The Headhunter is an Iconic Punknife that can completely change the way you play the game, regardless of your build. It’s also incredibly easy to acquire. This guide will go over how to get it, and how to properly use it.

Quick tips before I get into the guide:

• Not meant to be your primary damage-dealing weapon. While you use this weapon, keep in mind that it doesn’t deal very much damage on its own, and it’s much better used alongside another weapon.
• More effective when used alongside weapons that deal lots of damage per attack. Due to this weapon’s unique effects, it’s far more effective while used alongside weapons that deal a lot of damage with a single attack. Tech Weapons, Sniper Rifles, Precision Rifles, and Revolvers are all great examples of weapons that pair perfectly with this weapon.
• Must be purchased. To get this weapon, you’ll have to buy it for 10 000€$ to 110 000€$ at level 50 and onwards. The price will be lower if you go buy it at a lower level. 
• Doesn’t require any perks to be useful. Due to the way this weapon works, you don’t need any perks at all for it to be useful.

Acquisition

To acquire this weapon, go to the Melee Weapon Vendor in the West Wind Estate part of Pacifica.

Once you’re there, enter the building.

Go around the corner and speak to the merchant. He’ll have the Headhunter for sale.

Usage

As mentioned previously, the Headhunter is an incredibly unique weapon. It’s not meant to deal damage, intead, throwing it at an enemy and hitting them will apply the “Marked” effect on them. A marked enemy will take double damage from the next headshot and return the headhunter to your hand, regardless of whether the regular cooldown was finished or not.

This has some incredible potential with many weapons, being able to make some weapons powerful enough to one-hit kill some cyberpsychos. 

The best example of this is the Comrade’s Hammer revolver (guide to acquire that weapon here), which deals absurd damage, but only has one shot in the magazine. Combined with the “Nerves Of Tungsten-Steel” perk from the Reflexes perk tree, it will always deal a critical hit on a headshot. Performing a Bolt shot using the Bolt perk from the Technical Ability tree will increase the base damage of your weapon further. 

Combining this with the double headshot damage from the Headhunter, you can deal enough damage to instantly kill a Cyberpsycho, or any other non-boss enemy in the game.

Other weapons that work well with this weapon include:

• The Nekomata tech sniper rifle (or it’s Iconic version, the “Breakthrough”)
• Sasquatch’s Hammer (Or any other ultra high-damage melee weapon)
• The SPT-32 Grad power sniper rifle or any of its unique versions (Sparky, O’Five, Overwatch, Borzaya,…)
• The Osprey power sniper rifle
• The Rasetsu tech sniper rifle
• The Malorian Arms 3516 (Johnny Silverhand’s pistol)