Some of the most significant moments of anticipation when booting up a game are the time it takes to getyour first weapon. Following that, you begin to wonder about and look forward to any new weapons you find. What helps with this is how they’re introduced: Wielded by enemies or allies, spoken about in legends or rumors, and just found lurking just beyond your reach until you’re able to figure out how to get your hands on them.
In general, in-game text will do its best to make the weapons you find sound technical or serious… but we’re not like that. The moment we started using them, we developed our descriptions.
8Suck Cannon
Ratchet & Clank
Ratchet & Clankgot a lot of attention for being a quirky buddy game about a mechanic teaming up with a robot to seek adventure. During their journey, they encounter numerous weapons and gadgets, including the iconic Suck Cannon.
In Game:Think of a weapon-grade vacuum cleaner, and you have the Suck Cannon. And it’s explosive! The Suck Cannon will slurp up small enemies and turn them into explosive projectiles.
Since it’s a weapon you get for free, you’re tempted to use it right away and for good reason. The in-game description covers it pretty well, but sadly, the novelty wears off after the first few planets. However, future games tried to keep it more relevant with upgrades.
Honest Description:This sucks up all these pesky fodder enemies so that you can launch them at the slightly bigger enemies hanging out in the back row. It’s fun for a while, but you’ll forget about it once fodder enemies start disappearing.
7Shotgun
Spelunky
Spelunkyis credited with being one of the first titles to popularize the roguelike and roguelite genres. It had a simple premise: trap these poor explorers in a series of mines (with surprisingly diverse ecosystems) that changed every time they died. It’s not an easy game, but getting your hands on the shotgun helps out a lot.
In-game: Your typical 12-gauge shotgun.
It’s one of the hardest weapons to obtain, but it has infinite ammo, a spread shot, and a decent range. If you lose the shotgun during a run, no one will judge you for taking the easy way out.
Honest Description:Obtaining this gun is the closest you’ll get to easy mode. Use it to fire shots left and right before taking a step in either direction. If you lose it, it’s cool to give up.
6Garlic
Vampire Survivors
One of the first characters you’ll unlock inVampire Survivorsis Poe Ratcho (“poor wretch”), an old man with a cane whose default weapon is Garlic. Despite the drawbacks that come with it, most of us will aim to get it as soon as possible so that we can live out every gaming protagonist’s fantasy: hurting enemies by touching them.
In-game:Damages nearby enemies. Reduces resistance to knockback and freeze.
It starts small, which is why you should get it as early as possible and then meet the requirements to turn it into a Soul Eater. Great for the early game, you can ride this little head of Garlic into the late game; otherwise, it is worthless.
Honest Description:Now you can hurt enemies by touching them so that you can become a hunter. Still, unless you invest in making it good, you should either dump or ignore it.
5Peace Maker
Jak 2
If there’s a reward for dramatic shifts in style and tone, Jak 2 of theJak & Daxterseries would be a top nominee. The sequel took all the fun and color out of the original, and traded it for a dark and gritty combat-focused and GTA-mechanics-based sequel. With more combat comes more weapons, and the Peace Maker is the one you want.
In-game:The Peace Maker is a lethal weapon that fires charged particles of electricity. If multiple enemies are within its range, the electricity will arc and separate, targeting all in its path.
First seen on and used by resident badass Sig, the visuals and descriptions make you like this gun. After you get it, it’s indeed fun and flashy, but it’s only useful against groups rather than individual targets. Considering its lack of damage and quick ammo consumption, it has become a pretty niche weapon.
Honest Description: Woo, you finally got the dragon-head gun! It works well for gradual chain-lightning damage, so use it to soften up groups before finishing them off with something that has more kick.
4Tri Rod
Echoes Of Wisdom
Some would say thatThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomwas a risky move, as it radically altered the formula, but it ended up being a fun and challenging experience with a greater focus on puzzles and exploration (hence, wisdom). As such, your primary tool is the Tri Rod, a staff that allows you to record and copy any object or enemy you’ve encountered.
In-game:Tri loaned you this mystical rod. With its power, you can echo things you’ve learned.
Items copied maintain all their properties and can be placed near or at a distance. More importantly, echoes of enemies will fight for you, essentially making the Tri Rod a pokeball and PC combined.
Honest Description:Are you ready to play Pokemon in Legend Of Zelda? Well, here you go! Record all the enemies that you’re able to and then release your team of echoes against enemies and bosses.
3Rocket Launcher
Resident Evil
Ever since the firstResident Evil, the Rocket Launcher has been considered something of a legendary weapon. It’s not easy to find and takes up tons of space in your inventory, and is only ever officially given to you before certain boss fights.
In-game:Does major damage to any target. (Single fire).
However, as the series continued, it became more of a joke weapon since you may just find it, hold onto it, and then use it to instantly kill any boss that looks like it’ll be annoying to fight. This is most prominent in Resident Evil 4, particularlywith those bosses… You know the ones.
Honest Description:Congratulations, you’ve gotten your hands on the boss deleter. Just pause, equip, and fire in the general direction of the boss to skip the fight.
2Rock-It Launcher
Fallout 3
If there is any crime that theFalloutseries has committed, it’s not making the Rock-It Launcher a recurring weapon. First mentioned by Moira in Megaton inFallout 3, it sounds like a silly weapon. A cannon that fires junk at bandits and mutants? What use is that?
In-game:The Rock-It Launcher isn’t the most accurate big gun, but as long as you’ve got junk lying around, you’ve got ammunition. Just load the hopper with garbage and turn that junk into a deadly weapon.
Well, not only is the Rock-It Launcher one of the most potent weapons in the game, it also makes you earn it by working towards getting the schematics and materials you need to make it. But, the best part is that it makes you feel good about being an over-encumbered hoarder, because now everything is potential ammo.
Honest Description:You know everything you’ve been picking up because you “might need it later”? Well, here is the “later” you’ve been waiting for. This thing will launch anything and everything you put into it for massive and satisfying damage.
1Gunblade
Final Fantasy 8
It’s thanks to games likeFinal Fantasy 8that we have concepts like “edginess” and weapons that raise more questions the longer you examine them. The Gunblade is no doubt an iconic and cool-looking weapon that main character Squall swings into battle with the potential for it to explode with every slice.
In-game:The gunblade’s original model is this Revolver. What it lacks in power, it more than makes up for with its reliability.
Even though entire pages have been written about how the Gunblade works, it’s never explicitly explained in the game. Considering that it exists in a world where magic exists, we can accept it as a marvel of Final Fantasy engineering that even Cid would need a second look to understand.
Honest Description:It’s a sword with a revolver barrel that fires… something. Don’t worry about running out of ammo or blowing off your hand. Just swing, blast, and enjoy.
