Guide to muskets

The Flintlock Rifle Flintlock is the general term for any firearm based on the flintlock mechanism. It's the standard weapon for infantry units in any major army, and boasts a reliable damage and maintainability. Introduced at the beginning of the 17th century, It continued to be in common use for over two centuries, replaced by percussion cap and other systems.

Overview The design of the barrel and the ammunition used in the standard Flintlock musket gives it a reliable damage but only a moderate range. It is best used before a close quarters encounter to weaken the target due to the range, long reload times and large recoil. Due to the velocity of the projectile, it is possible that the target will suffer from the effects of blood loss.

Recipe

Ammunition The ammunition that is used with this musket is the Leadshot, which is responsible for the lower damage in comparison with other weapons. However it only requires one piece of gunpowder to craft two Leadshots, which makes the Flintlock more desirable for those who are short on funds. The Leadshot also ensures standard armour piercing, but is easily protected against with higher tier armour. _____________________________________

The Dragoon The term 'Dragoon' refers to mounted infantry, and this rifle is considerably more effective than the regular Flintlocks that infantry were issued with. Updated with a percussion cap and a more efficient barrel, this is the popular choice for people who can afford the more expensive ammunition.

Overview The Dragoon is superior to the Flintlocks in several aspects; the updated barrel and the ammunition gives it a longer range, higher damage and a smaller recoil which allows for quicker shot recovery. However, close quarters combat is still likely due to the similar reloading mechanism that the Flintlock uses, unless you are engaging targets at maximum range. The velocity of the projectile forces the target to suffer from the effects of blood loss for a longer duration.

Recipe

Ammunition The ammunition that is used with the Dragoon musket is the Ironshot, which accounts for the slight increase in damage and range, however the benefits come at a cost; each single Ironshot is made from one piece of gunpowder and an iron ingot (in any position). The iron in the projectile gives it a more effective armour piercing than the regular Leadshot round and can penetrate even the strongest of armours.

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The Double-Barrelled Flintlock Introduced in later years, the double-barrelled Flintlock is essentially identical to the standard Flintlock rifle apart from the extra chamber which can be used. This can be useful for those who are hasty with aiming as it allows for one extra shot before the rifle must be reloaded, but it does have its disadvantages.

Overview The double barrel heavily affects the attributes of the original Flintlock. Of course, it can fire two shots but the modified barrel and chamber gives it a relatively short effective range compared to its father. The damage of the gun is significantly lower per shot but if you can shoot your targets twice in succession, you're better off with the double barrel.

Recipe

Ammunition Like its single-barrelled counterpart, this edition of the Flintlock musket uses Leadshot ammunition, but the speed at which this firearm fires the projectile has a small impact on damage. You will also find that you use a lot more ammunition due to its higher rate of fire. Similar to all other firearms that utilise the Leadshot, the armour penetration isn't great and it's not helped by the barrel modifications.

The Pistol Musket One of the earlier forms of a light handheld firearm, this is a relatively new technology. The main advantages of using this gun is its rapid rate of fire and the significant reduction of recoil. However these come at a price; the earliest pistols had a real problem with range and most of the time, the wielder would have to get extremely close to their target before engaging or find that their projectile had disintegrated or veered off-course.

Overview The Pistol Musket has two small chambers so like the double-barrelled Flintlock, you can fire twice before having to reload. A significantly shorter barrel than regular rifles allow the wielder to reload twice as fast than with a rifle. The extremely short range however, means that the Pistol Musket is normally used as a personal defence weapon where close quarters combat is almost certain.

Recipe

Ammunition The pistol uses Ironshot rounds in order to increase the damage caused by it however because of the projectile speed, two consecutive hits to a target is needed to do any significant damage. It is also said that the Dragoon fires its Ironshots twice as fast than the Pistol and the very same applies to the damage, although both pierce through armour as effectively as each other.