Patch 1.7.5 shook up the pistol slot in EVA After-H Battle Arena. The Socom picked up a meaningful damage buff (+25% head, +11% body), while the Warden lost 6% of its fire rate. Two very different sidearms now share the same slot — and the choice between them is no longer obvious. Here is the full breakdown from 8BIT Esports.
The Warden — precision headshot pistol, infinite range.
The Socom — high-cadence spam pistol, 16m effective range.
TL;DR
- Warden = precision, damage-per-shot, unlimited range. Best TTK with headshots.
- Socom = volume, fast reload, bigger magazine, faster equip. Best at pressure fire.
- Both one-shot nothing — they are skill pistols, not cheese.
- Post-1.7.5 meta: Socom is now a real secondary pick, not a fallback.
Head-to-Head Stat Table
| Stat | Warden | Socom | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head damage | 49 | 25 | 🟢 Warden |
| Body damage | 32 | 20 | 🟢 Warden |
| Endpoints damage | 28 | 14 | 🟢 Warden |
| Spread | 0 | 0 | — Tie |
| RPM | 270 | 360 | 🟢 Socom |
| Magazine | 9 | 12 | 🟢 Socom |
| Reload time | 1.2s | 0.5s | 🟢 Socom |
| Equip time | 0.25s | 0.1s | 🟢 Socom |
| Effective range | Unlimited | 0–16m | 🟢 Warden |
| Falloff past effective | None | −25% beyond 16m | 🟢 Warden |
Damage Profile
Warden
| Range | Damage |
|---|---|
| Any | 49 head / 32 body / 28 limb |
No falloff. Warden hits for the same damage at 5m as it does at 50m.
Socom (post-1.7.5 buff)
| Range | Damage |
|---|---|
| 0 – 16m | 25 head / 20 body / 14 limb (max) |
| > 16m | −25% (≈19 head / 15 body / 11 limb) |
Socom is range-limited. Inside 16m it hits hard for its class, but beyond that it is the weakest pistol on the roster.
Time to Kill — Who Wins the Trigger Race?
Assuming a 100HP target and perfect tracking:
| Scenario | Shots (Warden) | TTK (Warden) | Shots (Socom) | TTK (Socom) | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All headshots | 3 (49 × 3 = 147) | 444ms | 4 (25 × 4 = 100) | 500ms | 🟢 Warden (−56ms) |
| All body shots | 4 (32 × 4 = 128) | 666ms | 5 (20 × 5 = 100) | 666ms | — Tie |
| 1 body + heads | 1 body + 2 heads | 444ms | 1 body + 4 heads | 833ms | 🟢 Warden |
Math Check
- Warden TTK formula: (shots − 1) × (60 / 270 RPM) × 1000ms. Three shots = 2 intervals × 222ms = 444ms.
- Socom TTK formula: (shots − 1) × (60 / 360 RPM) × 1000ms. Four shots = 3 intervals × 167ms = 500ms.
Why Socom Doesn’t Lose as Hard as It Looks
The 56ms headshot TTK advantage for the Warden is real but small. At 360 RPM the Socom fires 33% faster — meaning you have a wider forgiveness window for missed shots. Miss one Warden headshot and your TTK jumps to 666ms. Miss one Socom headshot and you stay around 667ms. The gap closes fast under imperfect aim.
Practical DPS
| Stat | Warden | Socom |
|---|---|---|
| Head DPS (no misses) | 220.5 | 150.0 |
| Body DPS | 144.0 | 120.0 |
Warden wins raw DPS across every hit zone. But DPS only matters if you land every shot — and the Socom’s cadence is forgiving in a way the Warden’s isn’t.
Handling — Reload, Equip, Mag
Socom dominates the handling profile.
- Reload 0.5s vs 1.2s — Warden reload is 2.4× slower. On a 9-round mag, this matters a lot.
- Equip 0.1s vs 0.25s — Socom swaps in almost instantly. Perfect for primary-to-secondary transitions mid-fight.
- Mag 12 vs 9 — Socom holds 3 more rounds. Three more shots before the reload window opens.
If you play pistol as a legitimate combat tool (not just a fallback), the Socom feels smoother at every step.
When to Pick the Warden
- Long sightlines. No falloff means Warden scales to infinity. Lunar Outpost, Polaris overlooks, Helios ridges.
- Secondary to a sniper loadout. Backing up the Atlas or Westfire, Warden keeps the precision identity alive at mid-range.
- Headshot hunters. If your aim is clean, 3-shot headshot kills at 444ms beat most SMG bodyshot TTKs.
- Ammo-rationing situations. Fewer shots needed = less reload pressure per engagement.
When to Pick the Socom (post-1.7.5)
- CQB-to-mid rotations. Inside 16m the Socom now kills in 4 headshots at 500ms — absolutely competitive with SMG backup fire.
- Primary-weapon swap outs. 0.1s equip time makes it the best “finish the kill” pistol — draw mid-fight, spray, done.
- Team-fight chaos. A 12-round mag plus 0.5s reload means you can keep pressure up across multiple contacts without ducking for cover.
- Entry frag cleanup. After dumping your SMG, Socom closes rounds faster than any primary reload cycle.
Post-1.7.5 Pistol Meta
Pre-1.7.5: Warden was the default pistol pick for anyone serious about the secondary slot. Socom was a curiosity — too low damage to justify the range limitation.
Post-1.7.5:
- Socom’s head damage up from 20 → 25 (+25%).
- Socom’s body damage up from 18 → 20 (+11%).
- Warden’s RPM down from 288 → 270 (−6%), pushing its headshot TTK from 417ms → 444ms.
That is a 70ms swing in their favor (Socom TTK dropped ~125ms with the damage buff; Warden TTK rose 27ms with the RPM nerf). The gap that made Warden an obvious pick has narrowed significantly. Socom is now a real contender, not a fallback.
The Verdict
Warden stays the precision, long-range, headshot-oriented pistol. If your aim is tight and your engagements are past 16m, it wins.
Socom is now the pressure-fire, handling-optimized pistol. Inside 16m with a fast-swap playstyle, it matches or beats the Warden in practical combat — while being dramatically more forgiving under imperfect aim.
Our pick for most players post-1.7.5: Socom. The handling advantages (reload, equip, mag) compound across a full round in ways that raw TTK doesn’t capture. The Warden remains a specialist’s tool for precision loadouts.
8BIT Esports Competitive Recommendations
- Scrim both. The TTK numbers don’t tell the full story — reload cadence and equip speed win rounds the math misses.
- Match pistol to primary. Sniper primary → Warden. SMG / shotgun primary → Socom.
- Know your engagement range. If you are routinely fighting past 16m with a pistol, you’re in Warden territory.
- Practice the swap. Socom’s 0.1s equip is worthless if you don’t train the primary-to-secondary transition.
See you in the arena. 🎮
Related reads:
- EVA Patch 1.7.5 Full Breakdown — Where the Socom buff and Warden nerf came from
- Full Weapon Rankings Hub — Updated tier list with post-1.7.5 balance
- Spectre vs MP52 Comparison — Our SMG comparison format