- First run
- Six weapons, per one guide: three for close combat and three guns.
- Extras
- The Chainsaw and the Hyper Spray, found in a replay from a cleared save (one guide also puts the Chainsaw in Easy runs).
- Born from a Wish
- Maria has a Revolver and a Chinese Cleaver.
- Workhorses
- One guide rates the Handgun the best all-round weapon and the Steel Pipe the best close-combat one.
How weapons work
One guide explains the controls: hold the aim button (R2 on PS2) to raise a weapon, then press the attack button (X) to swing or fire. It adds that close-combat weapons never break. Guns hold a limited clip and need ammo you pick up along the way. One guide adds that on PS2 the attack button is pressure-sensitive: a firm press gives a stronger attack, which other versions map to holding the button. Two guides agree on every weapon and location in the table below.
The weapons of the main story
| Weapon | Type | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Wooden Plank | Close combat | Picked up automatically at the end of Vachss Road, early in the game. |
| Steel Pipe | Close combat | Stuck in the hood of a running car at the Texxon gas station, after you meet Maria. |
| Handgun | Gun | In a shopping cart in room 301 of Wood Side Apartments. You need the flashlight on to pick it up. |
| Shotgun | Gun | In the women's locker room on the second floor of Brookhaven Hospital. |
| Hunting Rifle | Gun, 4 rounds | In Toluca Prison; one guide places it on the gun rack in the armoury of the warden's office. |
| Great Knife | Close combat | Pyramid Head's blade, on a table in the middle of his lair in the Labyrinth. Very slow: James drags it along the floor. |
What each one is good for
Wooden Plank
One guide calls it the weakest weapon, with very short reach. One guide says to swap it for the Steel Pipe as soon as you have it.
Steel Pipe
Fair power and long reach. One guide notes a third, quick swing that exists only on Hard Action Level.
Handgun
One guide says it fires as fast as you hold the button and lets you walk while shooting. It calls it the best weapon in the game overall, and the one to use on Lying Figures, Mannequins and Nurses.
Shotgun
One guide describes a wide blast that can knock down two or three enemies at once and is strongest up close. It suggests keeping its shells for bosses and tough enemies.
Hunting Rifle
Slow to raise and fire but very strong, and James cannot move while firing it. Two guides agree that ammo is scarce; one suggests saving it for the last two boss fights.
Great Knife
Two guides agree it kills or knocks down almost anything in one hit, but it is awkward and slow. One guide pairs it with the Hyper Spray, which holds enemies still.
The two extra weapons
- Chainsaw: Silent Hill Memories says it is only in a replay; the Silent Hill Wiki on Fandom says it is also there on Easy.
- Two guides place the Chainsaw in a stack of logs by the path just after the graveyard; one names it as across from the Silent Hill Ranch. Both say you hear it running before you see it, and that it is slow to get going. One guide adds that it kills enemies in one hit.
- Hyper Spray: two guides agree on how it unlocks. Finish the game once on Hard Action Level, or twice with at least one run on Normal, or three times on any setting. It is in a camper van on Saul Street.
- Two guides agree that, apart from the green form, the spray mostly does not kill (both say the white spray kills Creepers, and one says every colour does): it holds most enemies still for a few seconds. Its colour depends on your ranking at the end of the previous run. Both add that the spray slowly hurts James too; one says that is why he covers his mouth.
Hyper Spray colours
| Ranking in the previous run | Colour | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Below 2 stars | Purple | Freezes most enemies. Knocks down Lying Figures without hurting them. One guide says it kills the Flesh Lips outright. |
| 2 to 7.9 stars | White | The usual spray: freezes most enemies without hurting them. |
| 8 to 9.9 stars | Yellow | Like White, but it also makes Mannequins fight each other. |
| 10 stars | Green | Kills enemies outright. One guide says it also ends boss fights at once. |
Maria's weapons in Born from a Wish
- Revolver: Maria carries it from the start. Two guides say it holds 10 rounds; one adds that ammo is plentiful in this scenario.
- Chinese Cleaver: stuck in a counter in Heaven's Night, the club where the scenario begins. Strong, with short reach.
Cross-checked
Cross-checked on 24 October 2026 against Andrew Haffenden's (Conquerer) weapons, unlockables and playing-the-game pages as published on Silent Hill Memories, and the Silent Hill Wiki on Fandom (pages for the Wooden Plank, Pipe, Handgun, Shotgun, Rifle, Hyper Spray, Chinese Cleaver and Revolver, and the Silent Hill 2 secrets page). Every weapon, location, unlock rule and spray colour on this page comes from these two sources together; we found no third source for them. The pressure-sensitive buttons, the third pipe swing on Hard, the ratings of each weapon, James covering his mouth with the spray, every colour killing Creepers, the Purple spray killing the Flesh Lips, the Green spray ending boss fights, the Chainsaw's one-hit kills, the warden's armoury and the plentiful Revolver ammo come from Silent Hill Memories alone. The Chainsaw in Easy runs comes from the Silent Hill Wiki on Fandom alone. Not from a playthrough: nobody here has played it.