The Knuckle Dusters (formerly known as Brass Knuckles) is a type of melee weapon featured in every 3D Universe game since Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and are featured in Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online, as part of the Ill-Gotten Gains Part 2 Update.
Design[]
3D Universe[]
Brass Knuckles are metal devices with holes punched through them, intended to be worn on the fingers while the fist is clenched.
All renditions use the same model, which comes in a grey finish and by default, it replaces the "unarmed" slot, where the fist is usually placed. As a result, in some missions where the player must enter somewhere unarmed, the knuckles won't be recognized as a weapon.
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
The weapon was added to Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online in the Ill-Gotten Gains Part 2 update as the Knuckle Dusters.
By default, it comes in a standard smooth brass finish, and the enhanced version allows the player to select from a range of nine customised engraved and bejewelled options. Notable features include:
- Base Model: Basic version with engravings of roses on the upper and lower sides.
- The Pimp: Four bejewelled squares at the front with four jewels each (Red-White-White-Red) and more jewels on the upper and lower sides.
- The Rock: Silver variant with white jewels on the borders of the upper and lower sides, giving it a metallic design. This variant appears as the HUD icon.
- The King: Four squares with crowns on the front side and a set of black and white starts, a pair of "LS" letters paired together and two more crowns on the upper and lower sides.
- The Hustler: Four Dollar signs ($) on the front side and a "leopard" skin on the upper and lower sides.
- The Player: Four bejewelled spades on the front side with one white and two red jewels each one, with a playing cards themed skin and five engraved "A"s on the upper and lower sides.
- The Lover: "LOVE" on the front side, bejewelled in white jewels and hearts skin on the upper and lower sides.
- The Hater: "HATE" on the front side, bejewelled in red jewels and a skin of razor wire on the upper and lower sides.
- The Ballas: Four spikes on the front side, marked with an engraved Ballas logo on the upper and lower sides.
- The Vagos: Four squares with Los Santos Vagos logos on the front side and engraved guns and roses on the upper and lower sides.
Performance[]
3D Universe[]
Brass Knuckles are meant to increase the force of a punch, while minimizing the initial force needed to throw an arm, and when used properly, they create massive damage against an intended target and can kill with only two or three direct hits. In each game, the force of a single Brass Knuckle punch is enough to knock a person to the ground; in which another attack will immediately kill them, since the brass knuckles doubles the damage of the fist.
3D Universe Overview[]
| Damage | Fire Rate [?] | Range (m / ft) |
Ammo Specifications/ Capacity |
Reload Mechanism | Reload Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 (GTA Vice City) | 250 (GTA Vice City) | 2 / 6.5 10 / 32.8 (Lock-on) |
1000 (GTA Vice City) | N/A | 100 (GTA Vice City) |
| N/A | N/A | Cannot be determined | N/A | N/A | 0.1 second |
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
The Knuckle Dusters work in a similar way to previous iterations, where it increases the damage over the fist without causing an effect to its versatility. It requires at least two punches when countering NPCs in fist fights, making it a great choice to end fist fights quickly, as well as having the ability to knock targets with stealth attacks. Using Trevor's Special Ability makes the Knuckle Duster able to kill enemies with just two direct hits.
Similar to the Fist and the Knife, players can use it in water.
GTA V and Online Overview[]
| Damage (per shot) [?] |
Fire Rate [?] | Range (m / ft) [?] |
Ammo Specifications/ Capacity |
Reload Mechanism | Reload Speed [?] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 11.5 / 37.7 (Lock-on) 30 / 98.4 (Weapon) |
0 | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | 11.5 / 37.7 (Lock-on) 1.6 / 5.2 (Weapon) |
N/A | N/A | N/A |
 |
Damage | 5% 5% | |||
| Fire Rate/Speed | 20% 20% | ||||
| Accuracy | |||||
| Range | 0% 0% | ||||
| Clip Size | |||||
Variations[]
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
| Image | Name | Price |
|---|---|---|
 |
Base Model | $7,500 (Default in purchase) |
 |
The Pimp | $12,250 |
 |
The Ballas | $14,000 |
 |
The Hustler | $13,750 |
 |
The Rock | $13,000 |
 |
The Hater | $11,500 |
 |
The Lover | $11,750 |
 |
The Player | $12,000 |
 |
The King | $10,750 |
 |
The Vagos | $10,000 |
Image Gallery[]
In-game model[]
HUD icon[]
First Person View[]
Locations[]
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City[]
- Ocean Beach, Vice Beach - In the Front Page Café North alley doorway to the west behind the Café, just north of Ocean View Hotel.
- Worn by the bodyguards in the Malibu Club.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[]
Brass Knuckles' locations map in GTA SA
- Commerce - In the alley beside Roboi's Food Mart.
- Ganton - Underneath the south end of the bridge beside Ryder's home.
- Calton Heights - Behind some car garages northwest of the Calton Heights Safehouse.
- Las Payasadas - Behind a small building across the street north of the large Pecker's Feed & Seed chicken.
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories[]
- Trenton, Portland - Spawns in an alleyway next to the Mean Street Taxis.
- Fort Staunton, Staunton Island - In an alleyway next to Charlie's Liquor Bar.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories[]
- Downtown, Vice City Mainland - In an alleyway across the south of the dirt track.
- Ocean Beach, Vice Beach - On the grassy area across the Ammu-Nation.
Grand Theft Auto V[]
- Can be bought at Ammu-Nation, after the mission Franklin and Lamar (Complications in the enhanced version), for $7,500.
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
- Can be bought at Ammu-Nation, for $7,500.
Trivia[]
3D Universe[]
- In GTA San Andreas, once the player has completed The Da Nang Thang and has dated Katie and Barbara, and they equip the Brass Knuckles, they cannot be discarded and will be equipped permanently (unless one of the girlfriends are killed).
- In Spanish versions of GTA Vice City, the Brass Knuckles is known as "Puño Americano", which literally translates into "American Fist".
- In GTA Vice City Stories, the player will always lose them when saving the game. This is presumably a glitch.
Grand Theft Auto V[]
- The engravings of a gun and roses under the Knuckle Duster is a reference to the American rock band Guns N' Roses. This is another Easter Egg.
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
"Is It Hypoallergenic?", painting by Nilsson.
- In Grand Theft Auto Online, as part of the The Diamond Casino & Resort update, the player can buy the "Is It Hypoallergenic?" painting for the Master Penthouse, which depicts the base Knuckle Dusters, with the Swedish text "Detta är inte en knogjärn" roughly translates to "This is not a knuckles". This is a reference to René Magritte's The Treachery of Images, a painting of a pipe with the text "Ceci n'est pas une pipe", the French for "This is not a pipe".