Problem Solver
| Problem Solver | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Smg |
| Type | Power |
| Ammo | Handgun Ammo |
| Tier | Iconic |
| Headshot | +100% |
| Range | 24 m |
| Weight | 5 |
| Location | Badlands East |
Problem Solver is an Iconic Militech M221 Saratoga carried by a Wraiths boss in the Badlands. Its item text says it removes all safety and reason by firing almost a thousand rounds per minute. The SMG fires faster than the standard Saratoga and has a larger magazine, so it keeps firing long after other guns are empty. Its bullets also ricochet without the cyberware normally needed for that. It is a loud and very effective close-range gun for players who like to empty a magazine into a room. It is easy to miss, because it drops from one enemy in a side job about something else entirely. Problem Solver is a mid-game drop from the side job Riders on the Storm. A tough Wraiths hunter carries it at the entrance of their camp in the Badlands.
Combat
Problem Solver is a Power SMG built to fire as many bullets as possible. Its very high fire rate and large magazine let V hold the trigger through a whole fight. Its bullets also ricochet off walls and floors, as if the Ballistic Coprocessor were installed. In a tight room, those ricochets hit enemies hiding behind cover.
A gun this fast is hard to keep on target. It works best at close range, fired from the hip into groups. At range, the bullets spread too much to be effective. The Problem Solver also takes a scope and a muzzle attachment, which can steady it a little at mid range.
How to Get Problem Solver Guide
- Start the side job Riders on the Storm with Panam.
- Ride with Panam to the raiders' camp in the Badlands.
- Find the Wraiths boss hunter near the main entrance of the camp.
- Defeat him and loot the Problem Solver.
- If it is missed, buy it from Herold Lowe at the black market in the EBM Petrochem Stadium in Dogtown, with Phantom Liberty.
Problem Solver Map Location and Quest Guide
- Answer Panam's call to start the side job Riders on the Storm.
- Meet Panam at the Aldecaldos camp and agree to help find Saul.
- Use Mitch's drone to scan the Wraith camp.
- Take the SuperJet from Mitch and ride with Panam to the Raffen Shiv camp. Leaving Panam behind can fail the job.
- Find the tough Wraith hunter near the entrance of the camp.
- Defeat the hunter.
- Loot Problem Solver from his body.
Problem Solver map location:
Map credit by Map Genie.
Compatible Mods
7 scopes and 9 muzzles are compatible with Problem Solver.
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CS-1 Taipan | 
|
Silences shots and raises stealth damage, lowers base damage |
| RC-7 Aswang | 
|
Lowers recoil angle and direction, slightly lowers crit chance |
| RC-7 Ifrit | 
|
Lowers recoil, slightly lowers crit chance |
| RC-7 Strigoi | 
|
Lowers recoil |
| RC-7 Varkolak | 
|
Raises ricochet chance and ricochet angle |
| RC-7 Zaar | 
|
Lowers recoil angle, slightly lowers crit chance |
| TSX Tocororo | 
|
Raises stealth damage, lowers base damage |
| XC-10 Cetus | 
|
Raises stealth damage, lowers base damage |
| XC-10 Strix | 
|
Raises stealth damage, lowers base damage |
Upgrades
The Problem Solver can be raised through the tiers in the crafting menu's Upgrades tab. Each tier costs crafting components. V collects them from loot, from crafting and from scrapping weapons dropped by Badlands raiders. The SMG has to be in V's inventory to appear.
The table shows what each tier step of Problem Solver costs.
| Upgrade | Components | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 to Tier 1+ | 75 Tier 1 components | - |
| Tier 1+ to Tier 2 | 40 components | - |
| Tier 2 to Tier 2+ | 75 Tier 2 components | - |
| Tier 2+ to Tier 3 | 40 components | - |
| Tier 3 to Tier 3+ | 75 Tier 3 components | - |
| Tier 3+ to Tier 4 | 40 components | - |
| Tier 4 to Tier 4+ | 75 Tier 4 components | - |
| Tier 4+ to Tier 5 | 40 components | - |
| Tier 5 to Tier 5+ | 75 Tier 5 components | - |
| Tier 5+ to Tier 5++ | 200 Tier 5 components | Phantom Liberty |
Character Builds
SMGs are a Reflexes weapon. Spray And Pray lowers the Stamina cost of hip-firing, which helps a gun that is rarely aimed. Mind Over Matter cuts recoil while aiming, and Tunnel Vision adds range and accuracy. Sharpshooter improves weapon control and gains a stack with each hit. Shoot To Chill gives automatic weapons Armor Penetration for each stack. Submachine Fun reloads an SMG instantly when V swaps to it and raises its fire rate.
For cyberware, Shock Absorber and Immovable Force cut recoil. The Ballistic Coprocessor raises ricochet damage, which adds to the gun's own ricochets. Clutch Padding lowers the Stamina cost of shooting, which matters for a gun that fires this much.
Select a Build
The build plays as run and gun, shooting while sprinting, sliding and dashing. Air Dashes and Tailwind keep the character moving through a fight. Kerenzikov slows time when aiming during a Dash, so the shots stay precise on the move.
Attributes: Body 20, Reflexes 20, Technical Ability 20, Intelligence 3, Cool 18.
The perks, cyberware and weapon mods for this build are listed below.
| Name | Image | Level | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Painkiller | 
|
Body 4 | Slow Health regeneration in combat |
| Muscle Memory | 
|
Reflexes 4 | Reload while sprinting, sliding and vaulting |
| Multitasker | 
|
Reflexes 4 | Shoot while sprinting, sliding and vaulting |
| Dash | 
|
Reflexes 9 | Unlocks the Dash and makes it cheaper |
| Steady Grip | 
|
Reflexes 9 | Shoot while Dashing |
| Air Dash | 
|
Reflexes 15 | Dash in midair |
| Aerial Acrobat | 
|
Reflexes 15 | Better control in midair |
| Gundancer | 
|
Reflexes 15 | No slowdown while aiming |
| Air Kerenzikov | 
|
Reflexes 15 | Kerenzikov in midair holds the character in the air |
| Submachine Fun | 
|
Reflexes 20 | SMG swaps reload and raise fire rate |
| Tailwind | 
|
Reflexes 20 | Stamina back from Air Dashes and double jumps |
| Extended Warranty | 
|
Technical Ability 15 | Cyberware effects last longer |
| Ambidextrous | 
|
Technical Ability 15 | A second Hands cyberware slot |
| Cyborg | Technical Ability 15 | Shorter cyberware cooldowns with every slot filled |
| Name | Image | Slot | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerenzikov Boost System | 
|
Frontal Cortex | Stronger Kerenzikov with free shooting Stamina |
| Immovable Force | 
|
Hands | Less recoil and tighter spread |
| Defenzikov | 
|
Integumentary System | Mitigation after Kerenzikov ends |
| Kerenzikov | 
|
Nervous System | Slows time when aiming during a slide or dodge |
Lore
Riders on the Storm is Panam Palmer's job to rescue Saul Bright, the leader of the Aldecaldos. Saul is held in a raider camp in the Badlands, and the camp is well guarded. A heavily armed Wraiths boss hunter stands near the main entrance, and he carries the Problem Solver.
The job rewards stealth. V can slip in, find Saul in the cellar of the main building and leave without a fight. A player who sneaks past the hunter never sees his gun. V has to take him down, quietly or loudly, to get it during the job.
Notes
- Overwatch, Panam's Iconic sniper rifle, is the reward for finishing the same job.
- Problem Solver is the Iconic variant of the Militech M221 Saratoga.
Weapon Categories
All SMGs
Every SMG is listed below. The Iconic weapons come first, then the standard ones.
Iconic SMGs
| Name | Image | Headshot | Armor Pen | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buzzsaw | 
|
+100% | 25% | Northside |
| Chesapeake | 
|
|||
| Erebus | 
|
|||
| Fenrir | 
|
+100% | Northside | |
| Guillotine x-MOD2 | 
|
Dogtown | ||
| Pizdets | 
|
+85% | ||
| Problem Solver | 
|
+100% | Badlands East | |
| Prototype: Shingen Mark V | 
|
+50% | Arroyo | |
| Raiju | 
|
West Wind Estate | ||
| Yinglong | 
|
+50% | Wellsprings |
Standard SMGs
| Name | Image | Headshot | Armor Pen | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS1 Pulsar | 
|
+100% | ||
| G-58 Dian | 
|
+50% | ||
| Guillotine | 
|
+100% | ||
| HA-7 Warden | 
|
+50% | ||
| M221 Saratoga | 
|
+100% | ||
| Senkoh LX | 
|
+100% | Arroyo | |
| Shigure | 
|
+100% | ||
| TKI-20 Shingen | 
|
+50% |