Starfield: How to get the Hard Target sniper rifle

For a game that features humankind several centuries from now, there are some interesting lack of human conventions in Starfield. One of these apparent changes from the 21st to 24th century is sniper rifles become far less popular in warfare. Thankfully, .50 Caliber Sniper Rifles survived the centuries in the form of the Hard Target sniper rifle.

There are sniper rifles in Starfield, but not very many. Like, less than five. Interestingly, swords are much more popular than snipers in the 2400s. Either history really does repeat itself, or

Read on to learn how you can get your hands on a Hard Target sniper rifle in Starfield and start decimating Spacers from a distance.

What is the Hard Target sniper rifle in Starfield?

The Hard Target is not a legendary weapon or even a unique weapon at all. In fact, it is simply a type of gun in the same way as the Beowulf or the Orion. If you’re wondering why you haven’t seen one before, that is because they don’t start showing up in Starfield until around level 30.

The Hard Target uses .50 Caliber Caseless ammo and fires with bolt-action. While some may see this as a negative, we personally love a good bolt-action rifle for the aesthetic alone (so long as the damage justifies the need to rechamber after each shot).

This gun has seven Mod slots: Barrel, Laser, Optic, Muzzle, Grip and Stock, Magazine and Battery, and Internal. The Hard Target also has five different tiers that can be found, just like most weapons. They are Common, Calibrated, Refined, Advanced, and Superior.

Where to find a Hard Target sniper rifle location in Starfield

The only real technical requirement to finding a Hard Target in Starfield is reaching level 30. Once you’ve reached level 30, Hard Targets will begin spawning in the game just like other weapons. Your best bet to locate one quickly is to check at any of the gun shops in major cities. Begin by shopping in:

• Toledo Firearms in Akila City
• Centaurian Arsenal in New Atlantis
• Neon Tactical in Neon City
• Rowland Arms in Akila City

The Hard Target isn’t 100 percent guaranteed to be available every time you head to one of these shops—vendors refresh their inventories every 48 hours and the items available are likely to fluctuate when they do. So long as you’re level 30 or higher, though, it is very likely that at least one of these shops will have a Hard Target sniper rifle that you can purchase for around 20,000 Credits.

If you check all of these shops and don’t find a Hard Target, wait 48 hours and try again. Alternatively, Hard Target sniper rifles can also be found at random on any human enemies after level 30, but this is not really a reliable way of acquiring the weapon, as there is no way to ensure or predict what weapons foes will be using.