5 Best Weapons in The Callisto Protocol

We're sure you can recall more than one moment in your gaming career where you've had to face and defeat some bizarre, alien creatures. Yet, no amount of experience can prepare you for what you'll encounter in The Callisto Protocol. These deformed, otherworldly monstrosities will make your stomach churn. Not to mention send chills down your spine and make your heart skip a beat. That is why, if you wish to escape the game's horrific Black Iron Prison, you'll need to rely on the best weapons in the game to do so.

Admittedly, there are not a whole lot of weapons to choose from in The Callisto Protocol. That's why you'll have to quickly familiarize yourself with the best weapons in the game, so you know which ones to rely on in the heat of the moment. With that, which weapons feature the best upgrades to help you tackle the nastier and deadlier mutations you'll encounter later in the game. Regardless, the weapons you main and upgrade will directly affect whether our protagonist, Jacob Lee, is able to escape that nightmare of prison or not. So, if you want to make it out of The Callisto Protocol in one piece, here are the best weapons to do it with.

5. Stun Baton

Aside from some small time spent with the Shiv and Crowbar, the Stun Baton is the melee weapon you'll be relying on for the majority of your time escaping Black Iron Prison. You obtain it relatively early on in the Outbreak Chapter, and from that point on it is your go-to choice for when you need to preserve ammo. Which, evidently, is the case majority of the time. However, the Stun Baton is also one of the best weapons during the early-mid stages of the game. That is if you're good at utilizing the dodge mechanic.

Nonetheless, you'll want to make the most of the Stun Baton in the early game with the hopes of saving your ammo for the mid to late-game enemies, where you'll really need it. Because by the mid to late game, not only are the upgrades for it pricey if you want to keep using it, but it's also considerably less effective. Even if you fully upgrade it, you won't want to be getting up close and personal against the behemoth of monsters you face in the late game.

4. Assault Rifle

Typically assault rifles are your go-to weapon in any shooting game. And, considering it's the last weapon you get in The Callisto Protocol, and the only fully automatic one, you'd quickly assume it's one of the best weapons in the game. However, that's not so much the case. While the assault rifle looks and feels great, it comes into your hands almost too late in the game, when all your other weapons are already upgraded. Leaving it one step behind the pack.

Furthermore, the assault rifle's low damage/high firing rate combo does not fare well against the difficulty of enemies you're facing in the game when you pick this weapon up. However, a couple of upgrades due make it more worthwhile. Nonetheless, you'll still find yourself using the assault rifle quite frequently to exhaust it's ammo when you have no other option. But you'll quickly come to find it's just not as effective as our top three picks.

3. Hand Cannon

You get the Hand Cannon during the Outbreak Chapter. It's the first ranged weapon you get access to in the game, and you'll want to spend the 800 credits on the schematic as soon as possible. That's because the hand cannon's high damage is most effective early in the game when it will literally put giant holes through enemies. The only downfall is that it is more or less a skill shot-type weapon. Meaning you'll want to make every shot count.

One of the most effective combinations early on in the game is to stagger enemies with the Stun Baton, then line up for an easy shot with the Hand Cannon. However, that's not the feature that makes it one of the best weapons in the game. You'll find the Hand Cannon most powerful when you get the TK23 Boom Bullet upgrade. This upgrade adds an alternate fire mode that shoots explosive rounds, which significantly improves the Hand Cannon's reliability later in the game. As we can't count how many times the explosive rounds have bailed us out against tough late-game enemies.

2. Skunk Gun

While it may not look like much, you'll quickly realize why the Skunk Gun is one of the best weapons in the game. One shot with this powerful mini-shotgun and you'll send a group of grotesque monsters hurdling in the opposite direction. This is all thanks to its high damage which fires a cluster of rounds with remarkable area damage. Consequently, that's also what makes the Skunk Gun extremely effective at short range throughout the entirety of the game. Take this gun to the late-game atrocities you'll encounter and they'll be the ones fleeing from you.

Okay, we may be getting a bit carried away with that last remark, but the Skunk Gun truly makes you feel powerful. You can obtain it after crawling through a vent in the “Aftermath” chapter. Its only downfall is the mag capacity which is quite small and will constantly require reloading. Regardless, even with that slight flaw, we still consider this one of the best weapons in The Callisto Protocol.

1. Riot Gun

Never mind blowing enemies back a few feet with the Skunk Gun, how about blowing enemies apart with the Riot Gun? Given to you by Dani Nakamura during the “Lost” chapter, the TK4 Riot Shotgun is widely regarded by most as the best weapon in the game. It wields high damage, similar to the Skunk Gun, but with a much bigger mag size. Though it's already powerful at its base model, once you upgrade the Riot Gun you start to unlock its true potential.

With the explosive round upgrade, the Riot Gun will one-shot every enemy, except bosses of course. However, the feeling of one-shotting a Biophage will never get old. So, whatever horrifying predicament you find yourself in, simply turn to the Riot Gun to solve your problems. This gun will be your go-to savior against mobs of enemies, high-level mutations, and horrific bosses.

So, what's your take? Do you agree with our top five? What weapons do you think are the best in The Callisto Protocol? Let us know in the comments below or over on our socials here!