The pistol is the first of three gun types you’ll find out here on the Sea of Thieves, and probably the most popular among novice pirates. It’s light, but still reasonably powerful. Each shot you land on an enemy will do almost the same amount of damage as a sword lunge, but unlike a cutlass, the pistol won’t give you a chance to knock your opponent back.

Pistols have decent range, so you can attack with ’em while staying out of lunging distance, or biting distance if you’re underwater and fighting off toothier foes. Get too far away from your target and your shots will be shrugged off, so finding a middle ground is important.

If you want your shots to land, you might find it easier to stand and aim while you’re still getting the hang of the thing. You can always shoot from the hip while moving, and in the heat of the action you’re likely to find yourself doing just that, but you’ll find you have greater precision if you look down the pistol’s sights before firing.

The biggest advantage of a pistol is that it’s slightly faster to load your next round than with other types of weapons. That fast second shot might just save your skin one day.