Dead Space Weapons are mostly repurposed mining tools that Isaac uses to blast necromorphs in both the remake and the original.
However, unlike the original, you must find each weapon location in Dead Space before you can use it, instead of buying some from Ishimura’s store.
As each weapon is best suited to take on a specific type of Necromorph, we’ve also detailed the best weapons in dead space to help you decide which weapons to keep in Isaac’s inventory.
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Dead Space Weapons Explained
There are seven weapons in the Dead Space remake:
- plasma cutter
- pulse rifle
- Ripper
- Flamethrower
- contact harness
- line gun
- force gun
You can get each weapon in the same order as listed above, but some are easily missed, like the Line Gun.
Unlike the original, you can only get new weapons by finding them in different areas of the Ishimura, not buying them from the store. You can, however, buy ammo and weapon upgrades from the store, as long as you first find their schematics somewhere on the ship.
Weapon upgrades add more possible node options to a gun’s skill tree, which you can then spend nodes on to improve attributes such as damage, capacity, speed reloading and special upgrades unique to each weapon.
Each weapon has a primary fire mode and a secondary fire mode. On controllers, you use a pistol’s primary fire by pressing R2/RT and its secondary fire mode by pressing R1/RB. Each primary and secondary weapon has a different effect, but in general secondary fire requires more ammo than primary fire.
It is important to note that you only pick up ammo for weapons in Isaac’s inventory. So if you really don’t like a weapon, be sure to put it away in Ishimura’s store. On the other hand, if you’re out of ammo for one of your favorite guns, make sure you don’t put it away!
Remember, unless you’re using a weapon like the flamethrower, your goal should be to target a Necromorph’s limbs, not their head or body. You kill enemies much faster this way. However, bosses like the Hunter and Leviathan have their own unique strategies for defeating them.
Best weapons in Dead Space
There are situations where certain weapons are more useful than others, as no weapon is able to perfectly handle all types of necromorphs. While it mostly comes down to personal preference, there are some weapons that we recommend upgrading over others, as they are either versatile or have cheap ammo costs.
With this in mind, we consider the Pulse Rifle, Plasma Cutter and Force Gun will be the best weapons in Dead Space.
When upgraded, the Pulse Rifle deals some of the highest damage in the entire game, but it’s not the best at shooting an enemy’s limbs. It’s a secondary fire, however, that plants a mine that explodes on impact with a Necromorph, and it usually takes their legs off. You can then switch to another weapon to finish it off or unload some of the Pulse Rifle’s primary shooting ammo.
The Pulse Rifle also has a huge clip size when upgraded, meaning you’ll be able to use it more often than other weapons if your inventory is limited.
Although the Line Gun is basically a better version of the Plasma Cutter, its ammo is much more expensive to buy and its clip size is smaller. You need to be more precise with the Plasma Cutter, but if your resources are limited and your aim is correct, we still recommend upgrading the Plasma Cutter over the Line Gun.
Finally, we consider the Force Gun to be one of the best weapons in the game for its incredible crowd control abilities. If you ever see a necromorph or a mob of enemies, getting close to Isaac, forcibly pulling out the gun, and shooting can buy you more time and take out a few limbs, depending on his upgrade level.
The Dead Space remake brings back the Hunter and Leviathan bosses, as well as the Centrifuge puzzle. New additions include security clearance levels, weapon slots, and revised trophies and achievements.
Where to find the Plasma Cutter weapon in Dead Space
The Plasma Cutter is a must-have weapon slot in Dead Space. You’ll pick it up right at the start of the game in Chapter 1, after separating from your crew and running away from the Necromorph.
The Plasma Cutter is a precision weapon that you’ll use for most of the game to sever enemies’ limbs. You can use its secondary fire mode to change the reticle to a horizontal or vertical line, making it easier to shoot certain limbs.
A stack of six Plasma Cutter ammo costs 1,200 credits in the store.
Where to find the Pulse Rifle weapon in Dead Space
The Pulse Rifle in Dead Space is located in the Medical Tram Station near a corpse, and you first encounter it in Chapter 2 en route to getting the Captain’s Rig and your first level of clearance.
The Pulse Rifle has a high rate of fire and is best used when trying to burst something on an enemy. Any Necromorph with a glowing sac or exploding body part is best dealt with with the Pulse Rifle. However, he’s not very good at removing limbs, so it’s recommended to use his secondary fire to throw a proximity mine in this situation.
If you ever want to pick up a mine and return your ammo, aim for it then press R1/RB.
A stack of 25 Pulse Rifle ammo costs 1,250 store credits.
Where to find the Ripper weapon in Dead Space
The Ripper in Dead Space is located at the Engineering Machine Shop during Chapter 3, under a headless corpse. You first encounter this area by completing the “Refuel the Engines (South)” objective.
Holding down the Ripper’s primary fire button turns it into a short-range saw that you can use to rip off an enemy’s limbs. They will still attack when you do, though, so it’s best to do it behind them or when they’re in stasis.
The Ripper’s secondary fire fires a single blade that can ricochet off surfaces to damage multiple enemies in a room, or even re-injure the same enemy. This is best used in small rooms.
A stack of three Ripper ammo costs 1,500 store credits.
Where to find a flamethrower weapon in Dead Space
The flamethrower in Dead Space is located just before the crude tunnel to the fuel storage in Engineering during Chapter 3. You first encounter it after activating the centrifuge on your way to manually igniting the engines.
The Flamethrower is great for dealing with small crawling enemies that spawn after certain Necromorphs burst or when dealing damage to a group of limbless enemies. Its secondary fire launches a projectile that creates a high wall of flame on impact.
A stack of 25 flamethrower ammo costs 1,750 store credits.
Where to find a contact beam weapon in Dead Space
The Dead Space Contact Beam is located in the Administration Records Office during Chapter 4. You must use your Security Clearance Level 2 to open the office door. You first encounter it after emerging from a void while on your way to redirect electricity from the mining administration.
The Contact Beam fires a continuous line of energy that is ideal for slicing limbs or shattering certain types of Necromorphs. It’s faster than using the Plasma Cutter or Line Gun, but you use a lot of ammo when unleashing it.
Contact beam secondary fire mode charges a single powerful laser shot when held down. It’s great for shooting bosses like the Leviathan.
We haven’t found the ammo diagram for the Contact Beam yet, but we’ll update this page with its cost when we do.
Where to find the Line Gun weapon in Dead Space
The Line Gun in Dead Space is located in the Emergency Equipment Storage Room on Medical during Chapter 5. You must use your Level 2 Security Clearance to open the door. You first encounter it while running from the hunter, but you might want to come back later and get it, as the hunter is an unkillable enemy at this point.
The Line Gun is essentially an upgraded version of the Plasma Cutter. It has a larger line which means you can shoot both legs of a Necromorph at once. Its secondary fire mode fires a laser mine which is good for removing limbs if placed well. Much like the Pulse Rifle, these mines can be flipped over to collect your ammo by aiming at them and pressing R1/RB.
A stack of three Line Gun ammo costs 2,100 store credits.
Where to find the Force Gun weapon in Dead Space
The Force Gun in Dead Space is located in West Seedling Room A on Hydroponics during Chapter 6. You first encounter it by injecting yourself with the first Wheezer after fighting off a horde of enemies in the large room with the elevator in the middle.
Think of the Force Gun as the “leave me alone” weapon. Its range is very short, but that makes it great for knocking enemies away from you if they get uncomfortably close. The Force Gun’s secondary fire mode creates a gravity well that pulls enemies towards it.
A stack of three Force Gun ammo costs 2,400 store credits.
Have fun blowing up those limbs in Dead Space!
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