The island of Blackreef is full of people just itching for the chance to kill you and bring your looping day to a premature end. Of course, you likely have other plans, but you’re going to need the tools to help stave off the heat of an intense firefight when stealth isn’t an option. That’s where Deathloop’s many visually distinct and brutally effective weapons come into play, and you’ll want to pick up some of the game’s best to give yourself a fighting chance at breaking the loop.
Truth be told, you don’t need the best weapons that Deathloop has to offer to beat the game. The same goes for the supernatural powers offered up by items called Slabs, which we’ve already rounded up. But even though you can get around Blackreef without the best firepower in your pocket, the truth is that Arkane’s latest game is a fantastic shooter, so why not treat yourself to some of the best blasters that the game has to offer?
Many of Deathloop’s best weapons are found on the cold, dead bodies of its Visionary bosses, but there are a handful that you can only find through careful examination of some districts at specific times of the day. Whether you want to enhance your ability to execute from the shadows or just further the game’s power fantasy when going load, each one of these rare firearms are great options to infuse and keep with you between runs.
If you’re just getting started in Deathloop, check out our 10 tips on getting started on Blackreef, as well as a breakdown of all the slabs, their upgrades, and which are best. Also be sure to check out our 10/10 Deathloop review to find out why it’s Arkane’s best game yet.
Harriet’s Fourpounder
It’s likely that one of the first Visionary’s you’ll hunt down is Harriet, who is available in Karl’s Bay in the morning. She has a great slab, but also one of the best handguns in the entire game. Her version of the Fourpounder–a hard-hitting handgun with as much damage as recoil—features the Toxic Haze perk, which lets bullets leave a poisonous cloud on impact. That’s great for killing and disorientating groups of enemies, but also must be used with care since it can kill you, too. You can find this Fourpounder under Harriet’s pillow in her room to the left of her stage in her cult hangar, so you don’t even need to confront her if you don’t want to.
Fia’s Pepper Mill
The Pepper Mill might look like a light-machine gun from any other shooter, but in Deathloop it represents your long-range, accurate assault rifle. It’s a little unwieldy when aiming down the sights but its impact in a firefight cannot be ignored, which makes Fia’s unique variant so deadly. It features the Open Wounds perk, which will apply damage over time to enemies you hit, letting you spray and pray while reaping the rewards of multiple kills. You will need to kill Fia to get it, so make sure you’re ready to handle her powerful Havoc slab and her numerous defenses in her bunker in Fristad Rock.
Moxie Rapier
Outside of dedicated snipers, the rapier is Deathloop’s long range weapon of choice, but isn’t without its drawbacks. It’s slow and must reload after every shot, but is incredibly powerful, all of which are dialed up to eleven with the Moxie variant. This rapier features the Silver Bullet perk, which means it will automatically reload when you hit an enemy (which itself is usually an instant kill, too). The problem is that if you miss, you can’t use the gun at all for the rest of the day, making it poor for frantic firefights. It’s also really challenging to get, too, acting as the reward for the obstacle course in Updaam in the afternoon. You will need the Aether and Shift slabs to deal with its length and various traps, so go in prepared.
Egor’s Rapier
Another great rapier that you can pick up is a lot easier to acquire and, probably, a lot more useful. This one is specific to Egor, a Visionary you can easily find in the evening at The Complex. It features the Eagle Eye perk, which significantly improves the level of zoom you get when aiming down the sights, making it more akin to an actual sniper rifle, just without the scope. It’s still incredibly powerful, and this one won’t punish you for missing, so it might be a better choice.
Charlie’s Strelak 50-50
Most of the time, you’re going to be getting up close and personal with a lot of Eternalist, which makes Deathloop’s various shotguns incredibly useful. But none comes close to the Strelak 50-50 that you pick up off Charlie in Updaam at noon. This semi-automatic shotgun can pump out rounds as fast as you can pull the trigger, with its dual magazines offering a deep pool of ammunition before needing to engage it’s very slow reload. The Snare perk on it slows down enemies you hit, setting them up perfectly for any other rounds you have locked and loaded after the initial hit. It also just looks great, too.
Alexis Vampire Limp-10
The Limp-10 is the first gun you get in Deathloop, and it doesn’t make a memorable impression. It’s a run-of-the-mill submachine gun. Alexis’ variant changes that with the Vampire perk, which works pretty much exactly how you expect it to: damage you deal to enemies is returned to you as health. This can make it an indispensable asset in unexpected chaos, keeping you alive in moments where another weapon just wouldn’t help at all. Dual-wield them and you’ve got a pairing that makes it quite challenging to die, so consider infusing it twice if you can.
Echolocation PT-6 Spiker
Another weapon you’ll get early in Deathloop is the PT-6 Spiker, and it’s likely a weapon you’ll consider for every run you do. It’s the quietest weapon in the game, using a pneumatic pump to fire high-velocity nails at enemies for silent, instant kills. The Echolocation variation maintains this stealthy aspect, but aids in keeping you informed of all the enemies around you. Each nail can still kill an enemy with a single shot, but it will also highlight any nearby enemies automatically to give you a good idea of the dangers in the area around you. It’s the perfect combination of firepower and function, but you will need the ability to open the Horizon Stations around Blackreef. Get that and you can find it at the Akkar Station in Karl’s Bay in the afternoon.
Constancy Automatic
If you’ve ever wanted a gun that looked like a NES Zapper and featured magazines that looked like game cartridges, the Constancy Automatic is the center of that specific Venn diagram. It’s also one of the best pistols in Deathloop, featuring a dual-magazine system that lets you continue firing while reloading. The automatic fire is supplemented by the Snare perk which slows down any enemies that you hit, making it great for tight spaces and large crowds. You can find this on the person of Ramblin’ Frank in Fristad Rock each morning, which is a great reward for having to suffer through his awful music.
Sepulchra Breteira
Traditional sniper rifles are hard to come by in Deathloop, but if you’re looking to line up the perfect shot then you should definitely seek out the Sepulchra Breteira (and then see if you can say its name three times really fast). The easiest way to grab this rifle is off of Juliana, who will routinely run it as part of her arsenal when she invades you. For a more concrete method, visit Updaam in the afternoon after you’ve played a few loops (the exact number isn’t known) and you should hear Juliana inviting you to the front of your apartment to receive a gift. It’s a pretty obvious trap that will result in your death if you go along with it, so instead of opening the big, green present on the road, look for a nearby bakery instead (it’s the building directly across from your apartment). The Eternalist in question will be waiting to take the shot from a window there, so all you need to do is shoot first and claim your prize.
Strelak Verso
If you’ve paid attention to all of Deathloop’s trailers, you might have seen one rather unique weapon that transforms two handguns into a single, burst-fire submachine gun. That is the Strelak Verso, and it’s easily one of the most distinct and fun weapons in all of Deathloop. You can go akimbo with its two automatic pistols or combine the two for a deadly and accurate submachine gun, making mince meat of any Eternalist in front of you. Better yet, they’re not too challenging to find, either. Explore The Complex at noon and head to the base of the Stabalizer Core (the big wheel that is on the loading screen) and you should find a bunker. You’ll come across some Eternalists who have blown a hole in the vault, but not gathered the four batteries required to open the door. Finish the job and the Strelak Verso is yours.
Heritage Gun
Charlie Montegue loves to play games, and the hunt for the Heritage Gun might be his most elaborate in all of Deathloop. This treasure hunt plays out across Karl’s Bay in the evening, with the Arsenal Lead for the weapons popping up as soon as you arrive. It involves hunting down numerous presents Charlie has scattered around the district, many of which have their own distinct puzzles associated with them in order to reach. Open them all and you’ll be rewarded with the Heritage Gun–another transforming weapon that can switch between firing a single, powerful slug or a spray or smaller projectiles for close-quarters.
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