Dead Space review: What we think
Dead Space remake: Everything that's new
Dead Space Security Clearance: Opens doors and chests
Dead Space Marker Fragments: Unlock the secret ending
Dead Space weapons are one of the best bits of the game, letting you dismantle Necromorphs in a variety of overly violent and gruesome ways. The remake doesn't disappoint on that front either; whether it's blasting body parts away with the Force Gun, or tactically severing limbs with a single slice of the Line Gun.
The key difference with weapons in the Dead Space remake is that you no longer have to buy them from the store. It's a welcome change that lets you save money for more important things, like rigs, but it does mean you have to find them yourself, and it is actually possible to miss some of the later ones the first time around.
Dead Space weapon upgrades also work differently, and you'll need to open some specific containers if you want to get every special ability. Here's where to find every weapon in the Dead Space remake, an upgrade for each, and a brief explainer of how the new weapon mechanics work.
Plasma Cutter
This is the first weapon you get in Dead Space after you arrive at the Ishimura in chapter one, and you can grab it from the workbench where it says "Cut off their limbs"—good advice, really. The Plasma Cutter has an alternate fire mode lets you change the angle of its beam for convenient cutting.
Pulse Rifle
You get this automatic gun at the Medical Deck tram station in chapter two when it's dropped by a dying marine. The Pulse Rifle features an alternate fire mode that launches a proximity grenade at the cost of 25 rounds. If you aim the gun at the grenade, you can disarm it and pick the ammo back up.
Ripper
Another gun that's basically impossible to miss; in chapter three when you head to fix the centrifuge on the Engineering Deck, you'll find yourself going through the Machine Shop. At the bottom of the stairs, you'll find a body that's been beheaded by a saw blade, and the Ripper on the floor beside them. The alternate mode for this weapon fires a blade that ricochets off surfaces.
Flamethrower
You find this gun during chapter three when you have to head to the Engine Room through the big circular hatch in the Engineering Deck control room. After you pass the room with the fans and the incredibly loud room, you'll find the Flamethrower on a Necromorph body growing out of the wall. Its alternate fire mode creates a wall of flames.
Contact Beam
This is the first weapon you might actually miss. During chapter four you're sent to divert power to the ADS Cannons, so take the Admin Systems and the Comms Array elevator from the Bridge Deck atrium to floor two. After a save point, you'll enter a corridor that blows out into space. Head into the next corridor, and on the right side is a room locked with Security Clearance level two. Unlock the door and head inside to find the Contact Beam. The alternate fire mode for this weapon charges a super powerful single shot called Asteroid Cutter.
Line Gun
After the Hunter attacks you in chapter five on the Medical Deck, you'll have to flee through the Emergency Room into ER Hallway A. Turn right, run down the corridor a little way, and you'll see a Security Clearance level two door on your right. Unlock it and head inside to find the Line Gun. If you want to do this without the Hunter chasing, you could potentially head there when Hammond gives you Security Clearance level two in chapter four, but before you fix the ADS Cannons. The alternate mode fires a laser trap, and like the Pulse Rifle, you can aim and disable it to recollect the ammo.
Force Gun
In the Hydroponics Deck hub in chapter six, take the door that leads to the West Tower, use the lift, and head into the West Grow Chamber. Over on the left side of the room, behind the glass cabinets containing plants, you'll find a Security Clearance level two door into West Seedling Room A. Unlock this and head inside to find the Force Gun. The alternate firing mode for this weapon is a gravity well that pulls enemies towards it.
Dead Space weapon upgrade locations
There are two ways to get upgrades for guns in Dead Space: you'll either find the upgrade while exploring the Ishimura, or you find an upgrade schematic and have to bring it back to the store for purchase. While there are upgrades and schematics scattered across the ship, the one guaranteed place to find them is inside containers or rooms locked with Master Override. To get Master Override clearance you'll need to complete the new "You are not Authorised" sidequest, which involves gathering Crew Rigs across the ship.
Here are the Master Override containers and upgrades I found:
- Ripper upgrade: In the Machine Shop on the Engineering Deck. You can find it inside the Master Override crate next to the upgrade console. This is the same room where you got the Ripper weapon for the first time.
- Contact Beam upgrade: When you enter the Mining Deck from the tram station, you'll find some slidable kinesis boxes. Move these out of the way to find the Master Override door to Tool Storage. Open the door and the box inside to find the upgrade.
- Line Gun upgrade: From the Hydroponics Deck central hub, take the door towards the Mining Tram Station, and you'll find a Master Override crate immediately in front of you with the upgrade inside.
- Flamethrower upgrade: Inside the Deluxe Crew Quarters in the Crew Deck. The easiest way to get this one is during chapter ten when you have to head there to find the shuttle. Once inside the Deluxe Crew Quarters, you'll come to a circuit breaker that lets you send power to the doors. Do this, and backtrack down the corridor and into the previous room with the big B symbols on the wall. Head through either of the two now unlocked doors against the far wall to find the Master Override box with the upgrade inside.
- Force Gun upgrade: In the Cargo Bay on the Hangar/Cargo/Tram Control deck. The best way to get this is during chapter 11 when you have to move the marker around the Cargo Bay. When you take the lift down, stick to the right, and you'll find a Master Override crate with the upgrade inside, protected by a Guardian Necromorph.
- Second Force Gun upgrade: You get this for completing the "Scientific Methods" side quest, which you start by visiting Nicole's office on the Medical Deck in chapter two. The upgrade itself is located in Mercer's office in the Guest Consultant's Suites on the Crew Deck, though it's unlikely you'd be able to access it without the quest since it gives you the door code.
The Plasma Cutter is the only weapon that doesn't seem to have an upgrade located in a Master Override box, since I upgraded mine fully, and never found one.
How do Dead Space weapon upgrades work?
You can upgrade weapons in Dead Space by finding an upgrade console and using nodes to unlock bonuses including increased damage, magazine capacity, and reload speed. Each weapon features three special abilities on its upgrade tree, but you can only gain access to these by finding or purchasing the corresponding weapon upgrades. These special abilities aren't the same as the weapon's alternate firing mode, but instead either strengthen them or add a further benefit.
For example, the Plasma Cutter's special abilities add a burning effect to its shots and give its melee attacks a chance to knock down Necromorphs. The Pulse Rifle's special abilities, on the other hand, buff its reload speed and the blast radius of its alternate fire proximity grenades. The best way to find nodes is in the little see-through wall boxes located around the ship or inside rooms locked by Security Clearance.
