Rise of the Tomb Raider Weapons: Unlocks and Upgrades

Which Weapons Should You Use?

Rise of the Tomb Raider weapons give Lara everything from quiet bows to automatic shotguns, but damage alone doesn’t decide which one belongs in your loadout. Reload speed, ammunition capacity, and available upgrades affect how comfortably you can handle a fight. Start with the Compound Bow for powerful aimed shots, then choose firearms that cover the situations where you need faster follow-up attacks.

These are useful options to work toward:

• Compound Bow: High arrow damage for combat and stealthy sniping.
• Military Rifle: A balance of damage, handling, and sustained fire.
• Heavy Pistol: A powerful handgun alternative to the faster Semi-Auto Pistol.
• Break-Action Shotgun: Heavy close-range damage, balanced by limited capacity and slow reloads.
• Full-Auto Shotgun: Faster firing and reloading, with less damage per shell.
• Thunderclap: A stronger break-action shotgun awarded for reaching 100% completion.

Lara carries one bow, one handgun, one rifle, and one shotgun at a time. Switch between those categories with the D-pad or the 1–2–3–4 keys on PC. To replace an equipped weapon with another model from the same category, visit a Base Camp and open the Weapons menu.

Choose your models before leaving camp. Switching from a rifle to a shotgun during combat is different from replacing the Assault Rifle with the Military Rifle.

Official page: Rise of the Tomb Raider™ (store.steampowered.com)

Bows: Story Unlocks, Strongbox Parts, and Crypt Rewards

The bow develops from Lara’s early survival tool into a serious combat weapon. Different models trade damage against draw speed, fire rate, and how long you can hold a drawn shot.

Image: Steam / Crystal Dynamics

Bow	How to unlock it	Main characteristics
Makeshift Longbow	Crafted during the Siberian Wilderness story	Limited power; your early weapon
Recurve Bow	Acquired during the Gulag story in the Soviet Installation	Replaces the Makeshift Longbow and inherits its upgrades
Compound Bow	Collect four parts from strongboxes in the Soviet Installation, then assemble it at camp	Heavy damage; suited to combat and stealthy sniping
Ancient Horn Bow	Complete Surveillance Disruption in the Geothermal Valley	Faster firing than the Compound Bow, with lower damage per shot
Grim Whisper	Collect four parts from the Crypts of the Founders, then assemble it at camp	Slightly higher base damage than the Ancient Horn Bow; shares its upgrades

For Grim Whisper, search the four relevant crypts across the Soviet Installation and Geothermal Valley: two are in each region. Its parts come from crypt exploration rather than the regular strongbox route.

Compound Bow or Ancient Horn Bow?

Choose the Compound Bow when you want more damage from each arrow. Its upgrade tree includes damage increases through Adjusted Limbs and Drop-Away Rest, along with draw-speed improvements.

Choose the Ancient Horn Bow when you prefer faster follow-up shots. Weighted Horn and Thumb Release improve its fire rate, while other upgrades extend hold time.

Invest in the early bow without worrying that every improvement will disappear when you change models. The Makeshift Longbow’s upgrades carry into the Recurve Bow, and many bow upgrades also carry into later models.

The Baba Yaga Reward Bow

Completing Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch awards a bow whose special poison-arrow effect makes enemies hallucinate and attack nearby companions. Its other stats and upgrades match the Ancient Horn Bow.

Use its altered poison arrows against groups to turn enemies against one another. For straightforward damage from individual arrows, keep the Compound Bow in consideration.

Handguns: Damage Versus Faster Follow-Up Shots

Lara carries a pistol with unlimited ammunition during Syria, but she reaches Siberia without her weapons. Her first new handgun there is the Revolver, acquired through the story in the Soviet Installation’s Train Yard.

Image: Steam / Crystal Dynamics

Handgun	How to unlock it	Main trade-off
Revolver	Story progression in the Train Yard	Early firearm with a relatively limited performance profile
Semi-Auto Pistol	Assemble four strongbox parts at camp	Faster firing and generally improved stats over the Revolver
Heavy Pistol	Assemble four strongbox parts at camp	More damage per shot than the Semi-Auto Pistol, with a slower fire rate
Venom Hand Cannon / Python Hand Cannon	Apex Predator DLC pack	Heavy damage, balanced by slower firing and smaller capacity
Hailstorm	20 Year Celebration DLC pack	Faster firing and larger capacity than the Semi-Auto Pistol, with slightly lower damage

The Heavy Pistol offers a useful base-game option if you want hard-hitting shots without the Apex Predator pack. The Venom Hand Cannon, also named the Python Hand Cannon in some versions of that pack, pushes further toward damage per shot.

Choose the Semi-Auto Pistol for more forgiving follow-up fire. Its magazine upgrades progress through Large Magazine, Extended Magazine, and High-Capacity Magazine, while several other improvements reduce recoil.

Handgun Upgrades Worth Considering

Match the improvement to the problem you’re having:

• Missing follow-up shots: Add recoil-stability upgrades such as Muzzle Brake.
• Spending too long reloading the Revolver: Unlock Speed Loader.
• Reloading the Semi-Auto Pistol too often: Increase magazine capacity.
• Needing more damage per hit: Look for Polished Barrel and Rifled Barrel.

The Venom Hand Cannon shares the Revolver’s upgrade tree. Moon Shadow matches the Heavy Pistol’s stats, while Accipiter Nox matches the Semi-Auto Pistol’s stats.

Rifles: Automatic Fire or Powerful Individual Shots

The rifle category includes automatic rifles, the SMG, and the Bolt Action Rifle. Despite its name and appearance, the SMG occupies the rifle slot and shares rifle ammunition.

Image: Steam / Crystal Dynamics

Weapon	How to unlock it	Main characteristics
Assault Rifle	Story progression in the Gulag	Your first rifle; supports damage, handling, and capacity upgrades
SMG	Assemble four strongbox components	Faster firing than the Assault Rifle, with lower damage per round
Bolt Action Rifle	Collect its strongbox parts and assemble it at camp	High damage, low capacity, and a slow firing cycle
Military Rifle	Buy it at the Soviet Installation Supply Shack for 140 Byzantine Coins	Balanced damage and speed, with strong handling and capacity options
Goldenfang	Community reward variant	Same stats and upgrades as the Bolt Action Rifle

Military Rifle or Assault Rifle?

The Military Rifle trades some damage for better recoil stability, reload speed, and ammunition capacity compared with the Assault Rifle. Its upgrades include Quick Release Magazines for reloading and Drum Magazine for capacity.

Choose the Military Rifle if controlling sustained fire matters more to you than maximizing damage per bullet. Keep upgrading the Assault Rifle if you prefer its damage and want to spend your Byzantine Coins elsewhere.

When to Equip the Bolt Action Rifle

The Bolt Action Rifle delivers powerful individual shots, but its low capacity and slow firing cycle demand more deliberate aiming.

Take it when you want high damage from individual rounds. Choose an automatic rifle for encounters where you expect to need repeated follow-up shots.

Its Lubricated Bolt and Custom Bolt Handle upgrades improve reload speed. Padded Stock and Custom Stock improve recoil stability.

Shotguns: Burst Damage, Capacity, and the 100% Reward

Shotguns differ sharply in how they handle repeated attacks. The Break-Action Shotgun concentrates on damage per shot, while the Full-Auto Shotgun favors rapid fire and quicker reloads.

Shotgun	How to unlock it	Main characteristics
Pump-Action Shotgun	Story progression before the Geothermal Valley village battle	Story-acquired close-range weapon with damage and handling upgrades
Break-Action Shotgun	Assemble four strongbox components	Heavy damage, two-shot capacity, and slow reloads
Full-Auto Shotgun	Assemble four strongbox pieces	Faster firing and reloading, with lower damage per shot
Tactical Shotgun	Buy it at the Supply Shack for 140 Byzantine Coins	Less damage than the Break-Action, but faster firing and reloading
Thunderclap	Reach 100% completion	Increased damage over the regular Break-Action Shotgun

Break-Action or Full-Auto?

Choose the Break-Action Shotgun for heavy close-range hits. Upgrade its reload speed through improvements such as Forced Ejector Mod and Lubricated Hinge to address its main limitation.

Choose the Full-Auto Shotgun when you want repeated attacks with fewer interruptions. Its Extended Magazine and Large Drum Magazine increase capacity, while Quick Release Drum improves reload speed.

The Tactical Shotgun offers another option if you want faster firing and reloading than the Break-Action without waiting to assemble its strongbox parts. It costs the same 140 Byzantine Coins as the Military Rifle, so compare both purchases before spending.

Thunderclap and Alternate Models

Thunderclap is the 100% completion reward. It shares the Break-Action Shotgun’s upgrade tree and increases damage per round, making it a weapon for use after reaching that milestone.

Voidhammer, included with Cold Darkness Awakened, matches the regular Break-Action Shotgun’s stats and upgrades. Harbinger is the red community reward variant of the Full-Auto Shotgun, with matching stats.

How Weapon Parts and Upgrade Tiers Work

Weapons enter your inventory through several routes: story progression, strongbox parts, mission rewards, crypt exploration, Supply Shack purchases, and bonus content.

For weapons assembled from strongbox parts, collect all required components and then visit a Base Camp. Strongbox contents can differ between playthroughs, so search for the boxes themselves rather than expecting a particular weapon part from every individual location.

Unlocking Higher Upgrade Tiers

Most weapons have four upgrade tiers. Tier I becomes available when you acquire the weapon; higher tiers require special tools.

• Crafting Tool: Unlocks Tier II.
• Enhancement Tool: Unlocks Tier III.
• Refinement Tool: Unlocks Tier IV.

Two tools come from strongboxes, and the third is purchased at the Supply Shack in the Soviet Installation.

Unlocking a tier only makes its upgrades available to craft. You still need the required ingredients, and some improvements have additional prerequisites shown in the camp menu.

Which Upgrades Should You Buy First?

Upgrade the weapons you carry most often, then address their specific weaknesses. Improve reload speed on a slow shotgun, recoil stability on an automatic rifle, or draw speed on your bow.

Check a newly unlocked model before spending more materials. Many upgrades carry between related weapons, but each model also has its own upgrade options.

Attachments, Climbing Axes, and the Combat Knife

Attachments apply across a weapon category. Once acquired, the following attachments cannot be removed.

Attachment	How to get it	Effect
Pistol Sight	Complete Dangerous Territory in the Soviet Installation	Increases zoom for all handguns
Laser Sight	Purchase at the Supply Shack	Adds zoom and an aiming pointer to rifles
Grenade Launcher	Purchase at the Supply Shack for 120 Byzantine Coins	Adds grenade alt-fire to rifle-category weapons
Shotgun Spreader Choke	Complete Misguided Intelligence in the Soviet Installation	Narrows shotgun spread for more focused damage

The grenade launcher works across rifle-category weapons, including the SMG. Use the Alt Fire control to launch grenades when ammunition is available.

Special ammunition also expands your options: bows support fire, poison, and grenade arrows; handguns have hollow-point rounds; and shotguns use incendiary Dragonfire shells.

Climbing Axe Upgrades

Lara’s climbing axes also serve as melee weapons and tools for opening containers and doors.

• Wrapped Handle: Allows melee attacks to knock enemies down.
• Honed Edge: Improves pry speed.
• Reinforced Shaft: Allows melee attacks to shatter armor.
• Leashed Handle: Makes prying almost instant.

Prioritize Reinforced Shaft when you want armor-breaking melee attacks. Add the pry-speed improvements to spend less time opening doors and containers.

By The Acropolis, Lara should also have the Combat Knife alongside the four basic weapon categories.

Why Extra Weapons Are Already Unlocked

The 20 Year Celebration edition includes the base game and Season Pass content, bringing bonus equipment into the camp menu alongside the normal campaign unlocks.

On PC, bonus variants can become available when you acquire the corresponding weapon category, before you finish assembling the standard model. Choosing a harder difficulty is not what grants those extra weapons.

Several bonus models share the stats and upgrades of an existing weapon:

• Tactical Survivor bow: Matches the Compound Bow.
• Sparrowhawk bow: Matches the Recurve Bow.
• Ancient Vanguard bow: Matches the Ancient Horn Bow.
• Moon Shadow: Matches the Heavy Pistol.
• Accipiter Nox: Matches the Semi-Auto Pistol.
• Voidhammer: Matches the Break-Action Shotgun.
• Harbinger: Matches the Full-Auto Shotgun.
• Goldenfang: Matches the Bolt Action Rifle.

Some additions change performance rather than appearance alone. The Venom Hand Cannon emphasizes handgun damage, Hailstorm increases firing speed and capacity, and the Baba Yaga reward bow changes poison-arrow behavior.

For a campaign built around finding equipment yourself, leave the early bonus variants unequipped and use the weapons earned through story progression, missions, exploration, and Supply Shack purchases.