Constantly improving your arsenal in Returnal is integral to your survival. The gun you have at any given moment might not be suited for combat against the next wave of enemies, and picking up a new weapon could very well be the deciding factor in whether or not you get to the end of a biome. The only problem is, you don’t know how to get new weapons in Returnal, which is why you went looking for a guide on the subject.
Well, worry not. Below you’ll find a detailed breakdown of what affects the spawn rate of weapons, where they can be found, and more.
How to Get New Weapons in Returnal
As it currently stands, you get new weapons in Returnal based on RNG and luck.
This means that you won’t have a way of ensuring that a new weapon can be found in any given area or Biome. If you’re lucky, you’ll find several weapons scattered throughout each area, or will find some as drops from enemies. If you’re unlucky, then you might have to make your way through a large section of the game using only the starting pistol.
Fortunately, there is an easy way to tell if a weapon has spawned into the area you’re in. When a new gun has appeared, it’ll show up as a handgun icon on the mini-map in the bottom right corner of your screen. Once you see this, you can head toward the icon. Once you’re close enough, you’ll be able to examine the spawned weapon’s stats, pick it up by pressing and holding the Triangle button, or leave it alone and move on.
That’s everything there is to know about how to get new weapons in Returnal. For more on the game, check out our guide wiki. It has plenty of other guides which can help explain the game’s mechanics to you.
There should also be a slew of related articles down below, which cover everything from the latest Returnal trailers to our review of the game.
