- ANOMALITH weapons reward patience: aim for weak points, retreat often, and control engagements.
- Upgrade early: weapon upgrades and skill unlocks dramatically ease the game's steep difficulty curve.
- Artifacts can be equipped on Leona or slotted directly into guns to reshape resource management.
- Attachments are finicky: verify compatibility before crafting, or you may waste materials.
- Balance gunfire and MP: alternating skills with shooting is the safest combat rhythm.
ANOMALITH Weapons Overview: How Gunplay Works
ANOMALITH is a third-person horror shooter from Furyu set in anomaly zones across Showa-era Japan, and its weapons define the entire experience. Enemies are slow and do not demand twitch reflexes, but they hit extremely hard and absorb enormous punishment anywhere except their weak points. Your guns are therefore not about raw firepower—they are about battlefield control.
Fights in ANOMALITH are closer to classic survival horror than modern shooters. You attack from a distance, manage a Resident Evil 4-style suitcase inventory, and decide before each mission which guns, attachments, and supplies to bring. Being greedy with a light loadout can pay off, but only if your weapon plan is solid.
Video Highlights:
- ANOMALITH's combat rewards careful aiming over fast shooting
- Guns, skills, and artifacts all feed into one resource-management loop
- Weapon upgrades and attachments carry the mid-to-late game
- The review covers the full weapon and progression systems in depth
Engage at range, retreat often, and take your time aiming at weak points. Victory in ANOMALITH comes from controlling the fight, not winning reflex duels.
The table below summarizes how the main weapon categories behave in practice:
| Weapon Category | Playstyle | Strengths | Watch Out For |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-caliber guns | Slow, deliberate | Heavy damage per shot on weak points | Slow handling, ammo cost |
| SMGs | Mid-range pressure | Fast follow-up shots, forgiving aim | Attachment compatibility is unreliable |
| Utility (grenades) | Crowd control | Free up inventory-corner value in the suitcase | Occupies precious 2x2 slots |
| Skills (MP-based) | Burst damage / safety | Alternates with gunfire for safer runs | Low-HP MP regen invites one-shot deaths |
Artifacts: Slotting, Selling, and the Menu Problem
Artifacts are the second half of ANOMALITH's weapon system. Leona can equip them directly or slot them into her guns, and they are the primary way to bend resource management in your favor—more ammo efficiency, better regeneration, passive skills, and so on.
They follow a rarity curve with plenty of duplicates, and they are scarce in the early hours before flooding your inventory later. Disposing of them should be a core loop, but the tools for it are weak: you can sell artifacts for currency or feed them into a Borderlands-style slot machine to roll better gear.
The equipment menu does not reliably show artifact effects, rarity, or images—only names, in a poorly sorted list. Worse, currently equipped items appear in the same list and can be consumed if you select them, with no warning. Double-check before selling or gambling anything.
Recommended artifact handling workflow:
| Situation | Recommended Action |
|---|---|
| Duplicate artifacts with identical effects | Sell or gamble the lower-rarity copy |
| Artifact with a useful passive skill | Equip on Leona, do not slot into a gun |
| Percentage modifiers for damage/ammo | Slot into your main mission weapon |
| Unsure what an artifact does | Test in a low-risk mission before disposing |
| Item appears "equipped" in the sell menu | Stop—verify it is not currently slotted |
Weapon Upgrades & Attachments: Step-by-Step
The upgrade system covers guns, attachments, and equipment, and it is extensive—but engaging with it can be frustrating if you go in blind. Follow this order to avoid wasted materials.
Settle on a main weapon first
Upgrade currency and materials are limited early. Pick one primary gun and commit before spreading upgrades across your arsenal.
Check attachment compatibility before crafting
Descriptions like "SMG attachment" or "for high-caliber weapons" are unreliable—a high-caliber SMG may accept neither. Confirm in the equip screen before spending materials.
Slot artifacts into your main gun
Feed percentage modifiers into the weapon you actually bring on missions, and keep passive-skill artifacts on Leona herself.
Unlock skills to pair with gunfire
A guns-only run is technically possible but leaves huge effectiveness on the table. Unlock skills that let you alternate shooting and MP spending safely.
Re-evaluate each mission loadout
The mission structure allows backtracking and repeated runs. Go in light to farm efficiently, heavy when attempting tough arena fights.
ANOMALITH's difficulty curve is uneven, and enemies stay absurdly durable throughout. Weapon upgrades are the most reliable way to smooth out the late game's repetitive stretches.
Build Archetypes: Three Loadout Approaches
Because ANOMALITH hands you control over guns, skills, artifacts, and inventory, distinct builds emerge. These three cover the main ways to play.
Gunslinger
- Guns-first upgrades
- Minimal MP dependency
- Ammo-management heavy
- Simplest for beginners
Hybrid Alternator
- Alternates gunfire and skills
- Safest overall rhythm
- Juggles MP as a resource
- Best mid-game power spike
Low-HP Risk Runner
- Runs low HP to regen MP
- Maximum skill uptime
- Vulnerable to one-shots
- For confident players only
| Build | Upgrade Priority | Artifact Priority | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gunslinger | Weapon damage, ammo capacity | Damage/ammo percentage mods | Low |
| Hybrid Alternator | Split guns and skills | Mixed mods plus passives | Medium |
| Low-HP Risk Runner | Skills and MP efficiency | Passive-skill artifacts on Leona | High |
Trying different builds is the main source of variety in the late game—but the game leaves engaging with these systems entirely up to you. Experiment deliberately rather than passively.
Known Bugs & Pitfalls to Avoid
ANOMALITH ships with a handful of bugs and design quirks that specifically threaten your weapon and inventory plans. None are guaranteed to occur, but players should know what to watch for.
| Issue | Impact on Weapons/Inventory | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Backpack randomly downsizes | Ammo stranded in deleted slots after retry | Keep critical ammo in stable slots before tough fights |
| Companion drone vanishes | Lost combat support mid-mission | Restart mission if it matters |
| Occasional full freezes | Progress since last save at risk | Save between missions |
| Unlabeled "return" button | Instantly exits mission and resets environment | Never park your cursor near it in shops |
The return button sits right beside store items with no confirmation dialog. One misclick can eject you from a mission and reset the environment. Treat the shop screen cautiously.
Before Every Difficult Mission:
- Confirm main weapon is fully upgraded and slotted
- Verify no equipped artifacts appear in the sell list
- Store spare ammo in stable inventory slots
- Save before entering arena fights
- Decide MP strategy: alternate skills or low-HP regen
FAQ
Q: Can I beat ANOMALITH using only guns and no skills?
Yes, a guns-only approach is technically viable, but it leaves a lot of effectiveness on the table. Alternating gunfire with skills is significantly safer because skills provide burst damage and safety tools that guns alone cannot match.
Q: Why can't I equip the attachment I crafted for my weapon?
Attachment descriptions are unreliable—a magazine extension labeled for SMGs or high-caliber weapons may still not fit a high-caliber SMG. Always verify compatibility on the equip screen before crafting anything.
Q: What should I do with duplicate ANOMALITH weapons artifacts?
Sell duplicates for currency or feed them into the slot machine to roll better equipment. Just be extremely careful: the menu does not clearly show effects or rarity, and equipped items appear in the same list and can be consumed without warning.
Q: How long does it take to fully upgrade everything?
The main story runs roughly 10-15 hours, and completing every side quest plus upgrading all weapons and unlocking every compendium entry can roughly double that time. Expect farming repetition in the late game.