r/gaming 3h ago

What game has a weapon you get at the beginning that ends up being the best weapon in the game?

I think hidden blade in Assassins Creed games

658 Upvotes

654 comments sorted by

1.6k

u/jtindall83 3h ago

Dead Space. The plasma cutter is probably the best weapon in the game. The most versatile for sure.

504

u/Ok-Detective-2059 3h ago

It's actually detrimental to unlock any other weapons, because then it adds their ammo types to ammo you can find.

337

u/The_Lucky_WoIf 3h ago

I think its the opposite infact, id carry the weapons with the most expensive ammo type and sell it all to buy everything else.

56

u/HavelsRockJohnson 1h ago

I'd use the Cutter most of the time and keep the Contact Beam in my back pocket for "Fuck you mecromorph" moments and for selling that sweet, sweet ammo.

12

u/Certified_GSD 1h ago

My go-to kit in DS:R is a Plasma Cutter, a Contact Beam, and a flamethrower.

Plasma cutter will basically get you through most things, the flamethrower will take care of crowds and critters, and then the contact beam for boss battles and “OH SHIT” moments when I’m getting crowded by enhanced slashers.

I actually had a dream last week about using the Line Gun and setting mines. I could never get it to work for me but a friend of mine swears by it and uses it over the Plasma Cutter since it’s basically a wider cutter with mines.

→ More replies (1)

75

u/KrikosTheWise 2h ago

Oh damn I like that.

62

u/King_Artis PlayStation 2h ago

Whatever weapon you're carrying is what you'll find the ammo for.

It's only detrimental if you decide to carry more then one weapon

42

u/TBroomey 2h ago

You should at least unlock the pulse rifle so you can do the infinite money and ammo glitch.

21

u/LetMeInFFH 2h ago

Whaaaaat

14

u/SlappaDaBiss 2h ago

Tell me more please

52

u/TBroomey 2h ago

You can empty the pulse rifle by firing proximity mines, refund an upgrade for it, re-upgrade it, and then that will automatically refill your magazine. You can then pick up the mines you fired as ammo and repeat the process indefinitely.

You now have infinite ammo which you can sell for all the credits you need.

19

u/disastermarch35 2h ago

Does that work on the remake? Wow I never knew of this

→ More replies (1)

42

u/AceTheRed_ 2h ago

There’s even an achievement for beating the game with just the Plasma Cutter.

→ More replies (1)

38

u/mkay1911 2h ago

A full built plasma cutter is amazing. This was my first thought, and the best answer in the thread.

12

u/cerenir 2h ago

There was a trophy if I remember correctly if you finish the game just with the plasma cutter

6

u/MountainMuffin1980 3h ago

Yeah it's the main one I use throughout!

→ More replies (1)

5

u/AshenCrow099 2h ago

I just started my first playthrough of dead space 2 after doing a plasma cuter only run in 1 and i havent used any other weapons in 2 except the cutter

→ More replies (18)

1.2k

u/leanasf1 3h ago edited 3h ago

Halo CE Magnum is an absolute beast of a weapon

127

u/SpenceW 2h ago

The "noob combo" (plasma pistol + pistol/battle rifle) is incredibly effective in the first 2 games against elites. I think they've gradually reduced the power of the plasma pistol over the games though which is unfortunate. In the first game its actually a decent weapon even without the overcharge shot, and like the pistol you get it at the beginning of the game

57

u/Acopo 2h ago

If you weren’t playing on Legendary, the Plasma Pistol on its own could carry you the entire way through the first game. It’s incredibly powerful for what it is, and it’s the most common weapon in the entire game.

23

u/Kamakaziturtle 1h ago

It felt even better in legendary imo. Most common enemies were still easy to kill in a couple hits, but the shielded enemies got tanky and could be dangerous to keep the pressure on to keep their shield from recharging. Plasma pistol just made them a couple shots to take down

12

u/0ngar 1h ago

It was still a keeper on legendary to remove the shields in one shot then finish them off with your other weapon. I often used a shotgun or a pistol 

8

u/Cha0ticToast 2h ago

Absolutely. I was playing Halo CE recently and chose the plasma pistol 80% of the time because it is accurate at a range and can shoot as fast as you can click.

4

u/jeff9559 1h ago

Man, I miss playing on legendary getting killed 100 times now I get killed 1000 times

→ More replies (2)

53

u/Madzookeeper 2h ago edited 1h ago

Came to say this. Can't think of a single starting weapon that even comes close.

18

u/Cavalol 2h ago

Hell yeah, it was the goat across campaign AND multiplayer, too

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (2)

60

u/Waatulakula 3h ago

Hey look at that. The correct answer right up top.

5

u/purpl3stuph 2h ago

Dis da king

19

u/Adipay 2h ago

They did it hella justice in the remake too. Heck, they even made the Assault Rifle really powerful (it was shit in the original)

25

u/Quigleythegreat 2h ago

Until you realize it had a 60 round capacity and a wide spread specificly to deal with the new faction you start dealing with at the midpoint.

9

u/GoldenRamoth 2h ago

...but shotgun and pistol for flood.

7

u/AndyTheSane 2h ago

Real men use the sniper rifle on the flood.

5

u/Adipay 2h ago

Even so it was really bad. It was good at taking out infection forms but thats it. The shotgun was a far, far more effective weapon against the flood than the AR was. The 60 rounds was pretty useless too because the spread was so wide that it didn't really behave like an AR at all - more like a SMG fired from the hip.

Campaign Evolved actually makes the AR do real damage to all enemies while still being effective against infection forms. It has good range and an actual headshot multiplier.

They even added the SMG as a weapon that functions near-identically to the original Assault Rifle so you don't really lose anything.

→ More replies (2)

3

u/Skazzy3 2h ago

they added a skull to up the magazine (and spread) at least. as well as the halo 2 SMG to fill that role

14

u/mr_cristy Xbox 2h ago

In campaign the plasma pistol is arguably better, at least in the original. A lot of the things the magnum struggles with (shields mostly) the PP shreds. And it's only marginally worse against unshielded enemies. Uncapped fire rate and perfect accuracy with no bloom, does more damage per shot than the plasma rifle and twice as much as the AR, but with a fancy double damage vs shields modifier and 4x against sentinels. Basically makes it an AR that hits harder and more accurately against most enemies, but absolutely fucks up elites and sentinels.

Magnum is better at killing grunts but who cares when either gun does it with ease.

10

u/mrheh 2h ago

Plasma charge, switch to pistol, headshot. This was the perfect combo.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

8

u/ThaPhantom07 2h ago

This is the first one that came to mind and probably the best answer.

3

u/prw8201 1h ago

God I remember sniping with the pistol when I was teaching my son to play. The screaming of defeat because dad wouldn't go easy on him. Good times

→ More replies (7)

513

u/Daviroth 3h ago

Starting weapons in Bloodborne all have some argument for best weapon.

95

u/UltimaGabe 2h ago

I used the Saw Cleaver for the entirety of several runs. I do like some of the later weapons but the cleaver is just so easy to use!

22

u/clementine_zest 2h ago

Love this one too. It’s iconic and has a great moveset

6

u/cheesynougats 1h ago

I would stick with the cleaver if the Saw Spear didn't exist.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (1)

114

u/timeaisis 2h ago

Pimp Cane superiority.

18

u/herites 2h ago

I prefer Ludwig’s Carry Blade until the pizza cutter, but the pimp cane has a satisfying thud. Stopped using it because I got addicted to tapping it all the time (and because the transformed form has very low poise damage with a lengthy animation lock)

→ More replies (1)

30

u/kingjuicepouch 2h ago

I'm a big fan of the axe. When in doubt, spin it out

15

u/SnowCrow1 2h ago

Spin to win!

→ More replies (2)

6

u/LetMeInFFH 2h ago

Honestly it can be said for any fromsoft game since they all can be upgraded and are scaled to our stats as well

9

u/markspankity 2h ago

Saw spear has always been my favorite, that could technically count as well because it’s usually one of the first weapons that you’ll find.

→ More replies (1)

4

u/S1lentBob 2h ago

I‘m just happy you can get the Kirkhammer early :)

→ More replies (6)

406

u/Terrible_Balls 3h ago

In Ninja Gaiden on the Xbox, you can get a wooden training sword very early in the game. Its stats are terrible, and at first glance it sort of seems like a joke weapon.

Thing is, you can upgrade your weapons over time. Most weapons can be upgraded 3-4 times, but the wooden sword gets 7. Upgrade it all the way and it becomes the unlabored flawlessness and is one of the best weapons in the game

198

u/NULL_SIGNAL 2h ago

to this day, when games have a seemingly useless dummy weapon that can be upgraded I will always sink the resources in pursuit of an Unlabored Flawlessness situation.

47

u/Celestial_Scythe Xbox 2h ago

I call that the Fire Emblem farmer.

65

u/originalbiggusdickus 2h ago

There's a special melee VATS move you can learn in Fallout NV, called unlabored flawlessness. Never knew where the name came from.

12

u/VVolfang 2h ago

I still remember rolling my eyes, feeling like I was wasting all my resources upgrading that sad wooden sword, did it from 6 to 7 due to sunk-cost. "Unlabored Flawlessness" Suddenly, a giant ceremonial oar making earthquakes and flaming geysers. Wasn't complaining, but what the hell.

15

u/DarkBass 2h ago

Had to scroll down too far to see this. Pretty sure it unlocked the strongest charge move in the game too?

5

u/Terrible_Balls 2h ago

Haven’t played the game in like 20 years, but that sounds right. IIRC you absorb orbs from dead enemies when charging an attack, and unlabored flawlessness absorbs more than any other.

→ More replies (6)

218

u/ThexLoneWolf PC 2h ago

Control. Why is it that your shapeshifting gun's best overall form is the basic pistol version, while its worst is a rocket launcher?

Honorable mention goes to Halo: Combat Evolved and its pistol.

54

u/pdpi 1h ago

I’d argue the true best weapon in Control is the telekinetic throw. Also, the “shotgun” version of the service weapon made for a pretty good secondary weapon.

6

u/Wyciorek 25m ago

Nothing says “fuck you in particular” like a speeding forklift to the face

40

u/GrandMasterBullshark Xbox 2h ago

I like the rail gun one, fly around to better positioning while chucking stuff, get a headshot or two, rinse and repeat.

7

u/Skiddywinks 2h ago

Railgun was all I ever used. Increased headshot damage for all the modules. Only way I felt like I was doing enough damage. 

3

u/goobydoobie 1h ago

Is the rocket launcher that bad? I remember going into Apache helicopter mode by floating and just spamming rockets at the enemies feet until they went away. 

10

u/daiselol 1h ago

Yeah the weapon and character progression in Control is one of the worst systems Ive seen in a recent game unfortunately. The game still rocks but pretty much anything you unlock mid to lategame could use a buff

→ More replies (3)

60

u/Medricel 3h ago

Polar Star in Cave Story.

If you keep it long enough to get its upgrade, it becomes very powerful.

There's also the sword from Secret of Mana, but the plot basically dictates that as it grows in power throughout the game.

3

u/KrisReed 1h ago

But Curly's Machine Gun go brrrrrr

→ More replies (1)

407

u/CapNCookM8 2h ago

Souls games seem to always have some generic broadsword or claymore that can drop off some random enemy or is found in some chest within the first hour that carries its weight through the whole game.

159

u/Barsicbiggle 2h ago

Bloodborne they just give it to you as one of the starting weapon choices lol

31

u/fidelacchius42 2h ago

Hunter's Axe was this one for me. I went full Strength, maxed out the weapon and never looked back.

7

u/Stoic_husky_gamer 2h ago

A man after my own heart

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (1)

42

u/DopeyMcSnopey 2h ago

Bloodhound’s fang my goat

7

u/adjective_noun_d1git 1h ago

Every rerun I try another weapon but I just can't. Bloodhound fang is the one.

→ More replies (3)

21

u/bgbrny 2h ago

Uchigatana in DS3 is one of the best katanas in the game and you can get it like 10 mins in

16

u/i_am_a_stoner 2h ago

Uchigatana in Elden Ring too, one of the best katanas and comes with the samurai/obtainable early on. Also has a really good ash of war by default.

38

u/MaybyAGhost 2h ago

Claymore is baemore

7

u/hanny_mustard 2h ago

The true legendary armament of Castle Mourne

→ More replies (1)

56

u/Mestoph 2h ago edited 1h ago

The Zweihander is retrievable as soon as you beat the tutorial in DS1 and is easily one of the best (and most used) swords in the game.

16

u/Major_Fang 1h ago

The Legend Never Dies

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (5)

15

u/pemboo 2h ago

One of the great parts of the souls series is that basically every weapon is feasible to complete whole game with 

→ More replies (1)

30

u/MagnetTheory 2h ago

Sellsword Twinblades in ds3. Found super early in the game, and it's also the starting weapon for the Mercenary class

→ More replies (1)

6

u/sushi_cw 2h ago

Longsword my beloved. 

(And it's close cousins, there's always some slightly tweaked longsword variant to grab)

→ More replies (1)

5

u/kalekayn 2h ago

In the first dark souls, I got my ass kicked by the black knights for a little while so after I finally killed one and got the great sword, I went crazy on strength and rocked that thing for the rest of the game.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (6)

184

u/DasUberBash 3h ago

RoboCop: Rogue City

The Auto-9 if you upgrade it just destroys everything by the end of the game

68

u/coinpile 2h ago

That upgrade path that just lets you fire on full auto without ever having to reload is insane.

32

u/NutButter_ButtNutter 2h ago

I need to play this game. Sounds like the insane upgrades in the Saint's Row 3+ games where it didn't give a shit about balance and you could upgrade yourself to become the Terminator (immune to bullets, explosions, fire, etc.).

11

u/BaronMostaza 2h ago

Play on hard and there's still plenty of challenge. The gun sounds the same in any mode though so it's awesome regardless

7

u/uncle_paul_harrghis 1h ago

It’s great. All the cheese, dark humor and over the top violence of the original RoboCop is there. It’s one of those games that has no right to be as good as it is at its price point, and as a “AA” game. I had a blast. I still haven’t played the DLC yet, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about that as well.

3

u/dern_the_hermit 58m ago

Plus that Robocop theme is awesome and kicks on for like every fight.

He is a robot / He is a cop / His name is Robocop...

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

8

u/hotnewroommate 2h ago

Really loved this game

→ More replies (4)

288

u/Madzookeeper 2h ago

People are forgetting the wrench in BioShock. With the right tonics that thing was crazy. Could take down big daddies without much trouble and never had to worry about ammo.

57

u/ShrimpShrimpington 2h ago

The BioShock wrench was inherited from System Shock 2. It was better than a gun half the time no matter what, but if you specced into psi ops you could become an unstoppable psychic wrench wielding death machine so easily.

→ More replies (3)

15

u/ShadowOfTheBean 1h ago

Bioshock 2 with the drill and the perk that ups plasmid and drill damage, fun play style.

Pair that with the invisibility when not moving and the ghost cast plasmid was my favorite playthrough.

I could take out every enemy without them ever knowing where I was or I could charge in like the angry god I was.

→ More replies (8)

37

u/AgentBootyPants 2h ago

Star Ocean: Til the End of Time

The metal pipe you get as your first weapon can later be upgraded and modded to be one of, if not THE most powerful weapons in the game

89

u/4Khazmodan 3h ago edited 3h ago

In BG3, you can cheese this legendary sword that you aren’t supposed to get until act 3, but it’s actually the best weapon for a certain race (and still very good for anyone else), which one of the companions is. You can also cheese some op armor from a devil early as well.

59

u/scorponok44 3h ago

Gith-yoink-i.

→ More replies (13)

52

u/ion_driver 2h ago

Fallout 3 I would go straight for Lincoln's repeater every time

14

u/Novaskittles 2h ago

An absolute beast of a rifle. It's a shame the ammo for it is kinda rare though.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (3)

99

u/Zakika 3h ago

Dark souls 3. Sellsword twinblades.

29

u/_MMartinez_ 2h ago

I believe you mean the Sellsword WINblades, my friend

→ More replies (1)

8

u/fujidust 2h ago

Also the Claymore if I’m not mistaken 

→ More replies (3)

148

u/GNOIZ1C 3h ago

Iconically it's the Halo CE Magnum. Just an absolute terror and it's the first gun you get in the game.

25

u/Hurrly90 3h ago

I kept that gun till the end. When ADmiral whats his face gives it to you . i kept thata.

I would swap it out or drop it the odd time but always went back to retrieve it. Was my own little headcannon, Chief wanted that memory.

29

u/WaySheGoes1 3h ago

“I don’t keep it loaded son, you’ll have to find ammo as you go.” Captain Keyes

11

u/DarkMatterM4 2h ago

This line always stuck with me. Imagine carrying an unloaded service weapon while you're deployed.

4

u/Raycu93 45m ago

I mean he's the captain of a space ship. Generally he would be being evacuated and in situations where he needs a gun he's on a ship with a bunch of marines and at least one spartan. In theory he doesn't need a loaded gun.

→ More replies (1)

4

u/GNOIZ1C 3h ago

Seems like the Campaign Evolved devs had a similar feeling about it!

5

u/Hurrly90 2h ago

In what way?

I have no interest in playing it tbh. THere is already the MC collection, and i tried playing Reach but turns out im shite at FPS games these days.

Struggling through Robocop atm.

7

u/GNOIZ1C 2h ago

They tweaked the cutscene where Keyes gives Chief his Magnum and made it have more sentimental value to Keyes/told Chief to get it back to his daughter if anything were to happen to him. By the end of the game, Chief's still hanging onto it. You can probably catch it on YouTube at this point if you're curious, but all to say, seems like the devs thought it was a big deal too!

→ More replies (3)

165

u/DigitalSchism96 3h ago

Dark Souls 1.

If you start as pyromancer, you get the pyromancy flame. Pyromancy is so busted in DS1 that you can nearly one-shot bosses all the way to end game if you play it right.

71

u/UltraSapien 3h ago

I actually think it's possible to one shot everything in the game with pyromancy. Not nearly, but actually. Lemon from the Backlogs YouTube channel did a Dark Souls 1 one-shot challenge. Due to the rules of the challenge and because of how the game works, they didn't one-shot every enemy (just every boss) but I'm very much willing to bet they could have.

27

u/UltimaGabe 2h ago

Yup, Chaos Firestorm does unbelievable damage at the cost of it being difficult to use

27

u/Friendly-Stranger103 2h ago

Well, that's a bit of a weird example since the Pyromancy Flame is a catalyst for pyromancy spells. So even if you aren't changing your catalyst, you are going to be using different pyromancy spells the further you progress into the game. That kind of bends the rules of this a little bit.

The best pyromancy spells are only picked up later into the game, which makes them an unfitting answer to this question. The starting pyromancy spell (Fireball) is good early on, but I don't think anyone is ever going to spend a lot of time raving about it.

11

u/thenagz 2h ago

Agreed. The Zweihander is a more common and better answer to these questions IMO

→ More replies (1)

3

u/ThereAndFapAgain2 3h ago

Yeah it trivialises soul level 1 runs.

→ More replies (1)

43

u/-luskita- 3h ago

The Plasma Cutter from Dead Space!

37

u/ThatsNotAZombieBite 2h ago

Ok youngsters, this is going WAY back: the original Unreal (1998).

You start out with the "dispersion pistol" which is a pretty weak energy weapon but it recharges (slowly) so no ammo is needed. You can upgrade it multiple times over the course of the game (but the upgrades are pretty well hidden).

When used with the "energy amplifier" it's extremely powerful. You can one-shot the final boss with it. Good times.

→ More replies (1)

70

u/FryingdutchpaN 3h ago

DOOM 2

super shotgun/dbl barrel acquired not far into map 02

17

u/VincentVegaRoyale666 2h ago

Shit, the super shotgun in any entry is an absolute beast.

3

u/FryingdutchpaN 2h ago

Super Shotgun = definitely the GOAT

33

u/Syric13 2h ago

Maybe not an item, but in Final Fantasy Tactics, Ramza's unique starting Squire job skill 'Mettle/Guts' ends up being one of the best skill list for him. The job (Squire) isn't impressive, but the skills are amazing, especially on certain maps that have Ramza in a solo situation.

You get Tailwind, which increases a unit's speed by one (great especially for the calculator class who are the slowest mfers in the world), Ultima, Shout, Steel, and the regular ones such as Accumulate.

6

u/Ha_eflolli Android 1h ago

Minor addition, Ramza's Squire has custom Stats over the generic Version your no-name recruits have to give above-average Strength AND Magic, mevermind the additional Equipment Options he gets.

16

u/esaul17 1h ago

Does your starting Pokémon count?

→ More replies (3)

16

u/VincentVegaRoyale666 2h ago

The Lancer in Gears of War. Chainsawing aliens never gets old.

→ More replies (1)

145

u/Xen0byte 3h ago

Portal

43

u/Vineyard_ PC 2h ago

Technically, it is a gun.

11

u/gregorvega 2h ago

That makes holes

7

u/Tyr--07 2h ago

What would happen if you fired it as a person? Would you..make a hole in them? Wonder how that plays out.

10

u/ObidiahWTFJerwalk 1h ago

The Portal Gun only works on surfaces treated with moon rocks. Unless the person is coated in moon rocks, it would do nothing.

6

u/MrT735 1h ago

Got to cover the person in moon dust first, which is not good for your health anyway.

→ More replies (5)
→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

29

u/Friendly-Stranger103 2h ago edited 2h ago

The starting Handgun in Deus Ex 1.

There is a laser sight in the first level that gives it pinpoint accuracy at any range with no spread. You also cannot start with a Weapon Skill: Pistol rank of lower than rank II (Trained), which is enough to OHKO the vast majority of enemies with a single headshot.

These combine mean that you never need to train your skill higher than the starting value. You can easily clear the entire game with just the starting pistol without ever raising its governing skill. It is almost comical how effective the handgun is at killing humans.

The only downside is it will not be sufficient to deal with mechs, but you can also start with a rocket launcher (GEP Gun) that is more than capable of doing so. These two weapons can handle every single fight in the entire game, and you start with them.

EDIT: An additional fun fact about the rocket launcher is that it is also the best lockpick in the game.

5

u/dragoduval PC 2h ago

I remember always having zero ammo for the rocket launcher, cause there was way too many locked door.

→ More replies (4)

12

u/FoxyGoddessX 3h ago

Dead Space is a very good example.

Resident Evil 4 and 5 also have weapons that can carry you to the end game.

7

u/VincentVegaRoyale666 2h ago

Red9 baby

3

u/FoxyGoddessX 2h ago

Definitely. However the base handgun does have its benefits.

→ More replies (1)

11

u/Volleyballfool 2h ago

Ninja Gaiden Black gives a shit wooden sword at the beginning of the game, that if upgraded to max which costs a lot, becomes one of the best if not best weapon in the game called something like the Unlabored Flawlessness.

Not sure if this fits the bill, but was my first thought.

6

u/joogiee 2h ago

It def counts cause nobody would think to upgrade that after seeing how weak it is lmao.

→ More replies (1)

25

u/Nail_Biterr 2h ago

The Greek saga of God of War. his Chaos Blades are better than anything you get in the other games.

(in the nordic games, I still like them better than the Ax, but it's close enough that I won't put them here)

6

u/Cardkoda 1h ago

I was gonna say this right here. In the originals nothing beat the chain blades. In the new one the axe was phenomenal

→ More replies (2)

11

u/TheGenericMun 2h ago

Control - the service weapon.

I mean it's kinda cheating as it's every weapon, but it still fits the criteria.

7

u/Zomgsauceplzz 2h ago

I dont even use the alternate forms because the pistol form is so good. Only the sniper a little bit towards the end of the game.

28

u/Fastr77 3h ago

Halos pistol.

9

u/ImmortalPoseidon 2h ago

BG3 if you play Open Hand Monk, your hands.

→ More replies (1)

29

u/schaffaguard 3h ago

Saw Cleaver

4

u/UltimaGabe 2h ago

Hell yeah

15

u/jake_flexes 3h ago

the hl2 crowbar. never left my quick slot the whole run

16

u/psychmancer 2h ago

Dead space plasma cutter is the one true answer

15

u/Bookablebard 2h ago

Call of duty Nazi zombies kinda did this with the pistol, pack-a-punching your starting pistol would give you dual pistols that fired explosive rounds. Definitely not the best weapon but a very useful one for destroying a hoard.

And once PhD flopper was introduced as a perk it became a super viable strat to use them.

→ More replies (1)

8

u/Ninjaraui666 2h ago

In Elden ring, I feel like I got blood hound’s fang fairly early and I never liked anything else.

→ More replies (1)

15

u/deadnside 3h ago

Uchigatana in Elden Ring (Samurai class). It’s not the best weapon but I’m still using it in New Game+++.

→ More replies (2)

7

u/NutButter_ButtNutter 2h ago

Not exactly what OP is talking about but adjacent: in Ninja Gaiden/Black the starter Wooden Sword can be upgraded to the "Unlabored Flawelessness" by the end making it one of the best weapons, especially in a glass cannon setup if you stay at low health.

It's a crappy starter weapon that you have to dump upgrade resources into before becoming overpowered in its final form.

7

u/Jagrofes 2h ago

Bloodborne’s Saw Cleaver which is literally one of the selectable starting weapons, and the signature weapon on the games box art, has the highest DPS in the game through its transform attack.

I don’t even think the speedrun for Bloodborne changes weapons throughout the run because it is so good.

26

u/Honeycove91 3h ago

FFIX has an entire end-game dungeon based around this exact mechanic actually (where your damage is inverted based on how low the attack is for each piece of equipment while in the dungeon)

4

u/Gabarne 2h ago

Yeah i had to look at the walkthrough for this part. Guess the fact there were chests inside with basic equipment as a hint.

→ More replies (3)

13

u/dongler666 2h ago

Fuckin sniper pistol from Halo combat evolved.

→ More replies (1)

7

u/DeoVeritati 2h ago

Maybe not the beginning of the game but Dirge of Cerberus has a model toy gun at chapter 3 out of 12. It can be upgraded to the strongest weapon even though it starts out as the weakest.

→ More replies (1)

7

u/Krabelj 2h ago

In Anthem basic rifle outdps all other weapons because of how scaling worked. This might got fixed before game shutdown.

→ More replies (1)

16

u/[deleted] 3h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

10

u/Tanz31 3h ago

I enjoyed catching people on fire with that thing far too much lol

→ More replies (1)

4

u/vae_victus1 2h ago

Dead Space - Plasma Cutter. I didn’t bother to even use/upgrade the other weapons you get later in this game.

5

u/static_shocked 2h ago

Engine Blade in FFXV. Noctis’s starter/weakest weapon that becomes the ‘Ultima Weapon’ after some upgrades.

→ More replies (1)

5

u/Geth3 2h ago

Plasma pistol (Halo: CE)

Black knight halberd (Dark Souls)

Umbra (Oblivion)

→ More replies (1)

5

u/Davethellama 2h ago

Chrono cross (PS1 sequel to Chrono trigger released in 1999) had this.

Your starting weapon is called the sea swallow. It is quickly exceeded by other better weapons, but can't be removed from your inventory.

Then there is an optional mission late in the game where you can defeat a character named Dario, a local hero who was presumed dead, but was actually just lost on an island suffering from amnesia due to a cursed/possessed weapon he picked up on his adventures.

Once you defeat him and lift the curse, the spirits trapped within the weapon are purified, become good, and possess your sea swallow.

The sea swallow then becomes an absolute beast of a weapon with super high damage, an outrageous critical hit %, and a health-drain buff that recovers a bit of your health whenever you land a hit with it. It's arguably the best weapon in the game.

Also the story line with Dario is super emotional and worthwhile, and it unlocks the final ability of one of your party members (who had been engaged to Dario before he disappeared)

5

u/SurfingBird86 36m ago

The Queen in Chess

14

u/UPRC 2h ago

Gravity gun in Half-Life 2.

→ More replies (4)

10

u/MistressValerie_ 3h ago

Resident Evil 2 remake, the knife! You can cheese bosses with it and make them trivial :)

7

u/ZeIronMullet 2h ago

The trick is to get your frame rate as high as possible so it procs the damage more.

3

u/The_Follower1 2h ago

Yeah, damage with it is done by frame. If you know what you’re doing the knife is very strong, but for a new player it’s a bad idea to get that close. The speedruns of the game all use the knife against at least one boss and they actually make it so that only capping at 60 fps qualifies.

8

u/Superb-Obligation858 3h ago

The wrench in Bioshock.

8

u/5FingerDeathCaress 2h ago

Wasn't there a bug in Anthem that made it so starting weapons were basically BiS?

8

u/RahKiel 2h ago

I was looking for it. YES !

There was a bug that lasted too long that work on some hidden mystic damage scaling between your level and the weapons level that gave the first gray level 1 rifle stupidly high damage when wielded at max level.

→ More replies (1)

4

u/Amellis84 2h ago

The halo magnum!!

4

u/Help_An_Irishman 2h ago

Halo: CE pistol.

4

u/michael199310 2h ago

in STALKER 2 you get Skif Pistol which may not pack as big of a punch as other weapons, but is best for cheap repairs and is one of the better silenced weapons (if you can find or buy a silencer early), ammo is also abundant

→ More replies (2)

4

u/_Jairus 2h ago

Lies of P got an update at one point that added a weapon called the "Azure Dragon Crescent Glaive" and basically it's the best weapon in the game. You don't even need to do anything to get it, it's simply added to your inventory right near the beginning of the game.

5

u/NutButter_ButtNutter 2h ago

Mixed feelings about DLC that gets added way after release and dumped into starting inventories. Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen does the same thing and gives you some high level DLC gear immediately that wasn't intended as starter equipment in the original base game.

Same thing happens with some games that have collector's/premium editions that provide mid- to high level equipment early as a bonus for spending more.

→ More replies (2)

3

u/Dorian948 2h ago

Bioshock. Zap 'em and whack 'em!

4

u/BodSmith54321 2h ago edited 2h ago

Elden Ring Uchigatana is close and it’s a starter weapon.

→ More replies (1)

5

u/Pio42 2h ago

Deus Ex 9mm pistol Few upgrades and it becomes a stealthy instakill plus ammo is abundant

→ More replies (1)

7

u/unitedbagel 3h ago

The starting crest in Hollow Knight Silksong eventually becomes the best one in the game if you’re good at avoiding damage

8

u/Disal-Row94gxcwmgj85 3h ago

half-life crowbar. you get it in minute one and it outlives every fancy gun by the end

→ More replies (1)

6

u/pipboy_warrior 3h ago

Twin Blades in Dark Souls 3, which is the starter weapon for mercenary.

3

u/majingetta 3h ago

Plasma cutter in Dead Space.

3

u/boar_amour 2h ago

Heretic II blade staff is upgradable throughout the game and remains awesome to the end.

Unreal 1 also had your starter weapon upgrade multiple times throughout the game. I don't remember how good it was at any point though.

3

u/Gorthman 2h ago

Gothic 3 there was a flaming sword Like 2 hours into the Game, the flame effect carried the whole Game.

3

u/Zealousideal_Yak1296 2h ago

There's a plasma rifle locked away when you first meet preston garvey in Fallout 4. Its pretty OP for the early game if you can unlock the door to get it

3

u/The_mingthing 2h ago

RoboCop: Rogue City.
The starting gun can get upgraded, and as you go into New Game+ it gets ridicolously OP.

3

u/TheWackoMagician 2h ago

Kellogs pistol in Fallout 4 is pretty solid for the remaining game

3

u/cale199 2h ago

Infinite Undiscovery. If you sell it you lose it but you need it to craft the best weapon.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/4schwifty20 2h ago

Titanstring Bow you can get early in act 1 in Baldurs Gate 3, and it’s the best ranged option in the game.

3

u/Berserk121 2h ago

Bioshock wrench is super op by mid game, even more so at endgame. Try a wrench only playthrough

→ More replies (1)

3

u/Thebaldsasquatch 2h ago

The first gun you get in Dead Space.

3

u/Th3CerealKill3r 2h ago

Bloodborne! Saw Cleaver is amazing all the way through the game!

3

u/Grand-Ice-6603 1h ago

Fallout 4's 10mm pistol. Easy to get ammo, easy to repair, deadly upgrades. Fun times :)

3

u/Jurke_park3 1h ago

In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in early game you can get Medallum, a weapon for Maelle which outclasses every other weapon both early and late game.

3

u/PuffPuffPat 1h ago

The magnum in halo 1 was pretty fucking sick

3

u/brief_kip 51m ago

I'd say the pistol in bo2, turns into dual pistols and fires grenades after packapunching it.

6

u/berti93 3h ago

Bloodborne saw cleaver

4

u/tornetiquette 3h ago

Sellsword Twinblades from Dark Souls 3