Rating of each weapon in Silent Hill 2

When you enter the main town in Silent Hill 2, it quickly becomes clear that you're going to need an arsenal if you're going to survive. Luckily, James is able to run over some weapons while exploring the Endless Mist.

You'll have access to both melee and ranged options, allowing you to break enemies up close or retreat to a safe distance if needed. However, not all self-defense tools are created equal, and you'll find that you have a much easier time killing bad-looking nurses with some weapons than others.

5 Wooden board/steel pipe

Up close and personal

The first tool you get on your journey to find your mate is a wooden board. While it may not seem too scary at first, spiked spikes make sure you do some serious damage to the lying faces that get in your way.

This board is unique in that it is the only weapon that receives a direct “upgrade” during the campaign, as you drop it as soon as you hit the steel pipe in the stage.

Both of these melee weapons are sufficient throughout James' journey, but are undoubtedly the weak link in his collection. Weak enemies require multiple hits to take down, and stronger enemies require a large number of hits, thus exposing you to more potential damage.

Boards and barrels are valuable for their utility, allowing you to conserve ammo for your more powerful firearms.

4 handgun

It does the job

Handguns are a staple of the survival horror genre, and Silent Hill 2 is no exception. While having access to a firearm is undeniably useful for fending off terrifying creatures, a pistol is far from the most impressive option out there, ensuring you still feel vulnerable when aiming for dark corners.

This is the case with the James Start Gun. Taking out enemies from a distance is nice, but you'll get much more efficient options as you progress. Due to its ranged nature it's almost immediately a step above board and barrel (minimizing your chance of getting hit), but it uses more bullets per monster than any other weapon in the game.

However, you also get a lot of ammo for it, so it's a good way to go when you want to save resources for bosses.

3 Shotgun

Effective at close range

After reaching the women's locker room, you will obtain the shotgun in Brookhaven Hospital. It offers a unique proposition. You have to sacrifice some of the range that other weapons give you in order to use it effectively, but that creates problems. You'll be able to go through most enemies in one shot, which will be invaluable in subsequent encounters.

Unfortunately, the shotgun has significant drawbacks. Reloading takes a decent amount of time, as James loads each round individually. Additionally, it has a very low rate of fire, meaning you can easily be overwhelmed by multiple enemies. Its raw damage output is hard to ignore, so it's just a matter of finding the right moments to use it.

2 chainsaw

Is this Resident Evil 4?

Given the rather humorous tone of Silent Hill 2, you'd be forgiven for assuming that James wouldn't use any joke weapons during his search for Mary. However, this is not the case and veteran players can find a chainsaw on their journey. This makes the game much easier and allows you to take down enemies without much of a challenge.

The Chainsaw is the most powerful melee weapon in the game, capable of one-shotting most enemies at once. This will be the only ranged weapon you need to worry about, as the damage difference between it and a board or pipe is huge. If you've mastered dodging, you'll be nearly unstoppable and can save a lot of ammo for boss fights.

Due to its strength, the chainsaw is only available in New Game Plus. You can find it buried in a pile of logs in front of Silent Hill Farm at the very beginning as you enter town.

1 gun

Firepower and range

While the chainsaw is awesome, the gun just edges it out as the best weapon. Provides similar results to a chainsaw and kills enemies with one shot, but can be done from a distance instead of up close. The game even seems to acknowledge the superiority of the rifle, with far fewer ammo pickups than other weapons.

To balance the rifle's power, the rifle takes a while to reload, but it's still faster than the shotgun. It offers incredible accuracy, and if you stay steady, you can pick off enemies from a significant distance. However, you shouldn't waste too much ammo on the regular town monsters, as the rifle can make short work of the toughest bosses in the game.