets King to meet their boss, Delgado. Finally, complete Echoes of the Past, in which you must explore a supermax prison called "the Lock". Complete this mission and return to Delgado to get the Keelhauler as your reward.

That wraps up our guide on the best pistols in Starfield. If you're more interested in a close-combat playthrough, take a look at our list of the best melee weapons in Starfield. Every good space pirate also needs a flashy ship, so check out our list of the best ships in Starfield. If you're strapped for credits, you can also use our list of free ships in Starfield. You should probably also make use of our guide on how to get rich quick in Starfield.