This post-apocalyptic roguelike is pretty tough unless you have the right weapons.
Nuclear Throne is a wonderful roguelike that boasts awesome monsters, challenging levels, and amazingly unique weapons, all available to you if you can find them.
One of the best things about Nuclear Throne is its huge variety of weapons to use and the brilliant damage some of them are capable of. Each has its own perks, some more than others, but there are undeniably a few that stand out from the rest and will let you get a lot further than you would have done without them.
Keep an eye out for these weapons and keep hold of them if you can, they'll potentially get you to that mysterious Nuclear Throne.
8 Bullet Weapons
Double Minigun
Bullet weapons are a classic really. They don't do too much and are typically best for beginners, however, no matter your skill you'll want to grab the Double Minigun. Fans and stats both say this is one of the best bullet weapons in the game, often boasting that they can get pretty far with such a seemingly weaker style of gun.
It does 3 damage per shot but with two miniguns you get two for the price of one. It also has a fair amount of ammo to fire rate so you don't need to worry about ammo all the time. Ultimately, it's a fantastic beginner to intermediate gun that might get forgotten about after you clock in more than 100 hours, but then again what bullet weapon doesn't.
You can find this at the Scrapyard with a 1/37 chance of dropping.
7 Shell Weapons
Flak Cannon
The Flak Cannon is a pretty useful weapon that will certainly help you a lot more than you originally thought. Being a shell weapon it's pretty clear that it does more damage the closer you get to the enemy but since this one splits into 16 pellets on impact at any range, you don't need to worry too much.
It's a very popular choice and does do some pretty hefty damage, often one hitting smaller enemies and Snowbots.
You can find the Flak Cannon at 3-1 in the Scrapyard with a 1/37 chance of dropping.
6 Bolt Weapons
Wonderful artwork created by u/DragonClaudz
Auto Crossbow
It's rare that one weapon can stay with you to the end of the game. Many struggle to keep up or you find one that does more damage and will just serve you a little better. That isn't the case with the Auto Crossbow. This weapon can stay with you and hold its own all the way to the Throne.
If you combine the Auto Crossbow with Bolt Marrow or Trigger Fingers then you'll never want to put this down.
Look around at 3-2 in the Scrapyard for the Auto Crossbow. It has a 1/44 chance of dropping.
5 Explosive Weapons
Grenade Launcher
Another amazingly popular weapon that is key throughout your run. The Grenade Launcher pretty much speaks for itself, it's got a low rate of fire but an incredible capacity for damage, removing those annoying enemies as soon as you get in the scrapyard.
One tip a lot of players tend to use is to head into the Pizza Sewer which allows you to get the weapons you want a little earlier, meaning you can get the Auto Crossbow in 3-1 and the Grenade Launcher right at the beginning of the game.
4 Energy Weapons
Super Plasma Cannon
Energy Weapons are awesome. They're capable of some devastating damage that will make your life considerably easier. So the plasma cannon is all this and so much more. It's the highest tier weapon in the game and holds a fair amount of world records and high scores for Nuclear Throne if that proves its power any more.
It can wipe enemies off the face of the earth before you even fully shoot the gun! Just watch out for the amount of ammo you use, it goes pretty quickly. That being said, there are a fair amount of ammo packs just after wiping out every enemy on your screen in a matter of seconds.
Grab this weapon at the Palace at 7-3 with a drop chance of 1/90.
3 Melee Weapons
Jackhammer
The Jackhammer sounds insanely fun to use, and you'd be right, it's a bit of a change to the previous guns and other melee weapons but this Jackhammer is insane. It takes bosses and tough battles and turns them into a walk in the park, especially the Lil' Hunter fight.
This weapon is capable of doing 6 x 12 damage depending on if you're using it as an automatic. However, due to the pretty tiny range, it has you can get some spiders or smaller enemies getting through the weapons attacks. Keep an eye on this or just use it for the Lil' Hunter fight and you'll be finishing the game in no time.
Find this one in the Sewers at 2-1 with a drop chance of 1/28.
2 Ultra Weapons
Ultra Grenade Launcher
The Ultra Grenade Launcher is what you think it is. It's a more powerful version of the already powerful Grenade Launcher. It does an insane amount of damage and the upgrade is certainly recognizable, as opposed to other Ultra Weapons.
However, there are some prerequisites to make this weapon the most powerful possible. Grab the Crown of Death and Boiling veins and you'll be laughing at the amount of power. The only issue is with the Crowns since most go for the Crown of Blood. It's not game-changing to change the crown choice but it's worth looking into.
This weapon can be found in the sewers while in the loop with a drop rate of 1/108.
1 Golden Weapons
Golden Assault Rifle
While the golden version isn't the most powerful in the game they can still pack a nice punch and some are nicer upgrades than others. This is the case for the Rogue Rifle. Its upgrade, the Golden Assult Rifle will keep you going for a fair amount of the game, but it isn't jaw-dropping.
It brings a higher rate of fire and a little more power, making it the best Golden Weapon in Nuclear Throne. Just don't go wasting your time trying to find this version, it's better to focus on Ultra Weapons.
Find the Golden Assault Rifle in the Desert while in the Loop at 1-3. It has a drop chance of 1/102.