Legendary game developer id Software is practically synonymous with first-person shooters. Part of the reason they earned that reputation is by creating some of the most fun and memorable weapons in any action game. These are our favorite 10 weapons id Software weapons ever.
10) Berserker Fist (Doom 1 & 2)
Oooh, a little spike ring on your index finger. scary! Well, it in fact is terrifying to your enemies when you pair it with a Berserker health pack, which sends you into a fit of murderous rage. Watch enemies literally pop like blood-filled balloons when you deck them under the influence of the Berserker pack.
9) Grenade Launcher (Quake 2 & 3)
Grenade launchers aren’t easy to get right in games, but id sure nailed it in Quake 3. The “thoop” sound, when followed by an impact, was a satisfying one-two audio punch that would also help you on the scoreboard.
8) Super Nailgun (Quake)
Quake 1’s nailgun was pretty cool. But it gets one-upped in its own game by the Super Nailgun, a rotating quad-barreled death-dealer that, yes, launches NAILS at your targets. It was not a good idea to be on the receiving end of this thing in multiplayer.
7) Wingstick (Rage)
The original Rage was perhaps id’s most flawed game, but it did give us the Wingstick, an absolutely awesome-to-use projectile that could violently end the existences of your targets in the wasteland. It’s so good that it’s absolutely worth chasing down the ones you’ve already tossed to make sure you have one on you at all times.
6) Chainsaw (Doom series)
Doom 1’s original chainsaw was a secret you had to discover; you could see it through a window but you had to discover how to find it. Once you did, it made Doom even more intense by encouraging you to get up close to your targets. And its implementation in Doom 2016 was every bit as savage as it was in 1993.
5) Thunderbolt (Quake)
You had to wait a while in Quake 1’s campaign to get your hands on the most powerful weapon, but once you did, you could mow down almost anything in seconds. This jagged zapper looked — and SOUNDED — like it meant business, and heaven help anything that got the business end of it.
4) Rocket Launcher (Doom 1 & 2)
Rocket launchers have made appearances in most id Software games, but never has it been more impressive than in the original two Doom games. It fired just slow enough that you could admire the brown shells as they propelled toward their targets, and they exploded in glorious fashion — just like your enemies, if they were low enough on the Doom monster food chain.
3) Railgun (Quake 2 & 3)
“But what if the gun could shoot THROUGH you?” That is the question asked — and definitively answered — by id with Quake 2’s Railgun, which was so good it just had to be included in Quake 3 Arena as well. A true showcase of one’s Quake talent was how many kills you could get with just one shot.
2) Super Shotgun (Doom 2)
Doom’s shotgun was great, undeniably. But what if…what if they put another barrel on it? Doom 2’s signature feature is the upgraded Super Shotgun, which had an absolutely devastating short-range impact as well as an equally guttural sound effect when fired and unforgettable CLICK-CLOCK-CLICK reload sequence. It is arguably the greatest shotgun in any video game, period.
1) BFG 9000 (Doom 1 & 2)
Not every gun can be called the Big Fucking Gun and get away with it. But Doom’s BFG9000 looks the part, with its huge white housing, sounds the part, with its screeching howl when fired, and earns its moniker when you see that, when used properly, it can literally kill an entire room of demonic bad guys. Hail to the king.
Did we miss any? What are YOUR favorites? Let us know in the comments below, and for more on everything id Software is up to – including the upcoming Rage 2 and Doom Eternal, you’re already in the right place right here at IGN.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.
