Summary
Despite all the years that have passed since the inception of this genre,open-world gamescontinue to be some of the most popular titles in every generation. Fans love the idea of exploring massive worlds and getting lost in a sandbox loaded with content.
However,open-world games need to do something differentto stand out from the rest of the pack, otherwise, they risk the possibility of becoming redundant. This is whereweapon varietyplays a key role in keeping combat fresh and engaging, no matter how many hours players spend in these games.
Games will be ranked based on the number of weapons they boast and how unique they feel in combat.
Skyrimis one of the greatest open-world RPGs ever made, with the game being amazing to play no matter how many hours players sink into the experience. It helps that the game is jam-packed with weapons of different types and materials that keep the gameplay fresh and engaging.
From dual-wielding powerful swords to smashing enemy skulls in with a warhammer, there are endless options for players to hurt their enemies with. Starting with basic iron and steel weapons before eventually using ebony and daedric armaments to cut foes to shreds makes for satisfying progression that fans will love.
Grand Theft Auto 5’sdetailed sandboxwill keep players occupied for hours on end. It helps that story progression unlocks more powerful weapons that players can acquire from Ammu-Nation to bolster their arsenal.
Starting out with boring pistols and eventually using everything from RPGs to assault rifles in combat makesGTA 5feel better and better to play. This steady progression ensures that players will never get bored of the weapons they have, cycling through their arsenal and using the most potent firearms to show enemies who’s boss.
Fallout 4’stake on legendary weapons enhances the weapon variety considerably. Players are encouraged to seek out and defeat special enemies that drop some incredible loot to make the Sole Survivor’s offense more potent than ever.
From bullets that explode on impact to blades that cause enemies to ignite in flames, there’s no shortage of amazing legendary weapons inFallout 4. The randomized generation of these weapons should’ve cheapened their impact, but it just makes for wilder and deadlier combinations that will delight players when they get their hands on a weapon with incredible firepower.
The beauty ofDragon’s Dogma 2stems from its incredible combat, which is pretty much a more polished version of what was featured in the first game. The Arisen will level up and unlock various classes, called Vocations, asthey take on bigger and mightier foes in combat.
The combat inDragon’s Dogma 2is incredibly fun, allowing players to go all out as they cut their enemies to ribbons. It helps that the game boasts numerous weapon types with varying movesets to keep combat engaging throughout its lengthy runtime.
WhileCyberpunk 2077had its fair share of unique weapons before Update 2.0, the leveling system meant that players were bound to ignore certain unique weapons for regular ones with higher firepower. This changed with the advent of an update that completely revamped how weapon scaling worked (along with almost everything else in the game).
Now, unique weapons are viable regardless of when they were acquired, giving players more options in combat instead of just sticking to a weapon based on its level scaling. It ensured that combat inCyberpunk 2077feels more dynamic than ever, incentivizing players to acquire various unique weapons to see which ones suit their playstyle.
The firstMonster Huntergame to go fully open-world didn’t disappoint. The tried-and-tested gameplay loop of hunting down and killing monsters inMonster Hunter Wildsis as satisfying as ever, and it helps that fans have a massive pool of weapons to choose from.
The classic weapon types ofMonster Huntereach boast unique movesets, and fans are encouraged to harvest resources from monsters to craft the best weapons they can for future hunts. It’s a tantalizing gameplay loop that never gets old and cements why large weapon variety is a critical part of theMonster Hunterexperience, compelling players to sink hundreds of hours into this title as they take on bigger and stronger beasts.
A game made by FromSoftware is bound to have its fair share of diverse and unique weapons, which is whyElden Ringis such a blast to play despite its high difficulty. Fans love how great it feels to acquire a powerful weapon with a moveset that is right up their alley.
Players who use a weapon that synergizes perfectly with their build can satisfyingly smash through their foes. With the sheer number of weapons inElden Ring, every playthrough will feel unique as players try out different builds and see how hard they can hit enemies with an upgraded weapon.
Tears of the Kingdomis an incredible sequel with systems that fans will love to explore. Fuse is a central mechanic that allows players to merge a weapon with any material in sight to enhance its attack power.
Along with a base damage increase, various Fuseable materials also add unique properties to weapons, allowing them to cause foes to go to sleep or freeze them with successive hits. As a result, the weapon variety in this game is enhanced considerably, and what makes this even better is that this aspect of the game is completely driven by player agency, meaning that the combinations for in-game weapons are almost endless.
