First-run weapons and where to look
| Weapon | Availability / pickup | Practical use |
|---|---|---|
| Plank | Improvised world pickups, including the board behind Peters Newsagent’s counter. | Melee attack and block; inspect condition and keep a replacement available. |
| Pipe | Later improvised pickups, including the altered Medical Centre route. | Another melee option; it also has limited condition. |
| Pistol | Simon: Town Square (5), Richard’s Gift box, Chapter 6. Select Yes. | Aim and reload; useful when evasion fails. The acceptance triggers the required town-state change. |
| Flare Gun | Simon: CEG Employee Locker 75. Scan its counter barcode; PIN 184. | Optional ranged weapon; can create a temporary opening against the pursuer. |
| Shotgun | Richard: Chapter 13, Another Attempt, as he enters CEG’s second-floor route. Also available to Simon in the finale. | Useful for close threats, including Widows. Check your character and chapter before expecting it. |
| Bottle | World distraction pickup; Simon can find one past the pharmacy after the first Zoe chapter. | Throw to divert attention. It can also be used for a finishing kill after weakening a suitable enemy. |
| Brick | World throwable pickups; Clara Woods provides opportunities beside the garage/dumpsters. | Distraction, aimed impact and trophy use. A thrown brick is a separate weapon category. |
These are categories, not a promise of exactly one copy of each item. Planks, pipes, bottles and bricks recur. A list claiming “three weapons” is normally counting the first-run guns only, leaving out melee and throwables.
Get the optional Flare Gun
- Enter CEG Employee Lockers on Clara Woods’ ground level.
- Take Barcode (CEG Lockers) – Locker 75 from the counter opposite the office computer, by the scanner.
- Use it on the barcode scanner. Open locker 75 with 184 and take the Flare Gun.
- Collect cartridges and reserve one if your next route is blocked by The Weight. A stun is an opening to move, not proof that the roaming enemy can be killed.
55:18 — Locker 75 weapon pickup ▶ in the collectibles route. Locker 75 is optional for the gate’s three mechanical parts; those come from 17, 204 and 94.
Axe and Pistol-3000 unlocks
| Weapon | Unlock condition | Pickup route |
|---|---|---|
| Axe | Finish the game once, then start NG+. | Simon: early For Sale houses → white gate → storage units, second-last unit on the right. Zoe: beside the shed in the first yard before Mr. Stewart’s house. |
| Pistol-3000 | Complete the Sci-fi ending, then start a subsequent NG+ campaign. | Simon: the same early storage area, second unit on the right, table. Richard: Boardroom table by the Level 3/4 Access Card. |
Axe is available to Simon and Zoe; Pistol-3000 to Simon and Richard. They are unlockable pickup spawns, not weapons carried in your starting inventory. See NG+ carryover and unlocks and the Sci-fi ending prerequisites. Pistol-3000 is the verified special firearm; a separate “Raygun” is not added to this list.
Equip and inspect condition
- Open inventory and select the weapon you actually have for the current character. Use its equip action, then return to gameplay and check the held item or HUD.
- For melee, inspect its condition before committing to a group. A broken plank or pipe needs replacing; switching to another intact pickup is the practical recovery.
- For firearms, check both loaded rounds and reserve ammunition. Reload from cover, and compare the in-game controls to your own PC bindings or controller layout.
- Keep a throwable for the next narrow passage. Throwing for a diversion and using an item for the final hit are different actions.
What happens if you refuse the pistol?
The Town Square gift in Chapter 6 is a story gate: choose Yes to take the pistol and trigger the Otherworld shift needed for the route onward. Accepting it does not require shooting every enemy. If you want a low-kill run, take the required gift and use evasion afterward.
The earlier chapter and Zoe’s first-run sections have different equipment. A weapon visible in an NG+ video is not proof it appears in the same location on a first campaign.
Track the seven Creative Process kills
Creative Process needs a killing blow with each of seven items in one playthrough: Plank, Pipe, Pistol, Shotgun, Flare Gun, Bottle and Brick. Axe and Pistol-3000 do not substitute for that list.
These website ticks are your notes, separate from the game’s achievement counter. Weaken a target before attempting a bottle/brick kill, and save before an ammo-expensive precision trophy when your run permits it. See the achievement roadmap for Long-Range Masonry, Pinpoint Inaccuracy and Pull!.
Video walkthrough
All collectibles, keys and puzzle locations
PowerPyx · Watch on YouTube ↗
Sources & image credits
Source links and credits
- PowerPyx — Arrival illustrated route
- PowerPyx — Clara Woods illustrated route
- PowerPyx — Richard illustrated route
- PowerPyx — New Game Plus weapon pickups
- PowerPyx — trophy conditions and character restrictions
- Screen Burn — October 8 patch 1.4.0
- Townfall Answers — weapon category comparison
Source footage and game images are credited beside the relevant figures. This guide does not claim a personal playthrough.