Loadout rule
Carry answers, not one favorite weapon
Enemies resist different damage types. Carry at least two complementary weapons, keep a control option for groups, and match armor bonuses to the encounter rather than chasing the largest armor number.
Damage coverage
Pair sharp or bullet damage with acid, holy, laser, freezing or explosive damage.
Resource economy
Consider ammunition, battery charge and repair materials before relying on a weapon.
Armor mobility
Armor weight can matter more than a small protection increase during exploration.
Weapon directory
Compare weapons by role and progression
Search by weapon, damage style, tier or stage. Grades are Bamboo Gaming recommendations, not fixed game statistics.
Ranged · Crossbow
Makeshift Crossbow
Early
Cheap bolts, recoverable ammunition and safe opening headshots. Slow reload.
Ranged · Science pistol
Pipe Pistol
Early
50-damage single shot with inexpensive ammunition and easy repairs. Strong stealth opener.
Ranged · Utility
Vacuum
Early
Collects loose objects, processes corpses and launches captured Pests. Requires charging.
Ranged · Utility
NukeVac
Mid
Upgraded Vacuum with stronger object handling, but slower against later containers.
Ranged · 9mm pistol
Security Pistol / FL
Early
Reliable eight-shot sidearm. The FL version adds a useful flashlight; both need gun repair kits.
Ranged · Crossbow
Industrial Crossbow
Early
Scoped early crossbow using inexpensive recoverable bolts.
Ranged · Control
Net Launcher
Early
Pins small and human-sized targets for safe follow-up attacks rather than raw damage.
Ranged · 9mm SMG
Montese SMG
Early
Fast firing but inaccurate, low damage and inefficient with scarce early 9mm ammunition.
Ranged · Science shotgun
Scrapshot / FL
Early
Devastating close-range burst and excellent robot opener. Wide spread and single-shot reload.
Ranged · Disc launcher
Grinder
Mid
45-damage ricocheting discs, automatic fire and recoverable ammunition. Excellent crowd control.
Ranged · Sniper rifle
Wessex Rifle
Mid
Precise high damage, but biometric requirements, rare ammo and repair kits limit routine use.
Ranged · Magnum
Talagi Magnum
Mid
Powerful 100-damage shots balanced by scarce ammunition and repair-kit dependence.
Ranged · Electric control
Electro-Thrower
Mid
Short-range continuous electric damage that can stunlock robots.
Ranged · Shotgun
Romag Shotgun
Mid
Biometric requirement and an uninterruptible full reload make stronger shotguns preferable.
Ranged · 9mm pistol
Auto 10 / Z-17
Mid
The silenced Z-17 upgrade improves damage and ammunition conservation.
Ranged · 9mm SMG
Toaster / Verenkov's SMG
Mid–Late
Strong shield stripping, but recoil, ammunition consumption and inconsistent damage hurt them.
Ranged · Shotgun
Antique Shotgun / Polished
Mid
Accessible shells, Metal Scrap repairs and a polished upgrade with a rare explosive critical.
Ranged · Magnum
Night Magnum
Mid
High-damage pocket sniper without biometric lock. Repairs with renewable Night Essence.
Ranged · Magnum
Manomin Magnum
Late
115 damage and eight shots, but requires Bio-Fusion Armwraps and specialized progression.
Ranged · Science pistol
Lode Pistol
Late
Affordable ammunition with holy splash damage for groups and armored targets.
Ranged · Crossbow
Lode Crossbow
Late
Multiple shots and varied bolts, but specialized Lodestone ammunition limits sustained damage.
Ranged · Crossbow
Magbow
Late
120 sharp damage, 4x scope, low drop and recoverable Rebar Bolts.
Ranged · Crossbow
Hypercross Magbow
Endgame
170 sharp damage, two bolts, excellent precision and recoverable ammunition.
Ranged · Energy pistol
Energy Pistol
Mid
Low damage but excellent economy when recharged through the Crystalline Vial.
Ranged · Laser pistol
Laser Pistol
Late
More damage and Reaper-banishing utility, but inconvenient manual or collector recharging.
Ranged · Acid shotgun
Thumper Shotgun
Late
Six acid-coated shots with broadly useful damage; needs intermediate repair kits.
Ranged · Biological rifle
Quill Rifle
Late
Automatic homing quills deal sharp and acid damage, but make precision weak-point shots harder.
Ranged · Sniper rifle
Rail Rifle
Late
No biometric lock, zero drop and extreme projectile speed. Slow reload and poor close-range use.
Ranged · Burst rifle
Patois / Plasmois Rifle
Late
Strong bursts and shield pressure, balanced by recoil, ammunition use and biometric access.
Ranged · Disc launcher
Thresher
Endgame
60-damage Grinder upgrade with recoverable ricocheting discs and excellent sustained control.
Ranged · Explosive shotgun
Shredshot
Late
Three explosive shots and strong area damage, but loses normal headshot value.
Ranged · Laser cannon
Deatomizer
Endgame
Sustained beam with a triple-output alternate mode. Uses Laser Collector charge and rejects coatings.
Ranged · Acid launcher
Skink
Endgame
Launches radioactive waste to create acid area denial and crowd control.
Ranged · Explosive
Rocket Launcher
Endgame
Homing rockets and enormous damage, but ammunition is exceptionally expensive.
Ranged · Special rifle
Gutnic / Ice X Rifle
Endgame
Gutnic is a scoped rifle; Ice X delivers 150 damage and freezing control.
Ranged · Freeze shotgun
Snowfall Shotgun
Endgame
Powerful freezing and ricocheting projectiles, especially effective against Defense Bots.
Ranged · Fire
Flamethrower
Endgame
Required for progression and bypasses shields, but low damage and a long overheat lockout.
Melee · Blunt
Pipe Wrench
Early
Light, durable, common and dependable through early Manufacturing.
Melee · Sharp spear
Makeshift Spear
Early
Cheap, light and long-reaching. A safe beginner weapon until the Welding Spear.
Melee · Blunt fire
Thermal Mallet
Mid
Battery-powered fire puddles provide useful area control.
Melee · Blunt control
Stun Baton
Mid
Stuns on every hit without ammunition or battery charge.
Melee · Holy
Lode Hammer / Spear
Late
Charged holy damage bypasses armor and shields. Keep the battery topped up.
Melee · Blunt laser
Plasma Flail
Late
Scales with Blunt Melee while charged and pressures shields; prevents offhand shield use.
Melee · Blunt acid
Acid Mace
Endgame
High acid damage, generous capacity and few meaningful drawbacks.
Melee · Blunt electric
Ramrod
Late
Chain lightning clears groups, although electricity is weaker against some late enemies.
Melee · Blunt freeze
Endothermic Hammer
Endgame
High damage and durability with an innate freeze-related bonus and no charge requirement.
Melee · Heavy blunt
Impact Hammer
Late
Light for a heavy weapon and deals double damage to weakened enemies.
Melee · Heavy laser
Hardlight Sledge
Endgame
150 damage, extreme durability and a projectile-blocking secondary shield. Very stamina intensive.
Melee · Sharp fire
Welding Spear
Mid
Charged attacks add fire and explosions, making it excellent for Manufacturing progression.
Melee · Sharp electric
Lightning / Arcbolt Spear
Mid–Late
Charged chain lightning excels at group clearing rather than single-target damage.
Melee · Sharp laser
Laser Katana
Late
Long laser arc, high damage and multi-target swings. Requires Laser Collector charge.
Melee · Sharp hybrid
Quill Spear
Endgame
Strong melee plus a five-quill homing alternate attack for up to 150 ranged damage.
Melee · Laser plasma
Hardlight Saber
Endgame
Fast strikes and passive projectile deflection every 2.5 seconds.
Melee · Sharp hybrid
Quantum Pick
Endgame
Excellent damage and durability; thrown attacks automatically return without ammo or charge.
Melee · Psychic
Volt Staff
Endgame
Self-charging psychic blast bypasses physical and Hardlight shields.
Melee · Heavy sharp
Crowbar 2.0
Mid
75 damage, craftable early and pulls enemies closer without charge or ammunition.
Melee · Heavy sharp
Carbon Pickaxe
Late
85 damage and excellent raw heavy-sharp performance with no gimmick required.
Recommended progression
A practical equipment path
These options stay effective without demanding rare ammunition too early.
Early
Makeshift Spear + Pipe Pistol
Makeshift or Maestro armor
Midgame
Grinder + Welding Spear
Shifu, Carapace or Jugaar
Late game
Hypercross Magbow + Acid Mace
Kintsugi, Renovo or Hyperion
Our all-purpose endgame loadout
Use Hyperion for maximum protection and enemy detection, carry a Hypercross Magbow for recoverable long-range damage, and pair it with an Acid Mace or Quantum Pick for enemies that close the distance. Apply Quantum to expensive ranged ammunition or Somnivorous to a high-damage melee weapon.
Weapon balance, armor values and coating effects can change with updates. Letter grades are editorial recommendations based on damage, utility, availability, upkeep and progression value.