Marauders is the most recent first-person extraction shooter developed by Small Impact Games. It was released to early access to the general public in October of 2022. This game offers players a fresh experience, as previously, fans hungry for extraction shooters had Escape From Tarkov, and not much else!
Marauders is a game with a varied armory populated with assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, pistols, melee weapons, and more. In a paranoia-inducing game like Marauders, players want to keep a secondary weapon at the ready. You never know when your primary gun will run out of ammo or wholly break!
Thankfully, Marauders allows players to carry two primary weapons and a sidearm as a backup. This article will cover the best five guns to have as your sidearm while marauding.
Overview of Marauders’ Weapons
Weapons are a player’s tool to deal damage to other players and AI enemies in Marauders. In other words, weapons are indispensable! Marauders offer players a variety of guns, melee weapons, and traps.
Players can acquire weapons in Marauders in a few different ways. First, and most cheaply, players can find weapons as loot. Loot is acquired by either killing enemies or finding it stored somewhere in a level. Similarly, players can earn weapons by completing quests–something they would do anyway! Alternatively, players can purchase weapons at the trader, but what pirate doesn’t mind kissing their Marauders’ Dollars goodbye?
The last option is crafting. Players can craft some guns after meeting specific requirements.
Every gun in Marauders, including the sidearms, uses a specific caliber of ammo. Caliber refers to the diameter of the bullets and the barrel which fires them. However, there can be a variety of bullets with the same diameter, depending on the ammo type. For example, .300 Winchester Magnum and 7.62x39mm ammo both fit into the same caliber bore, but they have different effects. One tends to be more powerful, but it results in slower rates of fire and more recoil.
Some weapons, such as sidearms, are limited to relatively lighter ammunition. These backup weapons are good in a pinch, but don’t expect them to do as much damage as a primary weapon that can fire a heavier ammo type. Marauders is constantly being updated, and so are its weapons. As an example, the devs just teased the release of a new revolver.
It is crucial that every player know not only what weapons are meta (most effective tactics available) but also the ammo types. Together, weapons and ammo determine a player’s capabilities and options. While this article will cover the best sidearms to use, you may also be interested in checking out our guide to the best primary weapons in Marauders.
How Combat with Sidearms Works in Marauders
Sidearms are usually treated as a last resort because, most of the time, these weapons tend to do low damage–just enough to finish wounded enemies. Sidearms also get used in emergencies wherein the primary weapon has run out of ammo, and the player needs something quick to protect himself; this is where sidearms play an essential role.
No matter your skill, you will likely get outgunned if you treat a sidearm as your primary weapon. Even most AI can defeat a player using bad tactics. It is essential to know when and how to use a sidearm.
How and When to Use Sidearms in Marauders
Sidearms should be treated as a last option when the primary weapon is unavailable. This can happen due to a loss of ammo or a broken gun. That doesn’t mean that sidearms can’t be effective in combat, and it’s essential that players know the best secondary weapons and how to use them in Marauders’ combat.
Close-Quarters Combat
Most sidearms are equipped with light ammo type due to their size and caliber. Sidearms will struggle at medium to long range due to the damage drop-off. Make sure you close distances before trying to shoot an enemy with a pistol.
Treat Your Enemies Like Zombies; Aim For The Head
As mentioned, sidearms in Marauders tend to have low firepower with few exceptions. With most sidearms, it is best to aim for the head to deal maximum damage to your enemies. On the other hand, if your enemy is hard to hit, go for body shots.
Keep It Loaded At All Times
This tip seems quite obvious, but you will be surprised how many players die because they forget to sufficiently load their weapons. Always have your guns loaded, and keep ammo to spare!
Push Your Enemy
If you are in a gunfight, and your enemy just unloaded their rifle, now you have the upper hand. During this small window, your enemy is likely reloading and vulnerable. Take this chance and be aggressive while you have the advantage.
Top 5 Sidearms in Marauders
Most of the weapons in this list belong to the sidearm slot in the character gear menu, but we will also consider some great guns to have as your secondary.
5. Mauser M712
The Mauser M712 is a pistol capable of shooting 10mm ammo in automatic and semi-automatic modes. Pirates can find this weapon in raids by killing AI enemies.
The Mauser M712 excels at taking out NPC enemies using common ammo, making it highly accessible. This way, space pirates don’t have to spend their primary weapon ammo killing AI. Instead, they can use a reliable automatic pistol that will do a great job.
What places the Mauser M712 in the 5th spot is its accessibility mixed with two downsides: low magazine capacity and recoil. Players can slightly improve mag capacity and recoil by purchasing attachments at the trader.
Weapon Attachments
- Mauser M712 Extended Mag +10 Capacity
- Mauser M712 Stock -4 Recoil
Weapon Details
- Caliber: 10mm Ammo
- Fire Mode: Automatic and Semi-Automatic
- Damage: 22
- Recoil: 10
- Capacity: 10
- Fire Rate: 600 Rounds Per Minute
- Sell Price: $ 1,211
4. Mosin Obrez
The Mosin Obrez is a unique sidearm found during raids carried by AI enemies. This sidearm is highly powerful thanks to the ammo type the Mosin Obrez uses, 54-R, commonly seen in valuable rifles such as the SVT-40.
This makes the Mosin Obrez sidearm an oddity in Marauders. The secondary weapon is extremely powerful, yet it has a slow rate of fire, making it more suitable for medium-range combat, rather than the more frantic close-range combat.
The Mosin Obrez is in the 4th place on this list thanks to its firepower, which requires precision and patience. If used in the wrong situation, the Mosin Obrez will get players killed, as it is not a gun-n-run weapon. It can’t get treated as a typical close-quarters combat (CQC) weapon.
Unfortunately, the Mosin Obrez doesn’t have any attachments at this time.
Weapon Details
- Caliber: 54-R
- Fire Mode: Bolt-Action
- Damage: 55
- Recoil: 64
- Capacity: 5
- Fire Rate: 35 Rounds Per Minute
- Sell Price: $ 1,653
3. 1911 Stamp
The 1911 Stamp, known by most through other games as the Colt 1911, is a powerful pistol that fires .45 ACP rounds at a fire rate of 350 rounds per minute.
The 1911 Stamp is the most accessible pistol a space pirate can use, as players can easily find it on most AI enemies. It can also be purchased at a trader for a low price or even crafted.
The accessibility the 1911 Stamp offers players places it in the 3rd spot on this list, with the only downside being its low magazine capacity.
This Marauders sidearm has no attachments.
Weapon Details
- Caliber: .45 ACP Ammo
- Fire Mode: Semi-Automatic
- Damage: 28
- Recoil: 9
- Capacity: 7
- Fire Rate: 350 Rounds Per Minute
- Sell Price: $ 871
2. ViperMK1 – Runner-Up to the Top Marauders Sidearm
The ViperMK1 is a submachine gun with a ridiculous fire rate of 520 rounds per minute. Players can only fire it from the hip. The low recoil and high fire rate place this gun in second place.
The ViperMK1 will allow players to lob a storm of bullets at enemy players in very little time. Since this spray usually connects with its target, it compensates for the lackluster damage it deals.
Currently, the ViperMK1 can only get found in raids.
Weapon Attachments
- ViperMK1 Muzzle
Weapon Details
- Caliber: 9mm Ammo
- Fire Mode: Automatic
- Damage: 21
- Recoil: 5
- Capacity: 32
- Fire Rate: 520 Rounds Per Minute
- Sell Price: $ 3,060
1. Sawed Off – The Best Sidearm in Marauders
The Sawed-Off is a compact shotgun capable of shooting 12 gauge dealing devastating damage of 84 hit points if the player manages to hit the enemy with all the pellets. This compact shotgun is the most reliable sidearm, as it will tear enemies apart at short distances.
Its 12 Gauge ammo type allows players to pierce almost every armor with no problem and repel any enemy in close quarters.
The Sawed-Off shotgun can be acquired through the trader or be looted from fallen AI enemies.
There are no attachments for this gun.
Weapon Details
- Caliber: 12 Gauge
- Fire Mode: Semi-Automatic
- Damage: 84
- Recoil: 36
- Capacity: 2
- Fire Rate: 975 Rounds Per Minute
- Sell Price: $ 1,938
Dishonorable Mention – The Welrod
Even though it can get bought at the trader at an affordable price, stay away from the Welrod. This weapon doesn’t excel at anything, even tho it has a damage of 40 hit points. The Welrod has an awful fire rate of 40 Rounds Per Minute as it’s a Bolt-Action Pistol.
If you are low on cash in the game, you will be much better off grabbing the Luger PO8, which comes for free with the Rustbucket Spaceship.
Weapon Details
- Caliber: .32 ACP
- Fire Mode: Bolt-Action
- Damage: 40
- Recoil: 18
- Capacity: 6
- Fire Rate: 40 Rounds Per Minute
- Sell Price: $ 446
Last Thoughts About Our Sidearms Guide For Marauders
Space Pirates can use any weapon from this list except for The Welrod to good use and effective at its work. Remember always to have your sidearms as the second option in combat and know when to use each in scenarios where they can perform better.
Hopefully, this guide will help you find your favorite sidearm and be a feared Space Pirate.
Do not forget to check our other guides on Marauders.
Good Luck, Space Pirate!
