Overview
Weapons & Eras
Holdfast groups ranged weapons into broad families such as muskets, rifles, carbines, pistols, bows, and Frontlines rifles. For class-specific loadouts, see Rank and File, Skirmisher, Cavalry, and Weapons.
| Weapon Group | What To Expect | Practical Advice |
|---|---|---|
| Musket | Big spread, slow reload, strong close-to-mid range volley potential. | Fire at groups, not single pixels. A perfect aim point can still miss. |
| Rifle | Better accuracy and more predictable long-range shots. | Take your time, crouch when safe, and aim for valuable targets. |
| Carbine | Shorter range and faster handling than full muskets. | Best for cavalry and medium-range pressure, not long-range duels. |
| Pistol | Very short range, but dangerous up close after recent balance changes. | Use it as an emergency weapon, not your main plan. |
Damage & Range
Every firearm has a full damage range where a body shot deals its full listed damage, and a practical maximum range beyond which hits become unreliable and damage falls away sharply. Body damage is the percentage of a player's health removed by a torso hit inside the full damage range.
Nations at War & American Revolution
Every Napoleonic-era firearm kills with a single body shot inside its full damage range. What separates the weapons is how far that range extends.
| Weapon | Body Damage | Full Damage Range | Practical Max Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Musket | 100% | 100m | 200m |
| Rifle | 100% | 150m | 300m |
| Carbine | 100% | 50m | 100m |
| Pistol | 100% | 20m | 50m |
| Blunderbuss | 100% | 15m | 30m |
The 5.00 class redesign shortened the carbine's range so it excels at medium range, and shortened the pistol's range further while making it kill consistently at point-blank range.
Frontlines (WW1)
WW1 firearms trade one-shot body kills for faster follow-up shots. Only the trench gun drops a target with a single body hit up close; rifles, machine guns, and revolvers usually need two body hits or a headshot.
| Weapon | Body Damage | Full Damage Range | Practical Max Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rifle | 60% | 100m | 200m |
| Machine Gun | 75% | 100m | 200m |
| Revolver | 75% | 50m | 100m |
| Trench Gun | 100% | 7.5m | 30m |
For the full list of individual weapon models and unlocks, see Weapons.
Aiming & Crosshairs
Bullet drop and spread matter more than tiny mouse movements. If the target is far away, aim higher. If you are using a musket, accept that some shots will wander.
| Range | Musket Aim Reference |
|---|---|
| Close | Aim center mass. Do not overthink it. |
| Medium | Raise the bottom of the reticle toward the waist or chest. |
| Long | Put the lower part of the reticle around the head or above it, depending on distance. |
Version 2.13 added the Nail and Fixate crosshairs. Try them if the default crosshair makes range judging harder. The newer UI also added clearer melee-mode and bayonet indicators, which helps avoid firing while in the wrong weapon state.
Hitboxes & Hit Detection
The player hitbox is simpler than the soldier model you see on screen. Holdfast does not use a perfect limb-by-limb hit shape for every pose. Think of the target as a simple capsule or box-style body collider that follows the player's stance and position, with weapon spread, projectile travel, movement, latency, and timing deciding the rest.
What this means for your aim:
- A tall hat, plume, weapon, or flapping coat should not be treated as a guaranteed hit area.
- The safest target is the center mass of the body, especially with muskets and pistols. Rifles and carbines reward more precise aim, but the same target priority applies.
- Close misses around limbs, weapons, and decorative clothing can look strange because the visual model is more detailed than the collider.
- A shot that appears close on your screen may still miss because of weapon spread, projectile travel, movement, and server timing.
Stances change the target, animations do not:
| Situation | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Running, reloading, aiming, or swinging | The animation changes how the soldier looks, but it does not create a custom hit shape for every moving limb. |
| Crouching or sitting | These change the player's stance and lower the space they occupy. Lower your aim to match the body, not standing head height. |
| Gestures and roleplay animations | Do not rely on decorative animation movement as cover. Aim for the main body position. |
When fighting through fences, windows, palisades, ship rails, or rocks, assume world collision may matter as much as the target. If you are missing a moving player, lead by the player's center path rather than the visible limb position. Age of Sail-era animation and networking improvements made the visible character line up more closely with the live hit area than older builds.
Horses, ships, artillery, buildables, and world objects use their own collision rules. For melee hit resolution, see Melee.
Reloads & Bayonets
Reloading is when you are easiest to kill. Pick cover, stand with the line, or back away before committing to a long reload.
- Reload discipline: Do not reload in front of a charging enemy unless someone is protecting you.
- Officer lines: In 5.x, reloads no longer get interrupted on hit if the player is on an officer line.
- Bayonet indicators: Later 2.x updates added clearer hints and icons for attaching or detaching bayonets.
- Bayonet removal: The 5.x Light Infantry redesign added the Versatile trait, improving musket reload and accuracy while the bayonet is removed.
- No ammo: Reload tips no longer appear once you run out of ammunition.
Accuracy, Buffs & Traits
Shooting performance is not only the weapon. Your class, formation, nearby officers, and current trait setup can all matter.
| Source | Notes |
|---|---|
| Rank Discipline | Rank-and-file traits reward firing from formation. Standing or crouching with the line is more reliable than taking solo shots. |
| Line Infantry | The 5.x Musket Drill trait improves reload speed but slows movement while reloading. |
| Light Infantry | The 5.x Versatile trait improves reload and accuracy while the bayonet is removed. |
| Rifleman | The 5.x redesign added Steady Aim, increased rifle cartridges, and improved rifle tracers. |
| Officer Line | Officer lines are visible to all players, can change tracer colour, protect line reloads from hit interruption, and now show order tooltips. |
| Flag Bearer | Flag support can improve nearby reload flow, so flags work best close to the line rather than chasing duels. |
| Musician | The old accuracy/reload musician buff was replaced in 5.x. Musicians now provide a movement-speed buff to nearby players and can buff all classes, including ship crew. |
Musicians no longer provide the old 12% accuracy stack. Stay near them for movement support instead.
Frontlines Shooting
Frontlines shifts the game toward rifles, machine guns, grenades, smoke, and faster firefights. It still rewards positioning, but the aiming model feels closer to a modern rifle fight than a Napoleonic volley.
- WW1 rifles were overhauled in the Frontlines 2.0 era.
- Rifle and shotgun unlocks were expanded in the same release cycle.
- Friendly names are now easier to see through smoke after the console release update.
- Aim assist options and controller melee aim assist can be adjusted in settings.
For mode flow and objectives, see Game Modes. For interface details, see User Interface.
Recent Changes
Key shooting changes:
- 0.40: Cavalry and musician changes affected ranged support and mounted shooting.
- 1.x: Bayonet attach/detach mechanics, musket stance animations, and multiple firearm/melee fixes landed across early releases.
- 2.13: Nail and Fixate crosshairs were introduced.
- 2.x Frontlines: WW1 rifles were overhauled and rifle/shotgun unlocks expanded.
- 3.00: Melee-mode indicators, controller aim assist, and smoke visibility improvements arrived with console support.
- 4.00: Firearm and melee detection on moving ships was improved.
- 5.00-5.20: Musket Drill, Versatile, Steady Aim, rifle tracer changes, carbine/pistol rebalance, officer-line reload behaviour, and spawn/class fixes were added.