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Combat and Weapons

By ScotPublished Updated Checked against Patch 0.2.0.20 on

Tactical Quick Answer

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 with Blueprints, melee weapons since the Frostburn update, and spells from six magic schools: Pyro, Acid, Elec, Cactus, Voodoo, and the new Frost. Stacking two spells from different schools triggers cross-school combos, Shield Points now sit above your HP bar as a second layer of defense, 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 six 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 paid for with Blueprints, not random loot drops. You select your loadout at the Saloon before each mission.

WeaponTypeNotable StatsBest For
LeveredgeRifleBalanced damage, medium range, default reserve ammo increased from 80 to 90 in FrostburnAn early unlock (8 Blueprints since Patch 0.2.0.20, no Gold cost since Frostburn), not a starter
RevolverSidearm (Starter Secondary)High damage per shot, default reserve ammo increased from 48 to 60 in Frostburn, no longer loses attack speed while aimingPrecision hits at close to medium range
Dual RevolversSidearm11 base damage (buffed from 9 in Update 1), reload explosions no longer damage you as of Frostburn, attack speed upgrade back and Swamp Trick Joker explosions no longer self-damaging as of Patch 0.2.0.20Highest close-range DPS option
ShotgunPrimaryDamage falloff begins around 8mClose-range burst damage against armored targets
BowPrimary31 arrows (buffed from 20 in Update 1), base arrow damage increased from 2 to 8 and max bent-arrow damage from 15 to 30 in FrostburnArea-of-effect explosive damage
Quad CylinderRifle (Starter Primary)9 base damage, 216 ammo reserveYour actual starting workhorse, buffed repeatedly through the 0.1.1.x patches
MinigunHeavyHigh sustained DPSShredding bosses (accuracy lowered 30% in the 0.1.1.10 hotfix)
BoomerangSpecialZero ammo consumption, returns to player, base damage increased from 5 to 6, lifesteal upgrade reworked from 1.25% per upgrade (max 8, 24% cap) to 1% per upgrade (max 5, 5% cap) in Frostburn, aligning it with other weapons, and its lifesteal works properly as of Patch 0.2.0.20Solo play and ammo conservation
tip

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.

Patch 0.2.0.20 fixed two weapon upgrades. The Life Steal upgrade works on secondary weapons, and the Sheriff Star's Draw Speed upgrade reduces the weapon's pre-fire delay instead of only speeding up the visuals.

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.

Melee Weapons​

Frostburn (v0.2.0.2) added Far Far West's first melee weapons, described as only the first batch with more to come. They do not use a dedicated slot: a melee weapon replaces either your primary or your secondary, so check you can still kill every enemy type with what remains before you drop into a mission.

WeaponSlotIdentityCharged Attack
KnucklesPrimaryShort range, no ammo, no aim required. Right-click sends a damaging burst in a wide cone.Fist Ro Dah propels you backward and has a 20% chance to apply Frost
LassoPrimaryDecent reach. Right-click deals damage to every enemy in front of you for a few seconds.Sky Lash grants +50% move speed and lets you fly. Since Patch 0.2.0.20 it triggers when attacking empty air and no longer stops your momentum
BanjoSecondarySlow, weak attacks with healing power. Right-click heals you and nearby allies in a zone.Bardbarian holds the slam attack longer for a more powerful blow. Rapid follow-up inputs after a slam no longer softlock you into a second slam as of Patch 0.2.0.20

Melee upgrades cover Range (more reach), Charging Speed (faster charge), and Chord Capacity (Banjo-exclusive, raises max chords).

Patch 0.2.0.20 (September 7, 2026) raised the XP multipliers on all three. Knuckles and Lasso went from x0.5 to x0.7, the Banjo from x0.6 to x1, and the Banjo now also earns XP from the HP it heals, yourself included. Banjo base damage went from 8 to 9, its slam from 20 to 25, and its heal range from 650 to 1024 (1300 to 2048 with the Lullabard Joker). The same patch makes melee weapons charge when hitting the Sky Cannon, the Cryptic Saloon boss, or the Cryptic Train, and stops them charging on shielded enemies.

Shield Points​

Frostburn also added a shield layer that sits above your HP bar and absorbs damage first. You gain Shield Points from specific Jokers, weapons, or Frost spells, and they automatically decay once you stop gaining them or stop taking damage for a few seconds. Capacity tops out at 100. Since Patch 0.2.0.20, gaining shield while you already hold some no longer makes it decay early.

The Six Magic Schools​

Frostburn (v0.2.0.2) added a real Frost school, so the old "no Kinetic or Frost magic" rule no longer holds. The spell system is now six schools, five of them holding five spells each that unlock at character levels 1, 4, 12, 20, and 35. Frost adds five spells of its own and can only be selected on your secondary weapon slot.

SchoolIdentityExample Spells
PyroSustained fire damage with damage-over-time effectsFireball, Firebeam, Surcharge, Wisp, Finger Guns
AcidEnvironmental control and combo primingBubble, Rain, Geyser, Thrower, Contagion
ElecChaining damage and mobilityStrikes, Boing, Swap, Thunderstrike, Portal
CactusAutonomous summonsMino, Pistolero, Wallo, Decoyo, Bandito
VoodooTeam sustain and corruptionDrain, Rescue, Corruption, Ritual, Doll
FrostFreezing enemies and reinforcing Shield Points, secondary weapon slot onlyBreeze, Bridge, Cube, Glaze, Blizzard

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. Applying Frost to an enemy also grants you +1 Shield Point. Patch 0.2.0.20 swapped Cube and Breeze in the Frost spell tree, so Breeze is now the first Frost spell and Cube the third.

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): Summons a doll that grants invincibility and high speed to allies inside its zone. Frostburn added a second invincibility spell, Cube (Frost), which turns yourself or an ally into an invulnerable ice cube, so Doll is no longer the only spell that grants it. Since Patch 0.2.0.20 you can cancel Cube's cast animation by holding the click while casting.
  • 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.
info

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.

ComboIngredientsResult
Fire TornadoAcid Puddle + Firebeam (any order), or Pyro Puddle + Bubble (puddle first)A roaming fire tornado that seeks hostile targets
Acid StormRain first, then StrikesLocalized lightning storm chaining through the acid zone
Votive CandlesAny elemental puddle + Drain, Rescue, or RitualTransmutes 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:

  1. Dash (Shift)
  2. Jump (Spacebar) immediately
  3. 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.

warning

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 six magic schools in Far Far West?

Pyro, Acid, Elec, Cactus, Voodoo, and the Frost school Frostburn added, 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, Voodoo provides team sustain and corruption, and Frost freezes enemies and reinforces your Shield Points from a secondary weapon slot only.

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, and since Frostburn also the Frost spell Cube, which turns yourself or an ally into an invulnerable ice cube. 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.