Games made by Hideo Kojima, such as the Metal Gear Solid franchise, typically tend to offer the player a veritable buffet of weapons/tools to use. Think of them like a playpen full of toys. There's an overarching 'goal' for the player, but Kojima really just wants to see how people play with the toys he's made.

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the Death Stranding: Directors Cut is much the same idea in the sense that Sam has many different ways to approach combat (or even the avoidance of combat). But, just for today, let’s focus on the projectile weapons specifically. Here are a few reasons why each one listed below is a lot more useful in Death Stranding than players might think.

Updated January 3rd, 2023 by Jacob Buchalter: With the Epic Games Store giving out Death Stranding (though just the default version) completely free at the end of December, there are a lot of new people suddenly flooding into what some call "Kojima's Walking Simulator". So, let's take another look through the projectile weapons, add one or two more, and break down why most of the choices on here fire anything but bullets.

10 Any Lethal Gun: If You Must, But It's Really Not Worth It

Death Stranding - Sam Holding Up Gun While All His Targets Are Down IN The Background

Guns in Kojima games are almost always worse ways to experience the game compared to the non-lethal options. To be fair, this is pretty odd considering just how many guns each of his games has in them. Still, the actually lethal weapons in Death Stranding are more damaging to a player than ever before, since any dead body can cause a Void Out. But, if Sam insists on using one, the general order from most to least useful is Shotgun, Assault Rifle, and Handgun. Who knows if this will change in Death Stranding 2, maybe even the BTs will need some serious firepower to take down.

9 Grenades: Really Just Hematic Grenades But They All Have Their Uses

Death Stranding - Intro Of The Directors Cut Showing Blood Mist From Hematic Grenade

Technically grenades aren't a 'projectile' weapon, but Sam himself is the weapon that throws the projectile AKA the grenade. Still, Hematic Grenades are too useful not to include on here. These blood-based explosives are a lifesaver in the early game of Death Stranding, and they stay relevant in combat throughout the entirety of the title.

Other than the Hematic Grenades, there are also the:

  • EX Grenades: A variety of Sam-fluid-based grenades (sweat, urine, and stool) that will make BTs flee, damage them, and draw them closer.
  • Grenade: A standard explosive grenade, really only useful for disabling vehicles or killing MULEs.
  • Remote Stun Bomb: Basically a thrown version of the grenades in the Remote-Detonation Grenade Launcher. Sticks to anything it hits and can be activated from afar, stunning any enemies nearby.
  • Smoke Grenade: Releases a large plume of smoke, MULEs stuck inside will get distracted coughing and can be taken down with ease.
  • Stun Bomb: A Non-Remote version of the Stun Bomb that releases an electrical charge when it pops. Has a wider AoE in water and is mostly used to disable vehicles without killing the MULEs inside.

8 Maser Gun: A Literal Lightning Launcher

Death Stranding - Sam Using The Maser Gun In The Director's Cut Trailer

First up is the Maser Gun, added in the Director's Cut along with a slew of new combat options. Players shouldn’t sleep on this weapon, as it's a pretty useful backup to the Bola Gun, especially for new players since it takes quite a bit of mission completions, walking, and cutscenes before the Bola Gun actually becomes unlockable.

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That said, while the Maser does require accurate shooting, it also takes a few seconds to neutralize a MULE, does nothing to BTs, and doesn’t have much range, so there are obvious drawbacks to consider as well. Still, a gun that fires literal bolts of electricity is hard to turn down.

7 MA-STG Sticky Gun: A Cargo Retrieving Godsend

Death Stranding - Sam Using The Sticky Gun To Pull Cargo To Him From Very Far Away

The Sticky Gun is the ultimate convenience tool for wandering the oddly picturesque wasteland that is Death Stranding. Sure, it has almost no purpose as a “projectile weapon” to be used on enemies, but players can use it on items attached to enemies to wrench them out of their hands and disarm them.

Whatever the Sticky Gun is locked onto will be pulled toward Sam, whether that's a bit of coiled rope that some online player forgot to let down so Sam can climb up, or some lost cargo stuck in a rampaging stream. Not only that, this thing even has its uses in BT combat as well. There are plenty of BT encounters and boss fights where Sam is trapped on a piece of terrain above tar, with tons of useful equipment sitting on a nearby piece of mostly-submerged terrain. Yes, the helpers do throw stuff his way a lot of the time, but for all the times they don't, the Sticky Gun is there.

6 Bola Gun: The Closest Thing To The MGS Tranq Pistols

Death Stranding - Sam Aiming The Bola Gun

Compared to the Maser Gun, the Bola Gun is a lot goofier, but also probably twice as versatile. Yes, the MULEs that are disabled with this are still conscious and tied up on the ground until Sam gives them a nice kick. But, if he hits them directly in the head with a Bola, they’re out like a light.

Additionally, the Bola Gun (especially the LVL 2 variant) is absurdly useful on BTs given that the fibers of the Bola have Sam’s blood woven into them. And, once a player unlocks the Cord-Cutter weapon, using it in combination with the Bola Gun basically nullifies any difficulty of BT encounters from that point on. Here's hoping some evolution of this weapon appears in Death Stranding 2, which is apparently coming sooner than most people might think.

5 The MA-BIS Anti-BT Handgun: A Blood-Based Super Soaker

Death Stranding - Sam Using The Anti-BT Handgun Against A Visible BT

This next one is sort of the opposite of the Maser Gun. While the first weapon on this list is useful against humans but useless against BTs, the Anti-BT Handgun does nothing against living targets but is incredibly useful against BTs. Think of it as a paintball gun, but the paintballs are made of Sam’s blood. The longer a player charges their shot, the more blood it uses, and the more damage that blood paintball will do.

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Quite frankly, this weapon is a vital part of Sam’s arsenal, even after he gets more BT-specific weapons. Its main drawback, though, is the fact that it needs Blood Bags in order to be used to the fullest. Sure, Sam can use his own blood to shoot it, but that draws from his health, so it’s pretty stressful to do during one of the big boss fights against the larger BTs. It would've been neat if there was a version that used Monster Energy instead of blood to use on humans — but then again, Monster Energy Drinks aren't even in the game anymore.

4 Remote-Detonation Grenade Launcher: The Swiss Army Knife Of Grenade Launchers

Death Stranding - Sam Using The Remote Detonation Grenade Launcher Slip Rounds To Trip Up MULEs

Where the Sticky Gun is the most helpful and versatile “tool” Sam has at his disposal, the Remote Detonation Grenade Launcher is the most versatile and helpful “gun” Sam has. This weapon is almost always carried by a veteran Death Stranding player, simply because it has four different ammo types that can all be used on the fly. These ammo types are:

  • Anti-BT Hematic Rounds: Blood-based sticky grenades.
  • Grenade Rounds (Lethal): AoE explosive rounds.
  • Slip Rounds: Oil rounds that cause MULEs to slip and slide around.
  • Tranquilizer Rounds (Non-Lethal): Create clouds of knockout gas that put any living target to sleep instantly.

As the name implies, all of these rounds are Remote Detonation and stick to whatever they’re shot at, meaning a player can use them like bullets, or they can use them like expertly placed traps, it’s completely up to them. This gun is one of the main ways people can play this game like a Metal Gear title, as they can set a bunch of traps around a camp, move to the perfect spot, then set them all off and sneak in. If there's anything the sequel needs to improve upon from the first game, it's more toys that allow for this type of gameplay like the Remote-Detonation Grenade Launcher.

3 The SLW-X04 Quadruple Rocket Launcher: A Weapon Of Mass Blood-Struction

Death Stranding - Sam Using The Quad Rocket Launcher Against The Gigantic BT In Edge Knot City

Sure, there's a normal Rocket Launcher in Death Stranding, but why use that when this one launches four blood-based rockets all at once? That may sound like a bad idea, given how risky it is to use lethal force in Death Stranding, but this weapon is actually primarily used against BTs. That’s right, the Quadruple Rocket Launcher can be equipped with Hematic Rockets, each with 1000ml of blood in them.

During mini-boss encounters or especially against that gigantic BT holding Amelie hostage near the end-game, it's a huge help. The drawback is the Quadruple Rocket Launcher is absurdly heavy, and it only fires 8-rockets total before being completely spent and discarded on the ground. And, unlike many other weapons, these rockets aren’t replenished upon visiting a Private Room. Instead, players have to fabricate an entirely new Rocket Launcher. So, as long as Sam has the materials, it's a fantastic option. Although, considering how old Sam looks in the Death Stranding 2 trailer at the Game Awards, maybe heftier weapons like this are no longer an option.

2 Shotgun: More Useful Than One Might Think

Death Stranding - Sam Using The Shotgun Against Some MULEs

For the most part, Lethal Weapons in Death Stranding rarely feel worth it to use. Often, they actually feel more like a mistake than an intentional choice. Bringing bodies to the incinerator before they Void Out is a chore, and it's easier to just hit them with a Bola Gun from afar and kick them into unconsciousness.

Plus, it’s not like Lethal Ammo does damage to BTs, right? Well, not necessarily. If a player hits a BT with a Hematic Grenade, then shoots their lethal-type weapon through that cloud of blood mist, bullets will basically become Hematic Rounds. Using hematic-type weapons is typically the better option, but in the early to mid-game, there are way more lethal weapons than Anti-BT weapons. In that scenario, the Shotgun is a godsend. Being able to get right up in a miniboss BT’s face, hit it with a hematic grenade, then unload with the regular shotgun through the blood cloud is incredibly strong for the early game where BTs feel invincible.

1 (HG-Custom) WM.556 Non-Lethal Assault Rifle: But Only The Golden One

Death Stranding - Sam Using The Assault Rifle With Hematic Rounds Against One Of The BT Bosses

Essentially, Non-Lethal Assault Rifles are used in the same way as the Shotgun, but with more range and with the option of being able to be used against MULEs to knock them out without killing them. But, the primary reason this weapon is on here is because of the HG Custom variant of the Assault Rifle, unlocked from getting Max Connection Rank with one Peter Englert (the pizza delivery “guy”). The HG Custom variant is capable of firing gold rounds made from Chiralium instead of hematic ones, making it a ridiculously good weapon to use against BTs.

Additionally, it now has a grenade launcher attachment that can fire both lethal and non-lethal grenade rounds, expanding its versatility. Of course, it should be stated that this will probably be one of the last unlocks a player has in this game, so it's not something anyone just starting out should be aiming for.

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