6 best multi-tool weapons in No Man’s Sky

Only use the best weapons.

An image from No Man's Sky of a multi-tool, or a scientific gun, resting in a display case.
Screenshot by Dot Esports

While your spacesuit and ship help you survive and navigate the galaxy of No Man’s Sky the multi-tool helps you mine materials and fight enemies. While collecting resources is generally a straightforward and conflict-free activity, there is a chance that planetary defenders, named Sentinels, will attack you for your transgressions.

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Thankfully, the multi-tool can come with different weapons that uniquely deal damage. Since all the weapons in No Man’s Sky are pieces of tech, you can augment a single multi-tool with multiple forms of damage.

If you’re ready to take on waves of Sentinels, here are the best multi-tool weapons in No Man’s Sky.

The best 6 multi-tool weapons in No Man’s Sky

6) Paralysis Mortar

An image from No Man's Sky of the Paralysis Mortar. This is an upgrade to your weapon that allows you to stun enemies with blasts of electricity.
Give them a shock. Screenshot by Dot Esports

If you have many Unstable Plasma lying around, then consider equipping your multi-tool with the Paralysis Mortar. This weapon shoots out a small grenade that stuns any enemy near the explosion. This is particularly useful against larger boss enemies because you can freeze them mid-fight and deal damage safely.

As a bonus, many other weapons in No Man’s Sky come with upgrades that increase damage against stunned enemies. By combining these upgrades with the Paralysis Mortar, you’ll shred through even the most durable opponents.

5) Neutron Cannon

An image of the Neutron Cannon from No Man's Sky. This weapon can be charged up to launch purple AOE projectiles.
Charge up your weapon to destroy enemies. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The Neutron Cannon is one of the few weapons in the game that does not use typical ammunition to deal damage. Instead this weapon can be refueled with Carbon or Condensed Carbon and launches purple ion blasts that deal damage in a small AOE.

To deal damage with this weapon, you’ll have to charge up the Ion Blasts for a few seconds, leaving you vulnerable during combat. Thankfully, there are weapon vendor upgrades that reduce the charge time of the Neutron Cannon, allowing you to deal damage faster.

You can also upgrade the Neutron Cannon with the P-Field Compressor, increasing the amount of projectiles in each Ion Blast and the projectile speed.

4) Boltcaster

An image from No Man's Sky of the Boltcaster, a classic laser gun that shoots out a burst of bullets.
Tried and true. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Although the Boltcaster is the base weapon in all multi-tools, it can be upgraded with black market components to deal increased damage. When you defeat a Sentinel they have a chance to drop some loot on the ground, which can be picked up for some rewards.

These packages can contain counterfeit upgrades for the Boltcaster, turning this classic burst rifle into a powerhouse of a weapon. The upgrades you’ll want to look for are those that increase the damage and rate-of-fire of the Boltcaster, but you’ll need to rely on RNG to find them.

You can also craft some basic technological upgrades for the Boltcaster that always provide the same buffs. For example, the Boltcaster Richochet Module will cause the bullets to bounce off terrain, while the Barrel Ioniser increases the gun’s accuracy.

3) Pulse Spitter

An image of the Pulse Spitter weapon from No Man's Sky, which shoots out lasers quickly like a machine gun.
Burn them alive. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The Pulse Spitter was one of the greatest weapons after the Pathfinder Update, but recent nerfs have changed the effectiveness of this machine gun. Now, the Pulse Spitter works best at close range, shooting out bullets faster than any other weapon in the game.

Thankfully, the Pulse Spitter can still dish out some serious damage with weapon vendor upgrades, increasing the gun’s damage, rate of fire, and reload speed. You can also equip the Pulse Spitter with a Richochet Module to make bullets bounce off walls, Amplified Cartridges to increase the clip size by 20, and the Impact Igniter to make the bullets burn enemies.

2) Plasma Launcher

An image of the Plasma Launcher from No Man's Sky. This is a grenade upgrade that launches blasts that deal AOE damage.
Stay clear of the blast. Screenshot by Dot Esports

If you are overwhelmed by large waves of enemies, installing the Plasma Launcher will let you dish out AOE damage in a pinch. The Plasma Launcher essentially serves as a grenade launcher, launching a small projectile of unstable plasma that decimates enemies in the blast zone.

Unfortunately, there is no dedicated technology that upgrades the Plasma Launcher, but you can purchase random upgrades from vendors. These upgrades will increase the explosion radius, damage, projectile velocity, and bounce potential of each blast.

1) Scatter Blaster

An image of the Scatter Blaster from No Man's Sky, an augment that turns your weapon into a shotgun.
Up close and personal. Screenshot by Dot Esports

When fighting hordes of insects, no weapon is better than the Scatter Blaster. This augments your multi-tool, turning it into a shotgun that kills close enemies with a single hit.

The Scatter Blaster can be upgraded with a dedicated piece of technology named the Shell Greaser, decreasing the reload time of the shotgun by 15 percent. You can also purchase S-tier upgrades from different vendors across the galaxy, increasing the damage, shots per burst, clip size, and reload time.

Author
Image of John Wildermuth
John Wildermuth
John is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles and wields a degree in English. He is constantly staying up to date on the latest and greatest games, and has been writing about gaming for over a year now. When he is not playing games, he can be found reading sci-fi and fantasy books or working on ceramics.