In the Dead Space Remake, Isaac Clarke holds onto any hope of escaping the USG Ishimura in one piece. To do so, he's going to need to make use of every weapon he can get his hands on, and luckily, there are plenty of them to play around with in the Dead Space Remake. Each of these weapons can be upgraded at a Bench by using a Power Node which are found throughout the game and are usually locked away in small safes.

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There are also Special Upgrade parts that players will be able to find along their journey. These will open up a new branch in the upgrade tree to allow a gun to acquire a new ability which can make them much more effective. Guns also have a unique alt-fire which actually wasn't in the original game but has been carried over from Dead Space 2. While all guns can therefore be made to be pretty strong, there are some that clearly outshine others in terms of overall effectiveness, so here's how each of the weapons rank in the remake of this beloved survival horror classic.

Updated October 24th, 2023, by Ewan Lewis: As more and more players have been taking on the Hard and Impossible difficulties since the game launched, it's become clear just how different many of the weapons are in terms of their reliability and effectiveness. Anyone hoping to test their survival skills in these modes to unlock all the extra goodies that the game has to offer should definitely keep reading as these weapons are ranked in regard to how they perform for every difficulty, including the more unforgiving ones.

7 Pulse Rifle

• Alt-Fire: Grenade launcher.
• Where to find: Found near a dead soldier in the Med Bay Tram Station.

The Pulse Rifle is really the only weapon in the game that could be considered outright "bad". The high rate of fire initially makes it seem like a gun that could make quick work of Necromorphs, but its lack of damage really hurts the weapon, and while the grenade launcher is excellent for keeping enemies at bay, it uses up 25 rounds for a single blast which is a steep price to pay.

The one enemy that it is very useful for though is the Swarmers which are the tiny bits of reanimated flesh that will cling onto Isaac if they get too close. All in all, the Pulse Rifle is useful for weakening enemies during the Med Bay section, but it's worth placing in storage upon finding some of the more useful weapons in the game.

6 Flamethrower

• Alt-Fire: Fires down a wall of flames.
• Where to find: Found upon entering the Engine Room.

The Flamethrower is another weapon that is extremely weak, but it can at least be made to be pretty useful in some scenarios, so long as the player spends a few Nodes on it that is. The best part of the weapon is how it doesn't require any accuracy to use, simply shoot out in the general direction of a Necromorph, and it'll gradually sizzle them up.

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It's a great weapon for dealing with Pregnants, the large Nercomorphs with giant sacks in their stomachs, since the Flamethrower won't be able to expose the sack and the tiny Nercomorphs that are inside. The biggest downside to the Flamethrower though is that it struggles to stagger enemies, and since the range is so short, it makes it easy to get grabbed or attacked while using it. The only way to extend the range is by picking up the High-Pressure Nozzle, but this is found so late that it makes the Flamethrower a very risky weapon to use, especially on Hard or Impossible.

5 Contact Beam

• Alt-Fire: Emits a concentrated burst of kinetic energy to blow enemies away.
• Where to find: Backtrack to the Records Office which can be opened with level 2 Security Clearance.

The Contact Beam is a devastating gun that can tear off Necromorph limbs with ease, especially with its alt-fire which, when fully charged, can peel back the flesh and armor of virtually any Necromorph in the game. It's actually very easy to miss since it will require players to backtrack a little bit, but it's definitely worth picking up since it can make quick work of regular enemies and mini-bosses such as the Brutes who can be taken down with only a handful of shots.

The only problem is, since the Contact Beam is a true heavy-duty weapon, it can be quite clunky to use, especially since the primary and alt-fire take a while to charge up, and it also shreds through ammo in mere seconds. This matters a lot on those harder difficulties where even regular Slashers and Lurkers will sprint towards the player every chance they get. The reload is also painfully slow, and while these issues can be negated with a few upgrades, it will take some work to make the weapon viable for the long term.

4 Line Gun

• Alt-Fire: Fire out proximity mines.
• Where to find: Found in the Security Room on level 4 of the Medical Deck by using Level 2 Security Clearance.

The Line Gun is more or less a much bigger and bulkier version of the Plasma Cutter, and it's just as good at taking down Necromorphs when aiming at their arms and legs. It has a much wider reticle compared to the Plasma Cutter though, making it capable of taking down more than one enemy at once which becomes incredibly useful later in the game when the game throws hordes of enemies as the player in one go.

It also has the best alt-fire in the game since the mines can be placed strategically if the player knows where enemies are going to pop out from during an ambush during a second playthrough. It's also great for dealing with the Hunter since placing a mine or two will slow him down to a crawl, as well as the lightning-fast teleporting Slashers onboard the Valor. The only real drawbacks of the weapon are the fact that the mines will deal a significant amount of damage to Isaac which can result in an early death if players aren't careful, and that all the Special Upgrades are only dedicated to improving the mines rather than the weapon itself. Still, it's a great weapon to keep handy, so longer as players make sure to stay clear of the blast radius.

3 Ripper

• Alt-Fire: Fires a saw-blade that ricochets off walls.
• Where to find: Found on the floor of the Machine Shop.

When the game was initially released, many people were quick to write off the Ripper, but as time has gone on, it's seen a lot more love, especially among speedrunners who try to complete the game, often on the hardest difficulty, as fast as possible. While the damage isn't anything to write home about, and the range is a little underwhelming, the reason the weapon is still so reliable is because it is guaranteed to stagger enemies when making an impact with them.

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Therefore, it doesn't matter if a Slasher, Lurker, or even the Twitchers aboard the Valor tries to attack Isaac, so long as he has a revolving blade in front of him, the enemy will keep flinching and struggle to reach him. It also helps that it's found so early on in the game since this gives the player plenty of time to upgrade it, and this isn't even mentioning the alt-fire which is capable of hitting multiple enemies at once, making it absolutely lethal in narrow corridors.

2 Force Gun

• Alt-Fire: Create a gravity well that sucks in all nearby Necromorphs.
• Where to find: Found in the West Seedling Room by using Level 2 Security Clearance.

Undoubtedly the most fun weapon to use in the game, and one that can eviscerate multiple Necromorphs with a single shot, the Force Gun is truly unstoppable, especially when upgraded. While the primary fire can decimate Nercomorphs with a giant kinetic wave blast, the alt-fire will create a kinetic gravity well that acts almost like a vacuum. This is extremely useful for when situations get a little hairy and Isaac's taken a few too many hits, simply throw down a gravity well, and either run away or fire at the enemies to finish them off.

Even if the gun doesn't kill an enemy in a single shot, it's still guaranteed to at least knock them over which also makes it ideal for crowd control. The weapon can even be used as an easy way to keep enemies away while completing puzzles, such as during the many zero-gravity sections where Leapers can always be found jumping around the environment. It may not store many bullets at first, but this can easily be fixed with a few upgrades.

1 Plasma Cutter

• Alt-Fire: Switch between vertical and horizontal reticle.
• Where to find: Picked up inside the Workshop.

There's a reason so many people decide to run through Dead Space with only a Plasma Cutter, and it's because the gun is by far the most reliable weapon in the game. Sure, it might start off pretty weak, but it can become absolutely devastating after investing a few Nodes into it as early as possible. The alt-fire might not be the flashiest, but being able to turn around the reticle makes it so easy to dissect Necromorphs which allows Isaac to always have full control of an encounter.

The Special Upgrades take it to a whole new level though, especially the Heat Accumulator which will make each shot stronger than the last. The Weighted Blades also make the weapon an absolute powerhouse when it comes to melee. There's not really anything bad to say about the Plasma Cutter, just make sure to prioritize upgrading it before anything else, and it'll be shredding Necromorphs apart in no time.

Dead Space (2023)

Platform(s)

PS5 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PC

Released

January 27, 2023

Developer(s)

EA Motive

Genre(s)

Survival Horror