Ranking Every Weapon In Silent Hill 2

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When you enter the titular town in Silent Hill 2, it quickly becomes clear that you'll need an arsenal if you want to survive. Luckily, James is able to scrounge some weapons as he explores the never-ending fog.

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You'll gain access to both melee and ranged options, allowing you to bash enemies up close or retreat to safe distances if needed. Not all self-defense tools are made equal, however, and you'll find that you have a much easier time killing disfigured nurses with some weapons than others.

The first item you'll grab on your journey to find your wife is the wooden plank. Although it might not look too intimidating at first, the nails at the tip ensure you'll do some serious damage to the Lying Figures who get in your way.

The plank is unique in that it is the only weapon that receives a direct "upgrade" during the campaign, since you drop it as soon as you encounter the steel pipe in a cutscene.

Both of these melee weapons prove to be sufficient throughout James's excursion, but they are without a doubt the weak link in his collection. It takes numerous hits to down weak enemies, and stronger foes require a tremendous number of blows, thus exposing you to more potential harm.

The plank and pipe are most valuable for their utility, allowing you to conserve ammo for your more powerful firearms.

The handgun is a staple of the survival horror genre, and Silent Hill 2 is no exception. While having access to a firearm is undeniably helpful when you have to fend off horrendous creatures, a pistol is far from the most imposing option available, making sure you still feel vulnerable as you aim into dark corners.

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Such is the case with James's starter gun; it's nice to eliminate enemies from a distance, but you're going to get much more efficient options as you progress. It's a step up from the plank and pipe almost immediately due to its ranged nature (minimizing your chance of being hit back), but it will take more bullets per monster than any other gun in the game.

However, you also receive a lot of ammo for it, so it's a good go-to when you want to save your resources for bosses.

You acquire the shotgun at Brookhaven Hospital after reaching the women's locker room. It offers a peculiar proposition; you need to sacrifice some distance that other guns afford you in order to use it effectively, but it packs a wallop. You'll be able to blast through most enemies in a single shot, and it will be invaluable during later encounters.

Unfortunately, the shotgun does have some notable drawbacks. It takes a decent amount of time to reload, since James puts each round in individually. Additionally, its firing rate is quite slow, meaning you can be overwhelmed by multiple enemies quite easily. Its raw damage output is hard to ignore though, so it's just a matter of finding the right moments to use it.

Considering Silent Hill 2's rather dour tone, you'd be forgiven for assuming there would be no joke weapons for James to wield during his search for Mary. This is not the case, however, and veteran players will be able to find a chainsaw on their journey. This makes the game much easier, letting you cut through enemies without much challenge.

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The chainsaw is the most powerful melee weapon in the game, capable of one-shotting most enemies. It will be the only close-range weapon you need to concern yourself with, since the difference in damage between it and the plank or pipe is so vast. If you master dodging, you'll become almost impossible to stop, and you can bank a ludicrous amount of ammo for boss fights.

Due to its strength, the chainsaw is only available in New Game Plus. You can find it at the very beginning as you walk into town, buried in a pile of logs across from the Silent Hill Ranch.

While the chainsaw is fantastic, the rifle just edges it out as the best weapon. It offers similar results to the chainsaw, killing enemies with a single bullet, but this can obviously be done at a distance rather than up close. The game even seems to acknowledge the rifle's superiority, dispensing far fewer ammo pickups than other guns.

In order to balance its power, the rifle does take some time to reload, but it's still faster than the shotgun. It offers unrivaled accuracy, and if you're standing still, you can take down enemies from an impressive distance. Still, you shouldn't waste too much ammunition on the town's normal monsters, since the rifle can make short work of the game's toughest bosses.

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