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Weapons and ammunition: from flint arrows to plasma.
Weapons are built like tools, from three parts, and their strength comes from the materials you choose. Ammunition is crafted separately at the Workbench, Gun Bench or Rocket Bench.
Melee weapons
A Sword (blade, hilt, guard and wrap), a Spear, a Blade and a War Hammer follow the tool rules: see Tools and tiers for parts, units, tiers and quality. The Sword takes 4 head, 1 handle and 1 binder. The War Hammer takes 5, 3 and 2 and breaks rock well. A War Hammer with a Graviton head is the Gravity Hammer; a Voidglass blade is a Phase Blade; a Runesteel sword is a Rune Sword.
Bows and crossbows
- The limbs (or the crossbow's prod) must flex: wood, bone, metal, an alloy or a composite. The grip is wood, bone or metal. The string is fibre, hide or metal wire.
- Bow: head 3, handle 2, binder 1. Crossbow: 4, 3 and 2.
- A plain bow of wood, bone and fibre can be made by hand anywhere. Metal parts need a Forge Bench.
- A bow shoots arrows and a crossbow bolts, from your bag. A bow does 24 damage with a 0.9 second draw and reaches 130 m. A crossbow does 40 with a 1.8 second draw and reaches 150 m. Better limbs raise damage and speed.
- Bows last three times as long as an ordinary tool.
Guns
Every gun has three parts. The barrel needs a metal, the receiver (the lock) a metal, and the grip is wood, bone or metal.
- Barrel: sets the harm and reach.
- Grip: sets spread and kick. Springy, tough, heavy grips damp a gun better; bone and soft woods do little.
- Receiver: sets the rate of fire and reload. A harder receiver cycles faster.
Guns are made at a Forge Bench or a Gun Bench. At a Gun Bench you can first make each part on its own (a Gun Barrel takes 3 units of material, a Gun Grip 2, a Gun Receiver 3) and then assemble three loose parts into a gun, which lets you mix materials. Put the barrel, grip and receiver in the first, second and third places of the assembly. Assembling a gun at a Gun Bench also takes a few units of fittings; at a Forge Bench only the Shotgun, Laser Pistol and Plasma Rifle ask for them. Guns last six times as long as an ordinary tool.
| Gun | Units at a Forge Bench (barrel / grip / receiver) | Fittings | Age needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handgun | 2 / 1 / 1 | 1 metal (a spring) | - |
| Submachine Gun | 3 / 1 / 2 | 2 metal (a spring and a bolt) | - |
| Assault Rifle | 4 / 2 / 2 | 2 metal (a spring and a bolt) | - |
| Shotgun | 4 / 2 / 2 | 2 metal (a hinge and a spring) | - |
| Laser Pistol | 2 / 1 / 2 | 2 glass (a lens) | Temper Age |
| Plasma Rifle | 4 / 2 / 3 | 3 glass (a focusing lens) | Corelight Age |
| Missile Launcher | 6 / 2 / 3 | 3 metal (a firing pin and a trigger) | - |
Ages are in The eight ages.
Gun stats
These are the base figures with iron parts and the standard round. Damage is per round (per pellet for the shotgun).
| Gun | Ammunition | Damage | Seconds between rounds | Range (m) | Magazine | Reload (s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handgun | Cartridges | 10 | 0.24 | 90 | 12 | 1.1 |
| Submachine Gun | Cartridges | 4 | 0.065 | 70 | 30 | 1.6 |
| Assault Rifle | Cartridges | 6 | 0.09 | 160 | 30 | 1.9 |
| Shotgun | Shells | 5 x 9 pellets | 0.85 | 42 | 6 | 2.2 |
| Laser Pistol | Energy or plasma cells | 6.5 | 0.17 | 140 | 24 | 1.3 |
| Plasma Rifle | Energy or plasma cells | 15 | 0.4 | 160 | 14 | 1.8 |
| Missile Launcher | Rockets | blast | 1.6 | 500 | 1 | 1.2 |
Damage is multiplied by the ammunition's grade (below). Hold the trigger to fire.
Barrel grades
The barrel's metal multiplies a gun's harm. A metal not listed is graded from its tool score: 0.75 plus 0.06 times the score, between 0.78 and 1.7.
| Barrel metal | Grade |
|---|---|
| Bronze | 0.9 |
| Cast Iron | 0.95 |
| Iron, Wrought Iron | 1 |
| Steel, Stainless Steel | 1.15 |
| Titanium | 1.25 |
| Titanium Alloy | 1.3 |
| Tungsten | 1.4 |
| Tungsten Carbide, Vitalmetal | 1.5 |
| Stellarite | 1.8 |
| Runesteel | 1.9 |
| Nova Alloy | 2 |
| Star-Iron | 2.2 |
Ammunition
| Round | For | Grade (times damage) | Rounds per item |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flint Arrow | Bow | 1 | 1 |
| Iron Arrow | Bow | 1.3 | 1 |
| Steel Arrow | Bow | 1.6 | 1 |
| Iron Bolt | Crossbow | 1 | 1 |
| Steel Bolt | Crossbow | 1.3 | 1 |
| Gunpowder (loose) | Handgun, Submachine Gun, Rifle | 0.9 | 12, 20 and 10 rounds per piece |
| Cartridge | Handgun, Submachine Gun, Rifle | 1.2 | 1 |
| Armour-Piercing Cartridge | Handgun, Submachine Gun, Rifle | 1.55 | 1 |
| Buckshot Shell | Shotgun | 1 | 1 |
| Slug Shell | Shotgun (one heavy slug) | 1.15 | 1 |
| Energy Cell | Laser Pistol, Plasma Rifle | 1 | 8 shots |
| Plasma Cell | Laser Pistol, Plasma Rifle | 1.5 | 8 shots |
| Hand Rocket | Missile Launcher | 1.25 | 1 |
Loose Gunpowder is the old way and the poorest round. Gunpowder is made at the Lab Bench: Research and the Lab Bench. A launcher can be loaded with 2 gunpowder per rocket.
Ammunition recipes
| Makes | Ingredients | Bench | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Flint Arrows | 1 Flint, 1 wood, 1 Feather | By hand | |
| 4 Iron Arrows | 1 Iron, 1 wood, 1 Feather | Workbench | |
| 4 Steel Arrows | 1 Steel, 1 wood, 1 Feather | Workbench | Temper |
| 6 Iron Bolts | 2 Iron, 1 wood | Gun Bench | |
| 6 Steel Bolts | 2 Steel, 1 wood | Gun Bench | Temper |
| 12 Cartridges | 1 Copper, 1 Gunpowder | Gun Bench | |
| 8 Armour-Piercing Cartridges | 1 Steel, 1 Gunpowder, 1 Lead | Gun Bench | Temper |
| 6 Buckshot Shells | 1 Lead, 1 Gunpowder, 1 fibre or hide | Gun Bench | |
| 4 Slug Shells | 1 Iron, 1 Gunpowder, 1 fibre or hide | Gun Bench | |
| 3 Energy Cells | 2 Copper, 1 glass or crystal | Gun Bench | Temper |
| 3 Plasma Cells | 2 Titanium Alloy, 2 glass or crystal, 1 Sulfur | Gun Bench | Corelight |
| 2 Hand Rockets | 2 Iron, 2 Gunpowder, 1 fibre or hide | Rocket Bench |
A Workbench also makes what is made by hand, a Gun Bench or Rocket Bench also what a Workbench makes.
Grenades, mines and fireworks (Rocket Bench)
| Makes | Ingredients | Damage | Blast radius (m) | Fuse (s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Frag Grenades | 2 Iron, 2 Gunpowder | 200 | 3.5 | 2.6 |
| 2 Impact Grenades | 2 Iron, 3 Gunpowder | 150 | 3 | bursts on landing |
| 2 Incendiary Grenades | 2 Iron, 2 Sulfur, 2 Charcoal | 60, and sets fire | 4 | 2.4 |
| 1 Land Mine | 3 Iron, 3 Gunpowder, 1 Copper | 340 | 3.8 | arms in 2.5 s |
Hold a grenade and pull the trigger to throw it. A Land Mine is laid the same way, and bursts under any foot but yours. Frag Grenades can also be made at the Lab Bench.
| Fireworks (4 made) | Ingredients | Rises (m) |
|---|---|---|
| Red | 1 Gunpowder, 1 fibre or hide, 1 Red Ochre | 22 |
| Gold | 1 Gunpowder, 1 fibre or hide, 1 Salt | 26 |
| Blue | 1 Gunpowder, 1 fibre or hide, 1 Azurite | 24 |
| Green | 1 Gunpowder, 1 fibre or hide, 1 Malachite | 20 |
Fireworks are just for show.
Ship rockets
The Rocket Bench also makes rockets for fighters and gunships.
| Makes | Ingredients | Age | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Dart Rockets | 2 Steel, 4 Gunpowder, 1 glass or crystal | Temper | Homing. A craft's racks hold 12. |
| 1 Heavy Rocket | 4 Steel, 6 Gunpowder, 1 Titanium Alloy | Corelight | Big and unguided: slow, and it takes a hull apart. Racks hold 4. |
See Ships and fighters.
Tips
- Craft cartridges as soon as you have a Gun Bench. They hit 30 per cent harder than loose powder.
- The best barrel is the biggest upgrade. Receiver and grip matter far less.
- Keep arrows, bolts, cartridges or cells in a crate within five blocks of a base turret: see Home, paint and base crafting.
← Back to the wiki · Last updated 25 October 2026. Mantlenaut is in alpha, so things change.