10 Game-Breaking Weapons, Spells & Abilities That Made Games Easy Early

#5: Umbra Sword (Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion)

One of the best weapons in Oblivion can be acquired from the beginning of the game. Located in ruin of Vindasel southwest of the Imperial City, you’ll encounter an elf wearing a full set of Ebony Armor. Killing her will net you the armor and her weapon — the Umbra Sword. Killing her is a challenge early in the game, but it’s hardly impossible, thanks to the level-scaling in the game. You can always lower the difficulty, then bump it back up after taking her down.

The Umbra Sword isn’t just one of the strongest swords on the game, it also has the soul trap ability so you can steal souls. The Umbra Sword is stronger than any other weapon in the game, and if you know where to go, it can be your’s within the first hour of gameplay. The sword (and the character Umbra) are part of the Clavicus Vile Daedra quest, but you can kill her even without taking this quest. She’ll always spawn. And you’ll be slicing and dicing Cyrodiil with an unbeatable 1-handed sword.

#6: Tranquilizer Rifle (Deus Ex: Mankind Divided)

At the very beginning of the game, you’ll be given a choice of weapons for your mission. The Tranquilizer Rifle is the correct choice, because this silent weapon of stealth knocks out enemies fast — and it doesn’t kill, so you can safely stealth around each level of the game, knocking out every single thug you see. Unlock the Social skill next with your upgrade points, and JC becomes totally unstoppable.

See how to break even more games on the next page of our list.