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Survival Horror for the longest time has been dominated by Resident Evil, and that has caused many people to fall under the assumption that all survival horror games place a similar emphasis on weapons. That is far from the truth asSilent Hill 2makes you blatantly aware.
James is just an ordinary man, one who is clearly not familiar with heavy ordnance. Siletn Hill 2, despite appearances, is a mostly ordinary town as well. As such, the weapons you find here aren’t anything all that unusual. They give James some extra stopping power, but nothing fancy. Here is all of them that you can find.
How Many Weapons Are There In Silent Hill 2?
In your original playthrough of Silent Hill 2, you will come across a grand total of five weapons.Three of these are ranged, while two are for melee combat. Every weapons uses it’s own ammo as well, and you’re limited to those you find in the environment. Here are each of the weapons you can find in the game, in order:
And that’s it. The Lead Pipe also serves as a direct upgrade of the Wooden Board, replacing it entirely once you acquire it. It’s quite difficult to miss these weapons as well. Whilethe Shotgun and Hunting Rifle are both optional, they’re not weapons you have to go exceedingly out of your way to find.
Wooden Board Location
The Wooden Board is the very first weaponJames comes across. Thankfully, there are no enemies that James can come across before you get this weapon so you’re in no danger until the moment you get it. It is acquired inside one of the first buildings you may enter in Silent Hill 2 after climbing in through the garage.
Once James does get it (by ripping a board off a window, no less) it opens right into a combat tutorial against one of the many prowling monsters around Silent Hill.you’re able to’t miss the Wooden Board, nor does it even break. It is James' eternal weapon should he ever run out of ammo, and a great way of conserving it while he does have it.
Handgun Location
The quintessential survival-horror weapon, the Handgun will be a mainstay in James' inventory throughout the game.Its ammo is the most common in the game, and it’s fast firing-rate lets you easily slip in some shots between melee attacks.
It isfound in the Woodside Apartments, in a trolley in room 217. Unlike every other ranged weapon in the game, you must pick up the Handgun to progress with the story.
You can find your first few boxes of Handgun Ammo by enteringGrand Market in Eastern South Vale.
The Lead Pipe is, as you might expect, quite a bit stronger than the Wooden Board. No one, of course, would like to be hit with a solid board with some sharp, crusty nails. However, the Lead Pipe can deal some blunt force trauma you can only dream of. Hence why itacts as a direct upgrade to the Wooden Board, replacing it as your melee weapon entirely.
Like the Handgun and Wooden Board before it,the Lead Pipe is a weapon you are guaranteed to acquire. After meeting up with Maria and making your way towards her ‘special place’, you will find yourselfprogressing down Katz Streetwhen a heavy fog rolls in. James will run down a side alley, picking up the Lead Pipe from a nearby car in the cutscene.
Shotgun Location
In every survival-horror, the Handgun is your go-to weapon, while the subsequent Shotgun becomes your back-up weapon, used in scenarios where you have to pull out the heavy firepower. The same applies in Silent Hill 2, withthe Shotgun having a short range but a very powerful blast.
It can be found in Brookhaven Hospital. When you first enter the hospital, you will see an empty Shotgun Locker in the Guard’s Station, your first hint of its existence. The Shotgun is eventually foundon the second floor on the western side in the Women’s Locker Room. Thankfully, there is no puzzle involved, you just pick it up and start blasting.
A Bubblehead Nurse will appear in the hallwayright after picking up the Shotgun. A great opportunity to test your new Shotgun.
Hunting Rifle Location
The final of the weapons that James can acquire in the first run of the game,the Hunting Rifle is also the most powerful. It doesn’t serve any particular unique purpose or utility, it is simply just more powerful with more range over the shotgun to boot. It is also the rarest weapon in terms of ammo.
It is found in the Toluca Prison. It is staring at you from the moment you enter, sealed away in the Armory Locker. The key for it is pretty easy to find though,located at the end of the Serpent section of the Toluca Prisonthat leads back to the Armory.
Not only is its ammo rare,it is quite slow to reloadand has a rather precise aim, so time your shots carefully.
Chainsaw Location
Now, while the majority of the weapons in Silent Hill 2 are relatively standard and grounded in reality weapons, the Chainsaw is not that. Which is likely the reason it isrestricted to a New Game Plus run. It wouldn’t quite feel thematically correct for James to be running around like Leatherface, would it?
Graciously, the Chainsaw is acquired exceedingly early on in a New Game Plus run, sittinglodged in a stump of wood by the Silent Hill Ranch. It’s also running when you enter the area, making it very hard to miss it. The Chainsaw is far and away the strongest weapon in the game,able to kill any enemy in a single hit and most bosses in just a few. You can swap back to the regular melee weapons if you want to make the game a bit more difficult.
The only downside to the weapon is thatJames will randomly strike a pose while the Chainsaw is equipped, locking himself in place briefly.
