Pick weapons by range and damage delivery. Saws and hammers need contact, cannons and rockets use reflectable projectiles, lasers bypass reflection, and Tesla arcs bypass Front Shield but still face Armor reduction.
The original weapon roles
A weapon’s listed damage is one piece of its performance. Wind-up, cooldown, facing, heat, energy and time spent in range all affect how much damage it actually delivers.
| Weapon | Base range | Practical role |
|---|---|---|
| Buzz Saw | 165 | Repeated close-range pressure |
| Piston Hammer | 190 | Committed impact and knockback |
| Scrap Cannon | 600 | Projectile pressure at distance |
| Pulse Laser | 650 | Fast beam attacks; heat management |
| Tesla Coil | 330 | Shield-bypassing core arcs |
| Rocket Pod | 680 | Telegraphed projectile and module splash |
Match damage delivery to the enemy
A Reflector can return eligible frontal cannon and rocket shots. A beam or melee attack bypasses that reflection mechanic. Front Shield is a different defense: Tesla’s core arc bypasses its ordinary interception, while Armor still reduces that core damage.
Cannon and Rocket suffer a point-blank damage penalty. If your Brain repeatedly closes to contact, changing the movement plan may help more than increasing projectile weapon levels. Against a distant opponent, a saw’s attack speed is irrelevant until it can reach.
Build a pair that can work together
Two melee weapons enable Buzzkill; two qualifying ranged weapons enable Artillery. Tesla does not count as an Artillery ranged weapon even though it reaches farther than a saw. Tesla with Pulse Laser instead activates Storm Core.
Test mixed pairs intentionally. A short-range weapon changes the default desired distance, and two fast weapons can compete for battery or generate cooling downtime. Start with a coherent pair, observe the failure, then experiment with a hybrid when you have a reason.