Key Takeaways
- The Delicious Last Course expansion pack for Cuphead introduces new weapons for players to use.
- Players can customize their gameplay with a variety of new weapons like Mini-Bomb, Twist-Up, and Crackshot.
- Players can strategize with unique weapons like Ms. Chalice’s Three Way and Charge for different boss fights in Cuphead.
Cuphead gets most of its praise as an incredible indie game platformer due to its animation style and difficulty, but the huge variety of weapons and charms that can customize a player’s experience with the game shouldn’t go unnoticed. Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course is an excellent expansion to the beloved title from Studio MDHR and introduces plenty of new content to the game that will satiate fans of this hard-as-nails side-scrolling shooter that takes no prisoners and beats players into submission until they eventually get good at its many stages and boss fights.
It adds a new playable character in the form of Ms. Chalice and plenty of additional levels and boss fights too. Players also have new charms and weapons at their disposal, provided they have enough coins to go on a shopping spree at Porkrind’s Emporium. In terms of an expansion pack, the content added in Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course gives players a ton of options to choose from while trying to decide from one of the many best Cuphead weapons they can get their hands on.
Updated on September 20, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: Cuphead is one of the biggest indie darlings that invokes the art style present in the golden age of cartoons, with companies like Disney and Hanna-Barbera leading the charge. The painstaking work put into Cuphead’s visual design is apparent from the get-go, making it clear that something special went into the creation of this challenging side-scrolling shooter with a lot of bullet-hell energy that fans will appreciate. It won’t take long for the game’s difficulty to frustrate players, making it important to choose the best Cuphead weapons that can be used to level the playing field and beat enemies into submission.
10 Special: Plane Weapons
Certain levels in Cuphead require the player to fly around in an airplane to beat a boss. This makes for a fresh change of pace in the gameplay, even if some people have to relearn how these weapons work from time to time. Still, this is made worthwhile when players take out the many tough enemies standing in their way in these planes, dodging a wealth of powerful attacks in the process.
Plane Peashooter
- EX Move: Unleashes a rocket with a chopper mouth
The peashooter is one of the safest weapons players can use in Cuphead. This variant of the peashooter works nearly identically, with the only difference being that Cuphead and Mugman fire this from their plane instead of on foot. Players must rely on this weapon to even stand a chance against the many enemies that will try to bombard them with attacks.
Mini-Bomb
- EX Move: Fires a barrage of horseshoe magnets
Players who want to switch up their tactics against a flying enemy that is causing them problems will find the mini-bomb to be a great alternate weapon to rely on. The firing rate is slower and the downward arc can make aiming tricky, but players who figure out a great moment in a boss fight to switch to this weapon will love how an enemy’s health bar is decimated after a few hits from this weapon.
Ms. Chalice’s Three Way
- EX Move: Lets out two W-shaped magnets that loop around
The Delicious Last Course DLC adds a brand new character that players can control, called Ms. Chalice. She features some unique powers of her own, including a whole new way to attack both on foot and in planes. This includes a three-way bullet attack that has a slower fire rate but makes up for it with greater coverage and higher damage if players position their airplanes in the best place possible. Given how the screen can become populated with enemies in no time during these flying sections, it’s easy to see why Ms. Chalice’s Three Way will be one of the best Cuphead weapons to bring out in such a situation.
Ms. Chalice’s Mini-Bomb
- EX Move: Shoots out a rocket with a chopper mouth that arcs downward
There aren’t too many changes from the original variant of the mini-bomb that makes Ms. Chalice’s version any less different. The only difference is that the firing rate is faster, but this comes at the cost of an unpredictable arc for the bomb. Relearning these attacks for the DLC may be taxing but is worthwhile for players who want to enjoy something different in Cuphead.
Shrink Fire
While not exactly the most noteworthy attack to speak of, the smaller short-range pellets that are fired when a plane is shrunk down deserve a mention. This is more of a pity weapon than anything else, with most people using the smaller planes for evasion and defense. If players are desperate to attack the boss, then they’re better off waiting for a better attack window and bringing their planes back to normal size first. Since this attack lacks any range, it’s downright dangerous to try and put oneself in harm’s way to hit for such meager damage.
9 Twist-Up
EX: Cyclone Spiral
Damage |
2.33 per shot |
---|---|
EX Damage |
8 per hit |
Unfortunately, Twist-Up happens to be the worst weapon added in The Delicious Last Course and doesn’t feel like something that most Cuphead players will stick with outside of trying it once to see if they like it. That’s not to say that everybody will hate it, however.
Though it shoots blue tornadoes, Twist-Up’s combat effectiveness isn’t all that spectacular outside of being useful against clusters of smaller enemies. It just isn’t as accurate or steady as the very best weapons in Cuphead, which is a shame considering how aesthetically pleasing it is to watch in motion.
8 Converge
EX: Electro-Bolt
Damage |
2.67 per shot |
---|---|
EX Damage |
21 |
When designing the Converge weapon, it feels as though Studio MDHR’s main motivation was to create something that felt like a hybrid combination of the Spread and Chaser weapons included in the base version of Cuphead. To that end, the team succeeded, though only to a certain degree with one of the best Cuphead weapons as long as players use it in an appropriate situation.
Players who like keeping their distance will get the most out of Converge, but it doesn’t do as much damage as the Spread weapon and isn’t even close to as easy and automatic as the Chaser. In some ways, it emulates those two other weapons but reduces the effectiveness of what makes them feel so special, but there are times when Converge can be a godsend against bosses where this weapon is more appropriate for dealing damage than others.
7 Crackshot
EX: P. Turret
Damage |
10.56 (single projectile), 6.7 (weaker projectile) |
---|---|
EX Damage |
3.5 (turret projectile, 12 (before parrying), 14 (after parrying) |
Crackshot may feel like the best new weapon added in The Delicious Last Course expansion. Realistically, though, it is a much less reliable version of either the Chaser or Roundabout weapons. The best-case scenario for a weapon that shoots a beam that breaks into smaller projectiles is for it to be fired in the direction of either multiple enemies or a large target.
By now, some players may be tired of the weapons available in Cuphead since it launched, so, at the very least, Crackshot provides a fresh splash on a familiar tool. Of course, depending on one’s playstyle, it may well end up being one of the best weapons in Cuphead, although most players will probably end up opting for something else.
6 Chaser
EX: Chaos Orbit
Damage |
2.85 |
---|---|
EX Damage |
7 per shot |
The Chaser does what its name suggests and chases down the nearest target when fired. The damage isn’t stellar, and the shots themselves move rather slowly, but being able to focus on dodging and parrying while simply holding down the attack button can change the dynamics of a boss fight.
Not every level needs to be approached the same way, and though some may see the Chaser as the training wheels of Cuphead weapons, there’s no shame in using what works best for the individual player. It may be situational, but that’s arguably true of many of the best weapons in Cuphead. In fact, in the right hands, the Chaser can deal way more damage than the other weapons, letting players enjoy a higher chance of survival in stages with a bunch of attacks and stage hazards to keep track of.
5 Lobber
EX: Kablooey
When it comes to the Lobber, it’s best for players who enjoy using the Peashooter but aren’t afraid to trade off a bit of accuracy and ease of use in exchange for better damage numbers. The Lobber fires in an arc that flies upward, and if it hits the ground before hitting the target, it will bounce forward.
When looking at its Special, it is simply a bigger version of the basic shot but damages a larger area upon impact. It is best used to apply splash damage to a group of smaller enemies gathered close to one another.
4 Charge
EX: Radial Barrage
Damage |
6 (regular), 46 (charged) |
---|---|
EX Damage |
26 |
Charging up an attack is a mechanic that’s at the core of video game design. Players must make their shot count, as the time between their attacks is lengthened, but the damage upon impact is much higher, provided they’re accurate with their shots. The Charge weapon is Cuphead‘s take on this very concept.
If it was easier to use, Charge would likely be one of the very best weapons in Cuphead, but the skill needed to master it isn’t universally feasible. Thankfully, for those learning to use the Charge shot, it still does damage, far less, of course, if it isn’t properly charged and shot with the right timing.
3 Peashooter
EX: Mega Blast
Damage |
4 |
---|---|
EX Damage |
8.33 per hit |
The Peashooter is the prototypical jack-of-all-trades weapon. It may not output the most damage or provide the most advantages in combat, but it’s reliable and consistent. Players start with this weapon and will likely find comfort in strength in it, as it will be the weapon they have the most time with early on in Cuphead.
The Peashooter’s special attack is also quite solid as it’s a larger energy blast that’s a bit slow-moving but deals solid damage and will hit a specific target three total times before evaporating. As a result, it’s one of the best weapons in Cuphead regardless of a player’s skill level.
2 Roundabout
EX: Jumbo Rebound
Damage |
8.5 |
---|---|
EX Damage |
5 per hit |
The Roundabout weapon is similar to the Chaser rounds in terms of the types of enemies or bosses that it’s most effective on. These are foes who require the player to focus on the level and dodging and place the act of damaging the opponent as a tertiary priority.
Some would perhaps argue that the Roundabout is a bit harder to use since it doesn’t home in on enemies as the Chaser does. While this is certainly true, the difference in damage makes it hard not to go with the Roundabout in the previously specified scenarios.
1 Spread
EX: Eight Way
Damage |
1.24 per shot |
---|---|
EX Damage |
4.3 per shot |
Most players refer to the Spread in Cuphead as the “shotgun” of the game due to its high volume of damage at a limited range. Players trade the comfort of shooting things from a range for the ability to hit a single target from three different angles, possibly all at once.
The Super for the Spread shot works in a similar way, as eight large red spikes will fire off from the center of the player’s body. It’s a good way to clear space and safely get out of a bind where the player feels trapped and/or surrounded by enemies. For this alone, many players view the Spread as the best weapon in Cuphead.