Dead Space Weapons Guide - Best to Worst Weapons

A simple guide for those who are tired of hearing "there's no best weapon in the game" and want the straight dope on which weapons are good, and which weapons are bad. A no-♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ review that is backed up by hours of testing and multiple playthroughs with fully upgraded weapons and gear. If this is your first playthrough, I highly recommend reading this, as it'll save you hundreds of thousands of credits.

Best to Worst Weapons

Dead Space Weapons Guide - Best to Worst Weapons

#1 – The Pulse Rifle

This is the BEST weapon in the game. When fully upgraded the Pulse Rifle does 1,575 (9 x 175) damage per clip. That’s pretty insane when you compare it to the Line Gun, which only does 243 (27 x 9) damage. Even if you somehow target all 4 limbs on an enemy (which you can’t do with the Line Gun) you still only do 972 damage. The Pulse Rifle stacks 100 ammo per slot which equates to 900 (9 x 100) damage! Compare that to the Line Gun which only clocks in at 162 (27 x 6) damage.

The Pulse Rifle is effective against ALL enemy types, and drops a whopping 25 round magazine. Which is the equivalent of 225 damage. This wasn’t my main weapon however, instead it acted as my secondary weapon when things got really out of control.

Weapon Rating: 5/5 | Ammo Value: 4/5


#2 – The Ripper

I had waaaaaaay too much Ripper ammo by the end of the game. When it comes to efficiency and value, the Ripper is unmatched. A dark necromorph only takes 2 – 3 blades to put down, and after that he’ll drop you a nice stack of 4 Ripper blades. A regular necromorph goes down with a single blade, and many other enemies go down with 1 – 3 blades. That means that you will NEVER run out of ammo for the Ripper, and thus have massive stacks growing in your inventory.

In fact, the beauty of the Ripper is that it’s a SELF-UPGRADING weapon. Sell the ammo for nodes, and the Ripper will be fully upgraded by the end of Chapter 12.

Weapon Rating: 4/5 | Ammo Value: 5/5


#3 – The Plasma Cutter

I feel like the game wants this to be my main weapon, being that I find ammo for it all over the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ place. But the problem with the Plasma Cutter is the same problem I have with the Line Gun. The DPS of the Pulse Rifle makes these weapons IRRELEVANT! What would you rather do, carry a weapon that does 18 damage but stacks 25 rounds, or carry a weapon that does 9 damage but stacks 100 rounds? You’re getting double the value for your ammo if you go with the pulse rifle!

I love the Plasma Cutter and ALWAYS keep one in my inventory at all times. It’s an amazing weapon to switch to if the Ripper or Pulse Rifle are ever running low on ammo.

Weapon Rating: 4/5 | Ammo Value: 3/5


#4 – The Contact Beam

If you’re looking for a dedicated fourth weapon, look no further than the Contact Beam. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, this weapon ONE-SHOTS most necromorphs on Hard, and the ammo value is ridiculously high. Equip the contact beam in your fourth slot, save and sell all the ammo, buy nodes and upgrade your primary three weapons (The Plasma Cutter, Pulse Rifle, and the Ripper) and you will see that all 3 of your weapons are fully upgraded by the end of Chapter 12. This assumes you didn’t put any points into kinesis or stasis.

In Late Game and on New Game+ the Contact Beam and its diamond incrusted ammo become something of a NECESSITY to your survival. If you want to max out your three weapons stick to the Contact Beam and don’t use it. You’ll be very happy you did so.

Weapon Rating: 4/5 | Ammo Value: 5/5


#5 – The Line Gun

6 rounds per slot… WHAT THE ♥♥♥♥?! The fact that the Line Gun can only stack 6 rounds per ammo slot is the weapons biggest handicap. The weapon would be #6 or #7 on my list if it weren’t for how badass it is Late Game, and on New Game+. This weapon can subdue groups of necromorphs faster than any weapon in the game, and should be used situationaly.

I found it exceptionally effective at fighting the Hunter, and a LIFE SAVER during quarantine events. It is a must have weapon that should be either in your inventory or in your safe.

Weapon Rating: 5/5 | Ammo Value: 1/5


#6 – The Force Gun

The Force Gun is like a big air cannon, and can be a saving grace if you find yourself overwhelmed with necromorphs all around you. It has the same problem that the Line Gun has, in that it’s a situational weapon, and should only be used if you know you’re about to get swarmed by half a dozen necromorphs at once. It is NOT a weapon worth upgrading, and only serves to keep your attackers at bay.

I was able to survive Dead Space on Hard without dying ONCE thanks to the force gun. But this shouldn’t be your exclusive fourth weapon. Every weapon has a purpose, and switching between the Line Gun, Force Gun, Contact Beam, and Flamethrower will prevent you from ever seeing Isaac die.

Weapon Rating: 3/5 | Ammo Value: 3/5


#7 – The Flamethrower

No weapon is as situational as the Flamethrower. Many believe the Flamethrower to be the WORST weapon in the game, and for the most part they’re right. The Flamethrower is only effective/efficient when you’re dealing with huge hordes of necromorphs or when you’re burning away legless enemies, swarms, infectors, or components. I only equipped the flamethrower when I knew I was about to face swarms or components, other than that I just left it in my inventory.

It’s not a weapon to use for its damage, but rather a weapon to use for how FUN it is. Setting necromorphs on fire, and walking back slowly watching them pop one after the other feels powerful and amazing. It’s the second most fun weapon in the game after the Ripper, and would make for a really fun playthrough if you’ve saved up enough ammo.

Weapon Rating: 2/5 | Ammo Value: 2/5 | Awesomeness: 5/5

[SenseiHitam]

The ripper would be the best in my opininon tbh
being able to just mow leapers on a quarantine like a grass mower and shoot the blades once the duration is up is definitely a plus (also unlimited ammo too)

[Zendakon]

Admittedly flamethrower struggles most against slashers leapers and dividers.

[Zendakon]

And that's not even mentioning how for some reason it does rediculous damage to the leviathan

[Zendakon]

I'm doing a run currently where I only use the flamethrower when possible, only 2 spots so far needed another gun. This gun trivializes swarmers and pregnants, and surprisingly it's secondary toys with exploders and babies. Only weakness besides poor ammo rate, is it's damage over time. Easy fix, stasis. if you are stingy on buying stasis packs, try cutting off one leg and laying fire down with the secondary. In 20 ammo or less it finished off most necromorphs. 40 with the dark ones.

[Nate]

I was pleasantly surprised by the pulse rifle's utility, but still not a fan of the ripper. Line gun mines are much better for clearing groups which is so ammo efficient that it feels broken, even with no upgrades.

The ripper is garbage until it's fully upgraded and even then, it's only good for handling maybe 1 or 2 necros at a time. But any more than that and you might as well switch weapons, especially if there's a ranged necro. I never use alt fire because you're just burning ripper blades which isn't ammo efficient at all.

I find line racks to be more lucrative than ripper blades because they sell for more per unit and are comparably as plentiful, but that's another debate. I always have stacks of line racks just waiting to print money.

[Fenekin]

I'm at the end of my playthrough and never bought the pulse rifle cuz I thought it would suck at dismembering so I just upgraded my plasma cutter because it's my favorite.

[Moter]

i used the plasma cutter line gun and flamethrower on hard and had a good time tbh

[Col. Anubis24]

This is only authors perspective. One can play the game the way they like. I, for example, had Plasma Cutter, Pulse Rifle, Line Gun and Contact Beam. Plasma cutter is very good for most enemy types except for the fast ones. Pulse rifle I use in situations where a lot of enemies attack at once and I run low on Line Gun ammo. And Contact beam is very good against Bosses.

[Boris6000]

probably the worst list of best to worst i've ever seen on anything anywhere ever. simply wrong all the way thru the whole thing.

[TheWizard]

also aoe damage of the flamethrower is much worse compare to mines. So flamethrower should be on the negative place. not just last, but at the very bottom of futile existence