Marathon CE Tactical Sidearm: The Full-Auto Pistol Built for Mid-Range

The name is doing a lot of work here. "Sidearm" implies backup weapon, something you pull when the primary runs dry. Ignore that framing entirely. The CE Tactical Sidearm - Pistol is a full-auto, Light Rounds pistol with 20 damage per shot, a 300 RPM fire rate, an 18-round magazine, and a verified mid-range optimal engagement window of 26 meters. Those are not sidearm numbers. That is a primary weapon that happens to live in the pistol category.

The S2 1.1.0 patch retuned its handling substantially — recoil settle improved, ADS error reduced by a meaningful margin, the aim-assist cone was enlarged, and magnetism and aim-assist falloff distances were rebased. The result is a weapon that rewards players who commit to the mid-range bracket it was designed for. At 26 meters, with the post-patch accuracy improvements, it tracks targets with real consistency. Push past that range and you will feel the drop-off. Respect the bracket, and the CE Tactical Sidearm earns its place in any loadout.

The precision multiplier is 1.8. That means headshots hit meaningfully harder than body shots. This is not a spray-and-pray weapon. The correct play is controlled bursts — center-mass to confirm the hit, walk your shots to the head. The damage ceiling rewards precision discipline.

The CE Tactical Sidearm runs Chip, Magazine, Barrel, Grip, and Optics. That is a full five-slot loadout, which gives you real flexibility. Here is how each slot should work for you.

For the Barrel, ◈ Pinpoint Barrel - Barrel MOD - Superior is the honest answer — greatly increases stability and range, which directly serves the 26-meter mid-range window this weapon lives in. If you find yourself moving constantly between engagements, ◈ Steady Barrel - Barrel MOD - Superior adds stability, ready speed, and accuracy while moving, which pairs well with mobile shells.

For the Magazine, the weapon's 18-round magazine is serviceable, but ◈ Hi-Cap Mag - Magazine MOD - Deluxe adds nine rounds and pushes your capacity up in a way that lets you engage multiple targets without breaking to reload. If reload speed matters more to you than raw capacity, Hi-Speed Mag trades some size for a faster reload.

For the Grip, ◈ Precision Grip - Grip MOD - Superior greatly improves ADS stability and reduces vertical recoil — on a full-auto weapon at mid-range, vertical recoil management is what keeps your second and third shots on target. This is the slot that turns "good enough" into actually consistent.

For the Optic, the weapon's mid-range role calls for something in the 1.4x–2x range. ◈ Rangefinder Optic - Optic MOD - Enhanced increases zoom, ADS accuracy, and accuracy while moving. ◈ Vigilant Lens - Optic MOD - Enhanced trades some ADS speed cost for strong zoom and ADS accuracy improvement — good if you prefer deliberate engagements.

For the Chip, ◈ Buffer Overflow Chip - Chip MOD - Superior is worth strong consideration: precision downs and kills grant stacking reload speed bonuses, which compounds beautifully on a weapon that rewards headshot discipline. Blue Blood is a PvP-focused alternative — downing a hostile Runner restores health, which can swing close fights.

The CE Tactical Sidearm's 26-meter effective range and full-auto nature make it a natural fit for shells that operate in the mid-range bracket and benefit from reliable output rather than burst damage.

Vandal - Combat is the obvious pairing. Amplify overcharges movement and improves weapon ADS and handling speeds, and the Disrupt Cannon's knockback creates exactly the kind of distance-reset scenario where a 26-meter weapon becomes dominant. Power Slide and Microjets let you reposition into the engagement range you want rather than hoping enemies hold still.

Sentinel - Combat is worth flagging here, too. Castle Doctrine improves ready and reload speeds on SMGs, Pistols, and Shotguns based on nearby hostile count — and the CE Tactical Sidearm is a pistol. The more enemies around you, the faster you ready and reload. Defender System gives you a stable position to fire from. Prey Tracker tells you what is moving and where. This is a shell that rewards staying in place and winning the fight at a controlled distance, which maps well to the CE Tactical Sidearm's mid-range design.

Recon - Intel also fits, if your playstyle leans toward information-first engagement. Echo Pulse tells you where targets are before you commit. Stalker Protocol tracks movement after you break a shield. At 26 meters, you are close enough to act on that information immediately.

If you are building around the CE Tactical Sidearm as a primary combat weapon, the Dexterity track is where your early Energy should go. It improves Agility and Loot Speed, and the Full Throttle perk — which sources list at 14 Energy — grants Cardio Kick effects at the start of every run, giving you an immediate mobility burst to close or reset to your preferred engagement range. Note that all Cradle perk values are currently unconfirmed, so treat those breakpoints as directional targets until the community verifies them in-game.

For a defensive or positional playstyle, Endurance is the alternative — Heat Capacity and Fall Resistance improvements let you stay in the fight longer without overheating, which matters if you are running Vandal's movement abilities alongside your weapon.

The Cradle respec is free. Experiment without penalty. Map your Energy path before you commit with the planner at /cradle.

- The CE Tactical Sidearm is a full-auto, 20-damage, 300 RPM pistol that operates best at its confirmed 26-meter mid-range bracket — treat it as a primary, not a backup. - Precision Grip and Pinpoint Barrel are your highest-value mod choices: they tighten your recoil pattern and extend your effective range to match the weapon's design intent. - The 1.8 precision multiplier means headshot discipline pays off directly — pair Buffer Overflow Chip to turn consistent headshots into faster reloads, and the weapon's momentum compounds across an engagement.