System Shock is different than a lot of other games in that while there are a lot of different
weapons available, only a few of those are effective against a particular type of enemy. This forces you to constantly switch back and forth between weapons and ammo types. This highly
rich and
intellectual selection of ways to dispatch the enemy is one of System Shock's drawing points for me. The only downside is that you can only hold a small selection of weapons at any one time ..
System Shock also differs from its sequel System Shock 2 when it comes to weapons. In Shock 2, the weapons require skill upgrades to use, and then ammunition is extremely scarce and must be hoarded appropriately. Weapons also degrade. In System Shock, there are a TON of guns (those TriOptimium people sure are worried about security), and a lot of ammo lying around. You can pick a gun right up and start using it .. and they don't jam ..
System Shock Weapons
Lead Pipe: This is the first weapon you run across. It's not bad for bashing on weaker enemies, especially for the ones found on the first level.
Laser Rapier: Upgraded pipe. Uses internal power, but highly effective against pretty much all enemies .. if you're brave and get close enough to use it. This weapon is the best defense against those annoying invisible mutants on the Maintenance Deck.
SV-23 Dart Pistol: This is the first projectile weapon you run across. It's not too bad against first level enemies, and can be used to smash cameras. It takes tranquilizer darts or needle darts, of which there are plentiful supplies. The needles will dispatch first level mutants and cyborg assassins, but not much else. The tranquilizer darts are fun for stunning mutants and running by.
Stun Gun: Thoroughly useless weapon that stuns mutants for a short time .. it makes a cool sound though.
Sparq: This is the first really useful weapon you find, and it runs off the wall socket (internal power). You can adjust the power output setting. It shuts down if you fire it too much and goes into cool-off mode. You can vaporize corpses with this.
Blaster: Upgraded sparq. More damage, but uses more power.
Ion Beam: Upgraded blaster. Highly effective against enemies, but sucks down the battery real fast.
Minipistol: Another really good gun. It takes standard or teflon coated rounds, of which there are a ton on the station. The teflon rounds are better against robots and cyborgs. Good for smashing cameras. Not good for much else on the later levels.
Magnum: Upgraded pistol. Takes hollow point or heavy slug ammunition, of which there is a crapload on the station. This weapon is highly useful against cyborgs and security bots, hang on to it.
Mark III Assault Rifle: Upgraded Magnum. Takes magnesium or penetrator ammunition. The magnesium rounds are very effective against later-level enemies and is in abundant supply. Penetrator ammo is awesome against bots but you won't find much of it. This gun is worth keeping around.
AM-27 Flechette: Submachine gun. Takes splinter or hornet ammunition, of which there is a lot of on the station. Generally effective against most later-level robots and mutants, but takes several shots. Not as powerful as the assault rifle.
Magpulse: Fires EMP bursts. Takes magpulse carts, of which there aren't too many on the station. Very very deadly against all robots and cyborgs, but useless against organic enemies. This is one of the most valuable weapons in the game.
Riot Gun: This gun shows up on the cargo deck, and fires rubber bullets. I wonder if this was put in the game as a sick joke?
Rail Gun: This gun fires these slow, explosive shells that are remarkably ineffective against most anything. I've only found ammunition for this one on mutant cyborgs. Use it to smash cameras.
RF-07 Skorpion: Upgraded flechette gun. Takes slags and heavy slags, of which there aren't much on the station. It will mow down practically anything though ..
Plasma Rifle: Fires these plasma shots that bounce around. They can bounce back into you though ..
I would say I favor the Magpulse the most because it is so awesome against robots, and doesn't hurt you if it hits the wall close to you. The laser rapier is also one of my favorites ..
Grenades
Grenades are a a really great part of System Shock because they require a fair amount of skill to use right. Most offensive grenades will hurt you just as much as they hurt the enemy if you don't throw them far enough, or get away fast enough. Grenades are also really cool because you can toss them into a pile and then set off the lot of them from far away with a well-placed blaster shot. This is useful for getting rid of Edward Diego when he appears.
EMP Grenade: Won't hurt you, but really hurts bots and other mechanical baddies. Makes your screen flip like a broken television for a second or two though, pretty cool.
Frag Grenade: Standard grenade, hurts pretty much everything (including you). Good because it does splash damage. May require several to dispatch harder enemies.
Gas Grenade: Pretty good against biological enemies like mutants. Does squat against robots though.
Nitropack: Stronger explosive grenade with adjustable timer. Toss it and get the fuck out!
Concussion Bomb: Kind of like an upgraded Nitropack. Uses the same sort of timer. Toss and bolt.
Earthshaker: Same type of timer as the nitropack, but blows a lot of shit up. You won't find many of these. Run like hell after you light off one of these..
Land Mine: Just like the name says. These are useful for blowing up Edward Diego.
I sort of wish you could slap an extra unit of plastique onto a bot and duck behind a corner ..