Best Starting Weapons (TFTD)

Starting a game in TFTD is outright frightening - especially if you've played the game a few times and know what to expect. Half the time your starting weapons will feel ineffectual and some of them most certainly are. As always, a good mixture of weapon types will always be recommended, but here we'll have a look at the early general weapons that you'll most probably want to arm your aquanauts with to make things easier.

General Firearms

General firearms cover all of the weapons that you will be commonly using on a squad-wide level. Note that two weapons that could be classified as heavy weapons are included in this lineup as well as their balance and versatility allow them to have dual roles.

Dart Gun

Probably the most ineffectual weapon in the entire series. It does offer the usual one-handed grip, speed and low cost. It's severely crippled by its low damage rating. It can be used to (eventually) knock down Aquatoids, Gillmen and Deep Ones, on the easier difficulty settings, but will deal negligible damage to most terror units.

Note that even on the easiest setting, an Aquanaut that comes face to face with a Gillman, and fires 5 snapshots at point blank, will usually fail to kill it. (Average of 16 AP - armor deductions vs 80 health)

Though lacking as an offensive weapon, it does make for a fair weapon to train reactions or for improving firing accuracy due to the excessive amount of effort it requires you to put in to it.

Since the Dart Gun is not able to stand out on its own like many of the other early weapons, it will have to rely on other weapons such as Torpedo Launchers or grenades to the brunt of the work for it. It can then be used as a cheap way of finishing off a nearly dead enemy. "Cheap" can be interpreted on many different levels - so use which ever interpretation that comes to mind.

Jet Harpoon

This weapon is fairly weak overall, but might be considered more effective if it had a much larger harpoon magazine. This forces you to compensate by either being more conservative and careful with your attacks, or bringing more ammunition into battle.

Thanks to its good accuracy and auto fire mode, it works decently in ranged combat against unarmored enemies likes Aquatoid, Gillmen and Deep Ones. Tougher enemies will need heavier weapons to deal with, such as grenades or the cannons. Since 2 shots will usually not kill a Gillman, even on 'Easy' difficulty, alien reaction fire is a real threat. Sniper-spotter tactics are essential. Though presumably intended as the bread-and-butter starting weapon to arm all your aquanauts with, the increased amour levels and AP resistances in TFTD quickly make this weapon obsolete.

Gas Cannon

Probably one of the more effective starting weapons that you can buy. It can function as a high powered cannon, a grenade launcher or a fire starter. Its balance of moderately high firepower, high accuracy and a variety of ammunition types make it one of the better all-rounder weapons to start with.

It does suffer from being slow, heavy and only has a small 8 ammo magazine. The payoff for this is firepower that is twice as powerful as the Jet Harpoon coupled with generous firing accuracy. The Gas Cannon with HE shells can even rival the Sonic Pistol for taking down Lobstermen - unfortunately it is not as fast nor does it have enough ammo to truly match it. Most importantly, for a heavy weapon it does not suffer from the underwater-only restriction.

The AP and HE shells will be standard every-day ammo, while the Phosphor shells will prove to be the only phosphor shells that can be fired manually when on land. Until you get the Displacer/Sonic, HE shells will be of particular value on land missions, as you will be able to use them to strike targets through the ceiling above you in the event that you cannot access the area by foot.

The Gas Cannon's improved HE damage of 65, and the Torpedo Launcher's nerfed damage of 90, mean that the Torpedo Launcher is now obsolete... back in Xcom, 52 vs 100 damage made the rocket launcher worthwhile, but in TFTD, the fact that you can get 2 shots off with GC makes the 25 point difference no longer worth it, damagewise. And the ammo issues are even more magnified too.

Hydro-Jet Cannon

The Hydro-Jet Cannon is the automatic fire version of the Gas Cannon. Where the Gas Cannon excels at single shot attacks, the Hydro-Jet Cannon excels primarily at automatic fire. Despite being the slowest automatic fire weapon in X-COM's arsenal, it is also its greatest strength thanks to variable ammunition types it can arm. It also has more than twice the ammunition at the cost of stopping power. It is unfortunately straddled with being an underwater-only weapon.

This weapon would have been one of the more effective starting weapons if it did not have the under-water restriction. As a large number of the more difficult missions are on land, this weapon will not be available during these times. As such, the Gas Cannon is effectively superior to the Hydro-Jet Cannon as you can rely on it to be available at all times.

The Hydro-Jet Cannon can be fired via reaction fire while on land, but as one of the slowest weapons in the game, it cannot be relied on nor is it a practical way to operate it.

Since underwater maps don't have as much fuel as land based missions, the large capacity phosphor belts can't be utilized to their fullest as phosphor fires practically burn out in one or two turns in underwater maps.

If the under-water only requirement was not a concern, the weapon would be a good contender for the Gas Cannon as effective mid to long range combat weapons. It would be the dominant of the two for close quarter combat - especially when later combined with better armor.

Gauss Pistol

While only a pistol, it is vastly superior to the Jet Harpoon. It is small, one handed, fast in addition to auto fire, a large 20 round ammo clip and deals much more damage than the Jet Harpoon. It makes a good weapon for scouts to use or for making reaction shots. Up close, it can do high damage with its auto fire mode. As they are quick to manufacture, you can outfit most of your crew with these weapons in a short amount of time.

The main downside to the Gauss Pistol however is that it is not as accurate as the Jet Harpoon, and the ammunition must be manufactured. The increased ammo count and speed make up for the accuracy and price difference.

The Gauss Pistol, while more powerful than the harpoons, is still limited to fighting enemies with low external armor protection. This means it is for the most part useless against the more powerful terror units. Primary enemies, the Lobstermen are 70% resistant to the damage while Tasoth are 30% resistant. It is best complimented with other high powered weapons such as grenades or (much later) drills.

Gauss Rifle

Similar to the Gauss Pistol in overall usefulness, but is two-handed, larger, a little slower and only has 15 round clips. In return, it is balanced by having more firepower and better accuracy than the Gauss Pistol. It is the best replacement for the Jet Harpoon.

Of particular note is that it rivals the Gas Cannon's AP shell in raw power - both deal 60 points of damage of their respective types. Alien resistances to the damage types will be the ultimate decider which type is better, though the Gauss Rifle will generally deal more damage thanks to its speed.

Compared to X-COM UFO where its counterpart the Laser Rifle could easily rival the alien's top weapon, the Gauss Rifle does not survive well in the long run. It is best thought of as stepping stone or interim weapon before transitioning over to the Sonic weapons.

Despite this, it is still one of the most powerful auto fire weapons in the game, and is faster than the sonic weapons. This may very well keep it seeing service later into the game against soft targets.

Heavy Gauss

The Heavy Gauss is a poor third tier weapon for the Gauss family because it is severely outclassed by the Sonic Pistol in almost every aspect except a more accurate aimed mode and is cheaper to mass produce. Nevertheless it is a heavy hitting weapon for its damage class, but may not necessarily make for a good weapon to arm the entire squad with - at least in comparison to the other starting weapons that are available.

Against standard and Gauss weaponry, the Heavy Gauss is one of the most powerful solid round projectile weapons available. If you regularly use the Gas Cannon with AP shells, the Heavy Gauss can make a reasonable replacement by way of a strength for speed trade off. The ammo packs away better than Gas Cannon shells and has a few more rounds. Note that damage resistance of some of the aliens will play a big role in determining whether AP or Gauss is the better choice.

Due to the amount of research time it takes to get this, and the fact that its earlier prerequisites perform better in combat, it is highly questionable if you should invest your research power and time to devlop this weapon, or start on the Sonic weapons. The only argument for this is if you wish to obtain the craft Gauss Cannon, for an economic advantage. One good reason against this is that it further delays getting the progress on the Sonic Oscillator, for a tactical advantage. There are also the related SWS associated with the craft weapons. In this instance, the Displacer/Sonic is hands down the best of the pairing due to the severe economic implications caused by the ammunition errors that plague the Coelacanth/Gauss.

General Firearm Summary

Because there is an assortment of weapons to work with, and various players having completely different philosophies towards combat, there can not be one ultimate weapon as all the weapons vary in performance and functionality.

In most cases a mixture of weapons often outweighs the benefit of arming the entire squad with just one type of weapon.

However, amongst them, three of the more outstanding starting weapons that you can start your campaigns with include the Gas Cannon, Gauss Pistol and Gauss Rifle.

General Firearm Summary: Gas Cannon

For stronger Aquanauts, the Gas Cannon is the great all-rounder and is the best weapon that can be purchased from the very start of the game and does not require any research to obtain.

While not the most powerful weapon, it is strong enough to kill absolutely every evil alien you may come across. Even the Lobstermen, however they require a significant amount of of patience and an equally large amount of ammunition.

It also more or less makes the Torpedo Launcher redundant.

Even towards the end of the game, it may no longer be useful as a squad-level weapon, but may continue to see limited use for its ability to strike targets through the floor above it on land missions where you may not be able to access some upper level areas by foot.

Much of the Gas Cannon's prominence unfortunately comes from the fact most of the other heavy weapons are limited by their underwater-only status - though it is respectably formidable as it is. Without the under-water restrictions, it would be easily rivaled by the Hydro-Jet Cannon.

As soon as you begin a game of TFTD, it is possible to equip the entier squad primarily with Gas Cannons and HE shells, with AP rounds as back ups. Hydro-Jet Cannons and similar mixture of ammo can be added to supplement the cannons during situational parts of missions. Gas Cannons can easily be your bread-and-butter weaponry before obtaining any of the more advanced weapons.

General Firearm Summary: Gauss Pistol, Gauss Rifle

For weak or nimble Aquanauts: The two gauss weapons listed are highly recommend as complete replacements for the Jet Harpoons. Though these weapons will not available for use the very minute that you start the game, their research path can be started immediately.

The two gauss weapons combine moderate firepower, high speed and generous ammunition supplies that most purchasable weapons are not able to offer (all at the same time). The Gauss Rifle is the most popular of the pairing thanks to its overall balance of firepower, speed and high accuracy. The pistol is favoured for its high ammunition capacity, speed and all the inherent qualities associated with one-handed firearms. In the end, the choice of either weapon is heavily preferential or role dependent.

In contrast to the lasers, their First Alien War counterparts, these weapons can not last all the way through the game. Their primary role is to act as temporary improvements over your initial assault weaponry, the Jet Harpoon and Dart Gun until Sonic Weapons are developed.

As using Gauss Weapons is entirely an elective choice on the player's part, please refer to Skipping Gauss Weapons for a differing view.

Heavy Weapons

Heavy weapons consist of weapons that are heavy but deliver high powered explosives. There are a variety of starting weapons that fit into this class, the Torpedo Launcher, the Gas Cannon and the Hydro-Jet cannon. There are also a variety of grenades, but those will be discussed under supporting weapons.

Though they have already been mentioned amongst the standard firearm lineup, The Gas Cannon and Hydro-Jet Cannon are actually mid-weight weapons that are versatile enough to fill the dual role of standard firearm and the heavy weapons role at the same time. Therefore only the Torpedo Launcher will be discussed in this section. Jump above to Gas Cannon and Hydro-Jet Cannon to refer to their respective discussions.

Torpedo Launcher

The Torpedo Launcher is truly a heavy weapon, both in the literal sense and in usage. It is designed to deliver a high explosive torpedo. It provides with the highest damage potential for a hand-held ranged weapon at the start of the game.

Unfortunately it is saddled with various drawbacks. Like its parallel, it has cumbersome and heavy ammunition and can only carry a few rounds. It is very slow to operate. It also carries the under-water only restriction.

The under-water deliberate firing restriction does cripple the Torpedo Launcher for land sorties, but perhaps not to the same extent as the Hydro-Jet Cannon due to its individual shot strength. A single shot of opportunity from the torpedo launcher when on land can cause severe damage to enemy targets.

Mind you, this also has the biggest potential for disaster if the torpedo misfires and hits a nearby group of aquanauts!

On the other hand, the torpedo launcher makes up for all of its shortfalls by delivering high firepower with high aimed accuracy.

Like the cannons, it carries multiple ammunition types. Two weights of High Explosive torpedoes and a phosphor torpedo. Two levels of high explosive torpedos and a phosphor torpedo.

It is worth noting that the difference in damage potential between the small and large torpedoes aren't as remarkable as their older counterparts. They only have a 10 point average damage difference - or to put it another way, the large torpedos have an extra 5 - 15 damage. For comparison, the damage difference for the small and large rockets damage was a massive 50 point average i.e.: large rockets did 25 - 75 extra damage.

Taking the price and weight of the small and large torpedoes into consideration, the small torpedoes may be much more favourable due to their lower weight and cost. The difference in damage is minuscule at best.

Heavy Weapons Summary

The overall qualities of the Gas Cannon with HE shells practically renders the Torpedo Launcher obsolete. The GC-HE is akin to a miniature variant of the Torpedo Launcher that can also be deliberately fired on land. It has more ammunition per clip, can be fired twice a turn, with better snap accuracy. It can do more damage to a single enemy in a turn than a single large rocket if all the shots connect. Of the three weapons, the Gas Cannon needs the least micromanagement/doubling-up of weapons for land sorties.

The Hydro-Jet Cannon with HE shells is in a similar position. The auto shot does provide it with higher overall damage per turn than the other two weapons. The under-water only restriction makes it less useful than the Gas-Cannon for land sorties.

The Torpedo Launcher is however one of the few starting weapons that can deliver high power at high aimed accuracy, and can clear a very large area (at a distance) in a short amount of time.

The first two weapons are best for when you are "on-the-go" or if you would like to make more efficient use of your time units and resources. The Torpedo Launcher is better for when you need power "to a point".

Supporting Weapons

Supporting weapons cover weapons that are used mainly in supporting roles and are generally used in tandem with the ordinary ranged firearms discussed earlier.

Thermal Tazer

The rather huge nerfs to Dart Gun and Jet Harpoon, and the rather large buffs to Thermal Tazer make this a rather good standard weapon, relative to EU. In fact, in this game, melee weapons as standard squad equipment is a very viable strategy, especially once you have Drills.

Able to put down just about any alien in 1 turn of fire, this weapon is really high up on the effective firepower rankings in the game.

Melee attacks also do not draw reaction fire. Which can be a huge advantage considering enemies longevity in TFTD, for instance against a Tasoth, a point blank burst from a Gauss Rifle will sometimes not kill it, causing a point blank reaction shot, causing grevious injury, before a second burst takes it down.

Overcoming the lack of range can be a serious problem, though creative drill lovers will have developed strong ambush and tactics which might overcome this detriment.

Magna-Blast Grenade

Have 2 advantages. Firstly, they allow attacking above obstacles. Secondly, they use throwing accuracy and thus tend to be more accurate than projectile weapons. Priming costs a lot of TU, throwing very little, so an aquanaut with a primed grenade in each hand and 4 primed in his shoulder slots has a lot of accurate firepower at his disposal.

Sadly, higher enemy health means that only an Aquatoid will die from 1 grenade blast, even on a direct hit.

Dye Grenade

Though this functions like a weapon it is not so much a weapon but a means for creating a cloud of ink (or smoke when on land) to mask your troops from the aliens. Essentially TFTD's answer to UFO's smoke grenade.

The nature of the cloud propagation has changed slightly from X-COM UFO, so that it billows out into a larger cloud over a few turns rather than starting with a thick dense cloud and then weakening from there.

The idea is sound, but the execution fall short as it does not appear that that it has been taken into account that the effectiveness of the cloud lessens over time.

The minuscule power of 10 isn't strong enough to create reasonable sized cloud. Often a torpedo or even magna-blast grenade can create a more effective screen in shorter space of time.

Supporting Weapon Summary

Due to their varied nature of these weapons, most of these items cannot be compared amongst themselves like the ranged firearms, so there is no one best weapon amongst them.

For the grenades, the Magna-Pack Explosive is probably the most powerful bang-for-your-buck at this stage of the game, but its weight precludes it from being easily used by most new aquanauts. The Magna-Blast on the other hand is a very light-weight explosive but is easy to carry and easy to throw. Though it often cannot kill in one hit, it is a good way to quickly cripple and put many early enemies at a tactical disadvantage. The particle disturbance grenade is stronger than the Magna Blast, but is more suited to setting traps due to its unique trigger. The dye grenade is purely for extremely patient stealth.

See Also

Weapon Analysis