Rifles (VC1)

This article is about the Rifles in Valkyria Chronicles. For other uses, see Rifles (disambiguation).
Military rifles are semi-automatic rifles that are the primary weapons for the Scout and Engineer classes and their sub-classes.

Gallian Rifles Circa 1935

Gallian

A standard rifle developed by Gallia's only arms manufacturer, the National Arsenal. Created during EW1, it was issued to Gallian soldiers and saw use in combat before the war's end. By minimizing changes made to the action of existing models, developers were able to save time in realizing their design while also allowing for a wider range of uses through further customization. Its name came from its status as the first domestically designed rifle in the nation's history.

Type: Rifle Class: Scout, Scout Elite Length: 869mm Weight: 3680g Barrel: 432mm Caliber: 7.92mm
Model	VsPsnl	VsArmor	Aim	Range	Shots	Effect
Gallian-1	17	40	C	350	5	N/A
Gallian-2	22	40	C	350	5	N/A
Gallian-3	23	45	C	360	5	N/A
Gallian-4	24	45	C	360	5	N/A
Gallian-1R	32	60	B	350	5	N/A
Gallian-3R	35	62	B	350	5	N/A

Gallian-A

Designed to add stopping power to the Gallian's adaptable base, the Gallian-A also uses a water-based cooling system within the action to ensure smooth rapid fire, uncommon in standard rifles. The experimental system worked better than even its designers had expected, also enhancing firing accuracy. The stock and other parts are identical to those used in the Gallian.

Type: Rifle Class: Scout, Scout Elite Length: 997mm Weight: 4620g Barrel: 560mm Caliber: 7.92mm
Model	VsPsnl	VsArmor	Aim	Range	Shots	Effect
Gallian-A1	26	51	C	360	5	N/A
Gallian-A2	28	53	C	360	5	N/A
Gallian-A3	30	53	C	360	5	N/A
Gallian-A10	34	57	C	380	7	N/A
Gallian-A11	36	58	C	380	7	N/A
Gallian-A12	38	58	C	380	7	N/A
Gallian-A20	42	60	C	400	7	N/A

Gallian-S

Firing accuracy was the focal point when developers created this daughter to the original Gallians. Its construction is 90% identical to that of its parent. Each part was farmed out to craftsmen specializing in various fields, combining to create a finely-tuned gun. The barrel was also extended to an unusually extreme length to ensure a stable firing trajectory.

Type: Rifle Class: Scout, Scout Elite Length: 1049mm Weight: 4210g Barrel: 613mm Caliber: 7.92mm
Model	VsPsnl	VsArmor	Aim	Range	Shots	Effect
Gallian-S1	25	50	C	380	5	N/A
Gallian-S2	26	52	B	380	5	N/A
Gallian-S3	27	52	B	380	5	N/A
Gallian-S10	27	56	B	400	5	N/A
Gallian-S11	29	56	B	400	5	N/A
Gallian-S12	31	56	B	400	5	N/A
Gallian-S20	40	57	A	420	5	N/A
Gallian-S1R	37	64	B	350	5	N/A
Gallian-S10R	40	67	A	350	5	N/A
Gallian-S20R	45	70	A	350	5	N/A

Gallian-X

The Gallian underwent a major overhaul to enable the firing of specialty rounds for the Gallian-X. Those rounds unfortunately deliver a substantial shock to the entire gun body when fired, requiring reinforcement not just of the barrel, but the entire gun. As a result, the Gallian-X's gunstock was crafted from Kloden dark walnut, an exceptionally dense and resilient wood.

Type: Rifle Class: Scout, Scout Elite Length: 1035mm Weight: 4400g Barrel: 600mm Caliber: 7.92mm
Model	VsPsnl	VsArmor	Aim	Range	Shots	Effect
Gallian-X1	20	48	D	350	5	Def Down
Gallian-X2	21	48	D	350	5	Def Down
Gallian-X3	22	48	D	350	5	Def Down
Gallian-X10	25	54	D	350	5	Def Down
Gallian-X11	26	54	D	350	5	Def Down
Gallian-X12	27	54	D	360	5	Def Down
Gallian-X20	35	55	D	380	5	Def Down

Captured Imperial Rifles Circa 1935

ZM Kar

Crafted by the Empire's top arms maker, Zechmeister (ZM Corp), this rifle is one of the factors that enabled the Imperial armies to sweep across Europa. Substantially lighter than conventional rifles, the ZM Kar greatly improved unit mobility and won the thanks of those forced to carry them on their march. Its distinctive axe shape earned it the nickname "Francisca" among its users.

Type: Rifle Class: Scout, Scout Elite Length: 851mm Weight: 4320g Barrel: 424mm Caliber: 7.62mm
Model	VsPsnl	VsArmor	Aim	Range	Shots	Effect
ZM Kar 1(g)	36	46	E	180	5	N/A
ZM Kar 2(g)	39	51	D	180	5	N/A

Note: Weapons with a (g) are captured Imperial rifles used by Gallian forces.

ZM Kar B

A literal extension of the ZM Kar, this model features a longer barrel and a higher muzzle velocity. Thanks to a shock-absorbing buffer added between the action and the barrel, the user experienced substantially less recoil, which in turn led to better accuracy. Further adjustments to the construction allowed for the use of specialized rounds as well.

Type: Rifle Class: Scout, Scout Elite Length: 1045mm Weight: 4730g Barrel: 618mm Caliber: 7.62mm
Model	VsPsnl	VsArmor	Aim	Range	Shots	Effect
ZM Kar 3(g)	43	54	D	180	5	N/A
ZM Kar 4(g)	51	60	D	200	5	N/A
ZM Kar 5(g)	60	65	C	220	5	N/A
ZM Kar 6(g)	72	70	D	220	7	N/A
ZM Kar 7(g)	92	95	D	220	7	N/A
ZM Kar 8(g)	100	95	D	220	7	N/A
ZM Kar 9(g)	105	100	D	225	7	N/A

Note: Weapons with a (g) are captured Imperial rifles used by Gallian forces.

Ruhm

A specialty gun crafted by an arsenal under the Emperor's direct command and in conjunction with ZM Corp, it marries the accuracy of a sniper rifle with the power of a heavy machine gun. Its muzzle-dampening system and drum-shaped magazine together yield a fearsome, rapid-fire performance. Quite rare, Selvaria Bles was the only member of the Gallian invasion force to possess one. Named "Glory," this weapon was granted to her directly from Maximilian as a reward for her service.

Ruhm is actually a Machine Gun, but is included here because it can be equipped by Scouts (Selvaria only) and therefore is technically also a Rifle in game terms.

		Type: Rifle Class: Scout, Shocktrooper Length: 1477mm Weight: 13.5kg Barrel: 1037mm Caliber: 7.62mm
Model	VsPsnl	VsArmor	Aim	Range	Shots	Effect
Ruhm	35	75	A	540	20	N/A

Imperial-only Rifles

See Imperial Weapons

Strategies

• The Gallian serves as a balanced, general-purpose rifle. It has a reasonable balance of damage and accuracy.
• The Gallian-A specializes in increased damage over the base Gallian model. Overall, its damage and accuracy are in between that of the Gallian-S and ZM Kar rifles, with the Gallian-S having higher accuracy/lower damage and the ZM Kar featuring lower accuracy/higher damage. As far as usefulness goes, the Gallian-A can be considered an intermediate between those two rifles; it allows players to take advantage of higher damage, but without sacrificing too much accuracy.
• The Gallian-S series specializes in accuracy over damage. While not dealing as high damage as most other weapons, the Gallian-S has the highest accuracy out of all the rifles, making it much more effective at longer ranges. This makes it useful for players to utilize the high mobility of Scouts and Engineers to attack enemies indirectly from long range, helping mitigate their low defense. The higher accuracy also makes scoring headshots more feasible, improving the chance of killing an enemy unit in one attack.
• The Gallian-X has poor damage and accuracy compared to the rest of the rifles, however it has the effect of lowering the enemy's defense. This effect is fairly useful in itself, as if the first shot hits the target, the subsequent four shots will deal increased damage due to the target's lowered defense. However, it is most effective when utilized in a traditional role, where Scouts are used with support from other units. The Scouts can spot enemy units and then lower their defense, while more powerful units, such as Shocktroopers, move in to finish them off. Due to this they are unfortunately essentially useless when aiming for high mission ranks, where it is important for the Scouts to kill what they shoot at to preserve Command Points.
• The ZM Kar rifles have very high damage, but poor accuracy. This makes them most effective for players who wish to use their Scouts aggressively at close range, whether in killing imperial personnel or even destroying tanks. They are extremely powerful when used in rushing tactics, where a player uses defense-boosted Scouts to rush towards the enemy's base camp and capture it as quickly as possible. When used in more traditional or defensive roles, however, the ZM Kar's poor accuracy will hinder its effectiveness.

Best Rifle for Scouts and Engineers?

Summary of rifle effectiveness at various ranges are as follows, ranked from best to worst.

0 ~ 100 range: ZM Kar 9, Gallian-A20, Gallian-S20R, Gallian-S20 (just a contest of firepower)

100 ~ 225 range: ZM Kar 9, Gallian-S20R, Gallian-S20, Gallian-A20 (the A20 becomes imperfect at this range, although still essentially guaranteed)

225 ~ 350 range: Gallian-S20R, Gallian-A20, Gallian-S20, ZM Kar 9 (the S20 also becomes imperfect at this range, ZM drops out of range)

350 ~ 400 range: Gallian-A20, Gallian-S20, ZM Kar 9, Gallian-S20R (the S20R drops out of range and becomes worthless)

420 ~ 1000 range: ZM Kar 9, Gallian-A20, Gallian-S20R, Gallian-S20 (everything is out of range, only the ZM can still do meaningful damage)

This analysis applies to offense only (your turn). The ZM Kar 9 and Gallian-A20 are the clear winners for offense. The Gallian-S20R is kind of good too. I don't think there is much to justify using the Gallian-S20, except possibly on Alicia who has enough innate accuracy to make it guaranteed at further ranges.

Trivia

• As with all firearms in game, the general trend is to build a larger, heavier, more complicated, and expensive weapon that no soldier could realistically be expected to wield and maintain effectively. This is the opposite trend of our world. Since the units do not suffer mobility penalties from carrying heavier weapons, the weapons never malfunction or break, and the player only has to pay for upgrades once in order to equip their whole squad with new weapons, the disadvantages of having larger and more complicated weapons are presumably not issues in-game. It is also interesting to note that the carbine (short rifle) came before the standard (long) rifle in Valkyria Chronicles. Longer weapons are more accurate and can utilize more energy from the powder and therefore produce greater stopping power, but most combat in real-life takes place at ranges where this extra power and accuracy are not needed. Thus, in the real world, the trend is to equip soldiers with shorter weapons which are more maneuverable in close quarters.
• The Gallian rifle's design seems to be inspired by the real-life Walther Arms Gewehr 43, a german semi-automatic rifle developed in 1943, as well as the French MAS 44 / MAS 49 semi-automatic rifles (the shape of the barrel is typical of the MAS, most notably the muzzle and the median steel hooping that are absent from the Gewehr 43).
• The ZM Kar's design bears heavy resemblance to the real-life and rare german Prototype Gustloff rifle 206 with the ZM Kar 2 having the closest resemblance in terms of silhouette and overall design.
• The ZM Kar B bears some resemblance to the American M14 fitted with the modern Sage International stock.
• The ZM Kar's designation probably comes from the German "Karabiner", meaning carbine.
• Although the ZM Kar series is praised in its in-game description for its light weight, it is a full 640 grams heavier than the slightly larger Gallian series.