After years of delays and fears that Capcom might have binned it, Pragmata is finally out, rising from the ashes as one of the best releases of the year so far, from its compelling story to its electric combat and moment-to-moment gameplay being stellar. There's no denying that Capcom is on a generational run, and they deserve nothing but praise for overcoming the obstacles this game presents.
And, speaking of the game's excellent combat, its weapon arsenal is also pretty solid, offering a total of 15 weapons that can be anything from 'must have' to 'fine with most specific builds' and everything in between. While we're not saying there are bad weapons out there, some are more viable than others for most of the game, which is unfortunate, because some of the less viable ones are often the most interesting to use!
15
Hacking Mines
Capping things off, and putting it dead last, is the Hacking Mines weapon in Pragmata, which is a pretty solid weapon overall, but needs specific builds to really shine. This weapon allows you to infuse mines with hacking nodes, essentially expanding Diana's hacking abilities outside of the hacking mini-game, which you must play if you want to open up an enemy and deal damage.
If hacking wasn't mandatory or it wasn't nearly as fun or comfortable, we could easily see this weapon listed in dramatic fashion. But alas, this weapon inevitably makes some encounters a cakewalk, while, at best, being fine in most other situations. It's not a terrible weapon by any stretch of the imagination, just what we consider one of the best!
14
impact barrier
Next up is Impact Barrier, which is a very useful tool in theory, but can often feel like a waste in its slot, as there are already a very limited number of defense units to choose from, and it's the weakest of the bunch. While it absorbs incoming damage and projectiles from enemies, it fails to prove itself as a 'must have', especially in the later sections of the game when you need weapons that can make a big difference in the course of an encounter.
Furthermore, once you get a solid build and get used to the game's combat in general, you won't really need to rely on Impact Barrier to get through the most challenging encounters the game has to offer. It's great if that's all you can pick up, but we wouldn't put it near the very bottom of the list, against anything else within its category!
13
Homing missiles
Following that is a surprising choice, as Homing Missiles are a solid attack 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 for less work to use them. Charge weapons can be hit or miss, as they essentially require you to use Mods and Upgrades to make its charge rate as fast as possible.
Again, the homing missiles themselves are pretty solid, but when compared to other attack units in the game, we can't help but feel that they're among the weakest. We still recommend using them to your advantage when facing large groups of enemies, but we wouldn't pick them over any other attack unit you might get your hands on!
12
Sticky bombs
Sticky Bombs are up next, bringing another tactical unit into the mix, and a pretty powerful one at that. While they're great for making hacking enemy targets easier, they ultimately don't move the needle much, as you can get much better results with mods and other upgrades. However, when paired with hacking-focused mods, this weapon easily becomes one of the best options you can have, which is great to see.
Overall, sticky bombs aren't the worst thing you can equip in your tactical unit slot, but there are plenty of good options out there that feel rewarding and useful right out of the gate without feeling like they require a dedicated build to unleash their true potential!
11
Code generator
Speaking of tactical units they seem to do very well with dedicated builds centered around their gimmicks, Code Generator is another, which is a potential weapon to increase Diana's hacking damage, light-blue hacking nodes appear during the hacking mini-game, allowing you to bypass them to deal more damage.
Additionally, the code generator will temporarily remove all error nodes, allowing you to navigate the board more freely. It's a great tool overall, but we feel that you won't really rely on it too much unless you go for a build that focuses more on hacking and dealing more damage as you go through hacking nodes. There are some nice tactical units in there, but overall it's pretty solid!
10
Pulse carbine
Starting off our top ten is the Pulse Carbine, which acts as the second primary unit you unlock, meant 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 building up an enemy's heat gauge, allowing you to take them down multiple times, leading to massive damage output.
Despite how good it sounds on paper, you'll be surprised at how little raw damage this thing does compared to the Grip Gun, as most of its damage comes from downing the enemy and performing follow-up attacks, requiring specific builds to actually cash out. With focused mods and upgrades, this weapon can be one of the best in the game, but the Grip Gun is so reliable that it's hard to recommend it!
9
Stasis Net
From there, we're moving on to the Stasis Net, which is one of the best tactical units in Pragmata. Not only do you get this very early in your playthrough, but it remains relevant until the end, as it temporarily freezes enemies caught in its area of effect, allowing you to dish out more damage to them with other weapons or hacking.
Of course, this weapon basically serves as a means to use other weapons, but it also shuts down even the most powerful enemies for a brief moment, opening them up to your offensive attack. The Stasis Net is very solid, and if it felt a little nicer to use after a full upgrade we'd rank it higher. Although it's still very strong, it gradually starts to feel a little less effective as you go along, but not to the point where it feels useless or anything!
8
Shockwave Gun
Well, the Shockwave Gun is one of our favorite attack units in the game, but we're not that biased to put it in the top five or anything, because it quickly loses steam once you make it a little past the halfway point of the game. In the early stages of your adventure, this thing sees everything, and if it maintains that level of power, it will be top three, no questions asked.
Unfortunately, that's not only the case, as the Shockwave Gun remains solid from start to finish, but it takes multiple shots from it to finish off enemies. Sure, with a strong damage-focused build, it can dang multiple enemies in close one-shots in some cases, but it leaves a lot of pegs. It's still a very strong attack unit, but not one of the top-tier ones!
7
Charge piercer
Ah, the Charge Piercer, another great attack unit that punches through armored enemies, making it extremely powerful in certain encounters. While it's easily the best in its class, being a charge weapon already makes it too reliant on mods and upgrades to be bearable to use mid-battle, but it's so good that we refuse to put it down any further.
Even without a dedicated build or any upgrades, the Charge Piercer will take down pretty much anything in its path, which is about all you could ask from an assault unit. Sure, it could be better in some areas, but we think it's still one of the best offerings in its role!
6
Decoy 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 defense units you can get your hands on. Luckily for you, you'll be getting this beauty relatively quickly, which shows just how incredible it is; It never weakens as you progress. This weapon allows you to create a hologram that draws the ire of nearby enemies, making them hang towards you.
If you're familiar with Zombies mode from the Call of Duty series, it's essentially a monkey bomb, and yes, it's just as powerful. Being able to gather all nearby enemies into a large group allows you to use large AoEs or other weapons with hacking nodes that affect all nearby enemies and other devices that can wipe out large groups. While it's a bit build-dependent, it's still a very strong weapon at all stages of the game, so it deserves its top spot!
