Pistols

Pistols are the dependable sidearms of Night City. They are built for handling rather than raw power. They work well in a Cool build that aims for the head, in a stealth run with a silencer, and as a reliable second gun. Pistols come in Power, Tech and Smart types. Between them, they cover precise shooting, charged shots and guided rounds.

Combat

Pros

Power pistols reward careful aim. Most carry +150% headshot damage, and Plan B reaches +200%.
A silencer fits on a Power pistol, so pistols work for quiet kills outside combat.
Tech pistols such as Ticon and M-76e Omaha fire extra rounds on a full charge. Ticon fires three rounds at once, and each deals full damage.
Smart pistols lock on and guide their rounds. Kappa and Crimestopper can lock onto one extra enemy while aiming.
Iconic pistols carry effects found on no other gun. Her Majesty gains perfect accuracy and guaranteed headshot crits while Optical Camo is active.

Cons

Pistols hit softer than revolvers. Revolvers give up capacity and reload speed for more firepower.
Smart pistols give up damage for tracking. Their headshot damage goes no higher than +85%.
Several Iconic pistols have a drawback that comes with their effect. Plan B spends eddies on every shot. Death and Taxes costs Health on powerful hits.

Weapon Categories

Best Pistols

Name	Image	Why
Plan B		+200% headshot damage, top of the class
Lexington X-Mod2		+175% headshot damage and room for extra mods
Her Majesty		Perfect accuracy and headshot crits under Optical Camo
Kongou		Ricochets without the cyberware
Pride		First shot always crits
Apparition		Tech pistol with +150% headshot damage and 50% armor penetration
Genjiroh		Smart pistol locking onto four targets

Plan B has the highest headshot damage in the class. Her Majesty is the best choice for stealth, because of its silencer and its Optical Camo effect. Genjiroh is the best choice for guided rounds.

Character Builds

Cool is the attribute behind pistols, along with revolvers, precision rifles and sniper rifles. Its perks are built around headshots and stealth.

Focus adds +10% headshot and weakspot damage. Aiming at full Stamina starts Focus mode, where shooting costs no Stamina.
Deadeye adds another +10% to headshots and weak spots. Nerves Of Tungsten-Steel then makes every headshot a guaranteed crit while Deadeye is active.
Quick Draw speeds up swaps to a pistol by 30%. A swap during combat also restores Stamina.
Killer Instinct adds +25% damage with silenced guns outside combat. It also shows the expected damage before the shot.
Run 'N' Gun removes the Stamina cost of hip-firing, which helps when shooting a pistol on the move.

The Headhunter skill grows with Cool, and its rewards include extra headshot damage. The Technical Ability perk Bolt also helps Tech pistols. The Intelligence perks that improve target lock help Smart pistols.

Cyberware completes the build. Visual Cortex Support raises crit chance the farther away the target is. Tyrosine Injector adds headshot damage for a short time after each takedown. Optical Camo is needed for the Her Majesty effect. A Smart pistol cannot track anything without Smart Link. A Ballistic Coprocessor makes Power pistol rounds ricochet more often.

For mods, a silencer such as CS-1 Taipan adds +100% stealth damage to a Power pistol. Pinpoint reduces bullet spread for a few seconds after each headshot.

Notes

Iconic pistols are the only pistols that can be upgraded. Standard pistols are replaced by better drops as the level rises.
Lexington X-Mod2 is a special x-MOD2 variant of the Lexington. The x-MOD2 series has two guaranteed mod slots and improved handling.
Kongou ricochets because of its own mods, so it needs no Ballistic Coprocessor.
Pride uses no ammo for a short time after a kill with its partner, the Prejudice assault rifle.
Chaos changes its crit chance, damage type and status effect at random after every reload.
Riskit makes every hit a crit while Health is very low.
Death and Taxes starts to Poison enemies once its owner's Health is low.
Skippy is a Smart pistol found next to a body in an alley in Vista del Rey, Heywood.
Robert Wilson hands over Dying Night for free during The Gun. It deals more damage while moving. Rapid hits with it are sure to cause Shock.
Her Majesty waits in a small weapon case next to the diving gear at the end of Get It Together.
Crimestopper lies in a travel bag in VIP Room 06 of Heavy Hearts, during Heaviest of Hearts.
Ogou drops from the elite Robot R Mk.2 in Treating Symptoms. It fires a burst of two explosive rounds. Every dismemberment adds crit chance and Bleeding chance.
Lizzie sits in a private room next to Judy's den in Lizzie's Bar during Automatic Love. It fires an extra round with each shot, and a burst when fully charged.
Ambition comes with a unique Zetatech scope. Its hits can Blind enemies, and it deals more headshot damage to blinded enemies.
Cheetah is strongest up close. The nearer the target, the higher its crit chance and Bleeding chance. Angelica Whelan drops it in No Easy Way Out.

All Pistols

Every pistol is listed below. The Iconic weapons come first, then the standard ones.

Iconic Pistols

Name	Headshot	Armor Pen	Location
Ambition	+150%	25%
Apparition	+150%	50%	Kabuki
Catahoula
Chaos	+150%	50%	Kabuki
Cheetah	+150%		Dogtown
Crimestopper	+85%		Dogtown
Death and Taxes	+125%		Japantown
Dying Night	+125%	25%	Little China
Genjiroh	+85%		Japantown
Her Majesty	+150%
Kappa x-MOD2
Kongou	+150%		Arasaka Waterfront
La Chingona Dorada	+100%	25%	The Glen
Lexington x-MOD2	+175%		Little China
Lizzie	+150%		Kabuki
Malorian Arms 3516	+150%		Northside
Ogou	+50%	25%
Pariah
Plan B	+200%		Badlands East
Pride	+150%		Corpo Plaza
Riskit	+150%	25%
Rook			Dogtown
Scorch
Second Opinion
Seraph			Little China
Skippy	+85%		Vista Del Rey

Standard Pistols

Name	Headshot	Armor Pen	Location
A-22B Chao	+85%
AR Raygun Supreme 9000			Badlands East
HA-4 Grit	+125%
HJKE-11 Yukimura	+85%
JKE-X2 Kenshin		50%
Kappa
Liberty	+150%
M-10AF Lexington	+125%
M-76e Omaha		50%
Nue	+125%	25%
Slaught-O-Matic	+150%	25%
Tamayura	+150%	25%
Ticon		50%
Unity	+150%