Best weapons in Tyrian: recommended loadouts
Which guns, sidekick, shield, generator and ship to buy, worked out from the figures of the equipment pages: damage per power level, energy use, price and the episodes whose shops sell each item. Six builds, from a cheap episode 1 opener to the strongest set each episode allows.
How to read these numbers
- Est. DPS is the rough damage per second of the weapon tables: volleys per second × shots per volley × damage per shot, as if every shot hit one target. Spread and piercing shots behave differently in play. Missiles and bombs (chain shots) are left out of every ranking because the estimate counts their blast as 1.
- Energy / s for a gun is its power use × volleys per second. A shield costs its energy per point × 2.3 points per second, and only while it recharges. A generator adds its output every frame (35 frames per second) to a reserve of 900. When guns and shield ask for more than the generator makes, the reserve empties and the guns fire slower than their tables say (Shop and energy).
- Credits for a gun add its price and every power level up to the one listed (each level costs 1, 3, 6, 10… times the price). Selling an item refunds it, so a swap costs the difference.
- Sold in episodes lists the episodes whose shops offer the item; a shop only shows part of that selection at a time. Sidekick figures use the same Est. DPS formula; the sidekick table lists no power use, so sidekicks are left out of the energy totals.
1. Budget opener (episode 1)
Why: At power 3, the Pulse-Cannon (28 Est. DPS for 2,500 credits) and the rear Vulcan Cannon (rear gun) (18 for 2,500) give the most damage per credit of the guns sold in episode 1. The Gencore High Energy Shield is the strongest shield there under 1,000 credits. The Satellite Marlo gives the most damage per credit among unlimited sidekicks.
| Slot | Item | Credits | Est. DPS | Energy / s | Sold in episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front gun | Pulse-Cannon power 3 | 2,500 | 28 | 210 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Rear gun | Vulcan Cannon (rear gun) power 3 | 2,500 | 18 | 175 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Sidekick | Satellite Marlo | 2,000 | 7 | — | 1, 5 |
| Shield | Gencore High Energy Shield strength 5 | 1,000 | — | 280 while recharging | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Generator | Gencore Custom MR-12 | 5,000 | — | +665 produced | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
Total 13,000 credits, about 52 Est. DPS. Guns and shield need up to 665 energy per second; the Gencore Custom MR-12 produces 665. Gun prices include every power level up to the one listed.
2. Energy saver (episodes 2 to 5)
Why: The Pulse-Cannon (43 damage per 100 energy at power 11) and the Starburst (80) waste the least energy of the guns sold in every episode from 2 to 5. The Gencore Solar Shield pays only 40 energy per point, the lowest of those shields.
| Slot | Item | Credits | Est. DPS | Energy / s | Sold in episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front gun | Pulse-Cannon power 11 | 110,500 | 76 | 175 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Rear gun | Starburst power 11 | 198,900 | 187 | 233 | 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Sidekick | Dual Shot Option | 6,000 | 12 | — | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Shield | Gencore Solar Shield strength 7 | 10,000 | — | 93 while recharging | 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Generator | Gencore Custom MR-12 | 5,000 | — | +665 produced | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
Total 330,400 credits, about 274 Est. DPS. Guns and shield need up to 502 energy per second; the Gencore Custom MR-12 produces 665. Gun prices include every power level up to the one listed.
3. Boss killer (episode 3)
Why: The Laser has the highest Est. DPS of any front gun sold in shops (210 at power 11). The Starburst is the strongest rear gun (187), and the BattleShip-Class Firebomb the strongest unlimited sidekick (140). Episode 3 sells all three.
| Slot | Item | Credits | Est. DPS | Energy / s | Sold in episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front gun | Laser power 11 | 198,900 | 210 | 700 | 3 |
| Rear gun | Starburst power 11 | 198,900 | 187 | 233 | 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Sidekick | BattleShip-Class Firebomb | 65,000 | 140 | — | 3, 5 |
| Shield | MicroCorp LXS Class C strength 9 | 5,000 | — | 233 while recharging | 2, 3, 4 |
| Generator | Gravitron Pulse-Wave | 50,000 | — | +1750 produced | 2, 3, 4 |
| Ship | Prototype Stalker-C armor 28 | 50,000 | — | — | 3, 4 |
Total 567,800 credits, about 537 Est. DPS. Guns and shield need up to 1167 energy per second; the Gravitron Pulse-Wave produces 1750. Gun prices include every power level up to the one listed.
4. Episode 4 heavy build
Why: The Lightning Cannon has the highest Est. DPS of the front guns sold in episode 4 (140 at power 11). With the rear gun it needs 1458 energy per second, which only the Gravitron Pulse-Wave (1750) can feed. The Stalker 21.126 costs 30,000 credits in episodes 4–5. It has the most armor of the ships sold here (30).
| Slot | Item | Credits | Est. DPS | Energy / s | Sold in episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front gun | Lightning Cannon power 11 | 221,000 | 140 | 1225 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Rear gun | Starburst power 11 | 198,900 | 187 | 233 | 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Sidekick | Protron Cannon Tangerine | 30,000 | 52 | — | 4 |
| Shield | MicroCorp LXS Class C strength 9 | 5,000 | — | 233 while recharging | 2, 3, 4 |
| Generator | Gravitron Pulse-Wave | 50,000 | — | +1750 produced | 2, 3, 4 |
| Ship | The Stalker 21.126 armor 30 | 30,000 | — | — | 4 |
Total 534,900 credits, about 379 Est. DPS. Guns and shield need up to 1692 energy per second; the Gravitron Pulse-Wave produces 1750. Gun prices include every power level up to the one listed.
5. Episode 5 build
Why: Episode 5 does not sell the Gravitron Pulse-Wave. The best generator sold in episode 5 is the Advanced MircoFusion (1050 energy per second). That is too little for Lightning Cannon (1225 energy/s) next to the rear gun. So the Protron (front gun) (95 Est. DPS for 250 energy/s) takes the front. The MicroCorp HXS Class C (strength 14) is sold only in episode 5.
| Slot | Item | Credits | Est. DPS | Energy / s | Sold in episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front gun | Protron (front gun) power 11 | 132,600 | 95 | 250 | 1, 2, 4, 5 |
| Rear gun | Starburst power 11 | 198,900 | 187 | 233 | 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Sidekick | BattleShip-Class Firebomb | 65,000 | 140 | — | 3, 5 |
| Shield | MicroCorp HXS Class C strength 14 | 25,000 | — | 280 while recharging | 5 |
| Generator | Standard MicroFusion | 10,000 | — | +875 produced | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Ship | MicroCorp Stalker-B armor 27 | 25,000 | — | — | 2, 3, 4, 5 |
Total 456,500 credits, about 422 Est. DPS. Guns and shield need up to 763 energy per second; the Standard MicroFusion produces 875. Gun prices include every power level up to the one listed.
6. Strongest build of each episode
Same rules for every episode, at power 11: the rear gun with the highest Est. DPS, then the strongest front gun and shield the best generator of that episode can still feed, the strongest unlimited sidekick and the ship with the most armor. Pick the line of the episode you are playing.
| Episode | Front | Rear | Sidekick | Shield | Generator | Ship | Est. DPS | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episode 1 | Protron (front gun) | Sonic Wave | Protron Cannon Indigo | MicroCorp HXS Class A | Advanced MircoFusion | Gencore Maelstrom | 243 | 396,550 |
| Episode 2 | Lightning Cannon | Starburst | Protron Cannon Indigo | MicroCorp LXS Class C | Gravitron Pulse-Wave | MicroCorp Stalker-B | 355 | 511,900 |
| Episode 3 | Laser | Starburst | BattleShip-Class Firebomb | MicroCorp LXS Class C | Gravitron Pulse-Wave | Prototype Stalker-C | 537 | 567,800 |
| Episode 4 | Lightning Cannon | Starburst | Protron Cannon Tangerine | MicroCorp LXS Class C | Gravitron Pulse-Wave | The Stalker 21.126 | 379 | 534,900 |
| Episode 5 | Protron (front gun) | Starburst | BattleShip-Class Firebomb | MicroCorp HXS Class C | Standard MicroFusion | MicroCorp Stalker-B | 422 | 456,500 |
Which build for which difficulty
Difficulty does not change your guns; it scales the armor of every enemy when it appears (enemy armor by difficulty), up to 254 per part. The table shows what that means against the destructible parts of the Fireball Ship in Lava Exit, with the Est. DPS of build 1 (52) and build 3 (537), assuming every shot hits. The harder the difficulty, the more the extra damage of the strongest builds is worth: on Lord of Game build 1 needs 31.2 seconds where build 3 needs 3.1.
| Difficulty | Armor to break | Seconds, build 1 | Seconds, build 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | 312 | 5.9 | 0.6 |
| Normal | 410 | 7.8 | 0.8 |
| Hard | 492 | 9.4 | 0.9 |
| Impossible | 615 | 11.7 | 1.1 |
| Suicide | 820 | 15.6 | 1.5 |
| Lord of Game | 1,640 | 31.2 | 3.1 |
Armor of each part scaled and capped as the game does; parts with armor 255 cannot be destroyed and are not counted.
What is the best weapon in Tyrian?
Among guns sold in shops, the Laser has the highest Est. DPS at power 11 (210), but it needs 700 energy per second. The Starburst is the best rear gun (187) and also one of the cheapest to run. Never sold in shops but as strong: Atomic RailGun, which comes with special ships and modes.
Front guns, power 11
| Gun | Est. DPS | Energy / s | Damage per 100 energy | Paid to power 11 | Sold in episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laser | 210 | 700 | 30 | 198,900 | 3 |
| Zica Laser | 192 | 394 | 49 | 243,100 | 3 |
| Lightning Cannon | 140 | 1225 | 11 | 221,000 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Protron (front gun) | 95 | 250 | 38 | 132,600 | 1, 2, 4, 5 |
| Fireball | 82 | 146 | 56 | 221,000 | 4 |
Rear guns, power 11
| Gun | Est. DPS | Energy / s | Damage per 100 energy | Paid to power 11 | Sold in episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starburst | 187 | 233 | 80 | 198,900 | 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Sonic Wave | 120 | 250 | 48 | 209,950 | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Multi-Cannon (rear gun) | 90 | 200 | 45 | 165,750 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Fireball | 82 | 146 | 56 | 221,000 | 1, 2, 3, 5 |
| Scatter Wave | 82 | 233 | 35 | 198,900 | 2, 4, 5 |
Best firing mode for rear guns with two modes.
Best sidekick
Among sidekicks with unlimited ammo, the BattleShip-Class Firebomb has by far the highest Est. DPS (140) but costs 65,000 credits. With limited ammo, the Plasma Storm (35, 6 ammo) and the Side Ship (35, 100 ammo) hit as hard as the mid-range ones until they run dry.
| Sidekick | Est. DPS | Price | Est. DPS per 1,000 credits | Sold in episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BattleShip-Class Firebomb | 140 | 65,000 | 2.2 | 3, 5 |
| Protron Cannon Tangerine | 52 | 30,000 | 1.8 | 4 |
| Protron Cannon Indigo | 28 | 12,000 | 2.3 | 1, 2, 4 |
| MicroSol FrontBlaster II | 28 | 14,000 | 2.0 | 4 |
| Zica SuperCharger | 24 | 50,000 | 0.5 | 3 |
| Vulcan Shot Option | 23 | 10,000 | 2.3 | 1, 3, 4 |
Unlimited ammo only. Sidekicks with a separate episode 4–5 version are left out.
Which ship should I buy?
A ship only sets your armor, so buy the most armor you can afford in the episode you are playing. The best ship sold in each episode: episode 1: Gencore Maelstrom (20 armor, 15,000 credits); episode 2: MicroCorp Stalker-B (27 armor, 25,000 credits); episode 3: Prototype Stalker-C (28 armor, 50,000 credits); episode 4: The Stalker 21.126 (30 armor, 30,000 credits); episode 5: MicroCorp Stalker-B (27 armor, 25,000 credits).
| Ship | Armor | Price | Armor per 1,000 credits | Sold in episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Stalker 21.126 | 30 | 65,535 (30,000 in episodes 4–5) | 1.00 | 4 |
| Prototype Stalker-C | 28 | 50,000 | 0.56 | 3, 4 |
| MicroCorp Stalker-B | 27 | 25,000 | 1.08 | 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| SuperCarrot | 26 | 65,000 | 0.40 | 2, 5 |
| MicroCorp Stalker | 25 | 20,000 | 1.25 | 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Gencore II | 22 | 17,000 | 1.29 | 5 |
| Gencore Maelstrom | 20 | 15,000 | 1.33 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Gencore Phoenix | 17 | 12,000 | 1.42 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| USP Fang Light Fighter | 14 | 8,000 | 1.75 | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Storm | 10 | 5,000 | 2.00 | 5 |
| USP Talon Light Fighter | 10 | 6,000 | 1.67 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
Ships sold in campaign shops; armor per 1,000 credits uses the price of the shops that sell the ship. The others come with secret codes, special modes or the end of an episode (Ships).
Arcade and two-player
Arcade has no shop and no cash: you power up with items collected during the levels (Game modes). In Arcade and two-player games the energy reserve is always full, so power use stops mattering and only raw damage counts. At power 11 the highest Est. DPS belong to Laser (210), Atomic RailGun (210), Zica Laser (192), Starburst (187), Lightning Cannon (140), Banana Blast (140).
Sources of these figures
Every number above is computed from the tables of Weapons, Sidekicks, Shields, Generators and Ships, read from the Tyrian 2000 item data. Prices are those of episodes 1–3 except where the ship table gives an episode 4–5 price.