After a long wait, the revival of the Dead Space franchise is finally here. It is a franchise that is meant as a love letter to Resident Evil 4 and has itself become a modern horror classic. The main highlight of the game is its monsters & how you kill them mixed up with the tense atmosphere. Today we are going to rank all the deadly tools that Isaac utilizes so you know which of these are Dead Space Remake‘s best weapons. 

7. Flamethrower

Almost everybody considered the Flamethrower to be the worst weapon in the original Dead Space. Most of the time it did nothing to slow the enemies down and the range was also very poor. Also, most of the time the player is going to get grabbed before the Necromorph is stunned or killed.

However, the Flamethrower has one advantage in both the original and the remake. That advantage is its wide flame pattern. There are many times in the Dead Space Remake when the players will find themselves in a tricky predicament where they are overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of the Necromorphs. 

It is here, and against crawling enemies, when the Flamethrower is, by far, at its strongest. You can severely damage all the Necromorphs that are in the weapon’s range. Now while this won’t change the weapon’s poor damage output it certainly will reduce a lot of health of all the enemies that you were hitting. 

Moreover, low health means that now you can finish them off quickly. The alternative fire of the Flamethrower is literally made for situations like the one we just mentioned. It is undoubtedly the weapon’s main saving grace. It literally throws a mini incendiary grenade that sets and has a very good area of effect. 

Overall, while the Flamethrower here is an improvement from the original, it still is the least strong weapon in Dead Space. If you decide to upgrade it, it can be fairly decent in the lower difficulties. In our opinion, you should spend your previous Power Nodes on some of the other best Dead Space Remake weapons. 

Where To Acquire

You can grab the Flamethrower from a corpse hanging from a wall on your way to the Fuel Storage in Chapter 3. As you can tell that is very early on in the game, During these sections, you run into a fair bit of crawling Necromorphs. We suggest you use as much of the Flamethrower as you want on them. 

• Ammo Cost: After acquiring the ammo schematic, you can get yourself 25 Flamethrower Fuel for 1,750 Credits from the Store.

Differences From The Original

The main notable difference here is that now the Flamethrower’s alternative fire is way faster. It might seem like a small tweak, but it does make the weapon far more effective than it was in the original. More importantly, it also has a far wider area of effect, which is a huge lifesaver when facing groups of enemies. 

6. Force Gun

On the sixth spot, we have the Force Gun, which is another tricky gun to place. It has always been a fan-favorite destructive weapon. Thankfully, the gun is just as awesome as fans remember. Due to the leap in video game technology, its shooting impact now looks better than ever. 

Furthermore, Force Gun is among the best crowd-control tools we have seen in any game, and it can also potentially be the very best one in Dead Space too. Whenever you are getting overwhelmed from everywhere you can use its alternative fire to destroy the enemies. 

It has a very short range, which is by far its biggest disadvantage. It is obtained in Chapter 6. By then most players already have gotten good at dispatching groups of Necromorphs with other weapons.  It is still a beautifully well-animated beast of a weapon that is very useful. 

In our opinion, you should have the Force Gun in your inventory. It is almost essential for keeping enemies away, mainly in the greatest difficulties. Use it like you use strong weapons in Doom and then switch to another one quickly. 

The main strategy that we adopt is that we shoot Necromorphs with other weapons and when they close we quickly switch and use the force gun, then switch back to the initial weapon. It is considered by many to be among the best Dead Space Remake weapons. 

Where To Acquire

Getting the Force Gun is also easy. Just like most weapons in Dead Space Remake, it is very hard to miss. You will come across it after you are done fighting the enemy horde in the lift room in Chapter 6. The room where you find the gun is called “West Seedling Room A.” 

• Ammo Cost: Force Gun ammo is expensive, as you can buy a three stack of Force Energy Ammo for 2,400 Credits.

Differences From The Original

The sound design of the gun has been improved in a very significant and notable way. The alternative fire of the gun is where the real juicy changes have happened. Now instead of just shooting a regular strong grenade, it shoots a devastating one that has a massive black hole-like area of effect.

The alternative fire mode is what makes, the Force Gun an irreplaceable addition to our inventory in the “Impossible” difficulty. You should give it a shot; we are certain that it will please your nechromorph-slaying mind. Some would even argue that it deserves a fire higher spot on the list.

5. Contact Beam

The Contact Beam is sometimes a very divisive weapon in the community. Some love and others loathe it; there is almost no in-between. One thing for sure is that many people will now love it in the remake. It has been improved in every way and now is a very daring challenge for Isaac’s adversaries. 

In addition, where Contact Beam shines is in taking care of the bigger Necromorphs, like the fat one who runs at the player. The new alternative fire mode easily rips through these foes.

Speaking of ripping through stuff it is also very effective at taking care of limbs, which will make the original’s alternative fire proud. We think it deserves a high spot on our Dead Space Remake best weapons-ranked guide. 

Many fans will miss the original as it was loved by the players who used close-range weapons. We welcome the new one as it is something fresh and will make many people who give the weapon another chance. The new mode is the reason why we have placed the weapon above the Force Gun.

The main reason one avoids the Contact Beam is the rarity and price of its ammo. It is hard to come by and if you want to buy it, it will cost about 4,000 Credits. If you are somebody who is already on their new game plus run, then you should consider trying the weapon out. It might even become your favorite. 

Where To Acquire

You will need Level 2 Security Clearance. During Chapter 4, make your way to the “Records Office,” and here you will find it laying beside a corpse in a blue outfit. 

• Ammo Cost: The most expensive ammo in the game as a single stack costs 4,000 Credits.

Differences From The Original

The most obvious difference is the new animations and fire mode. It is now faster and deadlier, but a lot of fans wouldn’t really appreciate the new one since the old one was so unique with its own set of badass animations, instead of shooting at the ground. Now the charge beam shoots a straight laser that melts enemies.

4. Ripper

The Ripper is a weapon that is an essential addition to the game. Ripper is super effective at dismembering the limbs of Necromorphs. What’s really great about it is that it sounds and looks absolutely badass. It is undoubtedly among the most gruesome and best Dead Space Remake weapons. 

Moreover, the Ripper is one of the few weapons from the franchise that has also become very popular outside of the game. Its visceral nature appeals to many horror aficionados. It is a fairly decent weapon that is really satisfying to shoot. If you want to use it throughout most of the game, you certainly can.

Ripper is a tricky gun to place on the list. It is objectively the best ammo-efficient weapon in the game. As it can kill an enemy with 2-4 blades most of the time, on pretty much all difficulties. Similar to the Pulse Rifle & Plasma Cutter, enemies drop a very modest amount of ammo for it when they are killed. 

In addition, What hurts it the most is that it has a very low rate of fire. The low rate of fire is what pisses most people off; When you are completely annihilating one Necromorph, you can get jumped by the others by the time you can shoot again. The alternative fire is also nothing extraordinary.

Where To Acquire

Similar to the Flamethrower, the player can also acquire the Ripper during chapter 3. Be on the lookout for a headless corpse when you are completing the “Refuel The South Engines” objective. It is very hard to miss as it is laying right there in the open.

• Ammo Cost: After acquiring the ammo schematic, you can buy a bundle of 3 Ripper blades from the store for 1,500 Credits. 

Differences From The Original

Other than the sound design, the weapon hasn’t gone through any massive notable changes. Even the textures of the gun have been very faithfully recreated. A huge chunk of the Dead Space community adores the weapon, and they will be delighted to find out that nothing bad has been done to their favorite. 

3. Pulse Rifle

On the third spot, we have the Pulse Rifle. It is the assault rifle of the Dead Space franchise. It is fast and deadly and features an awesome new alternative fire in the Dead Space Remake. We have used the weapon many times, and it has always served us well in our struggle against the Necromorphs. 

In addition, you can see the old alternative fire mode of the weapon in the screenshot that we have provided above. Back then, it was excellent for crowd control, but it had a very big flaw, and that was the extreme amount of ammo it quickly burned through. We are glad to inform you that the new one is an improvement in every way.

The new alternative fire is literally a grenade launcher. Which, alongside seeming more practical, is actually a far deadlier method of crowd control. You can almost instantly shoot it into an enemy, and they blow up the next second.

All the enemies that are in the blast vicinity take severe damage, and they also get knocked down. Pulse Rifle is something that is always a part of our arsenal whenever we play the original game or the remake. The cherry on top is that the ammo for the gun is also very easy to come by, and it is present in high quantity.

We are very certain of Pulse Rifle’s placement on our guide even if it is weaker than some others at cutting off limbs. It is now deadlier than ever, thanks to the new grenade launcher. When the players fully upgrade it, the weapon will absolutely shred most Necromorphs on most difficulties. 

Where To Acquire

Pulse Rifle is going to be the second weapon you come across. It will grace your hands in Chapter 2, where it lays beside a body in the Medical Tram Station. 

• Ammo Cost: The player can get a stack of 25 Pulse Ammo from the Store for 1,250 Credits.

Differences From The Original

We have already discussed the main standout difference that the weapon has. Make sure you use the alternative fire effectively and don’t waste it on a single weak enemy. It can turn into a lifesaver in many situations throughout the game. 

2. Line Gun

The Line Gun is Dead Space’s BFG. It is quite literally a bigger and stronger version of the Plasma Cutter. It also shoots in line patterns, but its shots are far wider and utterly devastating. Survival horror games always have a weapon like this; Resident Evil has Magnums and RPGs, while Dead Space has the Line Gun. 

Moreover, you will need to go out of your way to get the gun. You can either backtrack or go to the area where it is in a while in a scripted sequence we won’t spoil. It is, in our opinion, the only missable weapon in the game. It is just hidden in an area most players won’t want to explore. 

As we mentioned earlier, the Line Gun shoots a bigger line pattern shot than the Plasma Cutter. That means it can literally do extremely high damage to multiple enemies which are close to each other. It can turn into the very best Necromorph horde destroyer if you shoot it in the correct situation. 

Lastly, the only reason why we didn’t rank it at the first spot is because of how rare its ammo is. It also has a slower fire rate than the Plasma Cutter for balancing reasons. You should keep it in your inventory and save up the ammo for the toughest situations, as it can get you out of them easily, even on the greatest difficulty.

Where To Acquire

When you have the level 2 security clearance, backtrack to the “Emergency Equipment Storage” room in Chapter 5. Once you have reached the room, it is very hard to miss. It is a small area, and it is lying right there on the ground, as shown in the screenshot that we have provided above. 

• Ammo Cost: You can choose to buy a 3-stack Line Gun Plasma ammo for 2,100 Credits from the Store.

Differences From The Original

Line Gun is mostly the same. It has some minor tweaks that aren’t that notable. It is still the same exact Necromorph demolisher you love & remember. We have to say that we like the new textures of the weapon as it now even more closely resembles a big version of the Plasma Cutter.

1. Plasma Cutter 

Plasma Cutter remains one of the most iconic pistols in all of entertainment ever since its inception. It is a brilliant addition to the game, which goes perfectly with the setting and tone of the franchise. You can literally complete the entire game with it, and you won’t get bored; it is just that masterfully designed.

In addition, it also has two firing modes. When the player presses the alternative fire button, the gun switches its shooting pattern. It can shoot in a fairly wide vertical or horizontal line. It is the poster gun for the game, as it is made solely for shooting limbs off in the most satisfying way imaginable. 

As the game goes on, make sure that you upgrade it whenever you get a chance. Use all your Power Nodes on it, as it will absolutely carry you throughout the entire game by itself on most difficulties. We are very glad to see that the developers have perfectly recreated the weapon and haven’t nerfed anything at all.

Furthermore, the special modification upgrades for it are also great. As it literally makes the weapon spitfire with each shot. As you can already guess, all of that turns it into a monstrosity. When the Plasma Cutter is fully upgraded, you will be jumping every Necromorph instead of them grouping up and surrounding you.

Its ammo is also obtained regularly and can be bought for a very low price from the Store. There is no doubt in our minds that the Plasma Cutter is the very best Dead Space Remake weapon.

Where To Acquire

The Plasma Cutter is the only weapon whose acquisition is exactly the same in both the original and the remake. It is instantly obtained right after the intro section, with the “Cut off their limbs” message still painted in blood right on top of its location. 

• Ammo Cost: You can buy 6 Plasmer Cutter shots for 1,200 Credits at the Store.

Differences From The Original

Plasma Cutter itself hasn’t had that many notable differences, but what has gotten different are the enemies. Now they have these dark-colored areas on their limbs. When the player shoots directly at these dark spots, they deal extra damage, which is a completely new thing that wasn’t present in the original game. 

As you can already guess, the Plasma Cutter is the weapon that benefits the most from this short quality of life addition. After a while, when the player really gets a feel of how the weapon works, they will be hitting the critical spots with maximum precision regularly. The shooting also feels sublime, like in Dead Space 2.

How Weapon Upgrades Work In Dead Space Remake?

As you can see from the screenshot we have provided above. The upgrade system in the game is mostly the same. It requires the player to use Power Nodes on an Upgrade Module to upgrade the stat of their preference. You can choose to upgrade damage, ammo capacity, reload time, or rate of fire. 

It also features special weapon modification upgrades for each weapon that are completely different from the regular upgrades which are done from the upgrade module. The player can obtain these by simply transversing through and exploring the isolated areas of the USG Ishimura. 

In addition, this further makes Dead Space more of a survival horror game as you have to hunt for some major upgrades if you want to become overpowered. 

Wrapping Up

It is very apparent from this Subreddit post that fans are delighted with the launch of the Dead Space Remake. The product is very reminiscent of the classic Resident Evil 1 Remake by Shinji Mikami, as it cuts nothing and adds more stuff to the original game, which improves it as a survival horror game.

For many gamers, the Dead Space Remake has joined the original as one of the best survival horror games ever made. Even people who are into the regular best horror games love the new Dead Space. We are glad to see the franchise return in such a celebratory fashion, and we hope that it keeps going well. 

Dead Space is back, and with it, so is the genre. We are soon going to get the sequel to The Forest and also the latest installment in the Resident Evil franchise. What are your thoughts on Dead Space’s redemption? Are you having fun as a fan of the original? Let us know all about your thoughts in the comments section below. 

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