Can you use guns in Shadows of Doubt?

Scott "Dorian"

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Detectives have a variety of weapons and tools at their disposal. One such item that private eyes often use in films and games is a gun, so it would make sense to appear in Shadows of Doubt. You’ll find many guns in the game and even a weapon shop, but when it comes time to use one, doing so isn’t exactly how you would think. Here’s what you need to know about using guns in Shadows of Doubt.

Can you use guns in Shadows of Doubt?

Getting right to the point, yes, you can use guns in Shadows of Doubt. However, you’ll only be able to physically hit someone with one and not actually shoot bullets. It’s a specific design choice from the developers as having guns kill NPCs would affect the procedurally generated world and its cases.

Is there a way to use guns in Shadows of Doubt?

You can use guns in Shadows of Doubt but you cannot shoot them. Instead, you’ll be able to hit an NPC with it by using the gun as a blunt instrument. To do so, you’ll need to find a gun in the world. You can purchase one from a gun shop or loot one from an NPC. To buy a gun, approach the merchant and speak to them by using Left Click.

Find the gun you desire, purchase it, and it’ll be added to your inventory. From there, go into your inventory by pressing X, choose the gun you want and assign it to your hand slot by pressing Left Click. Once correctly placed, you’ll be able to use the weapon by using Left Click or Right Click to hit someone.

It’s rather confusing when you’re allowed to pick up a pistol or shotgun in the game but not use it as intended. It’s even more so when the tutorial includes a section that sends you to a gun shop to buy guns and ammunition. On top of all of that, NPCs are allowed to use guns to shoot you, so defending yourself by firing back would make sense. But as killing NPCs would impact the quest system, potentially breaking it, killing people with guns is not in the game.