Mastering the battlefield in DevDop’s viral runner shooter requires far more than blindly grabbing every firearm you sprint past. Many players assume all Real War Not Fake weapons offer progressive buffs, only to watch their damage collapse right before a massive stage boss. Securing optimal Real War Not Fake weapons demands understanding hidden damage-per-second values, knowing when to lock your firearm, and correctly spending coins on squad upgrades.
In this complete upgrade and equipment breakdown, we dive deep into verified weapon statistics, the lock feature, permanent coin upgrades, and navigation strategies to carry your army deep into endless mode.
Understanding Weapon DPS and Downgrade Traps
Running down the combat track, picking up a newly spawned gun looks like an automatic improvement. However, gameplay testing and community reports show that weapon tiers in Real War: Not Fake do not follow linear power scaling.
During standard runs, picking up an unverified firearm can drop your overall damage output. For example, testing recorded by Game Hydro demonstrates picking up certain guns slashed damage output from 264 down to 240 DPS, while a high-tier level 5 weapon instantly surged output to 3,600 DPS. Similarly, player experience shared in App Store reviews highlights that lower-tier sidearms like a Level 2 pistol can occasionally register a higher functional damage rate than a Level 5 assault rifle.
Heavy artillery pickups, such as the bazooka or RPG launcher, deal significant explosive impact, but they feature much slower firing cycles. In crowded tracks, waiting for slow rocket bursts frequently allows aggressive mob swarms to bypass your frontline. Furthermore, shooting weapon barriers to claim an RPG often expends valuable lead that could have been spent multiplying your squad numbers at adjacent blue gates.
The following table compiles confirmed weapon damage-per-second values observed across adventure runs and endless mode:
| Weapon Tier / Observed Drop | Firepower (DPS / Output Value) | Combat Assessment & Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Early Downgrade Drop | 104 – 120 DPS | Weak output; struggles to clear basic mob walls |
| Baseline Sidearm | 132 – 174 DPS | Starting efficiency; requires immediate troop support |
| Mid-Run Standard Rifle | 240 – 264 DPS | Inconsistent; prone to negative damage trades |
| Intermediate Automatic | 420 – 837 DPS | Reliable mid-tier lane clearing for standard mobs |
| High-Efficiency Drop | 1,240 – 1,450 DPS | Stable boss damage; clears light barriers smoothly |
| Advanced Automatic Tier | 1,680 DPS | High-priority gun; ideal benchmark for locking |
| Heavy Endless Sweeper | 2,736 DPS | Shatters dense tire barriers in endless mode |
| Peak Level 5 Weapon Drop | 3,600 DPS | Maximum observed burst; melts stage bosses instantly |
To verify recent balance patches or check engine notes on this Unity 6 project, you can visit the official DevDop website for developer announcements.
Mastering the Weapon Lock Mechanic
One of the most essential mechanics introduced to manage Real War Not Fake weapons is the weapon lock button, positioned on the right-hand side of the display screen.
When advancing through lanes packed with weapon crates, moving laterally to dodge hazards or collect recruits often forces your squad to collide with an unwanted gun. If your current firearm generates 1,680 or 3,600 DPS, colliding with a lower-tier pickup replaces your loadout and guts your damage output.
Tapping the lock button locks your current weapon into your squad's hands. While locked:
- Your squad retains its equipped gun regardless of how many weapon crates you pass through.
- You can maneuver freely across the track to harvest troops without risking accidental downgrades.
- You avoid traps where a weapon pickup rests directly in front of incoming hostile swarms.
Unlocking should only occur when you have clear sightlines on an upgrade with a demonstrably superior level indicator. If you spot a level 6 drop while holding a lower-tier rifle, unlock your weapon just before crossing the pickup threshold, verify the damage increase on your combat meter, and tap the lock button again immediately.
Base Upgrades: Soldiers vs. Damage and Revenues
Outside of active running stages, spending accumulated coins in the main menu dictates your squad's baseline efficiency. The game presents three primary upgrades: Damage, Revenues, and Soldiers.
A close inspection of the mathematical scaling reveals drastic differences in return on investment:
| Upgrade Category | Stat Increase Per Purchase | Practical Utility & Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Soldiers | +1 Permanent Troop to Start Count | Highest Priority: Multiplies bullet volume and acts as a boss buffer |
| Damage | +1% Base Firepower Increase | Low Priority: Negligible DPS shift compared to picking high-tier weapons |
| Revenues | +0.05% Earned Coin Multiplier | Lowest Priority: Microscopic bonus; requires immense grinding to pay off |
Because the permanent Damage upgrade grants a meager 1% increase per tier, sinking thousands of coins into it provides negligible tactical impact compared to equipping high-tier Real War Not Fake weapons during a run. Similarly, Revenues only expand coin intake by 0.05% per level, making it an extreme resource sink.
Conversely, the Soldiers upgrade grants an immediate, concrete unit (+1 soldier) to your starting formation. In Real War: Not Fake, bullet generation scales across your total active squad size. Starting with more men increases your collective fire rate, allowing you to buff numerical gates faster and survive punishing club swings from giant end-stage bosses. Community reports universally confirm that investing coins into your soldier count is the most efficient use of in-game currency.
Gate Mathematics and Firepower Routing
Your squad's weapons operate via an automatic firing system that targets whatever enters effective forward range. Controlling your squad comes down to dragging horizontally across the screen on mobile or using the mouse / A and D keys on desktop platforms.
To maximize the efficiency of your weapons, apply these field tactics:
- Target Multiplier Gates from Distance: Align your troops with positive gates (such as +5, +10, x2, or x3) early. Sustained bullet impacts directly increase the numerical value displayed on the gate before your squad crosses the threshold.
- Handle Negative Red Gates Wisely: When isolated red gates block the path, sustained gunfire can reduce the penalty and flip the gate into a positive value. However, when a red gate sits directly adjacent to a blue gate, avoid shooting into the boundary line; bullets can inadvertently cause the red penalty number to swell larger.
- Account for Bullet Penetration: Bullets pass through gate barriers. Always track what stands directly behind a gate before committing your squad to that lane. A high multiplier gate is dangerous if concentrated enemy fire, explosive barrels, or impassable road barricades sit immediately behind it.
- Zigzag Split Columns: In specialized challenge layouts featuring enemy units on the left and upgrade bonuses on the right, rapidly zigzagging back and forth allows your front line to claim troop buffs while suppressing incoming swarms.
Endless Mode Tactics: Piercing Obstacles and Surviving Bosses
Endless mode strips away standard mission boundaries, accelerating track speed and testing how long your squad can sustain forward momentum. Weapon locking becomes an absolute requirement rather than a situational tool.
Unlike adventure mode, endless tracks frequently spawn thick tire barricades across running lanes. If your weapon DPS is low, your squad cannot destroy these tires in time, forcing you to make erratic, last-second lane shifts into waiting mob ambushes. Reaching a benchmark of roughly 2,736 DPS allows your squad's automatic fire to pierce cleanly through almost any tire obstacle.
When engaging giant stage bosses—such as cyclopes, skeleton warriors, or club-wielding ogres—dodging their sweeping attacks becomes tricky. While dodging laterally avoids direct physical hits, moving sideways turns your soldiers' firing angles away from the boss, interrupting DPS. Because a boss club swing removes a set portion of your squad rather than wiping out the entire formation at once, entering the encounter with a dense, highly upgraded army backed by locked high-DPS Real War Not Fake weapons ensures the boss falls before your troop count hits zero.
Economy, Cosmetic Skins, and Ad Management
Progressing through Real War: Not Fake yields coins for each cleared boss and daily quest completion (typically 200 coins for daily objectives). Managing your resources properly accelerates progression:
- Character Skins: Cosmetics unlockable in the menu or awarded at milestones (such as Level 1,000, Level 2,000, or scoring 5,000 to 10,000 points in endless mode) provide zero stat increases. Do not spend coins purchasing skins if your base soldier count remains unmaxed.
- Ad-Free Workarounds: The game offers an ad removal option for 10,000 coins or $4.99. Player experience demonstrates that playing in offline or airplane mode removes non-rewarded interstitial ads entirely. However, playing offline disables the ability to watch optional bonus ads, locks daily Discord community reward claims, and disconnects you from Apple Game Center or Google Play competitive leaderboards.
- Performance Settings: If sustained bullet VFX causes thermal throttling or frame drops on older mobile devices, toggle the graphic settings from HD to SD in the options menu to keep drag controls responsive.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best Real War Not Fake weapons to use?
The most reliable loadouts are high-DPS rapid-fire automatics generating between 1,680 and 3,600 DPS. While heavy weapons like the bazooka offer high single-shot burst, their slow firing cycle can leave your squad vulnerable to fast mob rushes. High-tier automatic guns shred crowds and break endless mode obstacles much faster.
How does the weapon lock feature work?
The weapon lock button appears on the right side of the screen during gameplay. Tapping it freezes your current firearm, preventing your squad from accidentally picking up weapon crates that carry inferior DPS stats. You can tap the button again to unlock when a confirmed higher-level weapon drop appears on the road.
Why did my damage decrease after picking up a new weapon?
Weapon levels in Real War: Not Fake do not always reflect superior damage output. Due to current game balance, some weapon pickups carry lower rate-of-fire or DPS profiles than the sidearm or rifle you currently hold. Always watch your on-screen damage meter; if a weapon drops your firepower, utilize the lock button in future attempts to avoid that pickup.
Which permanent base upgrade should I buy first?
Always prioritize the Soldiers upgrade. Adding a permanent soldier to your squad increases collective bullet volume right from the starting gate. The Damage upgrade only adds a 1% boost per tier, and the Revenues upgrade offers a tiny 0.05% gain, making troop count the only high-impact upgrade option.











