The monsters in the Silent Hill 2 Remake don’t hold back, so James Sunderland must always be ready for whatever comes next. Your choice of weapons will greatly influence how you handle both regular encounters and boss fights. With six weapons available, it is best to arm James to the teeth and be prepared for anything that comes your way. Here are all the weapons in Silent Hill 2 Remake and how to find them.
All Weapons and Locations in Silent Hill 2 Remake
Silent Hill 2 offers six weapons: three melee and three ranged. Below is a complete list of all the weapons in the Silent Hill 2 Remake, along with detailed locations for each one.
- Wooden Plank
- Handgun
- Steel Pipe
- Shotgun
- Hunting Rifle
- Chainsaw
Wooden Plank Location
The Wooden Plank is the first melee weapon you’ll find in the Silent Hill 2 Remake, and you can’t miss it. You’ll find it early on, right after entering the first building in Silent Hill. When a creature appears in the room, James grabs the Wooden Plank from a nearby window to defend himself.
The best part of the Wooden Plank is that it’s unbreakable and can be used indefinitely against enemies. It’s also a handy option when you want to conserve ammo for other weapons, like the handgun.
Handgun Location
While the Wooden Plank is useful during the early hours of Silent Hill 2, you’ll eventually need a ranged weapon to handle tougher enemies. That’s when the game prompts you to find the Handgun, which is essential for advancing the story. You won’t be able to progress without obtaining it.
As you continue through the story and reach the Woodside Apartments, you’ll find a note at the reception desk about a noise complaint involving a gunshot from Room 217. This is your clue to explore that room on the second floor, where you will likely find the handgun. However, you’ll first need the key to access the second-floor hallway.
You can find the key in the eastern corridor of the first floor, near the metal bars on the south side. Once you have it, head to Room 217, where you’ll spot a red shopping cart holding the Handgun.
Unlike the Wooden Plank, the Handgun doesn’t have unlimited ammo. However, ammo is fairly easy to find throughout the town of Silent Hill, making it the most accessible firearm in the game. Still, it doesn’t replace the need for melee weapons, as you’ll often find yourself smashing monsters with close-range attacks.
Steel Pipe Location
Another melee weapon you’ll encounter is the Steel Pipe, which, like the Wooden Plank, is impossible to miss. After meeting Maria on Katz Street, a cutscene will trigger where James is engulfed in a heavy fog. He runs down an alley in the Western South Vale and finds the Steel Pipe inside a car.
Since this happens during a cutscene, you can’t miss picking up the Steel Pipe in the Silent Hill 2 Remake. It’s important to note that James can only carry one melee weapon at a time, so when you acquire the Steel Pipe, the Wooden Plank will be discarded. You’ll continue using the Steel Pipe for the rest of the game.
The Steel Pipe is a significant upgrade from the Wooden Plank, allowing you to take down enemies much faster. While it’s a nice improvement, I wish the game allowed you to switch between the two weapons as your primary melee choice.
Shotgun Location
The Shotgun is the second firearm you’ll acquire in the Silent Hill 2 Remake, but you won’t come across it until you reach Brookhaven Hospital. When you enter the hospital’s security room, you’ll notice an empty Shotgun locker, hinting that the weapon is somewhere within the hospital.
To find the Shotgun, head to the Women’s Locker Room on the second floor, located on the western side of Brookhaven Hospital. Inside, next to a bent needle stuck in a teddy bear’s head, you’ll see an open locker. This is where you’ll find the Shotgun, ready for James to pick up and use.
Once you have the Shotgun, it stays with you for the rest of the game, unlike the Steel Pipe. However, its ammo is a bit harder to come by than the Handgun. This means you won’t want to waste it on every enemy you encounter. Instead, save those precious buckshots for tougher foes, especially during boss fights.
Hunting Rifle Location
The Hunting Rifle is the last weapon you can obtain in your first Silent Hill 2 Remake playthrough.
To get the Hunting Rifle, you must advance the story until you reach the Toluca Prison section. Once there, you’ll find the rifle locked inside an Armory locker.
To unlock the Armory, you’ll need to find the key, which is located at the end of the Serpent section, just south of the Witness Checkpoint in Toluca Prison. The Witness Checkpoint connects to the hallway outside the Armory and will remain accessible throughout your time in the prison, allowing you to backtrack and retrieve the key whenever you’re ready to open the locker.
Once you have the key, check your map. James has already marked the location of the Armory Locked containing the Hunting Rifle. Reach the locker, use the key, and get yourself a shiny new firearm.
While the Hunting Rifle is very close to the raw damage of a shotgun, the only edge it has over a shotgun is the range. Ammo for the rifle is scarce, so it’s best to save it for boss fights. Instead of using it on regular enemies, conserve your shots and aim for headshots to keep bosses at a distance whenever possible.
Chainsaw Location
While all the previously mentioned weapons are easily obtainable during your first playthrough, the Chainsaw is exclusive to the New Game Plus mode. To unlock this mode, you must complete the game at least once. Then, start a new game in New Game Plus from the main menu.
In this mode, after interacting with Angela, you’ll reach the Silent Hill Ranch area, which is shrouded in thick fog. You’ll find the Chainsaw embedded in a pile of logs just across from the “Silent Hill Ranch” sign.
The Chainsaw is an incredibly powerful weapon, capable of taking down most enemies with a single hit. Best of all, it doesn’t require any fuel, allowing for unlimited use. While bosses will take more than one swing to defeat, regular enemies won’t stand a chance as you navigate Silent Hill again in New Game Plus mode.
For more tips about the game, we recommend you read our Silent Hill 2 Remake Save File Location on PC guide.
