Weapons are incredibly important in any old-school FPS game. They largely define the title for many, and you'll often be switching them to fit the correct situation. Serious Sam is more toward the old-school, but it's actually more of a straight horde shooter.

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Newcomers starting with Siberian Mayhem can get overwhelmed because there are many dos and don'ts when it comes to a game like this. The best weapons to use are always going to be ones with high DPS (damage per second), and if they're slow, their damage has to make up for that.

8 SOP38 Semiautomatic Pistol

A gun you'll surprisingly be using a lot is the default Pistol you get as soon as the game starts. While not great on its own, dual-wielding makes it quite useful.

Out of all the skills, the dual-wielding ones are the best, just like in Serious Sam 4. They make certain weapons way more viable, with the Pistol dishing out a decent DPS.

This matters when the Pistol has infinite ammo. If there's just one big baddy left in a fight, consider using it to save ammo.

It's also useful against a lot of Beheaded Kamikaze if you have a decent amount of room to work with. The Pistol does need to reload, so that's why you need the room.

7 12 Gauge Pump Action Shotgun

The normal Shotgun you get only a few moments into the campaign is pretty good, but again not on its own. What makes the Shotgun great is the grenade launcher upgrade.

It essentially works like a noob tube in the old-school Call of Duty and will devastate anything in its blast radius.

It's arguably better than the actual Grenade Launcher you get later on because it's far easier to aim with. Ammo for the upgrade is a bit sparse, but that doesn't take away from its usefulness.

Even dual-wielding the Shotgun isn't a bad idea if you have no other options. Much better of a game plan than dual-wielding the Double Barrel Shotgun, that's for sure.

6 TCC-2 "Perun" Crossbow

Obtained in chapter three, the Crossbow essentially works as the Sniper Rifle used in previous installments. The rate of fire is terrible, but the damage does make for it.

It's great for shooting far-away enemies that can pose a serious threat, like the Reptiloids, Arachnoids, and Witch-Brides.

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What makes it even better is that headshots were added in Sam 4, meaning you can one-hit kill all those enemies.

Ammo is lite, but the weapon can be a lifesaver. Always use it against those far-away baddies, as there's no better strategy.

5 AK-74MX

Since Siberian Mayhem takes place in Russia, you just have to get an AK-47. Named differently due to taking place in the future, the AK-74MX is obtained early in chapter one.

This is the one weapon you'll probably use most throughout the entire game. With a high DPS, especially when dual-wielding, it'll kill enemies fast.

Killing baddies quickly is the big do in Serious Sam, so that's why you'll use this weapon often. Despite the fact that ammo is decently dispersed, you will likely run out a lot due to how great this weapon is.

That's why using the Pistol to save ammo is important to do.

4 Autoshotgun

One of the best weapons in the game is, unfortunately, only found in a secret area.

In chapter four, within the Alpha and Omega side mission are some boxes that can be destroyed, leading to a puzzle that, once solved, will unveil the exclusive weapon. The Autoshotgun is a total beast.

Great range, absurd DPS, and the only downside is that you must reload it. However, this isn't too much of an issue because you rarely get additional ammo for it.

The Autoshotgun is absolutely amazing for dealing with hordes of Kleers. It'll often kill them in one hit, and with the high rate of fire, you won't need to run backward to get away from their bombardment.

3 XM214-A Minigun

Only obtained in the last level, the XM214-A Minigun will shred through enemies handily. It's understandable why the devs only put it in chapter five because it's that good of a weapon.

It can hold up to 1,000 bullets, and you get a decent amount of ammo within the last chapter.

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With a great DPS, you'll use the Minigun a lot here, but there is one drawback. The accuracy is quite poor, especially when dual-wielding.

When there's a ton of enemies together in your view, it'll wreck the house no matter what, but when they're spaced out, you should probably use something different.

2 SBC Cannon

The most iconic weapon in Serious Sam has to be the SBC Cannon, and you bet it returns here. You first get it in a secret area right at the end of chapter three.

The Cannon is useful for two scenarios. Dealing with big boss enemies like the Major Bio-mechanoids and Khnums, and hordes of Werebulls and Kleers.

One fully charged shot should kill a Major Biomech, and a dual-wielded charged shot should instantly kill a Khnum at close range. You'll be doing this a lot with these enemies because they're often priority targets in encounters.

Since a charged shot will go through multiple enemies, a Cannon is a great choice for dealing with rows of incoming Werebulls or Kleers.

1 XPMR "Burner" Raygun

Siberian Mayhem's best weapon has to be the brand-new Burner Raygun. Obtained midway into chapter four, this weapon has only one downside, and it's a small one.

The rate of fire isn't an issue as it's an instant raygun, it's great agonist hordes of minions, useful against big enemies if you dual-wield, and the main awesome element, it causes explosions upon death.

This means one kill can lead to many more, and this is what makes the weapon so deadly. Ammo runs out rather fast, but additional ammunition is plentiful, so it's not that big of a problem.

If you're conflicted about what weapon to use in a tough situation, just use the Burner, and it'll likely do the job.

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