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As they explore the depths of the USG Ishimura in the Dead Space remake, players will eventually gain access to nine different weapons that they can use to take apart necromorphs piece by piece. Unfortunately, however, Isaac isn’t able to hold all nine of them at one time, instead, players will have to choose four to keep on hand while the other five go into storage. Each gun certainly has its merits and uses, but there are four that stand out as better than the rest when it comes to surviving the horrors of the Ishimura.
Take note, if you’re looking to find all nine weapons, check out this guide that walks you through where to find them all and how to get the “Full Arsenal” trophy.
Here’s everything you need to know about the best weapons in the Dead Space remake. It’s important to note that this list will not include the Foam Finger as it’s only unlocked after completing the game on the hardest difficulty. That said, it would absolutely be listed as one of the best weapons, if not the best, thanks to its high damage output. Also, players might find that different load-outs work best for them, so make sure that you experiment with all of the weapons that the game has to offer.
More Dead Space guides:
| How to Replace the Damaged Tram | Power Nodes Explained | How to Get Security Clearance Level 1 | ‘Scan RIG to Unlock Workstation’ Explained | How to Fast Travel | How to Restart the Centrifuge | How to Find Autopsy Location | How to Get Security Clearance Level 2 | How to Beat the Brute Boss Fight | Is There a Photo Mode? | How to Get the Line Gun | How to Beat the Hunter Boss Fight (First Encounter) | Tissue Sample Location | How to Beat the Leviathan Boss Fight | How to Get Security Clearance Level 3 | How to Destroy Interior Tethers | How to Fix the Comms Array | Front Toward Enemy Trophy Guide | Z-Baller Trophy Guide | How to Beat the Hunter Boss Fight (Second Encounter) | What is Peng? | How to Reposition the Marker | How to Restore Power to the Junction | How to Beat the Hive Mind Boss Fight | Is There a Point of No Return? | All Master Override Door Locations |
1. The Plasma Cutter
The Plasma Cutter was specifically designed to be the most versatile weapon in the entire game. In fact, Dead Space seems to be designed around it, so it should stay in your arsenal at all times. Its multi-directional cutting function makes it ideal for strategically dismembering necromorphs and it can pack a mean punch when fully upgraded.
In truth, there’s really not a single enemy (save for the Brute mini-bosses) that isn’t able to be directly countered with the Plasma Cutter. The only drawback to it is that it isn’t great for crowd control or for taking out the smaller mob enemies. It’s a small price to pay, however, for a versatile tool, especially since you’ll be able to make up for that weakness with the other weapons that you can hold.
2. The Ripper
The Ripper is ideal for close-range encounters which is great since a lot of the USG Ishimura is made up of tight hallways and small rooms. If you end up getting cornered, the Ripper should be your go-to solution for cutting your way out. It doesn’t have the highest damage output, especially early on, but as long as you upgrade it properly, the Ripper can be truly lethal.
The big drawback for the Ripper is its reduced range. Because it holds a blade out directly in front of it, players won’t be able to hit enemies that are far away for any real consistent damage. Its ALT fire shoots the blade in a straight line which then bounces off the walls, but that’s not a particularly good way to lay into distant enemies. This also means that the Ripper is essentially useless for Dead Space‘s boss fights since most of them require players to hit large bosses that are far away.
3. The Contact Beam
The Contact Beam deals massive amounts of damage and can be used to knockback large groups of necromorphs making it great for crowd control as well as taking out individual threats. Pound-for-pound, it deals the most damage when fully upgraded out of all of the weapons available in Dead Space making it great for just about every enemy, but it comes with some considerable drawbacks.
The first is that it takes a few seconds to power up before shooting which means that you’ll be left vulnerable as you get ready to attack. The second is that it consumes ammo quickly and has a painfully long reload time. Essentially, if you’re able to hit your target and take them down while you have ammo left, the Contact Beam is a closer, however, if you miss or otherwise run out of ammo, you’ll need to switch to a different weapon or just accept your fate, die, and retry the encounter.
4. The Pulse Rifle
The Pulse Rifle is Dead Space‘s version of a machine gun. While an automatic weapon might sound like a major step up from the rest of the game’s semi-automatic options, the Pulse Rifle isn’t useful for its primary firing method, instead, its ALT fire is where the weapon really shines. The automatic fire mode doesn’t deal a whole lot of damage and can take a while to break off a necromorph’s limbs but the ALT fire, the proximity mine, is extremely useful for holding down an area.
While it’s good for sealing off an area from incoming monsters, the mine is also great for shooting into a crowd, causing it to explode on impact. This makes the Pulse Rifle one of the best weapons for quick crowd control and the ideal weapon to use on smaller mob enemies.
