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Weapons and Gunplay

By ScotPublished Updated Sources checked

Tactical Quick Answer

Roboquest gunplay runs on hip-fire, because the game has no aim-down-sights system at all. Zooming comes from a rollable alt-fire called Scope, guaranteed on Fantastic weapons. You improve guns through two vendors: Chef Paul takes Powercells for weapon levels and affix rerolls, and Willy Wonder raises rarity, charging Powercells up to Epic and one Crystal Powder for Fantastic.

Roboquest emphasizes fast, aggressive gunplay. The weapon sandbox is 83 weapons deep, and you need to adapt to what you find during a run.

Hip-Fire Rules​

There is no aim-down-sights system in Roboquest. Nothing you carry has a dedicated ADS button.

Zooming exists, but as an alt-fire called Scope, fired on the alt-fire input. Four weapons carry it by default, the Scout Sniper, Shark Sniper, Ionic Sniper, and Junk Arquebus, but it can roll on any non-common weapon and a Fantastic weapon is guaranteed some alt-fire. A Charging Scope variant exists too, and the Deft affix adds 15% critical damage while scoping.

Everything else is hip-fire, and that is what keeps your movement speed high. If you stop to line up a shot you will take damage. Keep moving, keep shooting, and trust your crosshair.

Weapon Types​

Roboquest sorts its 83 weapons into five types, not by silhouette.

  • Assault: Consistent damage at medium range. Raptor SMG, Junk Rifle, Typhoon Minigun.
  • Precision: High single-target damage, and where the snipers live. Sheriff's Carbine, Scout Sniper.
  • Close Combat: Massive burst up close, and where the shotguns live. Sulfator Shotgun, Blunderbuzz.
  • Demolition: Explosives. Thumper, Dragoon Mortar, Comet Cannon, Mine Launcher.
  • Technology: Energy weapons and exotics. The Beluga Cannon sits here.

There is no "elemental" weapon type. Burn, cryo, and shock are affixes that can ride on a weapon of any type, so an Elementalist can build around elements without being locked to one category.

Weapon Upgrades and the Arsenal System​

Max deploys his crew at checkpoints, and Willy Wonder turns up in safe areas. Understanding the economy between Chef Paul and Willy Wonder is critical for late-game scaling.

Chef Paul (Powercells)​

Chef Paul is a Level 1 Workshop upgrade costing 6 Wrenches, so buy him early. He is not automatic.

  • Upgrade Level: Costs 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 Powercells depending on the weapon's rarity, capped at the level shown on the star on his hat.
  • Reroll Affixes: Locked until you buy the Gun Bakery Workshop upgrade, and then only works on Uncommon or better. Costs 2, 2, 3, or 4 Powercells by rarity. He cannot reroll a weapon's alt-fire.
  • The discounts nobody mentions: the Cooking Gloves gadget and owning a weapon's card each cut those costs, and with both you pay 0, 0, 1, or 2. That is a bigger swing than any hoarding strategy.
  • Chef Double Star: a Level 7 Workshop upgrade costing 20 Wrenches. It is what grants the 15% chance of an extra weapon level per upgrade. There is no base chance without it.

Willy Wonder (rarity and affixes)​

Introduced in the Arsenal Update (v1.2), Willy Wonder is unlocked by a Basecamp upgrade and then appears in the safe areas inside levels.

  • Superior to Epic: 8 Powercells.
  • Epic to Fantastic: 1 Crystal Powder. In Endless Mode this costs 10 Powercells instead.
  • Perfume: 3 Powercells to add one extra affix to a weapon.

So calling him "the Crystal Powder vendor" undersells him. Most of what he sells costs Powercells.

Crystal Powder itself comes from the end of levels containing a Corrupted Crystal you have already claimed, and Lottery Luke can hand you some as a random reward.

Economy Strategy: Crystal Powder is retained per run only. It does not carry between runs, so there is nothing to hoard across a save and anything unspent at the end of a run is simply lost. Within a run, hold it until you have an Epic weapon you actually intend to finish with, then spend it. If you reach the final stage still holding powder, you wasted it.

Rarity and Ammo​

Weapons run Common (white), Uncommon (green), Superior (blue), Epic (purple), Fantastic (orange). Items use a separate four-tier ladder topping out at Corrupted, which is not a weapon rarity.

There are no ammo pools in Roboquest, shared or otherwise, and no ammo pickups. You cannot run dry. Magazine weapons reload from an infinite reserve, and energy weapons do not consume ammo at all: they build heat and cool down, and you can press reload to force an overheat.

Carrying two weapon types is still correct, just for a different reason. A magazine weapon is unavailable while reloading and an energy weapon is unavailable while cooling, so pairing the two means one gun is always ready. Pairing two of the same kind means both go quiet at the same moment.

Frequently Asked Questions​

Can you aim down sights in Roboquest?

No. There is no ADS system. Zooming comes from an alt-fire called Scope, which four weapons carry by default and which can roll on any non-common weapon. Everything else is hip-fire, and that is what keeps your movement speed high.

What is the difference between Chef Paul and Willy Wonder?

Chef Paul raises weapon level for 2 to 6 Powercells by rarity, and rerolls affixes for 2 to 4 once you buy the Gun Bakery upgrade. Willy Wonder raises rarity: 8 Powercells from Superior to Epic, 1 Crystal Powder from Epic to Fantastic, and 3 Powercells to add an affix.

When does Chef Paul unlock in Roboquest?

He is a Level 1 Workshop upgrade costing 6 Wrenches, so you buy him instead of waiting for him. The 15 percent chance of an extra weapon level comes from Chef Double Star, a separate Level 7 upgrade costing 20 Wrenches, and there is no base chance without it.

Should you save Crystal Powder in Roboquest?

Only within a run. Crystal Powder is retained per run and does not carry between runs, so anything unspent when the run ends is lost. Hold it until you have an Epic weapon you intend to finish with, then spend it.

Can you run out of ammo in Roboquest?

No. There are no ammo pools and no ammo pickups. Magazine weapons reload from an infinite reserve and energy weapons cool instead of consuming ammo. Carry one of each anyway, so that one gun is always ready while the other reloads or cools.