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. 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. 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’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.
How weapon upgrades work
Similarly to the 2016 reboot, upgrading your weapons in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart requires you to visit the store and pour vast amounts of Raritarium into the designated slots. This is a resource you’ll come across plenty during your adventure. 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. These vary from an improved ammo clip and larger blast radius, to simply higher damage. Be sure to unlock the perks situated around any orange grids first to instantly unlock special bonuses. Planet it becomes available: Corson V Good for: Hitting enemies from far away and landing lots of rounds quickly.
The Enforcer/Executor
The Enforcer is the closest thing to a shotgun you’ll find, letting you fire off one shot when the R2 trigger is pulled down halfway or firing two in quick succession with a full squeeze. Having two barrels makes it a great way to deal a lot of damage to anyone trying to invade your personal space early on in the game, helping to give you more room and keep enemies at a good distance. It graduates to the Executor at level 5 and lets you fire a quadruple barrel instead of double. Planet it becomes available: Corson V Good for: Dispersing tightly-packed groups of enemies and giving you breathing room Planet it becomes available: Corson V Good for: Targeting a specific area and causing a wide blast radius of damage
Mr. Fungi/Ms. Fungal
You won’t find Mr. Zurkon in your weapon wheel this time around, making way for an all-new attack buddy called Mr. Fungi. As his name suggests, he’s more than happy to have a blast firing at enemies you can’t get to, or provide fire support while you focus elsewhere. The good thing is that you can throw up to five Mr. Fungis out at once for assistance without any disappearing. This goes double for when you upgrade him all the way to level 5, wherein each Mr. Fungi is joined by his wife Ms. Fungal. Planet it becomes available: Nefarious City Good for: Providing extra firepower while you focus on more immediate threats. Planet it becomes available: Nefarious City Good for: Instantly wiping out enemies any time they form a single line in front of you.
Topiary/Toxiary Sprinkler
Through not quite as fun a gadget as the Groovitron from Ratchet & Clank (2016), the Topiary Sprinkler essentially does the same job. 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. This freezes them in place for a short while and lets you get in a lot of shots without much risk. Amazingly, it even works on bosses. Planet it becomes available: Sargasso Good for: Temporarily locking enemies in one place to keep the pressure off. Planet it becomes available: Sargasso Good for: Interrupting enemy attacks to give you some breathing room.
Lightning Rod/Strike
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. That’s essentially how the Lightning Rod pistol operates, too. It’s another weapon that stuns enemies in place temporarily after firing, giving you a chance to maneuver when it gets too crowded. At level 5, the Lightning Rod will see electric needles jump to other enemies upon death. Planet it becomes available: Scarstu Debris Field Good for: Simultaneously stunning multiple enemies in place and covering a lot of ground. Planet it becomes available: Scarstu Debris Field Good for: Catching unsuspecting enemies off guard and safely unleashing a lot of high-damage shots.
Droid/Void Repulsor
Why equip a shield or a gun when you can have both? That’s essentially the thinking behind the Droid Repulsor, which is great for deflecting enemy fire, as it pops up a protective shield whenever you hold down L2 or squeeze R2 halfway. This makes the Droid Repulsor ideal for absorbing any incoming damage, letting you get up close and personal before delivering a sudden and effective wide-spread blast. When promoted to the Void Reactor at level 5, it lets you shoot back enemy fire. Planet it becomes available: Savali Good for: Offering a lot of defense against enemy fire so you can unleash up-close blasts. Planet it becomes available: Cordelion Good for: Incapacitating enemies in place and having them slide over surfaces.
Glove of Doom/Apocalypse Glove
The Glove of Doom quite literally lets you deploy many agents of chaos. Rounds might be scarce, even after being fully upgraded, true, but these miniaturized war bots can pack a solid punch whenever they’re sent to assault nearby adversaries. They’ll even accompany you for a short while until the next surprise attack surfaces, distracting smaller foes and giving you room to breathe as you attack with your other weapons. It graduates to the Apocalypse Glove at level 5. Planet it becomes available: Cordelion Good for: Distracting and attacking enemies while you reload, retreat, or seek health. Planet it becomes available: Torren IV Good for: Dealing a minimal amount of enemy damage at a fast rate, and firing without aiming.
Warmonger/Peacemaker
If you want to do a lot of damage with a single pull of R2, look no further than the Warmonger. This is a missile rocket launcher without many bells and whistles, true, but it doesn’t really need them when you consider it delivers a satisfying wallop to almost every type of enemy, including mini-bosses. Things get more adventurous when you upgrade to level 5 and it becomes the Peacemaker, with each rocket launched releasing a series of micro-rockets as soon as it hits its target. Planet it becomes available: Scarstu Debris Field (Second Time) Good for: Giving foes an explosive thump from far away. Planet it becomes available: Scarstu Debris Field (Second Time) Good for: Reigning explosive death over your enemies from above, provided they’re in a straight line.
Headhunter
The Headhunter acts as Rift Apart’s version of a sniper rifle, letting you dispatch far-away adversaries from a first-person view when aiming. The catch is that it has a pretty slow fire rate compared to some other rifles in the game. Having said that, upgrading the Headhunter to level 5 is a worthy endeavor, seeing as it can then also slow time. Planet it becomes available: Ardolis Good for: Picking off foes from afar and popping precise head shots. Planet it becomes available: Sargasso (Second Time) Good for: Piling on the damage rapidly within a very brief space of time.
Bouncer
Despite being a Challenge Mode weapon that’s not unlocked until you’ve beaten the game, the Bouncer is a remarkably standard gun. It’s kind of like a grenade launcher that fires projectiles that then break off into smaller explosives. While not the most exciting gun in the game, it is remarkably effective. Planet it becomes available: Challenge Mode unlock/Deluxe Edition unlock Good for: AoE damage and dealing with large groups of small enemies. Planet it becomes available: Challenge Mode unlock/Deluxe Edition unlock Good for: Enjoying retro visuals/sound effects while dealing respectable close-range damage.
Ryno 8
Tapping into Rift Apart’s themes of time displacement and dimension splitting, the Ryno 8 is your reward for collecting all 10 Spybots hidden across the various planets. It’s effectively a built-in easter egg machine that pays tribute to PlayStation history, opening up rifts and dropping various bits of memorabilia out of the sky to create a large explosion. Objects include the Thunder Jaw from Horizon Zero Dawn, among many others. Planet it becomes available: N/A
