When & How Do You Get a Rifle in Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden?

One of the main protagonists in Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, the Scottish Banisher known as Red, can use a Rifle to inflict ranged damage on enemies and solve environmental obstacles. Unfortunately, you won’t get this item immediately, so here’s how to acquire a Rifle if you’re curious. 

How to Get a Rifle in Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

The equipment screen spoils that Red will use a Rifle at some point throughout Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, but you won’t be able to purchase one from any vendor early into the game. You’ll receive your first Rifle from Kate, one of the leaders of the settlers surviving within the Dark Woods biome, as your investigations lead toward killing the Beast haunting the area.

Before this point, you’ll have to gather clues surrounding two Haunting Cases and bring them closure by either doing a blame ritual on a settler or ascending/banishing the ghost stalking them while waiting for the camp’s other leader, Thickskin, to return. Basically, as long as you stick to the main scenario quests, you will get the Rifle for Red.

Related: How to Upgrade Equipment in Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

How to Use the Rifle in Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

The Rifle is relatively easy to use and has a simple function. As you hold the key/trigger assigned to your Rifle, Red will arm himself with the weapon to aim, and then you can press the button designated to fire the Rifle once you’ve set your sights on an enemy. 

Unfortunately, this is a 17th-century Rifle straight from the history books, so you can only shoot one bullet at a time. To reload it, holding down the aim button will slowly have Red go through a reloading animation with a curving white bar around the crosshair. Wait for this to fill, and you’ll be ready to shoot again.

The Rifle isn’t strong, but it can be a powerful ranged option under specific conditions and based on your Evolution skills and equipment. For instance, a Rifle later in the game deals additional damage when hitting enemy weak points, or you could get an Evolution skill that massively boosts damage output for your Rifle by sacrificing your entire Banish gauge.

It’s entirely up to you how and when you use the Rifle to your benefit, but I found it most viable to make it as close to a glass-cannon weapon as I could since that one shot could mean life and death at times.  

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is available on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation.