Deus Ex Weapons Guide: Pistols, Rifles and More

Like the original game, Deus Ex: Human Revolution includes a wide variety of deadly weapons that can be used to bring down foes. One big difference, however, is the lack of weapon skills. In this new game players are no longer forced to specialize and can instead use any weapon equally well.

That offers up more variety. With this information in mind, let’s have a look at the hardware at your disposable in Human Revolution.

Rifles

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FR-27 SFR Combat Rifle – A well-rounded weapon, the combat rifle will be favored by combat characters looking to mix things up at medium to long range. This weapon is both powerful and accurate at long distances, and it can be upgraded with a silencer, laser sight, and even a target-assist system. With all of that said, it can be a bit thirsty for ammo, so it must be used with precision despite the fact that it can be fired full-auto.

Huntsman Silverback – This basic double-barreled shotgun is as old-tech as it gets, and is available to players with certain pre-order packs. It fires two barrels at once and does significant damage, with the obvious disadvantage being its short range and slow rate of fire. There are no upgrades, so this weapon will likely be left to use as a novelty as more weapons become available.

Hurricane TMP-18 Submachine Gun – Encountered early, this short range, fully automatic weapon is good for medium-range skirmishes. It can spray-and-pray with the best of them, and since it’s not as accurate as many other rifles, it is the best choice for that use. Potential upgrades such as sound suppressors and laser targeting can turn this into a nice weapon for assassins feeling thuggish.

Longsword Whisperhead Sniper Rifle – Hey look, it’s a sniper rifle. It’s accurate at long ranges, but has a low rate of fire. There’s no need for a suppressor upgrade because it is built-in. As you might expect, this is the weapon of choice for long-range kills, but is a poor firearm for short-range work.

Longsword 202 Sniper Rifle – Hey, look, it’s another sniper rifle. This one is a bit less conventional, however, as it is semi-automatic and holds five-round magazines. The big downside to this rifle is the fact that a suppressor is not built-in, making it suitable only to situations where detection isn’t feared.

PAX-22 Tranquilizer Rifle – Looking to take out enemies from a decent range without killing them? That’s what this is for. The tranquilizer rifle fires darts that put out a human’s lights in a few seconds, unless you hit them in the head, which results in immediate incapacitation. Besides being non-lethal, this weapon is also quiet, so it can be used with little fear of alarming other guards.

Widowmaker TX Shotgun – This big, nasty shotgun does what all shotguns do best – kill people at short ranges. It’s not quiet, and it’s not accurate, but it is powerful and messy. With all of this said, the shotgun’s usefulness is somewhat negated by takedowns, which are generally quicker and quieter. Of course, they do require energy, so the Windowmaker will be preferred if you happen to find yourself in knife-fight range with a group.

Handguns

Buzzkill TND Stun Gun – Silent and quick, the stun gun can knock an opponent out cold in the blink of an eye, making it great for non-violent stealth characters. The trade-off is the weapon’s extremely short range – you may not have to get close enough for a takedown, but you will have to be close enough to hear your target picking his nose. However, because the weapon is quick, it can be used in conjunction with a silent takedown to incapacitate multiple foes.

Diamond Back .357 – This revolver, which seems to be rare (at least early in the game), offers an excellent punch. It can hold a magazine of 5 to 8 rounds and deliver substantial damage to enemies at the cost of long-range effectiveness. It can be effective against groups and armored targets when loaded with explosive rounds.

PEPS – If you’re looking to take your enemies out of the fight but not kill them, this is your gun. It’s basically a phaser set to stun. It emits a pulse of energy that will cause an opponent to drop to the floor. Despite its use of energy ammo, it’s not an entirely silent weapon, so care should be used to make sure no additional guards are right around the corner.

Xbow XH-II – Want to take out your opponents, old-school? Perhaps the X-Bow is of you. This weapon’s greatest asset is its near complete silence, but this is balanced by relatively low damage and low re-fire rates. While perfect for ranged stealth attacks, it’s not a great weapon for use against a room of angry goons.

Zenith 10mm Pistol – Perhaps the most common weapon in the game, this pistol is used by many low-ranking thugs. It doesn’t do a great deal of damage but can take out opponents quickly with a head shot (if they’re not armored). An optional silencer makes this a nice stealth weapon and armor piercing rounds can increase its usefulness against armored humans. Although never the deadliest weapon in the game, this pistol is versatile and uses one of the most common ammo types in the game.

Heavy Weapons

329 Series MPRS – This is a rocket launcher. Like most rocket launchers in games, it shoots rockets that go boom. There are two types of rockets which can be used. HEAT is used to pierce armored targets like robots, while HEDP is used to take out fleshy enemies. A laser targeting upgrade is available, and rockets will become guided missiles with it installed.

Overall, this is an excellent weapon, but it takes up a great deal of inventory space and has limited ammo. As a result, it should be used only when other weapons are clearly insufficient for the threat at hand.

5.56mm M404 Heavy Rifle – Despite the name, this is not so much a rifle as a minigun. It shoots large projectiles from rotating barrels that must spin up for a moment before firing begins. Once it does start firing, it will burn through ammo quickly.

Basically this is a standard-issue heavy weapon that is best used to demolish tough human opponents. It’s a good choice when facing large groups of enemies that are not packed closely together. Like the rocket launcher, it is limited by space and ammo constraints.

LGTM Linebacker G-87 – Available as a preorder item only, this grenade launcher can fire six grenades at a time and fire them rapidly. As you might expect, it does a lot of damage. The grenades are fragmentation, however, so they’re not excellent against armor.

LS-66 Sabre Direct Energy Rifle – This big beam weapon seems inspired by the Spartan Laser from Halo. It fires a deadly ray of light that can puncture through walls, making it the perfect heavy weapon for a player with the Smart Vision aug. In more of a straight firefight, however, it can be a bit unwieldy.

Hi-NRG Plasma Lance – Reminiscent of the plasma rifle in the original game, this weapon is effective against a variety of targets. It’s arguably the true jack-of-all-trades among the heavy weapons. However, the short effective range of this weapon can make it risky to use. Beware of taking on multiple opponents, as they may easily flank you at such relatively close range.

References

• Author Experience

  Images from the Deus Ex Wiki and Eidos Interactive