Key Takeaways
Metel is a Phantom Liberty-era Iconic Tech revolver whose value comes from charged shots rather than conventional revolver handling.
Tech revolver identity
Metel belongs to the Tech revolver class, so its handling is built around charging shots instead of treating every trigger pull as an immediately fired round.
Charge timing shapes its use
Holding the trigger to charge gives Metel a deliberate firing rhythm: it rewards preparing a shot, but makes missed timing and close-range pressure more costly than with a conventional Power revolver.
Phantom Liberty availability
Metel is associated with Phantom Liberty’s Dogtown content and is obtained through the Black Market weapon vendor Herold rather than as a routine base-game pickup.
Iconic progression
As an Iconic weapon, Metel’s unique modifier is part of its identity; its displayed performance must still be read together with its current tier and upgrade state.
A deliberate alternative
Metel suits players who want a charged Tech sidearm, while a conventional Power revolver such as Mancinella is the more direct comparison for immediate, uncharged firing.
Overview
Metel is an Iconic power revolver in , associated with the -era Dogtown arsenal. It is a deliberate, close-to-mid-range sidearm rather than a melee weapon or a conventional automatic pistol.
Despite being identified here as a melee weapon, Metel’s in-game identity is that of an Iconic revolver. Its role is built around deliberate shots and revolver handling: it suits players who prefer committing to individual attacks instead of maintaining automatic fire. That distinction matters when comparing it with pistols or submachine guns that emphasise sustained fire.
Metel belongs to Cyberpunk 2077’s post-2.0 weapon framework, where its tier and current weapon state affect the numbers shown by the game. Those values should therefore be read from the relevant tiered version rather than treated as universal properties of the name. The weapon’s defining identity is its Iconic status and revolver class, not a standalone damage value.
Its strongest contextual association is Phantom Liberty’s Dogtown equipment economy. That places Metel among expansion-era named weapons rather than the ordinary, replaceable firearms found throughout Night City. The overview role is consequently straightforward: it is a collectible sidearm for a player who wants an identifiable Iconic weapon with a more deliberate firing rhythm.
Metel is most relevant to a handgun-oriented loadout that can support revolver play at close or moderate distances. It should not be presented as a universal replacement for every pistol, precision weapon, or melee option; the choice depends on whether the player values its named Iconic identity and measured shot cadence over automatic fire, longer-range specialisation, or dedicated close-combat mechanics.
Statistics
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Class | Revolver |
| Subtype | Revolver |
| Technology | Power |
| Ammo | Handgun Ammo |
| Stat Scaling | Tier-dependent |
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Content Scope | Base game / free update |
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar revolvers
| Attribute |  Metel | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class | Revolver | Revolver | Revolver | Revolver | Revolver |
| Technology | Power | Power | Tech | Power | Power |
| Ammo | Handgun Ammo | Handgun Ammo | Handgun Ammo | Handgun Ammo | Handgun Ammo |
| Iconic | — | — | — | — | Yes |
How to Obtain
- Phantom Liberty access and entry to Dogtown are required.
- The purchase requires sufficient in-game currency; the exact price is omitted because it varies with the current weapon tier and has not been verified here.
- 01Travel to Dogtown in the Phantom Liberty expansion and visit Herold’s Black Market weapon shop. Metel is obtained as a vendor purchase there rather than as a random enemy drop, mission reward, or world pickup.
- 02Speak with Herold and check the Black Market inventory for Metel. If it is listed, complete the purchase to add the weapon to your inventory; the shop is the intended acquisition route for this weapon.
Availability
Cyberpunk 2077 base game without Phantom Liberty
Metel is part of the Phantom Liberty weapon pool and is not available in the base game alone.
- Requires
- Phantom Liberty required
Phantom Liberty — Dogtown
Metel is associated with Dogtown's Black Market Vendor availability. A universal price is not listed because vendor pricing can vary with progression and weapon tier.
- Requires
- Phantom Liberty installed and access to Dogtown
Mechanics and Handling
Metel is not a melee weapon in Cyberpunk 2077. It is a revolver, so its handling should be evaluated through aimed and hip-fired shots, headshot opportunities, recoil recovery, and reload timing rather than melee reach, stamina use, blocking, parrying, or attack chains. Its exact damage and handling values depend on its current weapon tier and should not be separated from that context.
Revolver handling and shot commitment
Metel rewards deliberate shot placement more than sustained automatic fire. The revolver format makes each trigger pull a distinct attack, so missed shots and poor recoil control have a more noticeable cost than they would with a high-capacity firearm. Aiming is the safer approach when exploiting headshots or weak spots; hip fire is faster to use at close range but gives up some precision.
Its effective role is therefore short- to medium-range precision damage. It is not suited to melee-range crowd control, and it has no melee moveset, guard action, or parry interaction to document.
Reloads and resource handling
Metel uses firearm ammunition and must be reloaded when its cylinder is empty. Treat the reload as a meaningful downtime window: firing the last available round before entering cover can leave V waiting to re-engage. The weapon does not use a melee durability or break-state system, and its attacks do not consume stamina as melee swings do.
Tier and weapon-effect context
Metel's displayed combat performance should be read at its current tier rather than as a single universal value. Its Iconic modifier, if active in the current tooltip, is part of the weapon's identity and should be considered separately from the tier-scaled stat line. Do not transfer its behaviour to ordinary revolvers or assume that a different tier, upgrade state, or patch presents the same numbers.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Metel is not a melee weapon in Cyberpunk 2077; it is classified as a revolver. Its relevant advantages therefore come from firearm mechanics rather than a melee moveset.
- As a revolver, it can support deliberate, high-impact single-shot play and benefits from positioning that keeps enemies within handgun engagement distance.
- Its revolver format gives it a more focused role than automatic weapons, rewarding controlled aim instead of sustained fire.
Weaknesses
- Treating Metel as melee would produce incorrect advice about reach, stamina, blade or blunt classification, stagger, and close-range attack sequences.
- A revolver is less suited to suppressing several targets continuously than an automatic weapon, because missed shots and slower follow-up attacks carry a larger opportunity cost.
- Its usefulness depends more on accurate shot placement and maintaining a suitable engagement distance than on repeatedly chaining melee attacks.
Best uses
- Use Metel for deliberate handgun engagements where accurate individual shots matter more than continuous automatic fire.
- Choose it when the build supports revolvers or general handgun play, not a melee, blade, blunt-weapon, or melee-perk archetype.
- Compare it with other revolvers and handguns by technology, tier, handling, and verified Iconic effect rather than by melee reach or stamina consumption.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Attribute | Metel |  Cottonmouth |  Tinker Bell | Sir John Phallustiff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class and role | Close-range, effect-focused option | Status-oriented alternative | Control-focused alternative | Unique gimmick weapon |
| Distinctive comparison point | Choose it for its weapon-specific effect and handling rather than a universal raw-damage ranking. | Its special effect gives it a different utility profile from a straightforward close-range weapon. | Its distinctive heavy-attack behavior makes timing and stagger opportunities more important. | Its novelty-focused special behavior makes it less interchangeable with a conventional melee choice. |
| Best use-case distinction | Players who want to build around Metel's individual mechanic and melee moveset. | Builds that value status application and sustain-related interactions. | Players who prefer deliberate attacks and melee crowd control. | Players prioritizing its unusual effect or themed play rather than a general-purpose weapon. |
Used In
- HeroldHerold is the Dogtown black-market vendor associated with Metel's availability. Check his current stock in Phantom Liberty before treating the weapon as permanently available.
- DogtownMetel is associated with the black-market weapons trade in Dogtown, Phantom Liberty's combat zone.
