Surviving onIcaruscan pose a real challenge, witha whole host of hostile creatures just waiting to pounceon unsuspecting players. If that wasn’t enough, there are plenty of peaceful creatures that, if killed, can be skinned and looted for valuable resources. As a result, it’s important that players carry around strong and reliable weapons that they can use to defend themselves, acquire materials, and defeat bosses.
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With a bunch of different combat talent trees to specialize in, players will no doubt be wondering which types of weapons are the most effective and most worthwhile to invest in during their time on the surface world. Here areIcarus’ best weapons, ranked by power.
9Bone Spear
A great choice in the early game, spears are cheap to craft and have a number of strong ways that they can be utilized. Spears can be thrusted, which is best used when under attack from predators, or they can be thrown, which is most effective when hunting to strike from stealth and deal considerable damage.
They can also be used to fish, which is an easy way of acquiring food. The Bone Spear is the best early game spear, as it boasts over double the damage of a simple wooden spear while remaining fairly easy to craft and maintain. However, its usage will soon become overshadowed by better weapons and more powerful spears.
8Bone Knife
Similar to the spear, the Bone Knife is a strong option in the early game. Its main use is to skin animals for resources like meat, leather, fur, and bones, but can also be wielded as a decent defensive weapon when going up against weaker opponents like wolves.
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It’s the best knife available to players that can be repaired on the go – morepowerful knives often require special materials or equipmentwhich will typically be located back at the base. As such, the Bone Knife is an ideal secondary weapon, carried around primarily for the purpose of skinning, with players often utilizing a different weapon for combat.
7Crossbow
There is only one crossbow in the game, and it’s fairly powerful, trading a bow’s high rate of fire for increased accuracy and damage. Players should aim for headshots while hunting with this weapon, as its slow reload speed means prey that survive the first shot will likely be gone by the time the second one is ready. Stealth attacks are also important to maximize the amount of damage in the first hit.
Unlike bows, different bolt types have different effects on range and damage, so players need to find the best fit for them. The main drawback to using a crossbow is that it’s available later on than the first bow, meaning it’s not as handy in the early game and underwhelming compared to later-game bows.
6Titanium Knife
While it may be the strongest and most durable knife available to players, the Titanium Knife is the weakest of all the late-game weapons. It can be thrown, but won’t do as much damage as spears, and while it remains an effective close-quarters defensive weapon, it willstruggle against tougher and larger creatures.
If one combines its limited usefulness with its cost - which is quite steep, requiring tech tier 4, a fabricator, and a bunch of carbon fiber and titanium – the Titanium Knife isn’t really worth it. That being said, if short on resources like fur or leather, it’ll yield a ton of material from skinning animals.
5Longbow
Simple, easy to craft, and effective, the longbow is an invaluable toolwhen starting out. It can be used to great effect with stealth attacks and is very strong while hunting in the early game, even being able to take on more high-level creatures from a safe distance away.
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While it may be a low-tier bow, it’s quick and easy to fashion and compares surprisingly well with other craftable bows. With the right talents picked, good use of stealth, and some smart tactics on the part of the player, this weapon can be used in almost any scenario, making it by far the strongest starting weapon.
4Composite Spear
A rather underratedweapon type, spears can deal a crippling amount of damage with the right spear equipped and talents acquired. The Composite Spear is lightweight and durable and can be devastating if thrown in a stealth attack.
Unfortunately, bows are often far better at ranged combat - but that doesn’t mean spears should be ignored, as they are great in melee against bigger and more dangerous creatures. If players want to specialize and invest in the spear talent tree, they can quite easily turn this weapon into a high-damage projectile that remains relatively affordable to craft and maintain.
3Compound Bow
The Compound Bow is the best bow in the game and is also the most powerful weapon to benefit from increased damage in stealth. It can take on basically every hostile predator and is the ultimate tool to use while hunting.
However, the bow itself and its ammo are highly expensive to make, and once players acquire firearms, it starts to get outclassed by their unmatched damage output. Regardless, the Compound Bow profits from one of the best talent trees in the game and combines strong talents with strong gear to provide players with thebest possible option for stealth-ranged combatin the game.
2Shotgun
A close-quarters killing machine, the Shotgun is the ultimate weapon to use in a pinch. It has a massive damage output, and while it doesn’t benefit from increased damage in stealth, it doesn’t exactly need it.
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The Shotgun is best reserved for important fights and more dangerous opponents, such as polar bears or bosses, as firearms in general are difficult to repair and maintain, and ammo will be relatively limited, meaning players will need to conserve their supplies and unleash this weapon only when it’s needed.
1Hunting Rifle
Whether stalking prey or sniping distant hostiles, the Hunting Rifle packs a powerful punch. It’s similar in cost to the Bolt Action Rifle, but is more powerful and has a higher ammo capacity, meaning it’s usually best for players to wait until the stronger Hunting Rifle is available before spending their precious resources.
To compensate for the lack of stealth damage, the Hunting Rifle deals extra critical damage to the head, and considering the steep cost of ammo, players should make their shots count by going for headshots wherever possible. Even with ammo restrictions, the Hunting Rifle’s damage output surpasses all other weapons and is a fantastic tool to possess in the late game.
