Fistful of Frags: Complete Guide

A player's guide to Fistful of Frags (FoF), the free Wild West shooter on the Source engine: game modes, loadouts and perks after the December 2025 hand-perk rework, dual wielding and fanning, weapons, horses, maps, and how to get good at the duels.

Researched September 2026. Current as of the "Hand perks & Horse balance update" (26 December 2025), the game's latest gameplay patch. Community servers set the rules, so check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

It's completely free. No microtransactions and no registration. Some weapons and perks may be locked on brand-new Steam accounts (level 0) until you reach Steam level 1 or complete the in-game play-to-earn progression.
Guns are black-powder slow. Revolvers, lever-actions and single-shot rifles reload slowly. Count your shots and never get caught empty.
Headshots and movement decide duels. The skill-based scoring system rewards harder shots, so aim high and keep strafing.
Dual wielding is powerful but inaccurate. Two handguns means double the crosshairs and double the spread. Great up close, poor at range.
Fanning the hammer empties a revolver fast at close range. The December 2025 update made fanning cheaper and faster.
Your loadout costs stars. Weapons and perks draw on a limited budget, so choose a combination that fits your playstyle.
Whiskey heals. Grab bottles when you're hurt.
Kick and punch. Melee works when you're empty, and you can throw handguns as a last-ditch projectile.
Start with bots or single-player challenges to learn the weapons before hopping into busy servers.
Server rules vary. Many community servers run custom modes and weapon rules, so read the server name and the MOTD.

Game Modes

Mode	Format	What to do
Shootout	Free-for-all, or up to 4-team deathmatch	Non-stop action. FFA supports ladder-based global ranks
Teamplay	Team objective	Zone capture and "push the cart" maps
Cooperative	Up to 6 players vs AI	Missions like bank assault, last stand and push
Grand Elimination	Battle royale-style	Fast-paced last-player-standing
Break Bad	Team deathmatch variant	Custom rules like unarmed players or objectives
Team Elimination	Round-based	Kill the entire enemy team at least once to win the round
Versus	1v1 duels	Matchmade by rank and skill, with different arenas per map
Single-player challenges	Solo	Practice missions and skill trials

Community servers also run custom modes, such as Ghost Town (Halloween, with explosive bows, potions and ghosts), Knife Fight Club, Fistful of Zombies 2.0 and Gun Game.

Loadout, Stars and Perks

Your loadout is a primary weapon, a secondary weapon and perks or skills. Everything costs stars from a limited budget. Current hand-skill and perk values after the 26 December 2025 update:

Skill or perk	Effect	Cost
Fanning handgun skill	+30% handgun reload speed; walking speed penalty in fanning pose cut to -15% (was -38%); +5% faster transition to fanning pose	1 star (reduced)
Right handed handgun skill	+15% handgun reload speed; walking penalty in revolver aim pose cut to -30% (was -38%); +5% faster transition to aim pose	See in-game
Left handed handgun skill	+15% handgun reload speed	See in-game
Dual wield handgun skill	Two handguns at once	2 stars (increased)
Slide perk	Slide by pressing crouch while at running speed	2 stars (reduced)
Jump Master perk	Lets you wall jump	See in-game
Other perks	Movement and utility options; read the in-game description before spending stars	See in-game

The update aimed to make the game faster-paced and to even out playstyles, so single-revolver builds are more viable than before.

Loadout archetypes

Archetype	Setup	Plays like
Gunslinger	Single revolver plus Fanning	Mobile, fast close-range bursts. Cheap after the rework
Dual-wield brawler	Two handguns plus Dual wield	High close-range damage, poor accuracy at range
Rifleman	Henry Rifle, Smith Carbine or Sharps plus a sidearm	Mid-to-long range control
Shotgunner	A shotgun as primary	Interior maps and cart pushes
Scout	Light gun plus the Slide perk	Movement and flanking

Weapons

FoF's arsenal is based on historical black-powder guns. The developers' own store page names these:

Handguns: Colt Peacemaker, Colt Navy, Colt Walker, S&W Schofield, Volcanic pistol, Deringer
Rifles and carbines: Henry Rifle, Smith Carbine, Sharps rifle
Also in the loadout menu: shotguns, a bow, knives, explosives and your fists. The exact list (and what's locked on new accounts) is shown in the in-game loadout screen, and community servers may add or restrict weapons

Weapon tips:

Revolvers are the backbone. Learn their reload times.
The Sharps is a one-shot powerhouse at range. Miss and you're exposed.
Lever-actions are forgiving mid-range weapons.
Shotguns are devastating indoors.
Dynamite clears objectives and camps, but watch the fuse.
Weapon flipping changes accuracy options with some guns, and you can drop or throw handguns as a projectile.

Horses

Horses let you cover ground fast and ram enemies. After the December 2025 update:

Acceleration is lower. Reaching full speed takes longer.
The ramming kill needs a bit more speed than before.
Buildings and tight streets limit riding. Dismount to fight indoors.

Use horses to reposition between objectives, but don't expect easy trample kills anymore.

Maps

FoF ships with a set of official maps (all prefixed fof_, such as fof_fistful and fof_robertlee) and many more community maps; each server's rotation differs, so check the server browser's map column. The Halloween map fof_hammercult (by Domm Havai) debuted in October 2025 on Ghost Town servers.

Map tips:

Learn whiskey and weapon spawns. Control them on FFA maps.
Rooftops and balconies dominate small town maps.
Interiors favor shotguns and dual wield.
Open plains favor rifles and horses.

Dueling (Versus Mode) Tips

Strafe while firing. Standing still in a duel is a death sentence.
Aim for the head. Most handguns kill much faster with headshots.
Count your shots. Don't reload in the open unless your opponent is reloading.
Break line of sight to reload.
Use the arena. Cover and corners let you bait shots.

Achievements

FoF has 20 Steam achievements. None need a special mode except the cannon tutorial, and most come from normal Shootout play once you know what triggers them.

Achievement	Requirement	How to get it
My Name is Nobody	First kill in a game with other human players	Join any populated server
Frag Robber	Kill enemies badly hurt by another player while that player is still close	Hang around big fights and finish off wounded targets
More Dead Than Alive	Get frags below 15 HP	Keep fighting instead of running for whiskey when you're nearly dead
Dutch Courage	Kill enemies while under whiskey's effect	Drink, then fight straight away
Hat-Shooter	Knock off 15 enemy hats by shooting over their heads	Aim just above the head; misses in normal play add up
The Unforgiven	End an enemy streak of 7 or more kills	Hunt whoever is topping the scoreboard
Best Friends	Kill a few Steam friends with bare hands	Arrange it with friends on a quiet server
Kick their asses	Kick enemies into water, fire or a big fall	Maps with ledges, rivers and fires
Overweighted	Kill while 100% overencumbered from carrying weapons	Pick up dropped guns until you're maxed out, then get a kill
Overpowered	Kill enemies with dual Colt Walkers	Pick the Walker plus Dual wield in your loadout
A Fistful of Dynamite	Kills from an explosive chain reaction	Blow up dynamite or explosive objects near other explosives
Robin Hood	Long-range bow headshots	Needs a bow; lead your target and aim high for drop
Defuser	Pick up lit dynamite thrown by other players	Grab it before the fuse runs out, then throw it back
Detonator	Kill by shooting lit dynamite	Shoot sticks mid-air or on the ground near enemies
Certified mobile cannon operator	Complete the mobile cannon tutorial	Play the tutorial once
Sliding killer	25 kills while sliding	Equip the Slide perk
Bouncing around	25 kick kills right after wall-jumping	Equip Jump Master; practise on bots first
Level: Rancher / Gunfighter / Legend	Complete 25 / 100 / 500 games	These come with time

The rarest are Bouncing around (0.2%) and Sliding killer (0.3%), because both need a movement perk most players don't run. Build a dedicated loadout for each and farm them on a busy Shootout server.

Update History

FoF has been on Steam since 9 May 2014 and grew out of a Source mod that dates back to around 2007. Key updates from the official Steam news:

Date	Update
Late 2014 to early 2015	Frequent client and dedicated-server updates after launch
16 December 2015	Big update: Team Elimination mode, a portable whiskey jug and a classic 12-slot Robert Lee map
16 September 2016	Steam Workshop support for skins, maps, sounds and particle effects
27 October 2018	New weapon: the Hammerless pocket revolver (fast firing, low damage, 5 rounds)
5 May 2020	fof_robertlee_goty, a classic version of the Robert Lee steamboat map
16 February 2021	New map fof_nest and a completely reworked respawn system
15 October 2021	Halloween: TnT Bows, one spawning per team at the start of each round
November 2021	Official Ranked Competitive Shootout (O.R.C.S.) season 2
28 May 2022	Highlight of recent updates: the Slide and Jump Master perks
24 December 2022	Horse riding added
16 February 2023	O.R.C.S. season 3, with an exclusive scoreboard badge and Golden Guns effect for the top 3
7 April 2023	The Retextured DLC: the stylized texture set returns as an optional download, plus a Tortuga map update
26 December 2025	Hand perks and horse balance update (see the loadout section)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Dual wielding at range. The spread makes you miss.
Running dry. Black-powder guns reload slowly.
Ignoring whiskey.
Staying mounted in tight town streets. Horses shine in the open, not indoors.
Rushing with a Sharps. It's for patient picks.
Not reading server rules. Custom servers change weapons and modes.
Assuming old perk costs. The December 2025 update changed them.

Advanced Tips

Fanning plus the Right handed skill makes a fast, mobile gunslinger now that walking penalties are lower.
Throw your empty handgun for a finishing hit.
Kick doors and opponents to create space.
Use Slide to break an opponent's aim when you close distance.
Play Versus to improve. Matchmaking by rank gives fair practice.
Offline bots are great for practice.

Community and Servers

FoF runs on Source Engine 2013 with community-hosted dedicated servers, LAN support and third-party maps.
Server owners needed to relaunch servers with the updated version number after the December 2025 update.
Community events are announced on the Steam hub. Fans also revived the pre-Steam mod version 3.9a for meet-ups in May 2026.
Some third-party servers show ads when you join. That's unrelated to the dev team.

FAQ

Is Fistful of Frags free? Yes, completely free, with no microtransactions.

Why are some weapons locked? Steam level 0 accounts may have some weapons and perks locked until they reach Steam level 1 or complete the in-game points progression.

What changed in the latest update? The 26 December 2025 update reworked hand perks (Fanning cheaper and faster, Dual wield more expensive, Slide cheaper) and slowed horse acceleration.

What are the hardest achievements? Bouncing around (25 kick kills right after a wall jump) and Sliding killer (25 kills while sliding). Equip Jump Master or Slide respectively and farm them on busy Shootout servers.

When were horses added? Horse riding arrived in the December 2022 update and was rebalanced on 26 December 2025.

Can I play offline? Yes, with bots or in the single-player challenges.

Is there co-op? Yes, Cooperative mode for up to 6 players, with missions like bank assault and last stand.

Does FoF run on Linux or Steam Deck? Check the platform icons on the Steam store page for current native support. The community notes that even the old pre-Steam 3.9a mod version runs on Linux and SteamOS through Proton.