Kappa

Kappa

Class	Pistol
Type	Smart
Ammo	Handgun Ammo
Lock-On Time	1 s

The Kappa is a Tsunami smart pistol that fires on full auto and can track two targets at once. While V aims, it locks onto one extra enemy, so a single burst splits between two enemies. The Kappa works best in an Intelligence build with a Smart Link, especially in close fights against small groups. The in-game line calls it a hyperactive weapon that works best at close range. It is also the base gun for the Iconic pistols Crimestopper and Kappa x-MOD2. Weapon shops across Night City sell the Kappa. It is available through most of the main story, once V has a Smart Link to use it with.

Combat

The Kappa is a Smart weapon. With a Smart Link installed in V's hands, it marks enemies inside its tracking box, and its rounds steer toward them. Smart rounds can curve around obstacles, so an enemy who ducks behind light cover can still be hit.

The Kappa's second lock makes it special. While aiming, the Kappa can hold two targets at the same time, and the full-auto stream splits between them. Its own description says it works best at close range. Smart rounds also fly slower than normal bullets. The Kappa is therefore at its best when the enemies are near. A thirty-round magazine lets it keep firing for a good while between reloads.

How to Get Kappa Guide

Buy the Kappa from a weapon shop in Night City.
Loot it from enemies who carry one.

Kappa Map Location

The map shows the 2nd Amendment weapon shop in Little China, one of the weapon vendors that sell it.

Kappa map location:

Map credit by Map Genie.

Compatible Mods

11 weapon mods are compatible with Kappa.

Name	Image	Effect
Better Half		Raises crit chance with the second half of the magazine
Equalizer		More damage against Elite enemies
Gambiteer		Faster bullets and more armor penetration, less homing
Hackatomy		Hits can apply a quickhack effect based on the body part hit
Headhopper		More lock-on targets, faster lock-on and more headshot damage
Panorama		Larger smart reticle that holds a lock longer, slower lock-on
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
Shuffler		Drawing the weapon refills part of the magazine
Zenith		More crit chance, tighter spread and faster swap after drawing

Upgrades

A stronger Kappa comes from a higher tier. Higher tiers appear in shops and on enemies as V levels up. A bought pistol matches a looted one of the same tier.

Character Builds

The Kappa uses perks from two attribute trees, Intelligence and Cool. Intelligence holds the smart weapon perks. Acquisition Specialist widens the targeting circle and speeds up lock-on. Target Lock Transfer keeps the lock when V switches between aiming and hip-fire. Targeting Prism adds one more locked enemy, in addition to the Kappa's own extra lock. No Escape resets the lock timer on every hit. Smart Synergy gives instant locks and bonus damage on hacked enemies while Overclock is active. Cool holds the pistol perks, such as Focus, Deadeye, Quick Draw and Run 'N' Gun.

For cyberware, the Smart Link is essential. It enables smart targeting, lengthens target locks and adds crit damage with Smart weapons. Its mod slots take smart weapon and pistol mods. Headhopper adds extra lock-on targets and faster lock-on. Panorama widens the smart targeting circle. Hackatomy gives a chance to apply a quickhack effect based on the body part hit. Zenith adds crit chance and less spread for a few seconds after drawing the pistol.

Select a Build

Net-Gunner Build

Each fight starts with Overclock, then a control quickhack, then a combat quickhack. Smart guns lock on and finish the hacked enemies while Dashes and air Dashes keep the character moving. Silenced Smart guns and stealthy quickhacks also handle quiet gigs.

Attributes: Body 18, Reflexes 20, Technical Ability 20, Intelligence 20, Cool 3.

The perks, cyberware and weapon mods for this build are listed below.

PerksCyberwareMods

Name	Level	Effect
Painkiller	Body 4	Slow Health regeneration in combat
Adrenaline Rush	Body 15	More Health and the Adrenaline Rush mode
Optimization	Intelligence 4	Faster RAM recovery
Embedded Exploit	Intelligence 9	Quickhacks hit harder on controlled enemies
Precision Subroutines	Intelligence 9	Smart weapon accuracy scales with max RAM
No Escape	Intelligence 9	Shooting a fading lock resets it
Recirculation	Intelligence 9	Smart weapon kills restore RAM
Acquisition Specialist	Intelligence 15	Wider Smart reticle and lock kept through reloads
Overclock	Intelligence 15	More quickhack damage and the Overclock mode
Power Surge	Intelligence 15	Overclock heals on activation
Sublimation	Intelligence 15	RAM recovery heals during Overclock
Target Lock Transfer	Intelligence 15	Wider Smart reticle and locks kept on swap
Targeting Prism	Intelligence 15	Lock onto more targets
Terminal Velocity	Intelligence 15	Faster Smart rounds after a kill
Smart Synergy	Intelligence 20	Instant lock and more damage during Overclock
Spillover	Intelligence 20	Quickhacks spread during Overclock
Dash	Reflexes 9	Unlocks the Dash and makes it cheaper
Ready, Rested, Reloaded	Reflexes 9	Cheaper rifle and SMG fire and faster reloads
Sharpshooter	Reflexes 15	Faster aim and stacks that ease Stamina use
Air Dash	Reflexes 15	Dash in midair
Submachine Fun	Reflexes 20	SMG swaps reload and raise fire rate
Tailwind	Reflexes 20	Stamina back from Air Dashes and double jumps
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	Slot	Effect
Blood Pump	Circulatory System	A Health item that heals over time
Heal-On-Kill	Circulatory System	Health back from each kill
Memory Boost	Frontal Cortex	Kills restore RAM
Smart Link	Hands	Turns on Smart weapon tracking
Defenzikov	Integumentary System	Mitigation after Kerenzikov ends
Reinforced Tendons	Legs	Double jump
Kerenzikov	Nervous System	Slows time when aiming during a slide or dodge
NeoFiber	Nervous System	More Mitigation Chance and Strength
Visual Cortex Support	Nervous System	More crit chance at long range
Militech Paraline	Operating System	Cyberdeck with Smart weapon bonuses
RAM Recoup	Skeleton	Damage taken restores RAM

Name	Image	Effect
Headhopper		More lock-on targets and more headshot damage

Notes

Crimestopper and Kappa x-MOD2 are Iconic variants of the Kappa. Both come with the Phantom Liberty expansion.

Weapon Categories

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%