Best weapon upgrades in Dave the Diver, ranked

Enhance your weapons.

Dave the Diver Harpoon Gun maxed
Screenshot by Dot Esports

Weapons in Dave the Diver play an inevitable role if you want to make delectable sushi out of the bigger and more hostile fish species. While you can unlock base weapons quite early in the game, upgrading them is crucial as you progress into deeper, more dangerous territories.

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If you are wondering which weapon upgrades to focus on in Dave the Diver, we have got you covered.

Here are the best weapon upgrades in Dave the Diver

7) Superalloy Harpoon Gun

Superalloy Harpoon Gun in Dave the Diver
This is an underrated one! Screenshot by Dot Esports

While it technically isn’t considered a weapon in Dave the Diver, the Harpoon Gun is a great way to damage and catch fish without affecting their rank as much. Using weapons like the Sniper and Underwater Rifles to damage and kill fish reduces their ranks to one, while capturing fish with the Harpoon Gun keeps it at two, assuring you better quality sushi. 

I can definitely say that getting the Superalloy Harpoon Gun has helped me deal with tons of hostile species down there with ease, thanks to the 40 damage it deals with every hit. Add a tip upgrade with effects like Poison or Lightning and it becomes a god-like weapon to have while navigating the Blue Hole.  

6) Poison upgrades

Poison-type upgrades for weapons like Underwater Rifle and Sniper Rifle are of immense help in boss battles, thanks to the damage-over-time effect they inflict.

The Poison effect is also great for bigger fish that flaunt a lot of health, like Sharks, Rhinochimaeridae, Eels, and more. If you are in the early game, I’d suggest picking up Poison tip upgrades for the Harpoon Gun whenever you can, as it makes seemingly impossible battles significantly easier.

5) Tranquilizer Mosin-Nagant

Tranquilizer Mosin-Nagant in Dave the Diver
The best sniper rifle you can get in the game. Screenshot by Dot Esports

This is the highest level of a Tranquilizer Sniper Rifle in Dave the Diver and one of the best weapon upgrades you can ask for. 

With this in your hand, you can not only tackle almost every fish from a distance, but you can also put them to sleep with great tranquilizing odds (55 percent) and catch them alive to maintain their rank. 

4) Modified Hush Dart

The Modified Hush Dart outranks most weapon upgrades due to its ability to tackle the game’s most difficult fish without causing them any damage.

You can put normal fish to sleep in 0.1 seconds, while large fish can be tranquilized with just two consecutive shots. Maintaining your sushi grade has never been easier.

3) Death Sniper Rifle

Want to one-shot those huge pesky Sharks? If you aren’t worried about hampering the sushi grades, get the Death Sniper Rifle to deal with bosses and large fish. 

The Death Sniper Rifle offers a whopping 30 percent chance of one-shotting a fish, thanks to its damage potential of up to 117 (level three). No other weapon is this lethal in Dave the Diver, so it’s definitely worth investing in.  

2) Tranquilizer Rifle

Tranquilizer Rifle in Dave the Diver
Tranquilize them. Screenshot by Dot Esports

As you may have realized already, tranquilizing fish and capturing them is the way to go if you want to turn the most heads with your sushi recipes. So I recommend making it one of your first goals to upgrade the Underwater Rifle to its tranquilizing version.

The Tranquilizer Rifle deals up to 80 damage (level five) and offers a 60 percent chance of tranquilizing the target, making it a great option to use in any situation. Thanks to its magazine of eight bullets, it’s a great alternative to the Tranquilizer Mosin-Nagant and the Death Sniper Rifle if you want to deal some damage but not be lethal.

1) Steel Net Gun

Steel Net Gun in Dave the Diver
You can’t ask for anything better. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The Steel Net Gun is, hands down, the best weapon upgrade in Dave the Diver, thanks to its ability to capture almost every fish—big or small—without dealing any damage. 

You can upgrade it to level five to capture up to 15 fish in one shot and then use a Salvage Drone to harvest them, leaving you with plenty of high-ranked and profitable sushi to sell at the end of the day. 

Author
Image of Sharmila Ganguly
Sharmila Ganguly
Freelance Writer at Dot Esports. An enthusiastic gamer who bumped into the intricacies of video game journalism in 2021 and has been hustling ever since. Obsessed with first-person shooter titles, especially VALORANT. Contact: sharmila@dotesports.com