Weapons are your primary combat equipment in System Shock 2 Remastered, which you need to collect, maintain, and keep in perfect shape. This is because you will face difficult enemies, and if you’re playing the game in the highest difficulty, that is when you need the weapons to perform at peak condition.
However, the game presents you with varying weapon types, and it comes down to you to select the ones you are comfortable with. Here’s a detailed guide on the various weapon types in the game.
All Weapon types in System Shock 2 Remastered

There are a total of four weapon types in System Shock 2 Remastered, namely Standard, Energy, Heavy, and Exotic. Here’s a detailed discussion on the various weapon types as listed above. These will form the core of your combat style if you have picked up the UNN Marine class in the game.
Standard
Standard weapons are your traditional weapons in the game, and there are a total of four types you have access to. These are:
- Wrench
- Talon M2A3.45 Caliber Pistol
- 10 Guage Shotgun
- M-22 Assault Rifle
Among these Pistol and the Assault Rifle use standard ammo and can be found in Replicators. Additionally, both the Pistol and Assault Rifle deal bonus damage to all enemies in the game. In fact, the Wrench is also pretty useful in dealing with some basic enemies.
However, these weapons are not the best in dealing area damage, and they degrade very quickly.
Energy
These are the second most popular weapon types that you will come across in the game, and staying true to its name, you’ll need Electrical Energy to run the weapons. These do not work on standard ammunition, but instead, you’ll have to recharge them at Energy Recharging Stations.
The three types of Energy weapons you’ll find in the game are:
- Apollo H4 Argon-Suspension Laser Pistol
- Mark IV Laser Rapier
- Dual-Circuit EMP Rifle
Energy weapons are very good against mechanical enemies, as you deal bonus damage to them. However, you will struggle in certain regions where the number of Recharge stations is low in number or non-existent.
Heavy Weapons
Heavy Weapons are interesting weapons where the balance is between high damage and low ammo count. The three major Heavy weapons that you’ll find in the game are as follows:
- TC-11 “Brick” Grenade Launcher
- Stasis Field Generator
- TC-5 Fusion Cannon
These weapons are good against most enemies in the game, and they make the game very easy. Whenever you are struggling against difficult enemies, Heavy Weapons are your best friend. Every enemy that you will find will die to just two hits from a fully upgraded Grenade Launcher.
However, while the damage is very high, finding the ammo for Heavy Weapons is extremely rare. If you try to purchase them, they are extremely costly, which is especially true in higher difficulties, where the value of items increases quite a bit.
Additionally, one of the biggest issues with Heavy Weapons is that there are no melee weapons on the list. The Wrench does receive some of the benefits, but it’s not as strong as the actual Heavy Weapons.
Exotic
Exotic Weapons are the final type that you will come across in System Shock 2 Remastered. However, unlike normal weapons, you cannot use Exotic weapons unless you Research them. The three Exotic weapons are as follows:
- Crystal Shard
- Viral Proliferator
- Annelid Launcher
These are specialist weapons, which means they work very well within their own niche. For instance, Swarms can only be defeated by the Anti-Annelid mode of the Exotic weapons.
However, the high Research requirement makes them something that you won’t be able to access until much later in the game.