10. Ice Shards
Why the Ice Shards are great
- Dual Binding is a setting in custom mode where you can set one button to alternate between both your weapons. Ice Shards is one of the best items to pair another weapon with in Dual Binding
- The Ice Shards slow down any enemy they hit, buying you time to finish your combo
- With the Kill Rhythm mutation the Ice Shards can make you attack faster on top of slowing down enemies
How to get the Ice Shards: Blueprint unlocks after beating the Time Keeper 3 times
Ice Shards stats
- Base DPS: 53
- Critical Multiplier: x1.22
- Special Effects: Enemies that are hit Slow Down for 3 sec
9: Infantry Bow
Why the Infantry Bow is great
- Dead Cells gives you plenty of options and opportunities to close the gap between you and your targets, making it easy to get the most out of the Infantry Bow’s crit condition
- With the Point Blank mutation you deal +30% extra damage when using a ranged weapon at close range, boosting the Infantry Bow’s already powerful crit damage
- Has a high chance of getting a pierce modifier, which can wipe out groups of enemies if you manage to find it
How to get the Infantry Bow: Blueprint drops from Undead Archers in the Prisoner’s Quarters
Infantry Bow stats
Base DPS: 73
Critical Multiplier: x2.8
Special Effects: Deals critical hits to nearby enemies
8: Boomerang
Why the Boomerang is great
- Great for both taking out smaller enemies and stunning larger opponents
- Having built in pierce is a powerful ability, normally it takes a modifier for a ranged weapon to pierce just one enemy, but the Boomerang passes through everything on it’s own
- Ammo and Networking massively buff the Boomerang, giving you an extra one to throw and making every enemy it hits share damage
How to get the Boomerang: Found in a secret area in High Peak Castle. Collect all 3 Castle Keys and unlock the room next to the Throne Room. There, you’ll either need an amulet that gives you extra jumps or the Homunculus Rune to get the blueprint
Boomerang Stats
- Base DPS: 156
- Critical Multiplier: N/A
- Special Effects: Returns to player, pierce all enemies
7. Magic Missiles
Why the Magic Missiles are great
- The Magic Missiles are strong on their own, not needing any particular skills or mutations to be useful, making them one of the most versatile ranged weapons
- The Wings of the Crow is a skill that makes the player float above enemies, where you can attack with the Magic Missiles from a safe distance. This can even work against bosses!
- It’s a simple weapon, but its strength is in that simplicity. There’s no ammo to manage, every time you fire you’re guaranteed to hit something, it’s foolproof!
How to get the Magic Missiles: Blueprint drops from Arbiters in the Cavern
Magic Missiles Stats
- Base DPS: 164
- Critical Multiplier: N/A
- Special Effects: Automatically targets the closest enemy
6. Ice Crossbow
Why the Ice Crossbow is great
- Scales with both Tactics and Survival, but I recommend Survival for the Kill Rhythm and Heart of Ice mutations
- Stunlocks stronger enemies, making it very effective against Elites and Bosses
- Consistently and reliable, since the Ice Crossbow’s rapid fire negates its own weaknesses there isn’t much out there that can counter this weapon
How to get the Ice Crossbow: Blueprint unlocks after beating the Time Keeper 4 times
Ice Crossbow Stats
- Base DPS: 47
- Crit Multiplier: x5
- Special Effects: Main attack freezes enemies, secondary fire deals crits to frozen targets
5. Hokuto’s Bow
Why the Hokuto’s Bow is great
- Can significantly boost the damage output of your main weapon
- Works particularly well with rapid attacks and damage over time effects, since enemies marked by the Hokuto’s Bow take extra damage with each tick
- Doesn’t need to take up a weapon slot, with the Acrobatipack mutation you can just leave it in your backpack and get the full effect of the weapon
How to get the Hokuto’s Bow: Blueprint drops from Cannibals in the Clock Tower
Hokuto’s Bow stats
- Base DPS: 25
- Critical Multiplier: N/A
- Special Effects: Arrows mark enemies, causing them to take additional DPS from other sources
4. Electric Whip
Why the Electric Whip is great
- Great for taking out groups of enemies, since the Electric Whip can attack multiple targets at once, and the shock damage affects nearby enemies as well
- Being a melee weapon that works as if it’s ranged, the Electric Whip is a great choice for Tactics builds as a fast firing primary alongside a heavy hitting secondary
- Pairs well with the Point Blank and Networking mutations, Point Blank is a flat damage increase and Networking works naturally with a weapon that can attack multiple targets at once
Where to find the Electric Whip: Automatically unlocked at the start of the game
Electric Whip stats
- Base DPS: 112
- Critical Multiplier: x1.8
- Special Effects: Ignores shields, inflicts shock damage
3. Explosive Crossbow
Why the Explosive Crossbow is great
- Through its own raw power, the Explosive Crossbow is one of the most versatile items in Dead Cells, simply because it can brute force its way through most of what the game can throw at you
- The Explosion from both of your attacks stuns nearby enemies, leaving them wide open to a follow up shot
- Does lots of damage, blows stuff up, works with any skills or mutations you feel like using, what more could you possibly want?
How to get the Explosive Crossbow: Blueprint at the top of the tower in the Promenade of the Condemned. Find all 3 Gardener’s Keys to unlock it
Explosive Crossbow stats
- Base DPS: 143
- Critical Multiplier: x1.7
- Special Effects: Fired bolts explode, explosions stun enemies
2. Fire Blast
Why the Fire Blast is great
- Deals critical hits to enemies covered in oil, and with how common oil modifiers are on your skills, you’ll be dealing constant critical damage
- One of the few ranged weapons that scale with both Brutality and Tactics, and is one of the strongest weapons in that group of items
- Modifiers that give this weapon extra damage also apply to the Burn status effect, making Fire Blast one of the best choices for damage over time
Where to get the Fire Blast: Blueprint drops from Maskers in the Corrupted Prison
Fire Blast Stats
- Base DPS: 169
- Critical Multiplier: x1.3
- Special effects: Inflicts burn, pierces through enemies and lights the ground on fire
1. Alchemic Carbine
Why the Alchemic Carbine is great
- The Alchemic Carbine isn’t limited by ammo, meaning you can fire as many toxic clouds as you want at the enemy, enough to fill up an entire biome if you felt like it!
- Pairs well with the Barnacle, a deployable skill that deals critical hits to poisoned targets
- Can be used with Acrobatipack to add a toxic cloud to any other ranged weapon, without sacrificing any of the Carbine’s inherent power
How to get the Alchemic Carbine: Secret area in the Ancient Sewers, look for a wall that can be rolled through with leaves marking the hidden passage
Alchemic Carbine Stats- Base DPS: 9
- Critical Multiplier: N/A
- Special Effects: Shots explode into a toxic cloud
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