DR-5 Nova
| DR-5 Nova | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Revolver |
| Type | Power |
| Ammo | Handgun Ammo |
| Headshot | +200% |
| Armor Pen | 25% |
| Attack Speed | 3.3 |
| Range | 42 m |
| Weight | 4.6 |
The DR-5 Nova is the everyday six-shooter of Night City, a Power revolver from Darra Polytechnic that turns up in almost every gun shop. Each shot lands hard, and headshots deal the most damage. It is a good first sidearm for a Cool build that wants to kill enemies with one well-placed round. It also takes a scope for longer shots. The Iconics Doom Doom and Mancinella are built on it. The DR-5 Nova is an early-game revolver. Weapon vendors across Night City sell it, and enemies carry it from the first jobs.
Combat
The Nova fires one heavy round per pull. Its Power rounds can ricochet off hard surfaces, so a shot that misses may still bounce into a target behind cover. Revolvers give up fire rate, magazine size and reload speed for raw damage and strong headshots.
The headshot bonus is the main reason to use the Nova, so every round is worth aiming at the head. Missing is costly, though. The small cylinder empties fast, and a slow reload leaves V exposed if the first shots miss.
The scope slot lets it work like a light marksman's gun at mid range. A shotgun or submachine gun is better up close against a rushing crowd. The Nova is best when V can choose the moment, aim at the head and fire.
How to Get DR-5 Nova Guide
- Buy the DR-5 Nova from weapon vendors across Night City.
- Loot it from enemies who carry one.
- Craft it from its crafting spec.
DR-5 Nova Map Location
The map shows the 2nd Amendment weapon shop in Little China, one of the weapon vendors that sell it.
DR-5 Nova map location:
Map credit by Map Genie.
Compatible Mods
7 scopes and 11 weapon mods are compatible with DR-5 Nova.
| Name | Image | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Add-Vantage | 
|
Adds zoom and effective range |
| CQO Kanone MINI Mk.72 | 
|
Adds zoom and effective range |
| Handyman | 
|
Adds zoom and effective range, more headshot crit chance at top tier |
| Hyakume | 
|
Adds zoom and effective range |
| Kanetsugu | 
|
Adds zoom, effective range and crit chance |
| OS-1 GimletEye | 
|
Adds zoom and effective range |
| Type 2067 | 
|
Adds zoom and effective range, lowers bullet spread |
| Name | Image | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Better Half | 
|
Raises crit chance with the second half of the magazine |
| Critochet | 
|
Raises crit chance with ricochets |
| Equalizer | 
|
More damage against Elite enemies |
| Firecracker | 
|
Shoots explosive rounds |
| Parallax | 
|
Longer range and less sway when aiming, Stamina stops regenerating |
| Pax | 
|
Makes the weapon non-lethal, more damage outside combat |
| Pinpoint | 
|
Tighter bullet spread after each headshot, stacking |
| Pyro | 
|
Turns part of the damage into Thermal damage with a chance to Burn |
| Shuffler | 
|
Drawing the weapon refills part of the magazine |
| Swiss Cheese | 
|
More armor penetration, higher Stamina cost per bullet |
| Zenith | 
|
More crit chance, tighter spread and faster swap after drawing |
Crafting Spec
Weapon vendors sell the DR-5 Nova spec. The spec lets V craft DR-5 Nova in the crafting menu. Every spec in the game is listed on the Crafting Specs page.
The table shows what crafting DR-5 Nova costs at each tier.
| Tier | Components |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 30 Tier 1 components |
| Tier 2 | 30 Tier 2 components |
| Tier 3 | 30 Tier 3 components |
| Tier 4 | 30 Tier 4 components |
| Tier 5 | 30 Tier 5 components |
Upgrades
A stronger Nova comes from buying or crafting a higher tier. V can craft it from its spec, spending components to reach a better quality.
Character Builds
The Nova is a Cool weapon. Focus adds headshot and weakspot damage. Its second level turns on Focus mode when V aims at full Stamina. While Focus is active, Deep Breath slows time. No Sweat cuts the Stamina cost for every enemy neutralised. Rinse And Reload speeds up the next reload after an aimed kill. Deadeye unlocks more perks. California Reaper restores Stamina after a headshot kill. High Noon speeds up the reload after a headshot kill and slows time while V reloads. Nerves Of Tungsten-Steel guarantees crits on headshots while Deadeye is active. It also adds more damage the farther away the target is.
For cyberware, Kiroshi Cockatrice Optics raise crit chance, and Visual Cortex Support adds crit chance with distance. The Ballistic Coprocessor raises the ricochet chance of Power weapons.
Its mod slots take Power and handgun mods. Parallax extends effective range and cuts weapon sway while aiming. Pinpoint reduces spread after each headshot, and the effect stacks. Zenith adds crit chance and a faster swap for a few seconds after drawing the gun. Swiss Cheese adds armor penetration, and Critochet adds crit chance to ricochets.
Select a Build
Headshots deal most of the damage, and Focus and Deadeye only work at full Stamina, so each fight starts with a full Stamina bar. The Sandevistan slows time so a whole group can drop one headshot at a time. A silenced pistol handles quiet kills before a fight, and a shotgun deals with enemies that get close.
Attributes: Body 20, Reflexes 18, Technical Ability 20, Intelligence 3, Cool 20.
The perks, cyberware and weapon mods for this build are listed below.
| Name | Image | Level | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Painkiller | 
|
Body 4 | Slow Health regeneration in combat |
| Comeback Kid | 
|
Body 4 | Faster Health regeneration at low Health |
| Dorph-Head | 
|
Body 4 | Brief full Mitigation after using a Health item |
| Adrenaline Rush | 
|
Body 15 | More Health and the Adrenaline Rush mode |
| Juggernaut | 
|
Body 15 | More speed and damage during Adrenaline Rush |
| Calm Mind | 
|
Body 15 | Adrenaline lasts longer before it decays |
| Focus | 
|
Cool 9 | More headshot damage and free shots while aiming |
| No Sweat | 
|
Cool 9 | Kills cut the Stamina cost of Focus |
| Rinse And Reload | 
|
Cool 9 | Faster reload after a kill while aiming |
| Head To Head | 
|
Cool 9 | Kills reset Focus |
| Deep Breath | 
|
Cool 9 | Time slows while Focus is active |
| Pull! | 
|
Cool 9 | Easier to shoot grenades out of the air |
| Deadeye | Cool 15 | More headshot damage and no spread at high Stamina | |
| California Reaper | 
|
Cool 15 | Stamina back after a headshot kill |
| High Noon | 
|
Cool 15 | Fast slowed reload after a headshot kill |
| Long Shot | 
|
Cool 15 | Full damage at any range during Deadeye |
| Quick Draw | 
|
Cool 15 | Faster swaps to pistols and rifles |
| Nerves Of Tungsten-Steel | 
|
Cool 20 | Guaranteed crits on headshots during Deadeye |
| Run 'N' Gun | 
|
Cool 20 | Free hip fire and faster movement during Focus |
| Slippery | 
|
Reflexes 4 | Harder to hit while moving fast |
| Muscle Memory | 
|
Reflexes 4 | Reload while sprinting, sliding and vaulting |
| Dash | 
|
Reflexes 9 | Unlocks the Dash and makes it cheaper |
| Steady Grip | 
|
Reflexes 9 | Shoot while Dashing |
| Can't Touch This | 
|
Reflexes 9 | Full Mitigation Chance while Dashing |
| Glutton For War | 
|
Technical Ability 4 | Kills recharge Health items and grenades |
| Health Freak | 
|
Technical Ability 9 | One more Health item charge and faster recharge |
| All Things Cyber | 
|
Technical Ability 9 | Stronger cyberware stats |
| License To Chrome | 
|
Technical Ability 15 | Stronger cyberware, more armor and a Skeleton slot |
| Edgerunner | Technical Ability 20 | Cyberware past the capacity limit for a small Health cost |
| Name | Image | Slot | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blood Pump | 
|
Circulatory System | A Health item that heals over time |
| Clutch Padding | 
|
Circulatory System | Cheaper shooting |
| Kiroshi The Oracle Optics | 
|
Face | Scanning highlights enemies behind cover |
| Mechatronic Core | 
|
Frontal Cortex | More damage against drones, robots and mechs |
| Ballistic Coprocessor | 
|
Hands | More ricochets with Power weapons |
| Shock Absorber | 
|
Hands | Less recoil |
| Subdermal Armor | 
|
Integumentary System | More armor |
| Reinforced Tendons | 
|
Legs | Double jump |
| NeoFiber | 
|
Nervous System | More Mitigation Chance and Strength |
| Militech Apogee Sandevistan | Operating System | Slows time by 85% with crit bonuses | |
| Spring Joints | 
|
Skeleton | Stronger Mitigation |
| Bionic Joints | 
|
Skeleton | More armor |
Lore
The in-game line makes a simple claim: revolvers stay in fashion forever. The Nova is Darra Polytechnic's Power revolver, the plain cousin of the electric DR-12 Quasar.
Its two Iconics are very different from each other. Doom Doom is the Maelstrom revolver of Dum Dum, and it fires several rounds with each pull of the trigger. Mancinella is a replica of the gun carried by Aguilar Nubiola, a famous Cuban assassin. It rewards attacks from stealth.
Notes
- Doom Doom and Mancinella are the Iconic variants of the DR-5 Nova.
- The in-game name is written DR5 Nova.
Weapon Categories
All Revolvers
Every revolver is listed below. The Iconic weapons come first, then the standard ones.
Iconic Revolvers
| Name | Image | Headshot | Armor Pen | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amnesty | 
|
+200% | 25% | Badlands East |
| Archangel | 
|
+200% | Arroyo | |
| Bald Eagle | 
|
Dogtown | ||
| Comrade's Hammer | 
|
75% | Arroyo | |
| Crash | 
|
+200% | 25% | Badlands East |
| Doom Doom | 
|
Northside | ||
| Gris-Gris | 
|
|||
| Laika | 
|
+150% | 50% | Dogtown |
| Mancinella | 
|
+200% | 25% | Dogtown |
| Ol' Reliable | 
|
+200% | 25% | |
| Rosco | 
|
+150% | 25% | |
| Taigan | 
|
+175% | 50% | Dogtown |
Standard Revolvers
| Name | Image | Headshot | Armor Pen | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-12 Quasar | 
|
+175% | 50% | |
| DR-5 Nova | 
|
+200% | 25% | |
| Metel | 
|
+175% | 50% | |
| Overture | 
|
+200% | 25% | |
| RT-46 Burya | 
|
+175% | 50% |