The Best Gunslinger Build For Avowed

Latest Update: June 29, 2026 – Categories: Avowed, Avowed Builds

The Gunslinger Build is one of the strongest and most versatile setups in Avowed, especially for higher difficulty levels like Path of the Damned. This build focuses on dual-wielding fast-firing pistols to take down enemies quickly while leveraging the Arquebus (musket-style rifle) as a high-damage secondary weapon to chunk boss health bars and build stun.

This build has been updated for the Avowed Anniversary Update.

Table Of Contents

• Avowed Gunslinger Build Overview
• Who Should Play the Gunslinger?
• Pros and Cons
• Race Options
• Background Choice
• Gunslinger Attributes
• Best Weapons
• Best Armor
• Best Accessories
• Best Gunslinger Skills
• Leveling Guide
• Combat Tips
• Recommended Companions
• More Avowed Builds

Avowed Gunslinger Build Overview

The Gunslinger build revolves around precision, mobility, and quick reflexes. You’ll primarily use dual pistols for medium-range engagements and the Arquebus for long-range, high-damage shots. The ability to slow down time with Steady Aim ensures that you can consistently hit weak spots, guaranteeing critical strikes and resulting in BIG damage numbers.

Related Guides

• Best Class For You in Avowed
• Avowed Character Creation Guide
• All Avowed Skills Updated for 2026

Who Should Play the Gunslinger Build for Avowed?

This build excels at staying on the move, prioritizing targets efficiently, and taking down enemies before they can react. If you like playing a Sniper or Gunslinger build in other RPGs (Fallout, The Outer Worlds), this build has a similar feel, but is even more powerful with the introduction of simple magic abilities like Tanglefoot (root enemies in place) and Arcane Veil (reflect projectiles and knock back melee enemies). If you like BIG damage numbers, the Arquebus can do that while also heavily stunning bosses. You can also switch things up to a faster-firing pistol build at medium range, dual-wielding pistols with other magical effects.

Gunslinger Build Pros and Cons

The Gunslinger Build deals some of the highest damage numbers in the game from the safety of max range, meaning if you play this build right, you will almost never get hit!

Pros

• High Damage
• High Stun
• Good mobility and evasion options
• Low Essence Cost
• Great at long to medium range combat

Cons

• Low Maximum Health
• Medium – Low Armor (takes more damage when hit)
• High Stamina cost when dual-wielding pistols
• Weak when surrounded by enemies
• Very dependent on upgrading your guns

Best Race Options

With five playable races now available following the anniversary update, players have more options than ever to tailor their build. While the stat differences aren’t huge, your choice of playable race does have an impact early on in powering your build, plus you should consider height differences when in playing in first person.

The best playable race for the Gunslinger Build in Avowed is Aumaua, as they have the best early damage spike in the game thanks to +2 Might at the start of the game. Their large size and height also makes it easy to spot enemies at a distance.

Another solid option would be the Elf Race for their combination of +1 Perception and +1 Dexterity, which will increase weapon range, reload speed and attack speed.

Best Background Choice

Backgrounds in Avowed are primarily a role-playing tool. They shape how you experience the story and how NPCs react to your words, but they don’t create hard mechanical restrictions that matter beyond the early game. Your background also determines your starting stat allocation (you can change this before leaving character creation) as well as your starting weapon in the game’s tutorial.

In terms of roleplaying alignment, the Vanguard Scout is the best background for the Gunslinger Build in Avowed.

The default attribute layout provides Constitution, Dexterity, and high Perception without neglecting other stats, and the Vanguard Scout background frequently unlocks dialogue reflecting wilderness experience, tracking ability, ambush tactics, and practical battlefield knowledge. Where other backgrounds rely on book learning or social status, you speak from direct experience surviving in dangerous places.

Best Gunslinger Attributes

To maximize your damage output, survivability, and mobility, you should prioritize the following attributes:

1. Perception – Increases gun range and critical hit chance, making it a must-have stat.
2. Dexterity – Improves reload speed (crucial before unlocking Quick Switch for auto-reloads).
3. Might – Boosts overall damage and carry weight, making it essential for dealing consistent damage.

These three attributes ensure you have the range, speed, and power needed for optimal performance.

Best Weapons for the Gunslinger Build

The best weapons for the Gunslinger build in Avowed are the One Last Trick Arquebus combined with the Magic Mistol and Fair Play pistols.

One Last Trick

• Base Effects
  • Ricochet: Bullets bounce to hit an additional enemy within range.
  • Gunnery: +20% Reload Speed
• Best Enchantment
  • Trick Shot: Bullets bounce to hit 2 additional enemies within range.

After blasting through the game’s first zone, you’ll want to quickly upgrade to The Last Trick, a unique arquebus variant obtained from the Steel Resolve side quest in the second zone. This weapon comes with a +20% Reload Speed bonus which is extremely helpful when you want to power through your shots and take down tough opponents quickly, plus your shots can bounce to one additional target for even more damage!

For upgrades, choose Trick Shot to hit up to 2 enemies within range.

Magic Mistol

• Base Effects:
  • Infused Shot – Power Attacks deal very high stun.
  • Foe-Seeker – Bullets seek and target enemies.
• Best Enchantment:
  • Do not upgrade

Magic Mistol is a very powerful pistol for this build which inflicts high stun and also seeks out nearby enemies to target. You get this pistol fairly late in the game, but its huge stun potential is amazing. Using the Quick Switch skill you can fire off your Arquebus, then switch to this to unleash a ton of stun build up on bosses. I do not recommend upgrading this weapon with an enchantment as it loses its single-target stun potential if you do.

Fair Play

• Base Effects:
  • Recompense – Killing an enemy restores 5% of your Maximum Health and 25% of your Maximum Stamina.
  • Vengeful Shot – Taunt and gain +100% Critical Hit Chance against enemies that Incapacitate of of your Companions.
• Best Enchantment:
  • Turnabout – Killing an enemy restores 10% of your Maximum Health and 50% of your Maximum Stamina.

The Fair Play pistol is amazing for the Gunslinger build because when you defeat enemies using it you restore your Health and Stamina. As such, you should always try to finish off enemies with this weapon to gain bonus resources. This effect is increased with the Turnabout enchantment.

Other Weapons

One of the earliest unique weapons you can pick up in Avowed is the powerful Caeroc’s Pride pistol, which is obtained in Dawn Shore near the harbor where you land after completing the game’s tutorial. This weapon not only deals bonus shock damage but can also be enchanted to trigger chain lightning effects, making it a devastating finisher. You will need to defeat a relatively powerful smuggler camp in order to get this weapon so make sure you come prepared for a fight!

Another excellent pistol, The Disappointer, can be purchased in the city of Paradis. Initially, its stats may seem underwhelming, but once enchanted, it gains +10% attack damage, turning it into a strong secondary pistol option for dual-wielding with Caeroc’s Pride in the game’s first region.

Best Gunslinger Armor

The best armor for the Gunslinger build is the Wavebinder Robes, Wavebinder Bracers, and Berserker Boots. The Wavebinder Robes give a powerful bonus to Critical Chance with guns, while the Wavebinder Bracers improve Reload Speed and the Berserker Boots improve Stamina Regeneration.

Wavebinder Robes

• Bonus Effect:
  • Nautical Marksmanship: +25% Critical Hit Chance with pistols and arquebuses.
• Enchantment:
  • Freeze-Proofed: +30% resistance to Frost Accumulation.

The Wavebinder Robes are best for any Gunslinger Build in Avowed, thanks to their huge boost to Critical Hit Chance when using guns. This armor combined with high perception means you can obtain very high Critical Chance rating on this build, making you deal Critical Strikes more consistently.

The Wavebinder Robes are obtained at the end of the Scattersharp Questline, right after escaping Naku Kabel. Once you exit the temple, go left through a secret entrance past the thorn vines, then face off against a Spider boss before looting the chest.

Wavebinder Bracers

• Bonus Effect:
  • -10% Ability Essence Cost
• Enchantment:
  • Greater Gunnery: +15% Reload Speed

The Wavebinder Bracers are a powerful option for this build due to its bonuses of decreased ability cost and increased Reload Speed. The Wavebinder Bracers can be purchased from a vendor in the city of Thirdborn, located in the Scattersharp region.

Berserker Boots

• Bonus Effect:
  • -10% incoming Fire, Frost, and Shock Damage.
• Enchantment:
  • Frenzied Strides: +100% Stamina regeneration rate

The Berserker Boots are the best option for the Gunslinger because they greatly increase your Stamina Regeneration rate. This allows you to fire your guns more consistently and without needing to pause as often for Stamina to come back while in the middle of combat.

The Berserker Boots are found in the Galawain’s Tusks region at the Outcast Cave Camp.

Other Armor Options

The Gambeson of the Grand Empire is another solid choice for a Gun Build, thanks to the Greater Gunnery effect, which improves Reload Speed by 15%. To obtain the Gambeson, you must help Leoflaed and Glaedwine escape in the Escape Plan side quest found in the first region of Dawnshore. You will then see them later on near the entrance of Thirdborn in the Shatterscarp region. Speak to them here and they will give you the Gambeson of the Grand Empire.

The Vailian Breastplate, found in the game’s second zone of Emerald Stair, is a great early choice for this build due to its +20% movement speed boost, which makes repositioning during combat significantly easier. This boost, combined with other mobility-enhancing gear, allows you to evade attacks and maintain optimal distance from enemies at all times.

To find this chestpiece make sure to explore the Governor’s Mansion completey in the city of Fior.

The Tranton Family Greaves, also found in Emerald Stair, provide an additional +10% movement speed boost, which stacks with the breastplate mentioned above, along with a 20% increase in dodge distance, making it easier to evade melee enemies. This added dodge range ensures that even when enemies close in, you can quickly reposition and continue dealing damage without taking hits.

The Engwithan Gauntlets are one of the the best early options to increase damage as these give you a whopping +20% bonus to Critical Damage.

Best Gunslinger Accessories

Tranton Family Talisman

• Aware: +3 Perception

The Tranton Family Talisman is an essential choice, as it increases Perception, which in turn improves both range and critical hit chance. This is invaluable for a Gunslinger, allowing you to deal more consistent and powerful headshots from a distance. This item was buffed in a recent Avowed Patch, making it provide a 3 Perception bonus now, increased from 2.

Ashfall’s Legacy

• Expertise of Ashfall: +10% Attack Damage and +20% Critical Hit Damage with pistols and arquebuses.

The Ashfall’s Legacy ring gives a huge buff to Attack Damage and Critical Hit Damage which is great for increasing the overall damage of this build. To obtain the Ashfall’s Legacy ring, complete Amalia’s quest “Wardens Warding” in the Galawain’s Tusks region.

Ring Of The Peerless Marksman

• Hawk-Eyed Focus: +10% damage with ranged weapons

The Ring Of The Peerless Marksman is the perfect ring for this build, fitting the gunslinger theme and also providing a powerful boost to ranged weapon damage. Obtain the ring during the Ancient Soil questline in Emerald Stair. When reporting back to Fidelio, tell him that the animancers can help.

Other Accessories

A solid early-game option is the Ring of Amplification, which provides a 15% boost to critical damage. Since critical hits are a key feature of this build, this ring ensures that every shot lands with maximum impact.

The Ring of the Founder is another excellent option, offering a 10% damage boost against full-health enemies. This is particularly useful when initiating fights, as your opening shots will deal extra damage, making it easier to eliminate enemies before they become a threat.

Best Gunslinger Skills

The Best skills for a Gunslinger build in Avowed are Steady Aim, Marksmanship, Quick Switch, and Staggering Shot. These abilities in particular boost your gun damage and stun potential with guns, while also slowing down time while aiming and reloading your holstered weapons automatically.

All recommended skills are listed below.

Ranger Skills

The Ranger Skill Tree emphasizes precision, mobility, and stealth, catering to both ranged sharpshooters and agile melee fighters. The recommended Ranger Tree skills are:

• Tanglefoot (Rank 1) – Tanglefoot roots enemies in place for 8 seconds at rank 1, making for a quick and easy crowd control option that is cheap on essence. It can be leveled up to rank 3 for an additional 4 seconds of duration, but I don’t think that’s worth the points in this case.
• Shadowing Beyond (Rank 1) – This skill makes you invisible, making it easy to lose aggro from enemies. This is your “oh crap!” button when you can’t get a boss to stop attacking you or have run out of other options. Save it for emergencies only.
• Marksmanship (Rank 3) – Boosts gun damage by up to 50%, making this build even more powerful!
• Steady Aim (Rank 3) – Pick up rank 1 here as soon as possible to make your power attacks with guns slow down time while holding down power attack. Slows time by a whopping 75% at rank 3, making headshots and criticals easier.
• Quick Switch (Rank 2) – Makes weapon swapping faster – automatically reloads inactive weapons after 3 seconds, allowing for endless firepower.
• Critical Strike (Rank 3) – Increases your default Critical Hit Chance by 10% at rank 1, 15% at rank 2, and 20% at rank 3.
• Sniper (Rank 2) – increases your ranged weapon damage against unaware targets. I think taking up to rank 2 is useful here for your first opening shots.
• Sharpshooter (Rank 1) – Sharpshooter increases Weak Point damage that scales with the number of consecutive Weak Points hit. One Rank should be enough here, though you can put more if you like this effect.
• Flurry Of Blows (Rank 3) – While this ability does cost quite a bit, it gives tons of powerful bonuses for a Gun user, including increased Attack Speed, Stamina Regeneration, Move Speed, and even lifesteal based on weapon damage. Use this every battle to passively heal and become much more effective in combat!
• Staggering Shot (Rank 3) – Power Attacks with bows and guns deal +40% Stun at Rank 1, +70% Stun at rank 2, and +90% Stun at rank 3! This skill alone makes the Gunslinger build incredibly powerful at end-game, providing massive stun on each power attack.

Wizard Skills

The Wizard Skill Tree is the primary source of elemental area-of-effect damage and battlefield manipulation. The recommended Wizard Tree skills are:

• Armored Essence (Rank 2) – Decreases the Essence penalty for Light and Medium armor.
• Arcane Veil (Rank 3) – Arcane Veil is one of the best defensive skills in the game. This ability reduces your incoming damage by 25%, reflects projectiles and arrows back at enemies at rank 2, and knocks back melee attackers at rank 3. This skill is essential for battles where you face off against multiple foes at once.

Fighter Skills

The Fighter Skill Tree for Avowed focuses on close-quarters dominance, durability, and crowd control using physical force. The recommended Fighter Tree skills are:

• Toughness (Rank 3) – This gives a solid percentage boost to max health which is great if you happen to take a few hits and need extra time to survive.
• Constant Recovery (Rank 1) – This passive is useful early on in the game when you have less options for healing. Later you can respec the point into something else if you want.
• Adrenaline (Rank 1) – When below 50% Health, your Attack Damage is increased by 25%. When below 25% Health, your Attack Damage is increased by another 25% and your stability is increased by 20%.

Gunslinger Build Leveling Guide

Players can unlock 35 total talent points in Avowed, starting with 1 point per level at level 2, and including 1 bonus point for levels 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30.

Combat Tips for the Gunslinger

Playing the Gunslinger build effectively requires strategic positioning, weapon swapping, and mobility. Try to start from maximum range by using your arquebus to take down key targets from a distance before enemies are alerted. This rifle is ideal for eliminating high-priority foes and staggering bosses with its high stun potential. Once enemies close the gap, switch to dual pistols to maximize your damage-per-second (DPS) in mid-range combat, leveraging headshots for critical strikes.

When dealing with melee enemies, be sure to use Tanglefoot to root them in place, preventing them from reaching you. If the situation gets overwhelming, activate Shadowing Beyond to go invisible and reposition yourself. Against groups of archers or ranged spellcasters, you can cast Arcane Veil to reflect projectiles back at them. This ability is particularly useful when dealing with large groups, as it turns their own attacks against them and lets you focus on controlling melee enemies first. By utilizing Quick Switch, you can continuously swap weapons instead of manually reloading, ensuring constant firepower without downtime.

During boss fights, focus on stun-locking them with the arquebus, landing consecutive head shots to maximize your stun buildup. This prevents them from executing powerful attacks and allows you to maintain control of the encounter. Mastering these techniques will make your Gunslinger nearly unstoppable in Avowed!

Recommended Companions

1. Kai – Kai’s Fire and Ire ability to taunt enemies, and his second wind make him a reliable tank, which deals decent damage and stun thanks to the low cooldown of Fire and Ire. His ability to pull aggro from enemies and take melee or ranged pressure off of your ranged character is invaluable.
2. Yatzli – Her area of effect damage is incredibly powerful and helps fill in the gaps of this build tremendously. Her damage also helps against enemies that may be a tier higher than you, allowing you to take on fights you otherwise couldn’t touch.

The Final Word

The Gunslinger build in Avowed is one of the most powerful playstyles in the game, offering a perfect balance damage and evasion. I hope you found this guide helpful and be sure to check out the rest of our Avowed content linked below!

Update Log

• March 1, 2025 – Build created for Avowed release
• January 22, 2026 – updated leveling guide, best weapons, armor and accessories
• February 11, 2026 – updated for Avowed Anniversary Patch
• March 25, 2026 – updated information for Best Attributes and Best Weapons
• June 29, 2026 – updated Skills section

More Avowed Builds

Looking for the best Avowed Builds? We’ve got you covered! Check out our best Avowed Builds below, with detailed skill explanations, gear loadouts, and leveling guides.

• Avowed Complete Builds List
• Avowed Battle Mage Build
• Avowed Fighter Build
• Avowed Gun Mage Build
• Avowed Gunslinger Build
• Avowed Ranger Build
• Avowed Rogue Build
• Avowed Spellblade Build
• Avowed Two Handed Build
• Avowed Unarmed Build
• Avowed Wand Build
• Avowed Wizard Build