Arsenal

Axe

Guest House 1F, Vacant Room: on the floor during the first Mia fight. If you do not pick it up in the fight, it lies where Mia's body falls. Same spot on every difficulty.

Damage

100 swing / 150 heavy swing (aim + attack)

Slots

1

Ammo

none

Verdict Mandatory in the prologue: nothing to decide.

Knife

The deputy hands it to you through the window at the SW end of the Main Corridor (Main House 1F), after you search the Laundry Room. You need it to cut the tape on the shutter switch in Garage Entry.

Damage

50 slash / 80 stab (aim + attack)

Slots

1

Ammo

none

Verdict Crate-opener and bug-swatter: never fight Molded with it.

Chainsaw

Processing Area, Morgue: on the stretcher behind the metal mesh, north side. You can only reach it in phase 2 of the second Jack fight, when he tears the mesh open and takes his giant shears. Grab it right then.

Damage

500 swing / 140 per cycle (aim + attack, held)

Slots

1

Engine

restart it with reload (Y)

Verdict The one weapon built for Morgue Jack: grab it the moment the mesh opens.

Survival Knife

Wrecked Ship 2F, Main Corridor: stuck in the upside-down table opposite the elevator (you are playing Mia). Madhouse: 1F, Recreation Room (Corrosive door), on the table-tennis table. It goes to Ethan's Item Box with the rest of Mia's gear.

Damage

85 / 136 (measured with Mia on the ship)

Slots

1

Ammo

none

Verdict Replaces the Knife in ch07-ch08 for its reach; its damage with Ethan is unconfirmed.

Crowbar

Zoe route only (serum to Zoe): Wrecked Ship S2, No. 2 Engine Room, on the floor in the SE corner. Ethan arrives with an empty inventory and it is his only weapon against Mia.

Damage

100 / 150 (same as the Axe)

Slots

1

Verdict Scripted weapon for the Mia fight (700 HP); it disappears afterwards.

Circular Saw ★

Finish the game in under 4 hours on any difficulty (Easy is fine). It appears in the Item Box of every save; if you discard it, it goes back to the box.

Damage

300 swing / 200 per cycle (aim + attack, held)

Slots

1

Ammo

none

Verdict The best weapon in the game: do the under-4-hours run before Madhouse.

M19 Handgun

First time: Guest House 3F, Store Room A, on the table (the room off the corridor up to the attic). It is taken away when the prologue ends. Second time: combine the Broken Handgun with a Repair Kit. On Easy and Normal the Broken Handgun is on the bed in Zoe's trailer (Yard, ch03); on Madhouse, in Old House (West) 2F, Potting Room, table in the NE corner.

Damage

120 (360 with Enhanced Handgun Ammo)

Magazine

7

Slots

1

Ammo

Handgun Ammo / Enhanced Handgun Ammo

Verdict Best standard handgun per bullet (+20% over the G17): worth a Repair Kit, since there are two.

G17 Handgun ★

Main House 1F, Garage: on the floor next to the deputy's body, during the first Jack fight. If you do not take it during the fight, it moves in front of the ladder and you must pick it up to progress.

Damage

100 (300 with Enhanced Handgun Ammo)

Magazine

10

Slots

1

Ammo

Handgun Ammo (30 per slot) / Enhanced Handgun Ammo (20 per slot)

Total on Normal

335 Handgun Ammo + 49 Enhanced Handgun Ammo

Verdict Your workhorse from ch02 to the end on Normal: the most practical gun against regular Molded.

MPM Handgun

Easy and Normal: Wrecked Ship 1F, Maintenance Room, in the desk drawer the dead man is reaching for; it holds only 2 rounds. Madhouse: 3F, Sick Bay, desk SE. It goes to Ethan's Item Box with the rest of Mia's gear.

Damage

100 (300 with Enhanced Handgun Ammo)

Magazine

9

Slots

1

Ammo

Handgun Ammo / Enhanced Handgun Ammo

Verdict Mia's sidearm; for Ethan it is a G17 with one round less: leave it in the box.

Albert-01

Final Eveline fight: a helicopter drops a crate with the gun and Chris tells Ethan to take it.

Damage

scripted

Magazine

9

Sight

laser

Ammo

Handgun Ammo only (no Enhanced)

Verdict Not your choice: shoot Eveline's mouth and face when the tendrils move aside.

Albert-01R ★

Finish the game once on any difficulty. It appears in the Item Box of every save, including saves in progress. The campaign's first Item Box is in the Laundry Room (ch02).

Damage

200 (600 with Enhanced Handgun Ammo)

Magazine

3

Slots

1

Ammo

Handgun Ammo / Enhanced Handgun Ammo

Verdict On any new run it replaces the G17 and the M19 as your main gun.

M37 Shotgun

Main House 1F, Display Room (south of the Main Hall), in the statue's arms. Taking it locks the room until you put back something of the same weight: the Broken Shotgun (Main House 2F, Grandma's Room, propped against the boxes by the door; needs the Scorpion Key) or, later, the Model Shotgun. It comes empty. Madhouse: the Model Shotgun is in the Processing Area Dissection Room, and the Scorpion Key costs 3 Antique Coins in a Main Hall birdcage.

Damage

720 per shell

Magazine

4

Slots

2

Ammo

Shotgun Shells (30 per slot)

Total on Normal

121 shells; cannot be crafted

Verdict Your answer to close Molded and to Jack in ch02-ch05; swap it for the M21 once you have it.

M21 Shotgun ★

Combine the Broken Shotgun with a Repair Kit. Two routes: - Keep both shotguns (recommended): in ch02, leave the Broken Shotgun in the Display Room statue to take the M37. In ch04, get the Model Shotgun (Main House Attic, metal shelves in the SE corner; reached from the 2F Kid's Room with the Snake Key and the red button under the lampshade), swap it into the statue for the Broken Shotgun and repair that. - Repair it right away in ch03 with the first Repair Kit (under the Main House porch): you lose the M37 until you have the Model Shotgun. Madhouse: the Model Shotgun is in the Processing Area Dissection Room from ch02.

Damage

800 per shell

Magazine

2

Slots

2

Ammo

Shotgun Shells (30 per slot)

Verdict The best shotgun: 11% more damage per shot, more reach and more knockback. Worth the Repair Kit.

Burner

Combine two Old House parts: the Burner Grip (1F, Back Porch, in the trash bin opposite the doors from the Gallery) and the Burner Nozzle (1F, Water Station, on the table opposite the door). Same spots on every difficulty.

Damage

20 per point-blank contact + 33.3 per burn tick

Tank

150 fuel

Slots

2

Ammo

Burner Fuel (500 per slot)

Total on Normal

800 fuel in 10 pickups; Chem Fluid + Solid Fuel = 100

Verdict Carry it through the Old House and the Greenhouse (ch03), then leave it in the box after Marguerite.

Grenade Launcher

Easy and Normal: Main House 1F, Supplies (the crow door in the Drawing Room; needs the Crow Key from the Old House), on the white tarpaulin opposite the door. Madhouse: in Zoe's trailer (Yard), on the bench opposite the door. If you never pick it up, it turns up in the Swamp Mine Office (ch07).

Damage

~800 impact (±50%) + burn: ~2000 Flame / ~2400 Neuro in total

Magazine

1

Slots

2

Ammo

Flame Rounds / Neuro Rounds (5 per slot)

Total on Normal

9 Flame Rounds + 4 Neuro Rounds

Verdict Pick it up (it is free) and spend the rounds on Fat Molded and Crawler groups, not on Marguerite.

44 MAG ★

Zoe's trailer (Yard): birdcage on the table in the seating area, east side. If you do not buy it, the cage reappears once in the Swamp Mine Office (ch07) and keeps what you already paid. · 9 Antique Coins

Damage

1200

Magazine

7 (comes with 1 round)

Slots

2

Ammo

44 MAG Ammo (20 per slot)

Total on Normal

16 rounds in 9 pickups; cannot be crafted

Verdict Worth the 9 coins on Normal (there are enough for all three cages): save it for Mutated Jack's eyes, the Fat Molded and Eveline.

P19 Machine Gun ★

Wrecked Ship 4F, Captain's Cabin: locker in the SE corner, with 1 Remote Bomb. Needs the Captain's Cabin Locker Key (Wrecked Ship 2F, Bunk Room, south half behind a Corrosive door). Mia starts the Old Videotape with another P19, but that one does not carry over.

Damage

50 per bullet

Magazine

64

Slots

2

Ammo

Machine Gun Ammo (300 per slot)

Total on Normal

1060 rounds, 300 of them inside the tape and lost; cannot be crafted

Verdict The best weapon for ch07: +100% against Fat Molded and +25% against Crawlers.

Remote Bomb ★

First found in the Old Videotape (8 on Normal, they do not carry over). The present-day Wrecked Ship has 15 more (2 of them in a Cargo Bay wall panel, S2, opened with Corrosive) and the Salt Mines 4: Crossroads 2, South Cavern 1 and Spiralling Cavern 1.

Damage

2000 in a large radius

Slots

1 (up to 20 per slot)

Total on Normal

27 (Easy 28, Madhouse 14)

Verdict Hoard the present-day ones: they go to Ethan's box and pay off most in the Salt Mines.

Tactical Knife

Chris's starting inventory on every difficulty.

Damage (Normal)

180 slash / 500 stab

Easy / Professional

480 / 800 · 126 / 350

Slots

1

Verdict For finishing, breaking crates and Little Crawlers; on Professional it is all you start with.

Damage (Normal)

500 per bullet; 21,250 with a RAMROD

Easy / Professional

800 (30,000 RAMROD) · 350 (14,875 RAMROD)

Magazine

9 (unconfirmed)

Ammo

Handgun Ammo / Anti-Regen Ammo (RAMRODs)

Total on Normal

129 Handgun Ammo in total (18 of them at the start) and 34 RAMRODs

Verdict The RAMROD gun: save them for white Molded, the Mama Mold and Lucas.

Thor's Hammer - AW Model-02 ★

Easy and Normal: starting inventory. Professional: Mine Cart Yard, Ventilation Room, metal shelves in the NE corner.

Damage (Normal)

3000 per shot (3600 with Sight B)

Easy / Professional

4800 (5760) · 2100 (2520; 2940 with Sight C)

Magazine

12

Slots

2

Ammo

Shotgun Ammo

Total on Normal

220 shells in total (12 of them at the start)

Verdict Your main gun in Not a Hero: a semi-auto shotgun with 12 shells.

Grenade

3 in the starting inventory, the rest spread through the mines: 12 in total on Normal (Easy 14, Professional 15).

Damage (Normal)

2400

Easy / Professional

3200 · 1400

Verdict For groups, and to stun the Mama Mold while you turn the crank.

Incendiary Grenade

Spread through the mines: 8 on Normal (Easy 8, Professional 11).

Damage (Normal)

9230

Easy / Professional

10,430 · 6350

Verdict The hardest-hitting grenade: save it for Lucas.

Neuro-stun Grenade

Spread through the mines: 6 on every difficulty.

Damage (Normal)

925

Easy / Professional

1300 · 850

Verdict Little damage, but it stuns and kills Little Crawlers: use it to make room.

Bare Fists ★

Joe fights with his fists from the start.

Damage (Normal)

100 punch; 60 per fast-combo hit; 300 strong-combo finisher

Combos

fast: left, right, right · strong: right, left, right, left

Difficulty

Easy x1.5 · Normal x1.0 · Joe Must Die x0.7

Verdict Your main weapon: strong combo to the head and a stomp on whatever drops.

Throwing Spear ★

Scrap Metal + Tree Branch. There are also 18 placed on Normal (9 on Joe Must Die); the first is stuck in the crate stack in the W corner of the Camp, at the Base.

Damage (Normal)

1200 vs Molded; 500 vs Crawler; 1000 vs Twin Blade

Easy / Joe Must Die

3000 · 1400 vs Molded

Reusable

if it misses, you can pick it up

Verdict Essential: it is the only thing that kills alligators. Have one ready before you go into the water.

Stake Bomb

Chem Fluid + Tree Branch. One is placed in Quarantine Area 2, Stilted Cabin 1.

Damage

2000

Verdict Chem Fluid is worth more as a First Aid Med: craft bombs only from spares.

Throwing Knife

Joe Must Die only: 28 placed through the episode.

Damage

200

Verdict A tool, not a weapon: use it to set off traps from afar and to lure enemies.

AMG-78 ★

Baker Estate, Swamp, Forest Path: in the weapons case in the clearing on the west side (the crashed BSAA dinghies). It is the story weapon of the final stretch.

Charged damage

2000 (Joe Must Die 1400)

Uncharged punch

half the normal damage, ≈300 on Normal (estimate); Joe Must Die 210

Charge

hold the left punch: 3 levels

Verdict The only thing that hurts the Swamp Man in the final fight: charged punches to the head.

AMG-78a

Finish End of Zoe on Normal or Joe Must Die. It is in the Item Box from the start of the next run.

Damage (Normal)

600 punch / 2000 charged

Joe Must Die

105 / 350

Verdict A gauntlet from minute one of your next run; in the Extreme Challenges it speeds up the timer.

AMG-Dual

Finish End of Zoe on Joe Must Die. It arrives in the Item Box with 50 Cassette Tapes.

Charge

both hands, each on its own

Damage

both gauntlets hit the same, no penalty

Verdict The Joe Must Die prize: two chargeable gauntlets.

Spirit Blade

Clear every Normal Extreme Challenge. It appears in the Item Box.

Damage

100 slash / 150 thrust

Healing

10% per slash / 15% per thrust

Verdict Replay weapon that heals you with every hit.

M21 Shotgun (End of Zoe)

Finish End of Zoe on any difficulty (Easy or higher). It appears in the Item Box: on Normal with 2 shells loaded and 5 more in the box (7 in total); on Joe Must Die with 2 loaded and 1 more in the Paddle Boat 1F air duct.

Damage (Normal)

800 per shell (8 pellets x 100)

Magazine

2 (unconfirmed in End of Zoe)

Ammo

Shotgun Shells

Verdict With so few shells it is a lifeline for Twin Blades and emergencies, not a main weapon.