Firearms

Overview

Firearms are the salvaged-classics category of weapons in Rooted. They are pre-apocalypse guns recovered from the world, distinct from the futuristic 2080-era equipment and from player-crafted homemade weapons. Firearms were introduced as a playable feature in the December 6, 2025 weapons update (patch v0.0.2.355).

Currently Implemented

Acquisition

Firearms enter the game through salvaging and exploration of pre-war locations. They are not crafted from scratch at the Workbench the way homemade weapons are. Players need to recover the firearm itself, then maintain or repair it using salvaged parts. Ammunition is treated as a separate resource and is gathered during exploration.

Training Range

A dedicated training range was added near The Mansion alongside the December 2025 weapons update. Players can use the range to practice firearm handling without committing to a hostile encounter. The space gives the team a controlled environment to test recoil, range, and reload timing.

Combat Use

Firearms serve two roles in the current build. The first is hunting deer and other wildlife, which is why firearms were brought forward earlier than originally planned in Phase 3. The second is defending against hostile survivors and ROTOR robots in contaminated zones, where melee weapons quickly become inadequate.

Animations And Feel

Weapon handling in Rooted uses motion-capture data, with refinements that arrived alongside the Mutable character system and the engine upgrade to Unreal Engine 5.6. The team has also stated that early implementations of the firearms are described as forgiving rather than punishing, so the focus during testing is on feel and pacing before further balance work.

Future Firearms

The Weapons article tracks the broader roadmap, including planned futuristic 2080-era equipment and player-crafted homemade builds. Additional pre-war firearms are expected to arrive in later patches as part of the Phase 3 weapons expansion.