Weapons Compendium#
Weapon Type Overview#
| Weapon | Type | Unlocked | Ammo types | Best used for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Bow | Bow | Starting | Precision arrows, hunter arrows, fire arrows | General combat |
| War Bow | Bow | Matilda the merchant | Freeze arrows, shock arrows, corruption arrows | Applying elemental states |
| Sharpshot Bow | Bow | Merchant purchase | Precision arrows, tearblast arrows, Hades arrows | Long-range sniping, part removal |
| Blast Sling | Thrower | Merchant purchase | Freeze bombs, shock bombs, fire bombs | Area elemental attacks |
| Tripcaster | Trap | Starting (quest) / quest reward | Shock wires, fire wires, blast wires | Battlefield control |
| Ropecaster | Control | Hunters Lodge reward | Ropes | Tying down large machines |
| Rattler | Rapid fire | Merchant purchase | Standard rounds, precision rounds | High burst at close range |
| Blast Bomb Sling | Explosive | Hunters Lodge reward | Blast bombs, close-range breaching bombs | High explosive damage |
| Tearblaster | Special | Hunters Lodge quests | Shockwave (infinite) | The ultimate part-removal weapon |
Ammo Types#
| Ammo | Weapon | Effect | Crafting materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Arrow | Hunter Bow | Standard damage | 10 metal shards + 1 wood |
| Precision Arrow | Hunter Bow/Sharpshot Bow | High damage, pierces armor | 15 metal shards + 1 wood + 1 metal chunk |
| Fire Arrow | Hunter Bow | Applies fire state | 10 metal shards + 1 wood + 1 blaze |
| Freeze Arrow | War Bow | Applies freeze state | 12 metal shards + 1 wood + 1 chillwater |
| Shock Arrow | War Bow | Applies shock state | 12 metal shards + 1 wood + 1 sparker |
| Corruption Arrow | War Bow | Applies corruption state | 15 metal shards + 1 wood + 1 metalburn |
| Tearblast Arrow | Sharpshot Bow | High tear value, removes parts | 15 metal shards + 1 wood + 1 wire |
| Hades Arrow | Sharpshot Bow | For extra-large machines | 30 metal shards + 1 wood + 3 metal chunks |
| Fire Bomb | Blast Sling | Area fire damage | 15 metal shards + 1 blaze + 1 wire |
| Freeze Bomb | Blast Sling | Area freeze effect | 15 metal shards + 1 chillwater + 1 wire |
| Shock Bomb | Blast Sling | Area shock effect | 15 metal shards + 1 sparker + 1 wire |
| Tripwire | Tripcaster | Triggered trap | 10 metal shards + 1 wire |
| Blast Wire | Tripcaster | High-damage explosive trap | 20 metal shards + 1 wire + 1 metal chunk |
| Rope | Ropecaster | Ties down machines | 8 metal shards + 1 wire |
| Standard Round | Rattler | Rapid fire | 12 metal shards + 1 wood |
| Blast Bomb | Blast Bomb Sling | High explosive damage | 30 metal shards + 1 metal chunk + 1 wire |
Best Weapons Ranking#
| Rank | Weapon | How to get it | Why it’s recommended |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shadow Hunter Bow | Meridian merchant | Best all-rounder, three ammo types |
| 2 | Shadow Sharpshot Bow | Meridian merchant | Highest per-shot damage |
| 3 | Shadow War Bow | Meridian merchant | Strongest elemental control |
| 4 | Shadow Ropecaster | Meridian merchant | Must-have for tying down large machines |
| 5 | Tearblaster | Hunters Lodge quest | Instantly removes any part |
| 6 | Shadow Tripcaster | Meridian merchant | Core of high-damage trap tactics |
| 7 | Shadow Blast Sling | Meridian merchant | Area elemental crowd-clearing |
| 8 | Shadow Blast Bomb Sling | Meridian merchant | Extreme burst damage |
| 9 | Shadow Rattler | Meridian merchant | Excellent close-range DPS |
| 10 | Banuk Hunter Bow | Frozen Wilds DLC | The strongest DPS bow in the Frozen Wilds |
Weapon Upgrade Path#
| Tier | Green | Blue | Purple | Banuk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Bow | Carja Hunter Bow | Nora Hunter Bow | Shadow Hunter Bow | Banuk Hunter Bow |
| War Bow | Carja War Bow | Nora War Bow | Shadow War Bow | — |
| Sharpshot Bow | Carja Sharpshot Bow | Nora Sharpshot Bow | Shadow Sharpshot Bow | Banuk Sharpshot Bow |
| Blast Sling | Carja Blast Sling | Nora Blast Sling | Shadow Blast Sling | — |
| Tripcaster | Carja Tripcaster | Nora Tripcaster | Shadow Tripcaster | — |
| Ropecaster | Carja Ropecaster | Nora Ropecaster | Shadow Ropecaster | — |
| Rattler | Carja Rattler | Nora Rattler | Shadow Rattler | — |
| Blast Bomb Sling | Carja Blast Bomb Sling | Nora Blast Bomb Sling | Shadow Blast Bomb Sling | — |
| Weapon | Type | Effect | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stormslinger | Special weapon | Fires a shock chain | Frozen Wilds main quest |
| Icerail | Special weapon | Long-range freeze ray | Frozen Wilds main quest |
| Firestriker | Special weapon | Long-range fire spray | Frozen Wilds main quest |
Recommended Weapon Coils#
| Weapon | Recommended coils |
|---|---|
| Hunter Bow | Handling + damage |
| War Bow | Elemental handling + handling |
| Sharpshot Bow | Damage + tear |
| Ropecaster | Handling (pure handling) |
| Blast Sling | Elemental handling + handling |
| Rattler | Damage + handling |
| Blast Bomb Sling | Damage |
When choosing a weapon, mind ammo cost and your own combat style.
Heavy Weapons#
| Weapon | Name | Damage | Source | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ravager Cannon | Ravager Cannon | Extreme | Tear it off a Ravager’s back | The best heavy weapon, quickly kills large machines |
| Thunderjaw Disc Launcher | Thunderjaw Disc Launcher | Extreme | Tear it off a Thunderjaw’s back | Arcing trajectory, wide-area AOE |
| Deathbringer Gun | Deathbringer Gun | High | Tear it off a Deathbringer | Sustained suppressive fire |
| Fire Bellowback Sack | Fire Bellowback Sack | Medium + fire | Tear it off a Bellowback | Area fire damage |
Ammo Cost Comparison#
| Ammo | Cost per shot | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Hunter Arrow | 10 metal shards + 1 wood | ★★★★★ |
| Precision Arrow | 15 metal shards + 1 wood + 1 metal chunk | ★★★★ |
| Fire Arrow | 10 metal shards + 1 wood + 1 blaze | ★★★★ |
| Freeze Arrow | 12 metal shards + 1 wood + 1 chillwater | ★★★★ |
| Tearblast Arrow | 15 metal shards + 1 wood + 1 wire | ★★★★ |
| Blast Bomb | 30 metal shards + 1 metal chunk + 1 wire | ★★★ |
Weapon Upgrade Materials#
| Weapon | Green to blue | Blue to purple |
|---|---|---|
| Hunter Bow | 2 lenses + 300 metal shards | 3 lenses + 3 hearts + 800 metal shards |
| War Bow | 2 lenses + 350 metal shards | 3 lenses + 3 hearts + 900 metal shards |
| Sharpshot Bow | 2 lenses + 400 metal shards | 3 lenses + 3 hearts + 1000 metal shards |
| Tripcaster | 2 lenses + 250 metal shards | 3 lenses + 3 hearts + 700 metal shards |
| Ropecaster | 2 lenses + 300 metal shards | 3 lenses + 3 hearts + 800 metal shards |
| Blast Sling | 2 lenses + 300 metal shards | 3 lenses + 3 hearts + 800 metal shards |
| Rattler | 2 lenses + 300 metal shards | 3 lenses + 3 hearts + 800 metal shards |
| Blast Bomb Sling | 2 lenses + 350 metal shards | 3 lenses + 3 hearts + 900 metal shards |
Weapon Modding Tips#
| Tip | Details |
|---|---|
| Stack one stat | Pure damage coils outperform mixed coils |
| Don’t neglect handling | At least 1 handling coil noticeably improves feel |
| Prioritize purple coils | The Shadow merchants in Meridian sell the best coils |
| Bow range | Sharpshot Bow has the longest range, Hunter Bow medium, War Bow shortest |
| Draw mechanic | The longer you draw a bow the more damage, but handling affects draw speed |
| Ammo swapping | Fluidly swapping ammo types mid-fight is a must-have expert skill |
Weapon Special Effects#
| Weapon | Special effect | Unlock condition |
|---|---|---|
| Tearblaster | Massive instant tear power, infinite ammo | Hunters Lodge quest reward |
| Lodge Hunter Bow | Higher handling and damage than the Shadow Hunter Bow | All gold medals at the Hunters Lodge |
| Lodge Sharpshot Bow | Higher damage than the Shadow Sharpshot Bow | All gold medals at the Hunters Lodge |
| Lodge War Bow | Higher elemental buildup than the Shadow War Bow | All gold medals at the Hunters Lodge |
| Banuk Hunter Bow | Damage scales with draw strength | Frozen Wilds DLC, bought with Bluegleam |
| Banuk Sharpshot Bow | Draw strength adds damage and tear | Frozen Wilds DLC, bought with Bluegleam |
Weapon Lore and Background#
| Weapon | Made by | Background |
|---|---|---|
| Nora bows | Nora crafters | Traditional bows reinforced with machine parts |
| Carja bows | Carja crafters | More refined city-made weapons |
| Shadow weapons | Carja master crafters | Top-tier weapons made from the rarest materials |
| Banuk weapons | Banuk crafters | Unique weapons incorporating Bluegleam technology |
| Lodge weapons | The Hunters Lodge | Commemorative weapons made to honor its finest hunters |
| Tearblaster | Oseram engineers | A powerful tear weapon rebuilt from Old Ones tech |
Full Weapon Stat Comparison#
| Stat | Hunter Bow | War Bow | Sharpshot Bow | Rattler | Blast Sling | Blast Bomb Sling | Ropecaster | Tripcaster |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage | Medium | Low | Extreme | Low | None | Extreme | None | High |
| Tear | Medium | Low | Extreme | Low | None | Medium | None | Medium |
| Fire rate | Fast | Medium | Slow | Very fast | Medium | Medium | Medium | Slow |
| Range | Medium | Short | Very long | Very short | Medium | Medium | Medium | Short |
| Element | Fire | All | None | None | All | None | None | Shock/Fire/Blast |
| Capacity | 1 | 1 | 1 | Many | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Price | 3200 | 2900 | 3600 | 2800 | 2600 | 3100 | 2700 | 2500 |
Ammo Crafting Value#
| Ammo | Cost per shot | Recommended stock | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Arrow | 10 metal shards + 1 wood | ||
| Precision Arrow | 15 + 1 wood + 1 metal chunk | 200-300 | For large machine cores |
| Fire Arrow | 10 + 1 wood + 1 blaze | 300-500 | Against freeze-type enemies |
| Freeze Arrow | 12 + 1 wood + 1 chillwater | 200-300 | Freeze is the core tactic |
| Tearblast Arrow | 15 + 1 wood + 1 wire | 100-200 | Mainly for part removal |
| Blast Bomb | 30 + 1 metal chunk + 1 wire | ||
| Rope | 8 + 1 wire | 100-200 | Must-have for tying down large machines |