Every weapon in the Casualties: Unknown demo ranked: damage, swing speed, durability, ammo and which weapon fits which layer.
Casualties: Unknown Best Weapons Ranked
Casualties: Unknown does not have a weapon rarity ladder. It has tools that can hit people, guns with limited ammo, and a body simulation that rewards hitting the right limb. The best weapon is the one that lets you disengage before the bleed starts.
This ranking uses the demo's published damage values, swing times and durability, and assumes Normal difficulty.
Official source: Casualties: Unknown on Steam ↗
The ranking
| Rank | Weapon | Damage | Swing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Titanium machete | 80 | 0.32 s | 3,000 durability, fast, no ammo |
| 2 | Rifle | 120 | 0.10 s | 30 rounds of 5.56, full auto, loud |
| 3 | Machete | 50 | 0.35 s | Reliable early, outclassed later |
| 4 | Sledgehammer | 60 | 0.66 s | 700 knockback, breaks limbs |
| 5 | Pump shotgun | 60×8 | — | 7 rounds of 12G, close range only |
| 6 | Pistol | 90 | 0.20 s | 17 rounds of 9mm, semi-auto |
| 7 | Makeshift rifle | 80 | 1.00 s | 17 rounds of 9mm, slow |
| 8 | Heavy drill | 50 | 0.16 s | Mining tool, poor weapon |
| 9 | Bare hands | 30 | — | Only until you craft something |
Damage values are against enemies. Mining damage is a separate stat and is covered in the crafting guide.
1. Titanium machete
The titanium machete is the best weapon in the demo because it has no logistics. It does 80 damage, swings in 0.32 seconds and has 3,000 durability. It does not need ammo, it does not alert the layer, and it does not cost a trader reputation penalty for being drawn.
Against a Cave tick, one clean hit is usually enough. Against a Thornback, the fast swing lets you hit the flank and recover before the charge. Against the Elder Thornback, it is the weapon you can afford to miss with.
The only reason not to use it is reach. A machete requires you to be inside the enemy's attack range, which is exactly where the body simulation wants you to be.
2. Rifle
The rifle does 120 damage per shot, holds 30 rounds of 5.56 and fires fully automatically. It is the highest sustained damage in the demo.
It is not first because of what it costs:
- Ammo weight. 5.56 is heavy and not craftable early.
- Noise. Gunfire pulls enemies from adjacent caves. In Overgrown Depths, that is a swarm.
- Trader penalty. Holding a gun lowers trader reputation by 20.
- Repair. Guns need parts and cleaning; a machete needs a whetstone.
Use the rifle when you have a stash, a backup melee weapon and a route that does not require stealth. Do not use it as your first weapon.
3. Machete
The plain machete is the titanium machete's little sibling: 50 damage, 0.35 seconds, no durability figure published. It is the correct layer-1 and layer-2 weapon, and it remains usable through layer 3.
Its problem is the damage cliff. At 50 damage, a Thornback takes several hits, and several hits is several chances to be charged. Upgrade as soon as you find titanium.
4. Sledgehammer
The sledgehammer is a mining tool that happens to be a weapon. It does 60 damage with a 0.66-second swing and 700 knockback. The knockback is the point: it creates space, breaks a charge and can push an enemy into a trap.
It is slow enough that missing is punishing. Use it in corridors where the enemy cannot sidestep, and against enemies that commit to a straight line.
5. Pump shotgun
The pump shotgun fires 8 pellets of 60 damage each, 7 rounds of 12G. At point-blank range it deletes most enemies. At any other range it tickles.
It is a corridor weapon. In the wide chambers of Dried Desert, the spread turns a lethal hit into a few pellets in a wall. In the tight caves of Gravel Lands, it is the best panic button in the game.
6. Pistol
The pistol does 90 damage, holds 17 rounds of 9mm and fires semi-automatically. It is accurate, light and quiet compared with the rifle.
It sits below the shotgun because it lacks a role: the machete is better at close range, and the rifle is better at long range. The pistol is the weapon you carry when you have not found either.
7. Makeshift rifle
The makeshift rifle does 80 damage with a one-second cycle and 17 rounds of 9mm. It is a single-shot hunting rifle built from scrap, and it behaves like it.
The one-second cycle means every miss is a full second of standing still. Against a charging Thornback, that is a lost limb. Craft it for the damage, not for the fight.
8. Heavy drill and mining tools
The heavy drill does 50 enemy damage at 0.16 seconds, which sounds good until you remember it is a mining tool with a short reach and a long spin-up. The mini laser drill and plasma cutter are worse against flesh.
Use them on rock. Carry a machete for the things that bleed.
Body-part targeting
The weapon matters less than where it lands. The body simulation tracks limbs, blood and consciousness separately.
- Head: fastest path to unconsciousness, smallest target.
- Legs: slows the enemy, reduces its charge.
- Arms: reduces its damage and ability to hold a weapon.
- Torso: reliable damage, no mobility effect.
Against humanoid Survivors, a leg hit is often better than a head hit: a limping trader cannot chase you, and you may want to trade with them later.
Weapon durability
Melee weapons have durability; the titanium machete has 3,000. Durability is consumed by hitting rock, enemies and doors. A weapon at 0 is a handle.
Carry a whetstone or a repair kit. Check durability before a boss, not during one. The health panel and the item tooltip both show condition.
What to carry by layer
| Layer | Primary | Backup | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Gravel Lands | Machete | Pickaxe | Crawlers only; save ammo |
| 2 Deeper Gravel | Machete | Sledgehammer | Ticks cluster; knockback helps |
| 3 Dried Desert | Machete or rifle | Pistol | Open ground rewards range |
| 4 Wasteland | Rifle | Machete | No enemies; weapons are for traps |
| 5 Overgrown Depths | Titanium machete | Rifle | Boss needs sustained melee |
Thornbacks and the Elder Thornback punish fast, weak swings. Carry one heavy hit and one fast finisher.
FAQ
What is the highest-damage weapon? The rifle at 120 per shot, with the highest sustained output. The titanium machete is the best overall weapon because it has no ammo cost.
Are guns worth using? Yes, with ammo and a backup. They are loud and heavy, and traders charge you more when you are holding one.
Can weapons break? Melee weapons have durability and degrade with use. Guns need maintenance.
What is the best weapon for the Elder Thornback? A titanium machete and a throwable. The fight rewards mobility and burst damage, not sustained fire.
Does Strength change weapon damage? Yes. Each Strength level adds 3.34% of base damage.
Sources and further reading
Related guides
More Casualties: Unknown Guides
Casualties: Unknown item tier list for the demo: the best tools, weapons, armour, containers and medical items, ranked by how much they change a run.
A practical start for Casualties: Unknown: controls, first crafts, health panel reading and a safe route through the five demo layers.
How blood volume, bleeding rate, tourniquets and transfusions work in Casualties: Unknown, and the order to treat a bleeding limb.
The three playable characters in Casualties: Unknown, what Experiment can do in the demo, and what is actually confirmed about Milky and Dune.
How crafting works in Casualties: Unknown: the five tabs, Intelligence requirements, failure tiers, blueprints and the recipes worth making first.
What the free Casualties: Unknown demo includes, how long it takes, where it ends, what carries over and how to install it on Steam.
All six Casualties: Unknown presets plus the 41 custom run settings, with defaults, ranges and the options that actually change survival.
Casualties: Unknown endings explained: the confirmed story goal, the unreleased final layers, what the demo does at layer 5, and what is still speculation.