Gunslinger

Lore & Background

In the XCOM universe, the Gunslinger represents the old soldier's creed: get close, hit hard, and leave no second chance. While XCOM's arsenal includes precision rifles and long-range support weapons, the Gunslinger's pistols are versatile instruments designed for the moments when an alien breaks through a barricade or a Muton lunges at the squad. The specialization embodies the desperation of close-quarters alien warfare, where a single missed shot at range can mean the end of a soldier's career. Within XCOM's command structure, the Gunslinger is often the first specialization a new commander learns to trust. The pistol's accuracy at medium range makes it forgiving in the heat of combat, and the class's high damage output means a well-placed shot can eliminate even heavily armored alien types. Veterans of the XCOM ranks regard the Gunslinger not as a specialist in the traditional sense, but as the backbone of any assault squad—the soldier who holds the line when everything else has fallen. In XCOM 2, the specialization retains its core identity while the broader game introduces additional soldier specializations and a retraining system, allowing commanders to adapt their roster as the war against the Adversary escalates. The Gunslinger remains a staple of medium-range engagements, a reminder that no amount of technology replaces the effectiveness of a well-aimed pistol shot at ten meters' distance.

In Their Own Story

The corridor reeked of ozone and burnt chitin. Sergeant Vasquez pressed her back against the wall, shotgun raised, and counted the seconds until the Muton's next lunge. Three. Two. One. The brute's arm came around the corner, fingers splayed, and she fired. The blast tore through its chest plate and into the wet mass beyond. It dropped. She exhaled, racked the slide, and called it in: "One down. Moving up." The squad followed, boots echoing on the alien metal, and the war ground on.

Reader's Guide

CLASS: GUNSlinger Role: Close-range assault specialist Species: Human (XCOM operative)

The Gunslinger wields a shotgun, a weapon that deals heavy damage at 1–2 tiles of range but falls off sharply beyond that. In XCOM: Enemy Unknown, the class is one of the six starting specializations, and the player receives a Gunslinger at the outset of the campaign. In XCOM 2, the class persists as a core option, and the retraining system allows soldiers to shift into or out of the Gunslinger role as the roster evolves. Tactically, the Gunslinger excels at eliminating high-priority targets that have closed to melee range—Mutons, Berserkers, and other aggressive alien types. The shotgun's spread at close range also makes it effective against clustered enemies in narrow corridors. However, the short range demands careful positioning; a Gunslinger caught at three or four tiles is outmatched by a Heavy or Ranger. Strategy tip: Pair the Gunslinger with a Medic or Shield soldier to cover the approach, and use cover to force aliens into the two-tile kill zone. In XCOM 2, the class benefits from the broader weapon and ability trees, but its identity remains the same: get close, hit hard, and move on. Notable design note: Across both Firaxis titles, the Gunslinger has remained a starting class, underscoring its role as the player's introduction to close-quarters alien combat.

Did You Know?

• The Gunslinger is a skill tree branch for the Sharpshooter class in XCOM 2, not a starting class in XCOM: Enemy Unknown.
• In XCOM 2, Firaxis introduced a retraining system that lets commanders convert soldiers between classes, including into or out of the Gunslinger specialization.
• The pistol's medium-range damage profile makes the Gunslinger one of the most effective specializations against lightly armored alien types like Sectoids and Advent Troopers.
• The Gunslinger class does not carry forward the lineage of XCOM's original 1994 MicroProse title, as that game did not have named soldier specializations.