Dead Space weapons number seven in total, found around the Ishimura and the best of them are the Ripper and Contact Beam. They hit a great mid-point between damage, effect and ammo availability, but other weapons like the reliable Pulse Rifle and the hard-working Plasma Cutter can offer a lot to the aspiring Necromorph-hunter. For those who want to assemble the full arsenal, here's where to find every Dead Space weapon, and how we rank them.
Dead Space weapons
There are seven Dead Space weapons you can find as you play:
Plasma cutter
The Dead Space plasma cutter is your go-to/default weapon that will serve you well for most of the game. You can't miss this one, obviously, as the game bottlenecks you into picking it up within the first 15 minutes of the game.
Its key ability is that it can have a vertical and horizontal configuration, letting you cut left to right and up and down depending on whether you are trying to sever a necromorph's arms or legs.
Pulse Rifle
The Pulse Rifle is another weapon the game makes sure you can't miss. You'll get it shortly after finding the Kinesis module, when you meet a dying security officer on the Medical tram station platform. It's a useful mid-game weapon when you're mobbed, thanks to its high rate of fire and explosive mine secondary fire that can clear rooms in one go. Ammo can be a little short in a few areas though.
Ripper
There's always time for sports! Find out all the Z-Ball rewards in Dead Space here.
The ripper is hands down the best weapon in Dead Space (while the ammo lasts) and you'll find it during the objective to Refuel the Engines (South), not too far from the Dead Space Centrifuge puzzle.
What makes it so good is that the primary fire launches and holds a spinning saw blade a short distance from you while you hold the fire button down. Not only does this damage enemies the whole time it's touching them, but it also holds them back. Used well it can stop monsters reaching you, interrupt attacks and generally dice up anything you can keep in front of you. The only downside is that ammo gets scarce in the late game.
Flamethrower
The flamethrower appears during the mission to Manually Ignite the Engines. When you move into an area overgrown by alien material you can pull it from the hands of a dead crew member partially absorbed into the wall. It's fun but not the strongest weapon overall as it applies heat damage over time, which is not hugely useful when you want to target limb damage for instant effect.
However, it's very useful in a crowd and especially against the small crawling enemies you encounter occasionally. Its biggest strength is the fire wall secondary ability you can use to create an impenetrable barrier that hurts enemies as it holds them back.
Contact Beam
You'll be able to get the Contact Beam during the mission to Reroute Power from Mining Administration. It's tucked away inside a Records Office with level 2 Dead Space security clearance you'll find just after a space vacuum section.
It's probably the best late-stage Dead Space weapon. Ammo seems to be plentiful and its laser beam melts enemies as you literally hose away limbs like power-washing a fleshy driveway. The only real reason you ever need to stop firing is because you can't always tell if things are dead behind its energy beam
Line Gun
You'll be able to find the Line Gun shortly after you meet the constantly regenerating hunter necromorph. This is a gun you can miss in all the chaos and running that follows when trying to escape it. For a far more detailed path to reach it, we have a dedicated page for the Dead Space Line Gun and how to reach it.
Look for this level 2 locked Equipment room to find it once you're running way from the hunter. It's basically a heavier, slower firing Plasma Cutter that only fires horizontally. Because it takes longer between shots it needs a little more skill to use well, although its secondary fire laser mines are extremely good at locking down open spaces.
Force Gun
The Force Gun becomes available when you head to Hydroponics and start taking out the Wheezers. As soon you go after Wheezer 1 you'll be able to access a level 2 Seedling Room where you'll find this gun.
Want the horrifying truth behind it all? Find out the answer to the question: "what is the Marker in Dead Space" here!
It's essentially a gravity-powered shotgun that can blast all the flesh off a necromorph in one shot, and kill it with the second. It's great fun to use but ammo is always sparse, so this may not the best option for a main weapon. Save it for emergencies and larger enemies.
Wondering how long you've got left in the game to use all this deadly tech? We wrote a page explaining how many chapters in Dead Space and its overall length, so you know just how much Necromorph horror you've got waiting ahead of you!
