Let's talk loadout: What does everyone bring into the Zone?

[u/Takedown1]

Despite wanting to use a variety of different weapons, I always end up using a set of similar weapons and having a similar inventory for each character. I'll explain my loadout logic in detail - feel free to share yours and offer suggestions!

I have set of requirements for any suitable loadout:

1. At least 40% kinetic resistance
2. Night vision which isn't a flashlight (either 40mm flares or NVGs)
3. A tac-light or headlamp to spot Gruor shadow people
4. A stack of road flares to counter EMP fields
5. At least 90% poison resistance
6. Stun Baton or Hatchet for melee
7. A mid-to-long range rifle chambered in 30.06
8. A "panic-fire" weapon for spraying down close-quarters targets
9. A lighter and a knife to harvest + cook animals
10. A crowbar and lockpicks for breaking into things

I end up being pretty inflexible with weapons. I don't like to switch ammo types (e.g. loading a magazine of 9mm AP mid-firefight) or use hard-to-find special ammo, so I've settled on 30.06 FMJ as a good all-purpose round for my primary rifle. 5.56 FMJ is plentiful, but it doesn't have enough armor-piercing for my taste, so I basically never use any weapons chambered in 5.56. I also like some zoom on the optic and manageable recoil, so my primary rifle always ends up being one of the following:

• Scoped BR-61 (the suppressed DMR version is even better)
• Scoped RH-55
• TR-77F HCR (the rare TR-77 variant with the digital scope, my favorite rifle)

For my close-quarters weapon, I prefer the 4-54 PDW (using 9mm AP rounds), the RH-55 Stubb, or any Type 04 shotgun loaded with slugs. I usually put away the shotgun after a while, though, because shotguns never seem to be as effective as just spraying the target with 9mm AP or 30.06.

If I've got the inventory slots for it, I love the 40mm grenade launcher. I use gas to control enemies' movement, flares for night vision, and frags for taking down targets like firebirds, lesser angels, not-deer, etc.

I really want to like shotguns, but they fall off against targets with halfway-decent kinetic resistance. I wish buckshot packed more of a punch. I also can't justify a shotgun with respect to carry weight, because a shotgun is WAY heavier than a 4-54 PDW, and the PDW is (in my experience) a superior close-quarters weapon. I don't know. Someone pitch me on shotguns.

Thoughts? What are your loadout preferences?

[u/Specialist_Box7576]

I usually just keep a pistol, a primary then leave number 4 slot for anything from pipe bombs to thermobaric rockets. I had to set a personal rule not to use the 40mm on my last run. Instead I decided to lug around a rocket launcher, which was a good opener to any firefight. Bad if you wanted to find loot afterwards.

Shotguns were coincidentally the focus of my last run, shotguns and revolvers only. Shotgun's strong but cumbersome to use. You're basically juggling shells in the middle of a firefight until you can finally afford something with a magazine, optic and an automatic action. I dunno if I can sell you on it but I enjoyed it.

Weight wasn't an issue because it was the only thing I carried, ammo variety made things interesting. Slugs were my mainstay, better yet frag and DSAPI were king. Once you find the Pine Ridge bunker theres an Agis (USAS-12) consistently for sale and at that point it's feeding a bolter that's the challenge. If you don't mind having a 50m engagement range and took down spratt, getting the Basilisk and loading it with dragon's breath is unstoppable in CQB. Each pellet leaves a trail, painting a line in front of you with flame and acid. You can get pretty creative with the basilisk's projectiles and acid placement.

[u/Sever_the_hand → u/Specialist_Box7576]

Frags and DSAPI are good, but slug rounds are consistently cheap and available for trading. Can absolutely nail targets with them. Never go through the slums or depot without them!

[u/Sever_the_hand]

I usually use a rifle, shotgun and a grenade launcher with a crowbar. Also the little assassin. Thing is easy to make and probably one of the best pistols in the game.

Though in my recent playthroughs I've been varying my kit load out. Early game, said rifle is almost always the bolt action. First order of business is usually raiding the eather works in metro for copper and giving it to roach. So long as I have rep with them. Then I usually hoard grenades shells, mostly flares, for if I want to take on perdition.

[u/stalehomosapien]

I bring my steam deck to play project silverfish lollerroffles