The game hides damage numbers in its UI (the armory table lists community-measured values), so the loadout question isn't "what hits hardest." It's "what can I fire right now, and what does firing it cost me." Every gunshot winds the forest's hidden awakening timer, and half the guns stop working the moment it rains. Answer those two questions and the full armory table sorts itself.
The rain rule (the one that gets crews killed)
Matchlock guns — the pistol and the loud, hard-hitting arquebus — fire by touching a burning cord to gunpowder. In rain, that cord won't light, so your matchlocks become expensive clubs mid-fight. Flintlocks cost more precisely because they fire wet. So the weather decides your firing line:
- Dry: matchlock arquebus is the cheapest heavy hitter, if you can afford the noise.
- Rain: flintlocks, crossbows and bows only — or bring Saint Eulalia, whose blessing stops the rain outright and puts your matchlocks back in business.
Loud vs quiet
Rank the arsenal by how fast it wakes the forest. The arquebusis the loudest thing you can carry; every shot is a step toward an enemy wave. Crossbows and bows are near-silent and reuse their ammo, which makes them the stealth crew's answer and the reason a longbow (strong, no reload delay, blessed by Saint Sebastian) is the best all-weather pick in the demo. Melee is silent by definition: shove to stagger (it's free), backstab for the bonus, and land the overhead-to-the-head for double damage.
The contract pool overrides your favorites
You don't always bring what you want. Each contractfixes the weapon pool the crew may carry — "The Spartans" is all spears and armor, "Marksmen Incursion" is all crossbows and bows, "Guns and Glory" is the full black-powder line. Read the loadout before you commit, and match your saint blessingto whatever the contract issues so it's never wasted.
Packing the six slots
Your pack is six slots and treasure needs room too. The proven solo template: one gun, a machete, powder, food, two slots free. In a crew, specialize instead of quadrupling — one medic with Ammonia Salts, one light-bearer, one machete for firewood (never buy it, a 5c machete chops it free), one loud gun held for emergencies only. Token gear from contracts expires after one run, so spend it the day you get it.
Where to next
Every gun, bow and blade with damage, price and rank locks.
The consumables that decide who plays medic.
Matching a blessing to the weapons you actually run.
No classes — your role comes from the loadout, not the explorer.
Affording the tier-3 kit.
The contract fixes your weapon pool before you pick anything.
Loadout questions
What's the best weapon in The Mound?
The Flintlock Musket hits hardest at 66 damage and works in rain, but it is rank 3 and 50c. The Matchlock Arquebus is the rank-1 stand-in at 63 damage for 30c — loudest gun in the game and dead in rain. The Longbow is the best all-weather value at 60 damage, silent, no rank lock, 15c.
Why won't my gun fire in The Mound?
You're holding a matchlock in the rain — fuse-fired guns can't ignite wet powder. Switch to a flintlock, crossbow or bow, or use Saint Eulalia's blessing to stop the rain.
How many item slots do you get?
Six in your personal pack, and treasure competes for the same space. Specialize across the crew rather than everyone carrying the same kit.