In Shoulders of Giants, a new roguelite (as of February 2023) on the Epic Game Store, players control two characters at once. They take control of Frog, but Frog's actions are what control GERM, the Robot he stands upon.
And, in online play, players can choose to control their own set of Frog and GERM, or play in 'Best Friends Mode' with one controlling Frog and one controlling GERM. In either case, weapon choice is important, so let's go over some of the best weapons players can obtain over the course of their runs in Shoulders of Giants, for both characters.
8 Frog Weapon: Disc Launcher
First up is the 'worst of the best' for Frog, the Disc Launcher. This is likely a gun that players obtained early, but with the random rewards the game gives out for each randomized level, it's not assured.
In any case, the Disc Launcher is basically a lot like Frog's default Space Pistol, but it fires discs (more like pucks) of energy instead of bullets. Not only that, but the discs can also bounce between opponents if they're close enough to each other. But, sadly, compared to the overall utility of everything else on here, the Disc Launcher just doesn't have the damage output or area of effect to rank higher.
7 Robot Weapon: Energy Sword
Moving on to the first option for GERM, the robot that Frog is standing on top of, it's the default Energy Sword. This is the weapon players will start with on a new save, and once they start using other GERM Weapons it becomes clearer that the default sword was pretty handy, it just lacked damage output.
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Once players receive a higher-level Energy Sword as a level reward, they'll see that this weapon has the speed, reach, and moveset that they're looking for.
6 Frog Weapon: Rocket Launcher
As far as Rocket Launchers in video games go, the Rocket Launcher in Shoulders of Giants is a bit lackluster, visually at least. The rockets fly slowly, their direct damage isn't mindblowing, and the radius of their explosion is rather small.
That said, it's one of two explosive gun choices for Frog, and it's a lot more reliable than the Sticky Launcher. Plus, when used in combination with certain, almost overpowered, abilities like Burst Fire, it can reach that mindblowing damage output that was previously mentioned.
5 Robot Weapon: Electron Hammer
As far as GERM's heavier weapon choices go, the Electron Hammer is probably the best one. There's also the Lode Sword, but the moveset for that one is a bit odd, and it doesn't put out enough damage for the amount of time each attack takes.
In comparison, the Electron Hammer is much more reliable (as Hammers or Mauls tend to be in most games). And, while it's moveset is pretty bare-bones, it's exactly for that reason the weapon is so good. When the basic combo only has a few swings, it's very easy to use the exact swing needed in the right situation. Additionally, on some of the more...deadly planets in Shoulders of Giants, spending less time swinging overall can be the difference between life and death.
4 Frog Weapon: Order's Flamecaster
This next option is a deceptive one, as most SoG players initially assume it's bad. The Flamecaster is a Flamethrower, plain and simple, but it's a bit more focused on the burn stacks than flamethrowers in other games tend to be. Because of this, the initial damage of the flame hitting the enemy is low, which is where people think it's bad. But, if they apply enough stacks and simply wait a few seconds, they'll see that the enemy's HP bar melts aware pretty quickly.
It's the perfect weapon to use for players to run into a group, apply burn to all enemies, then back out and pepper them with abilities from afar while they all melt away from burn damage.
3 Robot Weapon: Gyro Fists
This list is finally reaching the best of the best weapon options now, which is ironic because this next choice barely counts as a 'weapon'. The Gyro Fists are, in essence, just some fancy boxing gloves slapped onto GERM's robo-fists. But, in combat, they're actually quite amazing. Not only do these things have a lightning-fast combo of punches, but the combo ends in a launcher which leaves enemies defenseless.
Their only downside is that their range is pretty awful, but with the right Robot ability combinations that close the distance, such as Blink or Sumo Slam, this problem is easily fixed.
2 Frog Weapon: Shotgun
It might seem boring, but a simple Shotgun truly is the best option for Frog. The raw damage this weapon puts out at close range just can't be beat by any other gun.
Of course, this weapon does struggle at range, but Shoulders of Giants isn't really a game where players are picking away at enemies from afar anyway. And, like other guns, the Shotgun is fantastic when used in combination with certain abilities like Burst Fire. But, unlike those other weapons, the Shotgun is incredible even without these Abilities.
1 Robot Weapon: Sliding Shield
Imagine there was a weapon that basically just had the shield surfing traversal gimmick from Breath of the Wild, and that was enough to make it overpowered. Well, it turns out that's exactly what the Sliding Shield is in Shoulders of Giants, and it truly is incredibly powerful both in terms of movement and in combat. Not only is the general moveset of this Weapon pretty good (if not lacking a bit in range), but its Charge Attack is a literal Shield ability that can block up to three hits before going on cooldown.
But, the real shining aspect of this Weapon is the fact that it makes it incredibly easy to blast through levels at mach speed using the Shield Surfing Dash Attack and Jump Attack. Once players nail the timing of the Shield Surf, hop off, dash forward, and Shield Surf, they can speed around each map at about twice the speed they normally would. This means that they'll unlock new weapons, cores, and story elements in half the time as well.
Shoulders of Giants is available now on Xbox and PC.