Top 10 Best Non-Lethal Weapons in Video Games

Top 10 Best Non-Lethal Weapons in Video Games Who needs to kill enemies, when you can just leave ‘em dazed and confused? Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re counting down our list of the top 10 Best Non-Lethal Weapons in Video Games. For this list we’re taking a look at the firearms, blunt instruments, gadgets and gizmos in gaming that can bring foes to their knees without needing to be deadly. Whether it relies on advanced portal technology or more familiar sleep-inducing drugs, these weapons always manage to avoid crossing that one line.

#10: Sticky Shocker

“Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory” (2005) What the world really needs is a shock to its system... right? Jokes aside, the Sticky Shocker attachment for the SC-2000 rifle really is a wonderful device in NSA operative Sam Fisher’s arsenal. When shot at a target, the Shocker proceeds to administer a powerful electric current which immediately knocks the individual out. It also has the capability to bounce off surfaces or spread its charge across bodies of water, allowing for a number of unconventional strategies to be explored. It's so useful in fact that Japanese officers in the Kokubo Sosho level of “Chaos Theory” make use of the Sticky Shocker, posing a distinct threat to Sam.

#9: Beanbag

“SWAT 4” (2005) If you want to get the most out of a game simulating the life and times of SWAT officers, then pay close attention. “SWAT 4” offers the Beanbag as a type of shotgun ammo, fitting in with the theme of subduing and detaining criminals above all. What makes the Beanbag a good weapon is that, despite lacking the threat of lethal ammunition, it still disorients those targeted long enough to be properly captured. It doesn’t accrue the penalties that more traditional firearms would bring about, it works both as an effective means of combating individuals, and it balances police responsibility with a capable arsenal.

#8: Tranquilizer Rifle

“Deus Ex” series (2011-) Sleep easy, dear foes. One of the most notable firearms introduced in the 2011 game “Deus Ex: Human Revolution” was the PAX-22 Tranquilizer Rifle, loaded with non-fatal darts that fire one at a time. The rifle is built to be aimed carefully and purposefully, since each dart’s sedative has a delay of several seconds unless fired at the head. The PAX-22’s utility as a long-range, life-preserving weapon proved endearing enough for the tranquilizer rifle concept to appear again in “Mankind Divided”, in the form of the TRQ 203-C Longsword. Whichever one you come across, though, it’s a good addition to your toolbelt.

#7: Shrink Ray

“Duke Nukem 3D” (1996) Over the course of his alien-slaying journey, Duke Nukem obtains a great many tools of the trade – including the unusual Shrink Ray. As the name implies, the weapon zaps any targeted enemy and reduces their size significantly. The Shrink Ray fires quickly and maintains its effectiveness on everything but bosses, thus making for a good means of crowd control. On top of that, the Ray doesn’t harm those enemies blasted, with mortal injury only occurring should Duke step on them. All things considered, it’s a fun way to battle foes and not worry about the troubling implications of mass slaughter.

#6: Gas Arrows

“Thief” series (1998-2004) Across the original three “Thief” games, arrows prove a very helpful tool in dealing with adversaries and overcoming the maze-like levels. Standing out is the Gas Arrow variation, which can be quite the aid so long as supplies last. Not only can these arrows immediately knock unconscious most humans and various creatures, they can also put out torches and be applied to non-combat situations. The Gas Arrows’ status as the most expensive of arrow variants is intimidating, to be sure, yet they’re well worth the price paid or the effort made to find them during missions.

#5: Gal Gun

“Gal*Gun” series (2011-) Well, we’ve certainly never seen weaponized arousal before, so that’s something. In the “Gal*Gun” games, the male heroes tend to get hit with love arrows and chased by every female student within close proximity. Killing said girls is out of the question, so the game requires a less bloody approach... hence the eponymous Gal Gun. This weapon blasts its targets with pheromone shots that cause quite the powerful emotional reaction – girls exposed to enough of the pheromone pass out due to overwhelming ecstasy. Setting aside the matter of this concept being in good taste or not, it’s a fascinating idea for a weapon and utterly audacious in its execution.

#4: Solar Gun

“Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots” (2008) Much can be said of the efficiency and precision of the “Metal Gear” series’ Tranquilizer Pistols, but there’s one weapon that manages to top it in terms of sheer fun factor. Unlocked only by besting the bosses non-lethally and collecting five related dolls, the Solar Gun in “Metal Gear Solid 4” offers players a satisfying means of dispatching foes. It charges up and fires beams of light which drain enemies of their stamina instantly, leaving them unconscious. The novelty and gratifying nature of the Solar Gun makes it worthy of use.

#3: The Mesmetron

“Fallout 3” (2008) Those who venture across the Capital Wasteland to Paradise Falls and take on the Strictly Business side-quest will get to use quite the interesting – if morally reprehensible – toy. The quest tasks the player with hunting down and enslaving wasteland inhabitants using the Mesmetron, an energy weapon with a twist. See, the Mesmetron merely fires a hypnotic pulse, strong enough to make people susceptible to outside control but not enough to outright kill them. This device grants players a chance to interact with the world in a different way than normal; after all, who says you have to kill foes when you can simply dominate them?

#2: Portal Gun

“Portal” series (2007-11) Sometimes it takes a cleverer, more evasive approach to find success. This is the kind of scenario for which the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device was constructed. Nicknamed the Portal Gun for short, this tool enables the user to launch a pair of portals – one orange, one blue – onto nearby surfaces. From crossing a deadly chamber to relocating a block onto a button, the Portal Gun gets plenty of mileage out of being an aid for traversal and puzzle solving. Plus, it manages to be a valuable weapon that’s incapable of causing direct harm to other beings, save perhaps for redirecting projectiles at murderous robots.

#1: Morph-O-Ray

“Ratchet & Clank” (2002) Ah, the ever-valuable happy accident, how you never cease to impress. “Ratchet & Clank” gets much praise for its eccentric weapon design, with each and every instrument at the player’s disposal having a unique look and feel. Arguably most intriguing in the line-up is the Morph-O-Ray, stated in-universe to have been a failed attempt at building a disintegration weapon. What it does instead makes up for the supposed flaw; it blasts energy at foes which transforms them into chickens. Whereas other weapons might prove fatal, the Morph-O-Ray instead allows the player to evade combat effortlessly while also being entertaining in action.