In order to prepare new recipes for customers of Dave's sushi restaurant to enjoy in Dave the Diver, players are going to need to seek out weapons that will make catching fish faster, which is incredibly important considering the air tank will only allow Dave to remain underwater for a short period, so there's no time for messing around.
While players will only start off with the Basic Underwater Rifle, they will also be able to find a plethora of weapons hidden away in crates that can be stumbled upon during each excursion of the Blue Hole. Some chests will also grant blueprints that can unlock even more weapons in Duff's Weapon Shop, so there's a lot to experiment with.
That said, some are much more reliable and effective than others, partly because of their unique upgrade enhancements, but also because of how easy they can make each dive so that Dave can return to the restaurant with his newfound ingredients as soon as possible.
14 Toy Hammer Of Sleep
- Damage: 1
- Extra effects: Chance to inflict sleep
Besides the fact that it has a very small chance to make creatures fall asleep after a single hit, making for an easy catch, the Toy Hammer of Sleep is essentially useless with it dealing next to no damage, though it can be used to farm large groups of jellyfish in essentially no time at all.
Unless the player is looking to knock out colonies in quick succession though, it's not the best weapon to bring along.
13 Dive Knife
- Damage: 3
Dave's standard knife is decent for the early game when players are only running through small clownfish and comber, but it becomes much less effective against sharks and isn't always worth it when caution is required for a fish like a stingray.
While good as a starting weapon, it's advised to switch it out sooner than later, and only equip it when the Harpoon Gun or Rifle isn't currently available.
12 Sharp Japanese Sword
- Damage: 8
While slightly faster than the Dive Knife, the Sharp Japanese Sword also deals a little more damage, making it a nice backup when out of ammo, which can cut down smaller fish very easily. The lack of an additional ability does limit the weapon a little bit, but it's nonetheless useful for those early Blue Hole adventures when catching rare fish isn't a main priority.
11 Old Harpoon Gun
- Damage: 3
Thanks to the wide array of tips that can be inserted into the Harpoon Gun, it is an extremely versatile weapon that can stun, poison, and kill when it's customized, but the low base damage does mean that it is extremely tough to use up until the player actually finds new attachments.
Therefore, this weapon really shines when it's been customized with a few tips to make it much deadlier.
10 Baseball Bat
- Damage: 5
- Extra effects: 10 damage on assault attack
The Baseball Bat will do double its base damage when swung at the exact right time, but with that being said, it's going to become much weaker as Dave dives further into the Depths and comes across new boss enemies.
It can be a good weapon to keep around for practicing assault attacks, but since it still has a lower base damage than the Sharp Japanese Sword, it still makes it very unreliable in the long term.
9 Golf Club
- Damage: 10
- Extra effects: 30 damage on assault attack
The 30 extra damage can make the Golf Club a powerhouse against sharks and marlin fish, but it is only slightly more powerful than the Sharp Japanese Sword, making it ideal for smaller fish found in the Shallows.
If a player can consistently hit assault attacks, then it can be great for knocking out medium-sized or even large fish like sharks.
8 Basic Underwater Rifle
- Damage: 22
- Magazine: 8
The Basic Underwater Rifle in its standard form is great for targeting bigger fish from a distance and piercing through them upon impact, but it's really in the upgrades where this weapon comes alive, skyrocketing its damage and granting it unique abilities that will pick off batfish, parrotfish, and any other medium-sized creatures with ease.
The Poison, Tranquilizer, and Flame Fire upgrades will turn the Rifle into a must-use weapon for Dave's journey through the mysterious Blue Hole.
7 Pump Harpoon Gun
- Damage: 17
The enhanced penetration power means the Pump Harpoon Gun is going to be earning Dave clean kills with nearly every shot, which goes a long way in keeping customers satisfied.
The size and rarity of the fish are crucially important, but snatching them without any ammunition degrading their quality will also help make them as appetizing as possible once they reach the restaurant.
6 Triple Axel
- Damage: 15-45
- Magazine: 3
The Quattro Axel upgrade allows this small cannon to fire four bullets instead of three and will raise the damage high enough to deal with sharks and can make quick work of the Hermit Crab and Mantis Shrimp bosses. Nevertheless, its base form is fairly lackluster, especially when also considering its awful range.
Its bullets also have no chance of penetrating the target, so it's best to use when creating the highest quality recipes possible isn't as much of a concern.
5 Small Net Gun
- Damage: N/A
- Magazine: 3
Each shot of the Small Net Gun can capture up to seven fish at a time, making it the most useful weapon for short excursions and catching batches of golies, clownfish, or seabreams to make some small but tasty meals to hold customers over while Dave prepares for a longer dive.
The three shots per magazine mean that players will need to make each one count, but considering the fish will be of the highest quality since they have been captured, it's still a weapon well worth keeping around, even just as a backup.
4 Shock Bangstick
- Damage: 5
- Extra effects: 10 second paralysis / -30% movement speed
The Shock Bangstick is the ideal weapon for any players who struggle with accuracy, or whose primary weapon is a short-range gun like a Triple Axel, and they need to get up close to place a few effective shots on a menacing shark.
It's by far the most reliable melee weapon in terms of pure damage, and its paralysis ability can even help with swimming away from fish who give chase after being attacked.
3 Grenade Launcher
- Damage: 30
- Magazine: 6
Despite having incredibly high damage, the grenade launcher also has fantastic range, allowing Dave to stay far back without having to worry about getting caught in the blast.
The six-round magazine means players can easily pile the damage onto a shark or marlin, but it also works perfectly for sweeping up small colonies of ornate wrasse or triggerfish, making it an extremely efficient weapon that doesn't require much skill to use.
2 Tranquilizer Gun
- Damage: N/A
- Magazine: 3
Capturing three-star fish alive can be incredibly tricky when the player is fully kitted out with explosive and powerful weapons with high stopping power, but the tranquilizer gun makes this much easier, and once it's upgraded, it becomes one of the most useful weapons in the entire game.
After seven seconds, the tranquilizer gun will be able to knock out any kind of creature, no matter how big or fearsome they are, and with each upgrade this time gets shorter while the magazine gets bigger, allowing players to fire multiple at once to acquire some great fish without having to ruin their quality with bullets.
1 Red Sniper Rifle
- Damage: 32
- Magazine: 3
With the highest base damage in the game, an attached laser sight to help with accuracy and a decent amount of bullets in each magazine, the Red Sniper Rifle is by far the deadliest gun Dave can get his hands on.
It also has the highest range in the game, allowing players to pick out their shots without having to put themselves at risk of taking any damage, which is incredibly useful for bigger fish, and even bosses, all of whom don't stand a chance against this destructive weapon.
Dave The Diver is available on PC and Mac.