question Effectiveness of revolver IN struggle compared to other weapons (hatchet, knife,hammer, prybar)

[dragonslayer587]

Hi guys!

First topic I start. Since the introduction of the revolver in Steadfast Ranger and the new struggle option that comes with it (gun-whipping wolves and shooting them in the face), I have been wondering how effective it is in a struggle. I am not a fan of the revolver (I cant still get the hang of it, maybe that's why) since it isn't as deadly as the rifle (which I always use if I found one) but with the new option in struggle, it may be a good idea to carry the revolver on scout or harvesting missions cause it's really light. I haven't had any struggles with a revolver on my character so I cant tell the difference. I have been looking for data on this (how good is revolver vs wolves but it covers more the shooting aspect) but I didn't find detailed info regarding the struggle effectiveness.

So that is what I am asking here.. has anyone used it? How well/bad did it go? Any thoughts/opinions on it? I am really looking for feedback here so I can make a better choice to see if I want to use revolver or not and what weapons I have to carry according to that choice.

Thanks in advance

Edited August 29, 2019 by dragonslayer587

[UpUpAway95]

3 hours ago, dragonslayer587 said:

Hi guys!

First topic I start. Since the introduction of the revolver in Steadfast Ranger and the new struggle option that comes with it (gun-whipping wolves and shooting them in the face), I have been wondering how effective it is in a struggle. I am not a fan of the revolver (I cant still get the hang of it, maybe that's why) since it isn't as deadly as the rifle (which I always use if I found one) but with the new option in struggle, it may be a good idea to carry the revolver on scout or harvesting missions cause it's really light. I haven't had any struggles with a revolver on my character so I cant tell the difference. I have been looking for data on this (how good is revolver vs wolves but it covers more the shooting aspect) but I didn't find detailed info regarding the struggle effectiveness.

So that is what I am asking here.. has anyone used it? How well/bad did it go? Any thoughts/opinions on it? I am really looking for feedback here so I can make a better choice to see if I want to use revolver or not and what weapons I have to carry according to that choice.

Thanks in advance

I don't carry a rifle now unless I'm hunting for larger game (moose or bear).  It's just too heavy.  The pistol works well for scaring wolves away and I've taken down a few deer with it, but I change to the hatchet or knife if I get into a struggle.  That way, if I survive, I've killed the wolf.  The bow is still the most versatile though... effective against wolves and larger game.

[ManicManiac]

I've never been in a situation to use the revolver in a struggle (at least not yet).  I tend to not take shots unless I'm reasonably certain it will "find purchase."  As for the effectiveness over all... I think the revolver is a very useful tool depending on the specific way we use it.  I've been able to consistently one-shot decoyed wolves.  I've been able to get the bear/moose to back off (and with the bear, I've been able to track down the carcass after bleed out... which was wonderful).  Well aimed shots are quite effective with all weapons provided we are using them for what they are meant for (in game terms).

I also will leave my rifle and bow behind if I don't intend on hunting and will just carry a loaded revolver for if I run afoul of any hostile woodland friends.  As Revolver Ocelot would say, "Six bullets... more than enough to kill anything that moves."

 

Raph has also spoken about this kind of stuff before:

"I like the limited aspect of it -- six rounds and then you have to deal with reloading. Most other hand-guns have more ammunition. Also, a Revolver feels like a better deterring to wildlife than, say, a 9mm. And finally, it has a kind of simplistic roughness about it that really suits The Long Dark (vs. something more sleek, more modern). 

I know there are tons of guns out there but The Long Dark isn't really a "gun game" -- for us, a firearm is just another tool. The Revolver balances well against the Rifle as they each have a clear role, and clear trade-offs. It happens to be quite useful against Wolves, but it's even more useful against Timberwolves, which you'll see in Episode Three."

---

"If I tell you it's a XX calibre, you'll start comparing the in-game behaviour to what you know of the real-world equivalent which is irrelevant.  The Revolver is "good at deterring wolves" calibre and the Rifle is "better chance of taking down a Bear if you're lucky" calibre. "

 

from dispatch 39 and 34 respectively:

 

Edited August 29, 2019 by ManicManiac

[ajb1978]

I've done quite a bit of fooling around with it, and it's kind of in a class of its own in terms of use as a struggle weapon.  Used in a struggle, it starts off about on par with a prybar, and inflicts blunt force trauma. As you gain in skill with the revolver, you start to get bonus struggle damage, making it more effective, and at around level 5 it's about on par with the heavy hammer.  Very quick ends to wolf struggles, but by itself it only does blunt damage.  On the other hand, when the "Fight Back" meter is nearly full, you have the option of ending the struggle early by taking a shot, making it potentially the fastest way to end a struggle in the game, because you don't need a full bar to win.  If you take a shot during a struggle, you might even hit the wolf, sometimes killing it instantly, but definitely at least scaring it away.  Using the revolver in a struggle degrades its condition about on par with regular gunfire.

So the decision of what tool to use in a struggle depends partially on your level in Revolver Firearm, and on what your goal is.  At lower levels, I'd suggest using the hatchet if you want the wolf dead, since it ends the struggle faster than a knife and inflicts a bleeding wound.  If you're just passing through and it doesn't matter if the wolf lives or dies, use a hammer if you have it, otherwise a prybar.  Good way to end a struggle, and it spares wear on your other tools but the wolf won't die from it.

At higher levels, I kind of like using the revolver, mainly because I can prevent a struggle in the first place by shooting the wolf directly in the face, and since it can be hip-fired, you can do so without triggering a charge.  With the struggle bonus from level 5, you can quickly end a wolf struggle just by bonking it with the revolver repeatedly, and you have the option to take that shot to end it even quicker.  This also keeps the wear and tear constrained to the revolver, again helping spare wear on your other tools.

So in closing, the decision of what to use is highly variable based on what level you're at, what you're trying to accomplish, and what you've got with you.  I would say, having my Revolver maxed out, I would definitely use that to prevent the struggle from happening.  And if a struggle does happen, use the revolver to knock the wolf away, then crouch sneak back up on the wolf, and shoot it properly by aiming down the sights.

[ManicManiac]

Now that's some good science @ajb1978!  Thank you.   

Edited August 29, 2019 by ManicManiac

[dragonslayer587]

15 hours ago, ajb1978 said:

I've done quite a bit of fooling around with it, and it's kind of in a class of its own in terms of use as a struggle weapon.  Used in a struggle, it starts off about on par with a prybar, and inflicts blunt force trauma. As you gain in skill with the revolver, you start to get bonus struggle damage, making it more effective, and at around level 5 it's about on par with the heavy hammer.  Very quick ends to wolf struggles, but by itself it only does blunt damage.  On the other hand, when the "Fight Back" meter is nearly full, you have the option of ending the struggle early by taking a shot, making it potentially the fastest way to end a struggle in the game, because you don't need a full bar to win.  If you take a shot during a struggle, you might even hit the wolf, sometimes killing it instantly, but definitely at least scaring it away.  Using the revolver in a struggle degrades its condition about on par with regular gunfire.

So the decision of what tool to use in a struggle depends partially on your level in Revolver Firearm, and on what your goal is.  At lower levels, I'd suggest using the hatchet if you want the wolf dead, since it ends the struggle faster than a knife and inflicts a bleeding wound.  If you're just passing through and it doesn't matter if the wolf lives or dies, use a hammer if you have it, otherwise a prybar.  Good way to end a struggle, and it spares wear on your other tools but the wolf won't die from it.

At higher levels, I kind of like using the revolver, mainly because I can prevent a struggle in the first place by shooting the wolf directly in the face, and since it can be hip-fired, you can do so without triggering a charge.  With the struggle bonus from level 5, you can quickly end a wolf struggle just by bonking it with the revolver repeatedly, and you have the option to take that shot to end it even quicker.  This also keeps the wear and tear constrained to the revolver, again helping spare wear on your other tools.

So in closing, the decision of what to use is highly variable based on what level you're at, what you're trying to accomplish, and what you've got with you.  I would say, having my Revolver maxed out, I would definitely use that to prevent the struggle from happening.  And if a struggle does happen, use the revolver to knock the wolf away, then crouch sneak back up on the wolf, and shoot it properly by aiming down the sights.

Thanks for the great info! So it seems a really good idea to level up the revolver skill after all, and that if you have skill close to 3 or better, it really becomes a more effective struggle option.

Yes, I tend to rely heavily on my sturdy hatchet at the beggining since it works really good. But maybe at mid-late game, I should start using more the revolver unless I wanna hunt bear or moose, in which case I always go with rifle (if I have one, if not I just go with bow.. specially against moose, I really prefer the rifle).

Do you know if the shot fired at the end of the struggle makes the wolf bleed? (if it hits the wolf).

 

21 hours ago, UpUpAway95 said:

I don't carry a rifle now unless I'm hunting for larger game (moose or bear).  It's just too heavy.  The pistol works well for scaring wolves away and I've taken down a few deer with it, but I change to the hatchet or knife if I get into a struggle.  That way, if I survive, I've killed the wolf.  The bow is still the most versatile though... effective against wolves and larger game.

I agree, bow is the most versatile weapon in game (weight, kill potential, access) but I tend to prefer the rifle (even though its heavier and ammo is rare) against bear and specially moose. With bow, I shot a moose down with like 4-8 arrows (and broken ribs) but with rifle (I am pretty good with its aiming, even before the changes) I have managed to bring down moose in 1 shot (head crit ) or 2 shots (without having broken ribs ) . That and it has happened to me when shooting arrows at wolves that sometimes the arrow, when hits the target, it breaks and dont wound it which (if I am not lucky to make it flee) ends in a costly struggle. Those factors are usually why I prefer rifle. Only downside of rifle is that it is not a good idea to shoot down wolves since ammo is rare so now with the revolver, I have the tool for that (I play custom with a mix of stalker-interloper settings)

[ajb1978]

On 8/30/2019 at 8:39 AM, dragonslayer587 said:

Do you know if the shot fired at the end of the struggle makes the wolf bleed? (if it hits the wolf).

Can't really tell, but I would assume it does.  I've only had two outcomes--instant death, or a scare.  And with that scare, I have no way of knowing if the shot missed, or if it somehow hit and didn't inflict a bleeding wound.

[Jolan]

I tend to carry the revolver for a quick "holy !@#$ there's a wolf shots.  So long as it isn't charging yet.  At worst it scares the wolf, at best it drops them.  And they do this funny freeze in place thing if you hit them in the face.  My preference for a wolf struggle is still the knife, if I have a decent protection level on my clothes or hatchet if I need to end it quick.  Though if you get the option to shoot during a struggle it does seem to scare off any other miscreants in the area.

 

[ajb1978]

10 hours ago, Jolan said:

I tend to carry the revolver for a quick "holy !@#$ there's a wolf shots.  So long as it isn't charging yet.  At worst it scares the wolf, at best it drops them.  And they do this funny freeze in place thing if you hit them in the face.  My preference for a wolf struggle is still the knife, if I have a decent protection level on my clothes or hatchet if I need to end it quick.  Though if you get the option to shoot during a struggle it does seem to scare off any other miscreants in the area.

 

Yeah, and once a wolf starts charging, you have time to take several shots at it with the revolver.  Each miss is still a scare chance, so you can put four rounds in the dirt and send Fluffy scampering for the hills.  Just the other day I was surprised by a wolf near one of the wood lots in Milton, pulled out the revolver, and managed to get two shots off.  I'd been hitting the whisky so my aim was a bit funny, and those two rounds went into the dirt. But the second scared the wolf off.

Still got 405 rounds left.  I'm fine.

[Jolan]

11 hours ago, ajb1978 said:

Still got 405 rounds left.  I'm fine.

I've shot too many sticks while foraging, corpses while checking for goodies, and random dooors, so I only have 60 or so bullets left. 

 

[Skelegutplays]

Does the revolver scare bears?