Pragmata is finally out, after years of delays and fears that it might be dropped by Capcom, it rises from the ashes as one of the best releases of the year, with everything from a solid story to electrifying combat and instant gameplay that's stellar. There's no denying that Capcom is on a generational run, and they deserve nothing but praise for overcoming the obstacles that this game presented.
And speaking of the game's excellent combat, its weapon arsenal is also pretty solid, offering a total of 15 weapons that can range from “essential” to “good with very specific builds” and everything in between. While we wouldn't say it's a bad weapon, some are much more viable than others for most of the game, which is unfortunate because some of the less viable ones are often the most interesting!
15
Hacking down
Kicking things off and putting the dead last is the Hacking Mines weapon in Pragmata, which is a pretty solid weapon overall, but requires a specific build to really shine. This weapon allows you to mine Hacking Nodes, essentially expanding Diana Hacking beyond the Hacking Mini-Game you have to play if you want to open up an enemy and deal damage.
If hacking wasn't mandatory or nearly as fun or intuitive as it is, we could easily see this weapon shoot up the list dramatically. But unfortunately, this weapon basically makes some encounters a cakewalk, while in most other situations it's okay at best. Not a terrible weapon, just not what we would consider one of the best!
14
Impact barrier
Next up is Impact Barrier, which is a pretty useful tool in theory, but can often feel like a waste in its slot since there's already a very limited number of defensive units to choose from, and it's by far the weakest of the bunch. While it absorbs incoming damage and shots from enemies, it fails to prove itself as “essential”, especially in the later parts of the game when you need weapons that can make a big difference during an encounter.
Additionally, once you get a solid build and get used to fighting in the game in general, you won't really need to rely on Impact Barrier to get through even the toughest encounters the game has to offer. It's nice to have if it's all you can pick up, but we wouldn't rank it above anything else in its category and place it at the very bottom of the list!
13
Guided missiles
It's a bit of a surprising choice to follow, as homing missiles are a solid offensive unit that excels at thinning out hordes of enemies. However, while they pack a punch, they also rely on solid construction to get the most out of them, and should be upgraded as soon as possible to make them less of a pain to use. Charging weapons can be hit or miss as they basically require the use of mods and upgrades to make the charging speed as fast as possible.
Once again, homing missiles are very solid on their own, but compared to other offensive units in the game, we can't help but feel that they are among the weakest. We still highly recommend using them to your advantage when facing large groups of enemies, but we wouldn't pick them over pretty much any other offensive unit you can get your hands on!
12
Sticky bombs
Next up are the Sticky Bombs, which bring another tactical unit into the mix, and a pretty powerful one at that. While they are excellent for making it easier to hack enemy targets, they ultimately won't move the needle much, as you can achieve much better results with mods and other upgrades. However, coupled with mods focused on hacking, this weapon easily becomes one of the best options you can have, which is nice to see.
All in all, Sticky Bombs aren't the worst thing you can equip in your tactical unit slot, but there are MUCH better options that feel rewarding and useful right out of the gate without feeling like you need a special build to see their true potential!
11
Code generator
Speaking of tactical units that feel like they do much better with dedicated builds focused on their gimmicks, next up is the Code Generator, a weapon that has the potential to increase Diana's hacking damage, causing light blue hacking nodes to appear during the Hacking Mini-Game, allowing you to walk through them and deal more damage.
Additionally, the code generator will temporarily remove any error nodes, allowing you to move around the board more freely. Overall, it's an excellent tool, but we feel you won't really rely on it much unless you're going for a build that's heavily focused on hacking and deals more damage when going through hacking nodes. There are better tactical units out there, but this one is pretty solid overall!
10
Pulse carbine
At the start of our top ten is the Pulse Carbine, which serves as the second primary unit you unlock to replace your Grip Gun. While it's a very solid weapon, it unfortunately falls short of its predecessor in almost every way, as its primary use case is to build up an enemy's thermometer, allowing you to shoot it down more often, resulting in a lot of damage.
Despite how good it sounds on paper, you'll be shocked at how much less raw damage this thing does compared to the Grip Gun, as most of its damage comes after you defeat the enemy and perform follow-up attacks that require specific builds to really pay off. With focused mods and upgrades, this gun can be one of the best in the game, but the Grip Gun is so reliable it's hard to recommend it!
9
Stasis Net
From there we move on to the Stasis Net, which is one of the best tactical units in Pragmata. Not only do you get it extremely early in your playthrough, but it stays relevant until the end as it temporarily freezes enemies caught in its area of effect, allowing you to deal tons of damage to them through other weapons or hacking.
Sure, this weapon basically serves as a means to use other weapons, but it will momentarily lock down even the most formidable enemies and open them up to your onslaught. The Stasis Net is very solid and we would rank it higher if it felt a bit better after a full upgrade. While still very powerful, it slowly starts to feel a little less impressive as you progress, but not to the point where you feel useless or anything!
8
Shockwave Gun
Okay, the Shockwave Gun is one of our favorite offensive units in the game, but we're not too biased to put it in the top five or anything because it quickly loses steam once you get slightly past the mid-game. At the start of your adventure, this thing will tear through everything in sight, and if it maintains this level of performance throughout, it will be top three, no questions asked.
Unfortunately, this is not the case, as the Shockwave Gun remains solid from start to finish, but requires a lot more shots to finish off enemies. Sure, with a strong damage-focused build, he can one-shot most enemies in some cases, but that's what knocks him down a few pegs. It's still a very strong attack unit, but not one of the highest!
7
Charge the Piercer
Ah, the Charge Piercer, another excellent attack unit that pierces through armored enemies like nothing, making it extremely effective in specific engagements. While it's easily one of the best in its class, being a charge weapon it's already quite dependent on mods and upgrades to be used mid-combat, but it's so good that we refuse to rank it lower.
Even without a special build or any upgrades, the Charge Piercer will pretty much obliterate anything in its path, which is pretty much all you could ask for in an assault unit. Sure, it could be better in some areas, but we think it's still one of the best deals in its role!
6
Bait generator
The only thing missing from the top five is the trusty decoy generator, which is one of the best weapons in the game and one of the best defensive units you can get your hands on. Luckily for you, you get this beauty fairly early on, which shows just how incredible she is; it never really weakens as you progress. This weapon allows you to create a hologram that will attract the aggro of nearby enemies and cause them to swarm towards it.
If you're familiar with Call of Duty's Zombies mode, it's basically the Monkey Bomb, and yes, it's just as effective. The ability to group all nearby enemies into a large group allows you to use additional weapons with large AoEs or Hacking Nodes that impact all nearby enemies and other tools that can wipe out large groups. Although it is a bit build dependent, it is still a very powerful weapon in all phases of the game and thus deserves its high ranking!
