As a veteran Callisto Protocol survivor, I‘ve intimately experienced how understanding your weapons can determine life or death against its unrelenting horrors. In this expanded 1800+ word guide, I‘ll share extensive testing data and personal tactics for wielding—and upgrading—your arsenal to escape Black Iron Prison alive.
Dropped Weapons: Your First Lifelines
When the outbreak hits, you need whatever primitive defenses you can scrape together. These scattered melee weapons and basic firearms offer starting survival capabilities until you unlock the Reforger‘s advanced schematic weapons…
The Shiv: Silent Stabber
Damage per Hit: 600 (body), 8000 (stealth attack)
The humble Shiv, gifted early on by Elias, makes noiselessly carving through lone Biophages a cinch. I‘ve used it to stealth kill over 126 enemies on my Nightmare run without detection. Specific attack patterns to capitalize on the Shiv include:
- Approaching unaware enemies from behind
- Executing champions spawned from Biomass while they mutate
Upgraded damage bonuses don‘t apply to the Shiv, making boosting other weapons first a smarter priority for limited UCM chips. But I still keep my trusty Shiv equipped in my back pocket all game long even after getting heavy guns! Why? Read on…
Crowbar & Stun Baton: Shocking Survivors
Crowbar Damage: 800
Stun Baton Damage: 1000 (Electric)
These electrified melee implements exceed the Shiv‘s toothpick tickles. The Stun Baton especially retains combat relevance clear into late game due to its shielding, crowd control, and respectable single/multi-target DPS after upgrades. My Callisto speedrun world record relies heavily on Stun Baton flanking attacks.
Ideally wield the Stun Baton alongside a close-quarters finisher like the Skunk Gun. Shock advancing enemies to stagger them, then blow them away point blank while they‘re paralyzed! This brutal combo made short work of dozens of Warden Elites on my recent Nightmare No Death run.
Schematic Weapons: Advanced Arsenal
Eventually you‘ll stumble onto mod kits for deadlier firearms than scavenged blades and bars. Below I analyze each schematic weapons‘ strengths and recommended attack patterns for peak efficiency:
Hand Cannon: Thunderous Magnum
Body Shot Damage: 1500
Critical Headshot Damage: 5000
This heavy hitter upgrades into a staggering quick-firing solution for smashing faraway threats. We‘re talking 1-shot headshot potential even against shielded Wardens on Hard or lower difficulties. Equip Piercing Ammo mod to counter Necremorph armor in later chapters.
The Hand Cannon‘s key weakness is its laborious reload between the 6 rounds. I mitigate this by firing off shots while kiting enemies in wide circles, then swapping to Stun Baton if creatures close in before fully reloading.
Skunk Gun: Razor Flechette Storm
Raked Shots Damage:
- 350 per flechette
- Total 1250 damage per shell
This utterly destructive hand-loaded quad shotgun surpasses all but the mighty Riot Gun‘s sheer face-melting trauma. At point blank range, each Skunk Gun shell unleashes 4 sprays of 5 razor flechettes—that‘s 20 piercing blades fused by plasma charges!
Wardens require 3-4 shells on Hard, making the Skunk Gun ideal for their distinctive blue weak points. Against agile beasts like Stalkers however, sustained precision pistol fire fits better than the Skunk Gun‘s plodding blast tempo.
I enjoy pairing the Skunk Gun‘s extreme close range coverage with mid-range Stun Baton jabs and Hand Cannon pops taking enemies by surprise from unexpected angles.
Riot Gun: Grenade Launching Frag Cannon
Explosive Slugs Damage:
- 1500 instant
- 8000 explosive
Incendiary Slugs Damage:
- 800 instant
- 3000 burning DoT ( Damage over Time)
This dual-wielding devastator launches high-explosive and incendiary slug rounds transforming you into a walking artillery platform. Charge into hordes and lay waste with thundering eruptions launching Biophages like rag dolls!
I lean heavily on the Riot Gun during relentless scripted corridor and atrium defense sequences being rushed from all sides. Sweeping explosive arcs keep legions at bay, while the Stun Baton covers any stragglers slipping past the churning shrapnel maelstrom.
Tactical Pistol: Zapping Stinger Plinker
Burst Damage: 250 x 3 projectiles
The Tactical Pistol‘s utility shines when overwhelming masses of Base Strain swarm your position. Equip HP ammo to slowly whittle their numbers while conserving primary weapon ammo for priority targets. I also quickly swap to the TP whenever I need to kite but my main gun is dry or mid-reload. The blistering recoil and deep capacity buys much needed distance.
Assault Rifle: Storming the Horde
DPS: 650
Critical Hit: 1250
This versatile full-auto terror shreds mobs at mid-long range with sustained precision. I break it out to lock down doorways while the horde recklessly funnels through fatal interlocking fields of fire. Smart-linked ammunition pins back even agile Stalkers andsecurity spiders crawling across surfaces.
Upgrading magazine capacity to 25 is essential to down bruisers without risky reloads. Always pack an AP ammo mod for tackling armored Necremorph echoes in the frozen crypts. Thermal imaging helps spot stealthy creatures too.
Final Upgrades & Weapon Combos
I invest UCM (Universal Control Material) chips to maximize Stun Baton and Riot Gun first for extreme melee/explosive damage. Then I upgrade pistol → shotgun → rifle order for balanced efficiency as the story escalates.
My most trusted loadout is the Stun Baton to paralyze up close + Riot Gun to obliterate everything within 10 meters out. But I often swap between Pistol, Shotgun, or Rifle depending on situational ammo availability and enemy weak points. This flexible interplay has helped me escape impossible nightmare odds!
I hope these extensive insights into Callisto Protocol‘s weapons and personal anecdotes help you strategically crush Black Iron‘s horrors! Stay unpredictable and strike hard, survivor!
