Armatus Weapons Guide: Types, Tiers, Alt-Fires, and Upgrades

Armatus equips players with a scythe for close-quarters melee combat alongside four selectable firearm archetypes: Assault Rifles, Submachine Guns, Shotguns, and Precision/Marksman Rifles. Weapons operate on a tiered progression system ranging from Tier 1 to Tier 4, featuring randomized traits, alt-fire special abilities charged through combat energy, and in-run modifications via Weapon Glyphs.

Core Weapon Archetypes in Armatus

Before departing on an expedition into the demon-infested ruins of Paris, players visit the Armory at the base to select their firearm during the Embark phase. All firearms in Armatus feature infinite ammo reserves, meaning you never run out of total ammunition, though you must reload individual magazines. Players can reload while performing evasive dashes without interrupting the reload timer.

Each primary firearm archetype caters to distinct combat distances and playstyles:

• Assault Rifle (AR): A balanced automatic weapon providing steady mid-range damage. In preview builds, baseline models deal moderate per-shot damage (around 24 damage at baseline in testing) with a 1.5x weak-point headshot multiplier.
• Submachine Gun (SMG): A high-rate-of-fire weapon optimized for close-to-mid-range engagements. Its rapid fire rate staggers smaller demons frequently and rapidly generates celestial energy to fuel special abilities.
• Shotgun: A heavy-impact, close-range firearm. Shotguns deliver high burst damage per blast (often 200 base damage point-blank), but require manual shell reloading and disciplined positioning.
• Precision / Marksman Rifle (Sniper / DMR): Semi-automatic, long-range rifles featuring low magazine capacities (such as 8 rounds) and high weak-point multipliers. Community testing observed critical headshot multipliers reaching up to 4x damage, rewarding accurate aim against demonic weak spots.
• The Scythe (Melee): Equipped alongside your firearm, the scythe delivers melee sweeps that dismember fodder demons and execute finishers. Melee attacks operate on a dedicated cooldown and cannot be spammed without specific passive enhancements.

Weapon Tiers and Trait Mechanics

Weapons discovered or rolled before an expedition are categorized from Tier 1 to Tier 4. Deeper runs increase the likelihood of higher-tier guns appearing in the armory. Higher-tier weapons grant additional intrinsic modifiers that drastically alter performance:

• Tier 1: Baseline weapon models with standard stats and an un-augmented alt-fire.
• Tier 2: Includes basic handling traits, such as reduced spread while aiming down sights (ADS), decreased recoil while moving, or extended effective firing range.
• Tier 3: Features basic traits alongside advanced weapon traits, such as near-zero recoil or accelerated rate of fire.
• Tier 4: Features multiple basic traits and advanced traits. Confirmed advanced traits observed in playtests include automatic ammo replenishment over time (passive clip refilling) and stationary accuracy boosts (such as -20% recoil and -20% bullet spread while standing still).

Steam forum feedback from the demo revealed several specific model designations across branches, including the Keeper, Vortex, and Redemptor in the SMG tree; Somnus and Liberty in the AR tree; Homily, Terminus, and Sorrow in the Precision tree; and Victory and Butcher in the Shotgun tree.

Alt-Fire Abilities and Energy Mechanics

Every firearm in Armatus comes equipped with a secondary firing mode assigned to the alt-fire input (defaulted to Q on keyboard). Alt-fire abilities do not consume standard ammunition; instead, they require energy accumulated by dealing damage to demonic targets with your primary fire and melee.

The secondary abilities rolling on firearms include:

• Grenade Launcher: Launches an explosive shell that inflicts heavy area-of-effect (AoE) damage on impact. Run upgrades can increase projectile velocity or split the projectile into three distinct cluster grenades.
• Concussive Blast: Discharges a shockwave of kinetic force directly in front of the warrior, damaging and knocking back encroaching demons.
• Ricochet Shot: Fires high-energy rounds that bounce between adjacent enemy targets, spreading burst damage across clustered packs.
• Stream of Fire: Emits a short-to-mid-range continuous cone of flame, applying burn status damage over time.
• Vortex: Creates an implosion field that pulls nearby lesser demons together, leaving them vulnerable to melee or explosive follow-ups.

Weapon Mastery and Forge Orders

Long-term weapon upgrades are managed through the Demonology and Armory systems via an NPC named Ishmail. To expand your permanent weapon capabilities between runs:

1. Accept Forge Orders: Ishmail assigns specific combat tasks to complete during runs (such as dealing 5,000 alt-fire damage, completing two sectors without taking damage, or entering three augment sectors).
2. Earn Mastery Experience: Completing assigned Forge Orders during expeditions yields Weapon Mastery XP for that weapon category.
3. Unlock Weapons and Traits: Achieving higher mastery ranks unlocks new firearm variants, alternate firing abilities, and advanced weapon traits in the armory pool, while awarding meta-currencies like Furium (e.g., reaching Mastery Rank 2 awards 200 Furium).

In-Run Weapon Glyphs and Synergies

During an expedition, clearing sectors marked with the Weapon Glyph icon allows you to choose run-specific passive blessings to empower your firearm and alt-fire:

• True Aim / Continuous Fire: Increases firearm shot damage by 5% per consecutive shot hit, resetting back to zero if a shot misses. Higher upgrade ranks push this bonus to 10% per shot.
• Splitting Shots: Gives bullets a 25% chance to split into two projectiles. Initial ranks deal 30% damage per split round, scaling up to 60% and 100% damage at higher glyph ranks.
• Lingering Critical: Dealing weak-point damage applies an additional bleed or damage-over-time effect (starting at 150 damage over 5 seconds, scaling up to 300 and 500 damage).
• Combat Flow: Provides a 25% chance to instantly reload your firearm magazine whenever you execute a melee attack.
• Stray Shot: While aiming down sights, your weapon periodically launches an autonomous seeking projectile at a random nearby demon.
• High Impact Grenade: Increases grenade launcher alt-fire velocity and grants a 50% damage boost on direct hits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you switch weapons during a run in Armatus?

Current demo and playtest builds do not allow swapping your primary firearm archetype mid-run. You select your primary weapon and its tier at the Armory before departing on an expedition. All adaptations during a run occur through Weapon Glyphs, Augments, and Outpost vendor purchases.

Do weapons have limited ammunition reserves?

No. Firearms in Armatus utilize infinite reserve ammunition. You are only limited by your weapon magazine size and reload animation speed. Certain high-tier weapon traits and blessings also allow automatic passive magazine refilling.

How do you unlock higher-tier weapons in the Armory?

Higher-tier weapons become available in the Armory by progressing deeper into runs and leveling your Weapon Mastery ranks through Ishmail's Forge Orders.

What platforms and release date are confirmed for Armatus?

Counterplay Games and publisher Fictions have officially scheduled Armatus for release on PC (Windows via Steam) on January 7, 2027. Console versions have been mentioned in preview coverage, but Steam is the verified platform for current playtest and system requirement data.