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You may have heard of Dead Space. The 2008 cult-classic sci-fi horror game starring Isaac Clarke and a scary spaceship is back in 2023, remade with love by a talented team of designers who clearly never stopped being spooked. In Dead Space, guns won't solve every problem - this is no straightforward shooter - but that doesn't mean they won't solve some problems.

Related: Dead Space: Chapter One Walkthrough

If you're wanting for weapons aboard the USG Ishimura, you're going to have to find them all yourself. Alternatively, you can make things easier on yourself with this guide, which - you guessed it - tells you exactly where to look.

Plasma Cutter

Dead Space 027 Plasma Cutter

The Plasma Cutter is the first weapon Isaac comes across in Dead Space, and depending on who you ask, it might also be the most iconic of the lot. As such, it won't take long before it comes your way; you'll start using it to fight back against the earliest batch of Necromorphs in the game.

Limb dismemberment is a huge part of how to survive against Necromorphs in Dead Space, and the Plasma Cutter is your precision dismemberment tool. Treating it less like a gun and more like a miniature saber should see you straight through more than a few pesky arms. You can also fire it from afar, either horizontally or vertically, to tear through limbs from a safer distance.

Pulse Rifle

Dead Space 026 Pulse Rifle

Your Pulse Rifle is acquired fairly early in Chapter Two. During your traipse down the mission's critical path, you will bump into a dying security guard who murmurs some dark words to herself before drawing her final breath. There's no way to circumvent this scene, so don't worry about missing out on her sweet shooter. Rest in peace and all; we'll put your gun to good use.

We love the Pulse Rifle for its burst-based damage that's perfect for enemy weak spots. If you encounter a type of Necromorph with a distinct weakness someplace on its body, a burst round from the Pulse Rifle will often be enough to break through entirely for massive damage. It's not great when you're up close and personal with the enemy, mind you.

The Ripper

Dead Space 028 The Ripper

You'll find the Ripper in Chapter Three, specifically at the Machine Shop. Head down the ramp for this gem; your indicator should alert you to a nearby corpse whose deceased owner once proudly carried your latest grab.

The Ripper, as its name implies, is excellent for up-close pain-dealing. Put simply, it's a sawblade. We personally prefer the Plasma Cutter for this nine times out of ten, though your mileage may vary. More importantly, perhaps, you can use the Ripper to shoot tiny blades that bounce off surfaces. Clever.

Force Gun

Dead Space 032 Force Gun-1

For the Force Gun, reach Chapter Six, Hydroponics. This vast (and highly unsettling) section of the ship contains a room called West Seedling Room A. You'll know the Seedling rooms quite well before long - trust us on that one. After you deal with the Wheezer here, search nearby.

The Force Gun is, well, forceful. Its range is limited, but its blast is deadly. Think shotgun... sort of. Space shotgun, if you will. There's a nice synergy to the Force Gun, however; its other mode draws foes together and sucks them toward you, meaning they're nicely aligned for the signature blast.

Related: Dead Space: How To Unlock The New Ending

Flamethrower

Dead Space 029 Flamethrower

If roasting fiends is your idea of a good time, the Flamethrower's bound to get you hot and your enemies awfully bothered. In Chapter Three, Engineering, you'll find the weapon in the corridor just past the zero-grav section of Fuel Storage. For narrative context, expect to bump into this during the mission to get the engines running.

It can be tempting to light the whole game ablaze with this fiery firearm, but it's best to conserve its fuel for smaller creatures and any scenario in which a bunch of Necromorphs are liable to gang up on Isaac in rapid succession. You can also shoot a quick blast of ember at any corpse you worry isn't quite a corpse.

Contact Beam

Dead Space 030 Contact Beam

The Contact Beam can be acquired in Chapter Four's Records Office section. The goal at the time is to draw power from the mining area. You'll be cutting through another of Dead Space's famed zero-grav segments here.

If you've played Halo, think Sentinel Beam. If you haven't played Halo, think 'sci-fi gun that fires laser beams continuously but drops to zero rather swiftly', making it excellently situational. It'll splatter many Necromorphs clean apart like a scalpel.

Line Gun

Dead Space 031 Line Gun

You'll hold the Line Gun in Chapter Five. Specifically, Emergency Equipment Storage. Of all Dead Space's weaponry, it is perhaps the easiest to explain; take your Plasma Cutter, and imagine its capabilities have been amplified.

The Line Gun's close-range primary fire provides the Plasma Cutter's style of limb-severing, but in a wider radius and with (we believe) greater impact.

Hand Cannon

Dead Space 033 Hand Cannon

We'll be frank. Most players will never acquire the Hand Cannon. That's because the Hand Cannon is your reward for completing Dead Space on Impossible difficulty. You've got to really commit to a truly tough time. You won't even unlock Impossible until you've beaten the game on Hard.

After your second (or more) run through Dead Space, via Impossible, the following playthrough onward will give Isaac this incredibly powerful piece... of foam. Pew.

Next: Dead Space: How To Gain Credits Quickly