Weapons

The meat & bones of System Shock 2. Without them, you wouldn't be able defend justice! The weapons of System Shock 2 are not very well balanced. Contrary to common sense, most "strong" weapons really don't have much of a purpose for various reasons. For example, although you can find some exotic type weapons early on, the ammo for them doesn't become available until much later on, and by that time, most your Upgrades have been distributed elsewhere. I'll post a list of weapons and information about them so you can form your own opinions about them.

Standard Weapons

Talon M2A3 Handgun Standard - 1 This WILL BE your best weapon until you gain enough skill to use the Assault Rifle. It is the first ranged weapon available to you, ammo is fairly plentiful, and because the Assault Rifle is available at level 6 standard skill, this weapon only gets better with time. Love it, feel it, be it. Useful for killing: Anything in your way. Mode 1: Single Shot Mode 2: Three Shot Burst Anti Pers.: Damage bonus against fleshies. Standard: Weak Shots that do about the same dmg all around. AP: Damage bonus against armored units.

Shotgun Standard - 3 The Shotgun has plenty of ammo through the game, especially when you don't use it early on like me. Don't let this discourage you however, the Shotgun is a very formidable weapon and ammo really IS abundant. I recommend using the standard mode for a while when you first find it, and then switching to the secondary later when you have a surplus of Shotgun shells. Useful for killing: Does fairly well against any enemy type. Mode 1: Single Shot Mode 2: Triple Shot (Uses 3 shells; does 2x dmg.) Slug: Standard Shotgun Rounds. Pellet: Does extra damage to fleshies, but at only at a very close range.

M22 Assault Rifle Standard - 6 Strength - 4 Simply put, a Pistol with a 25% Dmg bonus and an Automatic Secondary mode. Being the best weapon in the game, it can take down a huge Rumbler in 3 hits. Useful for killing: Everything AND the kitchen sink. Mode 1: Single Shot Mode 2: Automatic Same ammo as the pistol.

Energy Weapons

Apollo H4 Laser Pistol Energy - 1 This is one nice little weapon. In fact, the first time I played SS2, I maxed out my Energy Weapons skills simply to make better use of this baby. However, there are a few things to know while using this weapon. First, the regular shot just doesn't do much damage at all, and even when you've maxed out the possible damage this thing causes, it still takes 8-12 shots to take down basic enemies. If you plan on using this weapon, it's best to keep it on the 'charged shot' setting at all times. Second, this Gun doesn't use ammo the way the rest of the weapons in this game do, instead it has a charge which powers each shot. You can recharge the gun at any power station making this gun have a free, endless supply of ammo... as long as there is a power station near-by. Useful for killing: This gun works very well on all mechanical creatures, and fairly decently on most fleshies. The only creatures that you shouldn't use this on are the spiders as they have a very high resistance to this weapon's damage. Mode 1: Regular Shot (Does little damage) Mode 1: Overcharged Shot (Causes more damage, but takes longer to charge and uses more energy.) Rechargeable Energy

Laser Sabre Energy - 4 Agility - 3 This is a semi-useful weapon. It first appears early on in the game, so if you've put some points into energy weapons, and are still using melee weapons, then switch the wrench for this, as the laser sabre does more damage. Useful for killing: Everything you'd take on with the wrench. This weapon doesn't have any weapon modes. Doesn't use ammo.

EMP Rifle Energy - 6 This weapon is a major let down. It does only slightly more damage than the laser pistol, but it doesn't affect flesh based creatures, only mechs. Considering that your laser pistol does almost exactly the same amount of damage as this weapon, and the laser pistol can also hurt flesh creatures, there's no reason to have this weapon. Just skip it, it's a waste of inventory space. Useful for killing: Mechs, robots, and any other non-flesh menace. Mode 1: Regular Shot Mode 1: Overcharged Shot Rechargeable Energy

Heavy Weapons

TC-11 'Brick' grenade launcher Heavy - 1 This weapon is the only reason to get any skill in Heavy Weapons at all. Marines have this weapon from the get-go, and it's one of the most useful weapons in the game. On the 'Normal' Mode, it acts a lot like a Rocket Launcher with an arc, on the 'Bounce' mode, you can bounce grenades around corners to take down any enemies waiting in ambush. This weapon has the most variety of ammo types out of any weapon, and these grenades will likely take down any target with the first shot, and if you get lucky, sometimes several enemies. This is hands-down, the most powerful weapon in the game, but ammo for it is a little less common than that of most of the Standard weapons and it really shouldn't be used at close ranges, unless you're ready to take massive amounts of damage. Useful for killing: Pretty much anything, as long as you've got the proper ammo loaded. Mode 1: Normal (Explodes on contact) Mode 1: Bounce (Bounces then explodes) Fragmentation Grenades: Good all-around damage. Incendiary Grenades: Great damage against fleshy units. EMP Grenades: Great anti-mech ammo. Proximity Grenades: Explodes when it detects something within it's blast radius. Disruption Grenades: Creates a small explosion which causes immense amounts of damage.

Stasis Field Generator Heavy - 3 Strength - 3 A piece of crap for a weapon. This weapon can "...freeze in place a target for a variable amount of time." Wow, and then what? This weapon eats up ammo like candy, depleting your ammo supply rapidly. If 40 minions from hell were attacking me, this definitely wouldn't be my weapon of choice. Useful for killing: Heh, it's not even POSSIBLE to kill anything with this weapon. Good luck trying. Mode 1: ... Mode 1: ... Prisms

Fusion Cannon Heavy - 6 Strength - 4 Are you power hungry? Do you bear the unbearable urge to wield unforgiving power at unsuspecting victims? Well then this isn't the gun for you. It's a horrible weapon to be honest. I've hit a Rumbler at point blank range only to lose half my own health and watch the rumbler lose about half his health. It's no better at longer ranges, where it does exactly the same damage. When you also factor in that this weapon just ravages your ammo supply, you've got a weapon that no one in their right mind should use. By the time you get this weapon, the game involves a lot of tough enemies and tight places. You're going to be doing more damage to yourself than your enemies with this weapon, so just skip it. Useful for killing: Yourself. Mode 1: ... Mode 1: ... Prisms

Exotic Weapons

Crystal Shard Exotic - 1 Research - 4 This is the strongest melee weapon in the game. Unfortunately, it comes far, far too late and it's not really worth the upgrade modules required to gain the ability to use it. Stick to the wrench or laser sabre instead. This weapon doesn't have any weapon modes. Doesn't use ammo.

Viral Proliferator Exotic - 4 Research - 5 This, just like the rest of the exotic weapons has no practical use. In its normal mode, it can kill you quite quickly, if you're interested in doing so. In its secondary mode, it can kill any of the spiders in the game very quickly. Unfortunately there's only around 20 spiders in the entire game. Just stick to the pistol instead of wasting upgrade modules to get this. Useful for killing: Spiders and Yourself. Mode 1: Human Mode 1: Annelid Annelid Worms

Annelid Worm Launcher Exotic - 6 Research - 6 Strength - 3 Agility - 3 If someone were to create a list of the top 10 most useless things in the universe, this would probably make the list. This is the weakest of all the weapons, and it uses up its ammo faster than any other weapon. The only thing this weapon is useful for is killing spiders, but there's only around 20 damn spiders in the whole game! This is just an awful weapon. Just awful. Mode 1: Human Mode 1: Annelid Annelid Worms

Other Weapons

The Wrench No Requirements The wrench will be your best friend for much of the game, I named mine Susanne I spent so much time with it. But seriously, in the beginning where ammo conservation is a must, you should be near-dependent on this weapon. Useful for killing: Disabled Turrets, Melee ranged Annelid Zombies, and any terrain that needs destroying. This weapon doesn't have any weapon modes. Doesn't use ammo.

Black Ops Psi Amp Psi - 1 If you want to use your mad psionic skillz, then you'd better have one of these babies! This isn't a weapon per se, in that it doesn't actually do any damage itself, but it enables you to use your latent psionic powers. A must have for most. Useful for killing: A lot of enemies early and mid-game, but not so much late-game. Also allows you to boost your own stats. This weapon doesn't have any weapon modes. Psi Points.