Pragmata is finally out, after years of delays and fears that it might have been scrapped by Capcom, and has risen from the ashes as one of the best releases so far this year, with everything from its wholesome story to its electric combat and moment-to-moment gameplay superb. There's no denying that Capcom is on a generational run, and they deserve nothing but praise for overcoming the obstacles this game presented.
And speaking of this game's excellent combat, its arsenal is also pretty solid, offering a total of 15 weapons that can range from “must-have” to “okay with very specific builds” and everything in between. While we wouldn't say there is a bad weapon, some are much more viable than others for most of the game, which is unfortunate, as some of the less viable are often the most interesting to use!
15
Hack mines
Kicking things off and putting dead last is the Hacking Mines weapon in Pragmata, which is a pretty solid weapon overall, but requires specific builds to really shine. This weapon allows you to infuse mines with Hacking Nodes, essentially extending Diana's Hacking capabilities outside of the hacking minigame, which you must play if you want to open up the enemy and deal damage.
If hacking wasn't mandatory or wasn't nearly as fun or intuitive as it is, we could easily see this weapon shoot up the list dramatically. But unfortunately, this weapon essentially makes certain encounters a cakewalk, while being okay at best in most other situations. It's not a terrible weapon by any means, just not what we'd consider one of the best!
14
Impact barrier
Next up is Impact Barrier, which is a pretty useful tool in theory, but can often feel like a waste in its place, as there are already a very limited number of defense units to choose from, and this is by far the weakest of the bunch. Although it absorbs incoming damage and projectiles from enemies, it fails to prove itself as a “must have”, especially in the later parts of the game when you need weapons that can make a drastic difference in encounters.
Also, once you get a solid build going and get used to the game's combat in general, you won't really need to rely on Impact Barrier to overcome even the most challenging encounters the game has to offer. It's nice to have if that's all you can pick up, but we wouldn't put it above anything else in its category, putting it almost at the bottom of the list!
13
homing missiles
Following that is a bit of a surprising choice, as the homing missiles are a solid attack unit that excels significantly at thinning out hordes of enemies. But while they hit hard, they also rely on solid construction to get the most out of them, and need to be upgraded as soon as possible to make them less of a pain to use. Charging weapons can be hit or miss, as they basically require you to use Mods and upgrades to make its charging speed as fast as possible.
Again, the homing missiles are very solid on their own, but compared to the other attack units in the game, we can't help but feel that they are among the weakest. We still highly recommend using them to your advantage when facing large groups of enemies, but we wouldn't choose them over any other attack unit you can get your hands on!
12
Sticky bombs
Sticky Bombs come 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 choices you can have, which is nice to see.
Overall, Sticky Bombs aren't the worst thing you can equip in your Tactical Unit slot, but there are MUCH better options out there that feel rewarding and useful right out of the gate without feeling like a dedicated build is required to pull out their true potential!
11
Code generator
Speaking of tactical units that feel like they do much better with dedicated builds focused on their gimmicks, the code generator is next, which is a weapon that has the potential to increase Diana's hacking damage, causing light blue hacking nodes to appear during the hacking minigame, allowing you to pass through them to take out additional damage.
In addition, the code generator will temporarily remove all error nodes, allowing you to freely navigate the board. It's a great tool overall, but we feel you won't rely on it very heavily unless you're going for a build that's heavily focused on hacking and does more damage when passing through hack nodes. There are better tactical units out there, but this one is pretty solid overall!
10
Pulse carbine
Kicking off our top ten is the Pulse Carbine, which acts as the second primary unit you unlock, meant to replace your Grip Gun. While a very solid weapon, it unfortunately falls short of its predecessor in almost every way, as its primary use case is to build up enemy heat gauges, allowing you to lower them more often, leading to heavy damage.
Despite how good it sounds on paper, you'll be shocked at how much less raw damage this thing does compared to the Grip Gun, as the majority of its damage comes after you defeat the enemy and perform follow-up attacks, requiring specific builds to really cash in on. With focused mods and upgrades, this weapon could be one of the best in the game, but the Grip Gun is so reliable it's hard to recommend this over it!
9
Stasis Net
From there we move on to the Stasis Net, which is one of the best tactical units in the Pragmata. Not only do you get it extremely early in your playthrough, but it stays relevant all the way to the end, as it temporarily freezes enemies caught in its area of effect, allowing you to unleash tons of damage on them via other weapons or hacking.
Sure, this weapon basically works as a way to use other weapons, but it locks up even the most formidable enemies for a short while, opening them up to your offensive attack. Stasis Net is very solid, and we'd rank it higher if it felt a little better to use after fully upgrading it. While it's still very strong, it will slowly start to feel a little less powerful the further you go, but not to the point where it feels useless or anything!
8
Shockwave Gun
Okay, the Shockwave Gun is one of our favorite offensive units in the game, but we're not too biased to put it in the top five or anything, because it quickly loses steam once you get a little further than halfway through the game. At the start of your adventure, this thing tears through everything in sight, and if it maintained that level of power throughout it would be top three, no questions asked.
Unfortunately, that's just not the case, as the Shockwave Gun remains solid from start to finish, but requires many more shots from it to finish off enemies. Sure, with a heavily damage-focused build, it can almost one-shot most enemies in some cases, but that's what knocks it down several pegs. It's still a very strong attacking unit, but not one of the best!
7
Load Piercer
Ah, the Charge Piercer, another excellent attack unit that punches through armored enemies like nothing, making it extremely potent in specific encounters. While it's easily one of the best in its class, being a charge weapon already makes it pretty reliant on Mods and upgrades to be tolerable to use mid-combat, but it's so good we refuse to rank it lower.
Even without a dedicated build or any upgrades, the Charge Piercer will wipe out pretty much anything in its path, which is pretty much all you can ask for in 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
Just missing the top five is the trusty Decoy Generator, which is one of the best weapons in the game and one of the best defensive units you can get your hands on. Fortunately for you, you will acquire this beauty relatively early, which shows how incredible it is; it never really weakens as you evolve. With this weapon, you can create a hologram that attracts nearby enemies and causes them to swarm towards it.
If you're familiar with the Zombies mode from the Call of Duty series, this is basically the Monkey Bomb, and yes, it's just as potent. Being able to club all nearby enemies into a large group allows you to use other weapons with large AoEs or hack nodes that affect all nearby enemies and other tools that can wipe out large groups. Although it is a bit build dependent, it is still a very strong weapon in all stages of the game, which is why it deserves its high ranking!
