Best Primary Weapons In No Man’s Sky

No Man’s Sky launched to major criticisms back in 2016. The developers, Hello Games, pledged to fix all of the issues and promised that all DLC for the game would be free, forever. A promise that so far, they have kept. Following dozens of updates, the game is now widely regarded as one of the best open-world space survival games available.

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Gameplay involves both space exploration and planet-based exploration. In some situations, exploration can lead to combat, which means that players need weapons. In NMS, there is a wide choice of ground-based first-person weaponry available, with some being better than others. The choice of primary weapon is highly subjective, depending on a player’s preferred combat style. Therefore, this topic is ordered based on the author’s preferences.

7

Terrain Manipulator

Can Be Used As A Weapon In A Pinch

• Mostly used for extracting ore
• Does damage to sentinels

The Terrain Manipulator in No Man’s Sky is generally used to mine ore from resource deposits and to shape the terrain. It can excavate holes, flatten the ground, restore voxels, and create voxels. That being said, it can also be used as a weapon in a pinch, depending on the circumstances.

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For example, it will do damage to sentinels, and can be used to dig tunnels to hide in, or used for cover when fighting sentinels. But overall, this is the least effective primary weapon available in NMS.

6

Mining Beam

A Surprisingly Effective Weapon

• Mostly used to mine flora, fauna, and minerals
• Works quite well as a weapon

Every No Man’s Sky player is given the Mining Beam at the start of a playthrough. It is the general tool that is used for mining smaller rocks, flora, and fauna for resources. It is the go-to tool for everything that doesn’t require the Terrain Manipulator to gather.

Now, considering the fact that this is primarily a resource-gathering tool, it really works very well as a weapon. Sure, there are many better options, but at the start of the game, the Mining Tool can carry a player until they unlock a more advanced primary weapon when playing NMS. It is especially useful for dealing with those pesky hazardous flora spawns.

5

Neutron Cannon

Takes Practice To Use Well

• High damage charge-based weapon
• Requires the player to be accurate

Some players love the Neutron Cannon in No Man’s Sky, and others just cannot get along with it. Holding the fire button charges the Neutron Cannon, and releasing the fire button discharges it, resulting in a ball flying toward the aim spot. The longer the weapon is charged, the more damage it does when released.

There is a downside to this weapon’s high damage, though, as it is quite slow-firing, so missing means recharging it again. Yes, it can be fired on a partial charge, meaning a faster rate of fire, but in this scenario, it does far less damage than other primary weapons.

4

Blaze Javelin

Instant Damage Charge Weapon

• Very high damage from a full charge
• Instant damage application when released

The Blaze Javelin in No Man’s Sky is another charged weapon. Holding down the fire button charges the weapon, and then it goes off when the fire button is released. This may sound like the previous weapon, the Neutron Cannon, and in some ways, the Blaze Javelin is similar.

However, where the Blaze Javelin differs from the Neutron Cannon is in how the damage is applied. The Neutron Cannon fires a ball of energy, which takes time to travel toward the point of aim. The Blaze Cannon discharges rapidly toward the point of aim, applying its damage almost instantly.

3

Scatter Blaster

A Shotgun By Another Name

• High damage but eats ammo
• Great for close-quarters combat

The Scatter Blaster is the best primary weapon for players who prefer their combat up close and personal. It is, in effect, a shotgun. It fires a spray of projectiles that does very high damage, but only at short range.

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The real downside of the Scatter Blaster is that it has a pretty small clip size, and reloading takes a few seconds. That being said, learning when to switch to the Scatter Blaster, using it as something like a sidearm, is well worth the effort. For finishing off enemies that have approached the player within close-quarters combat range, this is the go-to weapon.

2

Pulse Spitter

A Fairly Rapid Firing Energy Weapon

• Best used with upgrades
• Pretty good for spray and pray style combat

The Pulse Spitter is an energy weapon that fires small balls at the aim point. It has a pretty decent rate of fire and does mediocre damage. In its base form, it isn’t so great, but by applying a few upgrades, the Pulse Spitter becomes a much more useful primary weapon for NMS players.

The downside with the Pulse Spitter is the fairly low velocity of the projectiles it fires. Players will need to lead the target and learn how much to lead at different ranges. The longer the range, the more tricky this weapon is to use.

1

Boltcaster

Basic But Effective

• High rate of fire
• High projectile velocity

The Boltcaster can be thought of as the No Man’s Sky take on a submachine gun. It fires very quickly, and the projectiles move rapidly, making it very easy to lead a target. Put simply, for spray-and-pray style players, this is the top weapon to choose in NMS.

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There is no real downside to the Boltcaster, apart from the fact that its damage output is fairly low per projectile. But with a few choice upgrades, this basic weapon can be turned into a real beast that can be used in all roles.

No Man’s Sky

7/10

Released

August 9, 2016

ESRB

T for Teen: Fantasy Violence, Animated Blood

Engine

Proprietary