The Drillhound is exactly as bonkers at sounds, but that’s what makes it great. Good for: Simultaneously stunning multiple enemies in place and covering a lot of ground. Planet it becomes available: Scarstu Debris Field At level 5, the Lightning Rod will see electric needles jump to other enemies upon death. It’s another weapon that stuns enemies in place temporarily after firing, giving you a chance to maneuver when it gets too crowded. That’s essentially how the Lightning Rod pistol operates, too. It must be an unspoken rule in video games that any weapon based around lightning or electricity must not only stun one enemy, but also chain strike any and all others standing near them. Good for: Interrupting enemy attacks to give you some breathing room. This is especially handy whenever far-off enemies are sniping you and you want to halt their attacks, but is also equally perfect for demolishing smaller groups in a short amount of time.
One of the most inventive weapons to appear in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is the aptly titled Richochet, which lets you launch a giant metal ball into the air and repeatedly hit any targeted enemy over and over again with just a few squeezes of R2. Good for: Temporarily locking enemies in one place to keep the pressure off.
This freezes them in place for a short while and lets you get in a lot of shots without much risk. Simply launch one of these within the radius of a large enemy group and they’ll instantly be sprayed with water that transforms them into topiaries. Through not quite as fun a gadget as the Groovitron from Ratchet & Clank (2016), the Topiary Sprinkler essentially does the same job. Good for: Instantly wiping out enemies any time they form a single line in front of you. Planet it becomes available: Nefarious City It’s promoted to the Large Negatron Collider at level 5, triggering a huge explosion after the charge shot is finished. However, it’s the perfect choice of gun when stacks enemies are lined up before you. That charge doesn’t last forever, though, and you’ll often be forced to switch to a backup weapon because its clip size isn’t especially large to begin with. The Negatron Collider is just as badass as it sounds for the most part, unleashing a single beam of charged energy capable of passing through multiple enemies at once. Negatron Collider/Large Negatron Collider Be sure to unlock the perks situated around any orange grids first to instantly unlock special bonuses. These vary from an improved ammo clip and larger blast radius, to simply higher damage. The more you level up your weapons through natural use, the more hexagonal grids you can unlock and chain together in order to access further buffs. This is a resource you’ll come across plenty during your adventure.
Similarly to the 2016 reboot, upgrading your weapons in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apartrequires you to visit the store and pour vast amounts of Raritarium into the designated slots.
It’s highly unlikely you’ll be able to upgrade all 20 in a single playthrough, so consider this guide your one-stop resource for finding out which Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart weapons are most suited to your playstyle and which to level up first. However, with so many weapons at your disposal, you’ll definitely want to know what each gun does so you can master it as quickly as possible. It should come as no surprise to learn, then, that the same is also true for the latest entry, Rift Apart, which is out exclusive for the PS5 with a whopping 20 firearms for you to upgrade and enjoy.
In addition to its Pixar-like visuals, explosive set pieces, and satirical humor, the Ratchet & Clank series is famous for letting players pull the trigger on some of the most creative weapons in all of gaming. This Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart article contains spoilers.