Gun

Different guns in World of Warcraft. Most guns will look rather mundane until level 60+. For each gun's name, click this image.

A dwarf shooting a gun, in the intro cinematic of World of Warcraft.

Guns are long-ranged weapons that use an explosive charge (in a similar manner to the black powder charges used by real-world flintlock weaponry) to propel a bullet. They are similar to bows and crossbows in use; all three use the shooting skill and related hunter skills. Character stats are applied the same way for each type, although the item stats will be different for each type.

History

Ancient times

 [Titanstrike] was Azeroth's first firearm.

Second War

This section concerns content related to the Warcraft novels, novellas, or short stories.

By the Second War, Ironforge was now producing pistols.

Third War

This section concerns content related to Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos or its expansion The Frozen Throne.

Using the legendary single-shot Blunderbuss Long Rifles, the brave dwarven riflemen served during the War.

Guns could also be found in the hand of humans. Pierce's Pistols was a shop in Stratholme before the war started, and the Gilneans were known for using pistols as well.

Notes

The weapon used in the Rogue ability [Pistol Shot].

• Notably, all useable guns in World of Warcraft are aimed and fired as long guns; there are no handguns item available to players. Handguns are represented by the [Pistol Shot] Outlaw rogue ability, although numerous other characters in the lore have made use of handguns, and they seem far more common among Gilneans than the rest of Azeroth. Characters that have used handguns in the lore include Jerias Bloodvein, Vincent Godfrey, Genn Greymane and Halford Ramsey.
• All gun "types" are purely cosmetic; boomstick, blunderbuss, shotgun, rifle, etc, all use the gun weapon skill. They all work the same way.
• Before patch 6.0.2, guns made a noticeably large explosion when fired. Some players found this to be irritating. In PvP, the sound also had a tendency to give away the shooter's presence and/or position from a farther distance. This was changed in patch 6.0.2.

Acquiring and upgrading

There are several ways to acquire a gun. Like all other weapons and armor, they can be:

• Bought from various types of vendors
• Looted from mobs
• Rewarded from quests
• Crafted by engineers

There are also different ways to improve your gun:

• Simply acquire a better gun with better stats
• Add an engineer-crafted scope on it

In-game history

The subject of this section has been removed from World of Warcraft.

Different things related to guns have changed since World of Warcraft began:

Training

Before patch 4.0.1, only dwarf and tauren hunters started with the gun skill. All other hunters, rogues and warriors had to learn the gun skill from trainers (see weapon trainers for details).

Dwarves have a racial trait that improves their ability to use guns - Gun Specialization: Increase Gun Critical Hit chance by 1%

Ammo

Prior to patch 4.0.1, players also required bullets (an item type) to fire their guns. The patch removed the need for ammunition, which also removed arrows from bows and crossbows. Now, guns will endlessly fire and only stop firing when they break.

Ammo Pouches

An Ammo Pouch was previously a type of bag-item which held only bullets. Bullets could be stored both in ammo pouches or in regular bags, but the pouches usually had more inventory slots than regular bags. With the removal of ammunition in patch 4.0.1, ammo pouches were also removed from the game (they were no longer craftable, and any existing ones were converted into normal bags).

In the RPG

This section contains information from the Warcraft RPG which is considered non-canon.

Firearms are a relatively new dwarven invention. Despite the dangers of dealing with volatile explosives, dwarves are fascinated by the possibilities. Dwarven gunmakers constantly tinker with the guns they craft, trying out new designs and upgrades, naming and decorating their weapons.

Gun Types

• Blunderbusses

This basic firearm deals damage to anyone in a 5-foot wide path beyond that distance, out to maximum range. It holds a single shot and thereafter it is required to reload for another shot.

• Flintlock Pistol

A flintlock pistol is powerful but inaccurate, not so much a small version of the long rifle as it is like firing a bomb though a short tube. It holds a single shot and thereafter it is required to reload for another shot.

• Long Rifle

The king of small arms, a long rifle is nearly as long as a dwarf is tall. Thanks to the innovative barrel design, a skilled sharpshooter can use the long rifle to knock an apple of an orc’s head from nearly half a mile away – assuming the rifleman can resist the urge to shoot the orc instead. The long rifle holds a single shot and thereafter it is required to reload for another shot.

Lore gallery

• 

  A blunderbuss

• 

  A blunderbuss and a pouch with bullets

• 

  A flintlock pistol

• 

  A flintlock pistol and a bullet

• 

  A long rifle

Gallery

• 

  Great Glorious Alliance guns.

• 

  Blood Horde guns.

Patch changes

• Patch 6.0.2 (2014-10-14): Guns now make quieter sounds when shot.
  
• Patch 5.0.4 (2012-08-28): Guns changed from ranged items to main hand items.
  
• Patch 4.0.1 (2010-10-12): Guns no longer use ammunition.
  

See also

• Per Class Proficiencies for which classes can learn to use which weapons.
• Acid Gun (RPG), a type of gun invented by goblin tinkers.
• Dragon gun, another type of gun invented by goblin tinkers.
• [Pistol Shot] and [Blunderbuss]