Combat and Weapons
Far Far West plays like a classic arena shooter, so standing still gets you killed on Hard difficulty and above. Your toolkit combines firearms unlocked permanently through Weapon Fragments with spells from five magic schools: Pyro, Acid, Elec, Cactus, and Voodoo. Stacking two spells from different schools triggers cross-school combos, and bunnyhopping is the movement tech that keeps you alive on Very Hard and Nightmare.
Far Far West plays more like a classic arena shooter than a cover-based tactical game. Standing still is a death sentence. The enemy tracking algorithms punish static positions, and on Hard difficulty and above, you will die in seconds if you stop moving. Think Doom with six-shooters and magic, not Rainbow Six.
Your combat toolkit has two halves: firearms and arcane spells drawn from five distinct magic schools. Mastering both, and learning how they interact, is the difference between extracting rich and dying broke.
Weapon Classes
You carry a primary weapon and a secondary sidearm into every drop. Weapons are permanent unlocks earned through Weapon Fragments, not random loot drops. You select your loadout at the Saloon before each mission.
| Weapon | Type | Notable Stats | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leveredge | Rifle | Balanced damage, medium range | An early unlock (6 fragments plus 300 Gold), not a starter |
| Revolver | Sidearm (Starter Secondary) | High damage per shot, slow reload | Precision hits at close to medium range |
| Dual Revolvers | Sidearm | 11 base damage (buffed from 9 in Update 1) | Highest close-range DPS option |
| Shotgun | Primary | Damage falloff begins around 8m | Close-range burst damage against armored targets |
| Bow | Primary | 31 arrows (buffed from 20 in Update 1) | Area-of-effect explosive damage |
| Quad Cylinder | Rifle (Starter Primary) | 9 base damage, 216 ammo reserve | Your actual starting workhorse, buffed repeatedly through the 0.1.1.x patches |
| Minigun | Heavy | High sustained DPS | Shredding bosses (accuracy lowered 30% in the 0.1.1.10 hotfix) |
| Boomerang | Special | Zero ammo consumption, returns to player | Solo play and ammo conservation |
The Boomerang requires zero ammunition and returns to you after each throw. Solo players should strongly consider this weapon to avoid running dry during long boss fights.
Weapon Progression
Every weapon has its own XP track. You level weapons by dealing damage and killing enemies with them. Higher-level weapons unlock additional perks and modifiers.
One critical detail: the Bow generates XP based on explosive damage and the number of enemies hit in a single blast. Before Patch 0.1.1.3, Bow explosions generated zero XP, making leveling it miserable. The patch fixed that, and 0.1.1.10 moved the calculation client-side. Herd enemies into tight clusters before detonating for optimal XP gain.
The Five Magic Schools
There is no "Kinetic" or "Frost" magic in Far Far West. The spell system is organized into five schools, each holding five spells that unlock at character levels 1, 4, 12, 20, and 35.
| School | Identity | Example Spells |
|---|---|---|
| Pyro | Sustained fire damage with damage-over-time effects | Fireball, Firebeam, Surcharge, Wisp, Finger Guns |
| Acid | Environmental control and combo priming | Bubble, Rain, Geyser, Thrower, Contagion |
| Elec | Chaining damage and mobility | Strikes, Boing, Swap, Thunderstrike, Portal |
| Cactus | Autonomous summons | Mino, Pistolero, Wallo, Decoyo, Bandito |
| Voodoo | Team sustain and corruption | Drain, Rescue, Corruption, Ritual, Doll |
Note the naming: the fire school is displayed as Pyro in game, and its identity is sustained burn instead of one-off burst. Cactus summons a whole family of minions (mines, turrets, walls, decoys, and a golem), not just turrets.
Key Spells to Know
- Boing (Elec): Your primary movement spell. It does not grant invulnerability. The only protection it offers is immunity to its own explosion damage.
- Swap (Elec): A repositioning tool, not a panic button. It grants no invulnerability frames, and it does not work on Horsemen or bosses at all.
- Doll (Voodoo): This is the actual invincibility spell. It summons a doll that grants invincibility and high speed to allies inside its zone.
- Strikes (Elec): Chains lightning between multiple targets, and your main Elec clearing tool.
- Contagion (Acid): Despite sounding like a curse, Contagion is an Acid spell that corrodes enemies in a wide zone and applies Contagious. It has a 70-second cooldown and a 1.5x XP multiplier, which makes it one of the best spells to level with.
There is no spell called "Arc" in this game. The Impulse Grenade is real, but it is a Utility item alongside the Ammo Pack, Healing Area, and Bottle Crate, not a spell. The name most likely comes from Elec's "arcing to nearby enemies" status text.
Spell XP
Spell schools level independently, and XP scales with a spell's cooldown multiplied by a per-school XP multiplier. High-cooldown spells like Contagion pay far more per cast than short-cooldown spells like Geyser.
The +200 first-cast bonus is the detail worth acting on, and it is bigger than commonly described: it applies per school, not once per mission. With five schools' worth of spells equipped, casting one spell from each at spawn banks up to 1,000 XP before you have fought anything.
Cross-School Combos
The true depth of combat comes from stacking two different spell effects on the same surface or enemy to trigger a volatile secondary reaction. This mechanic is not explained anywhere in the game, and the documented combos go far beyond the three that circulate in player discussions.
| Combo | Ingredients | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Fire Tornado | Acid Puddle + Firebeam (any order), or Pyro Puddle + Bubble (puddle first) | A roaming fire tornado that seeks hostile targets |
| Acid Storm | Rain first, then Strikes | Localized lightning storm chaining through the acid zone |
| Votive Candles | Any elemental puddle + Drain, Rescue, or Ritual | Transmutes the surface into a healing field for allies |
These combos are essential for surviving Nightmare difficulty. For the full index, read our Elemental Combos guide.
Bunnyhopping
Survivability on Very Hard and Nightmare difficulty relies almost entirely on a movement technique the community calls "bunnyhopping." The game does not teach this.
The sequence:
- Dash (Shift)
- Jump (Spacebar) immediately
- The instant your boots touch the ground, chain another Dash + Jump
This preserves and amplifies your horizontal momentum, letting you outpace enemy tracking algorithms.
Boing plus Thunderstrike is a separate technique, not part of the bunnyhop chain. Casting Boing mid-air while descending from Thunderstrike carries the descent momentum and delays the ground smash. The developers describe it as originally unintended, and it was deliberately re-enabled in Patch 0.1.1.18.
Static firefights are a death sentence on Hard and above. Bunnyhopping is a mandatory survival skill for endgame content, not an optional exploit.
Surviving Boss Fights
Difficulty changes far more than health bars. Enemies gain health and damage, spawn more frequently, and new enemy types enter the roster entirely. Bosses can even gain attacks: the Cryptic Train picks up laser beams on Hard and above. Player count matters too, since the Necromancer fires more projectiles when more players are present.
Every boss has a distinct telegraph before a major attack. Watch animations, not health bars. When the boss winds up, stop shooting and dodge. Prioritize survival over damage.
Manage the spawned adds. Summoning the Necromancer triggers an infinite Storm that keeps spawning additional enemies, and clearing them matters as much as hitting the boss. For full boss breakdowns, read our Boss Encounters guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the five magic schools in Far Far West?
Pyro, Acid, Elec, Cactus, and Voodoo, each with five spells unlocking at levels 1, 4, 12, 20, and 35. Pyro deals sustained fire damage over time, Acid creates hazard zones and combo primers, Elec covers chaining damage and mobility, Cactus summons minions, and Voodoo provides team sustain and corruption.
How do you bunnyhop in Far Far West?
Dash with Shift, jump with Spacebar immediately after, then chain another dash and jump the instant you land. Casting Boing mid-air during a Thunderstrike descent is a separate technique that carries your momentum and delays the ground smash.
Which spell grants invulnerability in Far Far West?
The Voodoo Doll, which summons a doll granting invincibility and high speed to allies in its zone. Boing and Swap do not grant invulnerability, and Swap does not work on Horsemen or bosses at all.
How do you level spells fast in Far Far West?
Spell XP scales with cooldown and a per-school multiplier, so high-cooldown spells pay far more. Contagion, an Acid spell with a 70-second cooldown and a 1.5x multiplier, is among the best. Cast one spell from every equipped school at spawn, because the +200 first-cast bonus applies per school and can bank 1,000 XP.
Why does the Bow not gain XP?
Bow explosions generated zero XP before Patch 0.1.1.3. The patch fixed it, and Bow XP now comes from explosive damage and the number of enemies hit in a single blast. Herd enemies into tight clusters before you detonate.
What to Read Next
- Elemental Combos. Cross-school reactions and how to trigger them.
- Joker Cards. The perk system that reshapes your damage each run.
- Boss Encounters. Applying combat tech to Cryptic bosses.
- Co-op vs Solo. How damage modifiers change per squad size.
- Tips and Tricks. The per-school cast bonus, and which spells give no invulnerability.