EpicGuns 0.3.2

EpicGuns begins with an early-game 1911 and its own craftable .45 ACP ammunition. The weapon looks and sounds like a pistol while deliberately using Valheim's Bow item category and Bows skill, allowing Bow passives and compatible Bow magic effects to work on it.

What is included

• 1911 pistol with a simple visible model, clean inventory icon, right-hand-only aiming pose, and short realistic pistol report
• .45 ACP ammunition with its own icon, compact projectile visual, and glowing orange tracer
• Bow item category and Bows skill progression
• Epic Loot item-info patch for the Black Forest (defeated_gdking) tier
• Multiplayer version checks; install the mod on the server and every client
• Server-synchronized balance configuration plus local audio and aim-pose adjustments
• No player pushback when firing by default
• Oversized-model safety fallback

Recipes

Both recipes unlock at a level 1 Forge.

1911

• 8 Bronze
• 4 Fine Wood
• 2 Deer Hide

Upgrades use 4 Bronze, 2 Fine Wood, and 1 Deer Hide per quality level. Maximum quality is 4.

20 × .45 ACP

• 1 Copper
• 2 Coal
• 1 Resin

Balance

• 22 pierce from the 1911
• 18 pierce from .45 ACP
• 40 combined base pierce
• +4 weapon pierce per quality level
• 1-second reload
• 5 stamina per shot
• 250 base durability

Configuration

After launching the game once with EpicGuns 0.3.2 installed, edit:

BepInEx/config/com.triston.epicguns.cfg

The configuration includes FireRate in shots per second (1 by default), weapon and ammunition damage, projectile speed, stamina, DisableFiringPushback, optional pushback strength, gunshot volume, tracer enable/lifetime/width, and right-arm pose tuning. Gameplay and recoil settings synchronize from the server; aim-pose, tracer, and audio settings remain local. Restart Valheim after editing the file by hand.

Epic Loot compatibility

Epic Loot is optional. When installed, the included patch adds EpicGuns_1911 to the Bow list at the Black Forest boss tier so it can participate in Epic Loot's item selection systems. The weapon remains a Bow-category item using the Bows skill for Bow-compatible effects—including supported multishot effects—but EpicGuns temporarily routes it through Valheim's one-handed equip path so its model appears in the right hand.

The patch is installed to:

BepInEx/config/EpicLoot/patches/EpicGuns.iteminfo.json

Installation

Use EpicGuns-0.3.2.zip for installation. Import it as a local mod through your mod manager, or extract it into the r2modman profile folder or Valheim game folder. The ZIP contains the correct BepInEx directories. When updating manually, replace the previous EpicGuns installation so only one EpicGuns DLL is loaded. Keep your existing CFG settings. The source ZIP is for development, not installation.

Required:

• BepInExPack Valheim 5.4.2350 or newer compatible 5.4 release
• Jötunn 2.30.2

For multiplayer, install the same EpicGuns version on the server and all players.

Console testing

With developer commands enabled:

spawn EpicGuns_1911

spawn EpicGuns_45ACP 100

Right-hand pose and firing

This foundation release still uses Valheim's stable projectile and reload behavior under the hood, but inherited crossbow audio, crossbow player shove, and the visible crossbow reload animation are removed. The body uses a one-handed state. The client-side pose controller aligns the actual equipped pistol with the aim direction, accounting for the hand socket and equipment rotation offsets. The empty left arm stays relaxed, including during firing; a shield or other off-hand item retains its normal animated pose. Pose overrides are restored before the next animation update and when the controller is disabled. Existing yaw, pitch, roll, elbow, and arm-extension settings remain available.

Package contents

manifest.json
icon.png
README.md
CHANGELOG.md
LICENSE
BepInEx/
  plugins/EpicGuns/
    EpicGuns.dll
    assets/1911_icon.png
    assets/45acp_icon.png
    assets/1911_gunshot.wav
  config/EpicLoot/patches/EpicGuns.iteminfo.json

BepInEx and Jotunn are declared dependencies and are not bundled. Epic Loot remains optional. The runtime CFG is generated by BepInEx; the package does not overwrite your settings.

Building from source

Use a .NET SDK supporting C# 12 (SDK 8 or newer), the installed Valheim managed assemblies, BepInEx core assemblies, and Jotunn.dll. The plugin targets .NET Standard 2.1.

From the extracted source folder, run in PowerShell:

.\build.ps1 `
  -EpicGunsManaged 'D:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Valheim\valheim_Data\Managed' `
  -EpicGunsBepInEx 'C:\path\to\profile\BepInEx\core' `
  -EpicGunsJotunn 'C:\path\to\profile\BepInEx\plugins\ValheimModding-Jotunn'

Replace all paths with your own installation paths. The script compiles in a fresh temporary directory, checks the assembly version, and produces:

• src/bin/Release/netstandard2.1/EpicGuns.dll with the required assets alongside it.
• dist/EpicGuns-0.3.2.zip: complete installation package.
• dist/EpicGuns-0.3.2-source.zip: source, assets, integration patch, documentation, and build script; no game/dependency DLLs or generated build files.
• A build log and SHA-256 checksums in dist.

Validation

The 0.3.2 release was compiled against locally installed Valheim, BepInEx, and Jotunn assemblies. The hand/socket rotation correction and two-bone arm geometry were checked with randomized mathematical cases. Compilation and mathematical checks do not replace in-game visual testing. Check grip alignment, the empty left arm while idle and firing, off-hand blocking, weapon switching, and both player models in your mod profile.