As in previous Metal Gear games, all equipment is procure-on-sight, meaning that you must find your weapons in the field, but ammo acquisition has changed in this installment. You no longer have to find certain types of bullets for one weapon, for example, 5.56mm rounds will work for any weapon that fires 5.56mm rounds. You can also buy weapons and ammo from Drebin's Shop, but you can find almost every weapon Drebin has for sale in the field, so save your Points for Custom Parts and Ammunition. Also, if you kill or knock out a PMC Soldier and pick up his weapon and it is ID Locked, you will not be able to use it until you launder it to Drebin, so keep that in mind!
Customizing
An interesting feature in MGS4 is the ability to Customize your weapons however you like. But, be sure the parts you want to buy are the parts you are actually going to use. For example, you don't need to buy a Silencer for your weapon if you are planning on using it to kill the enemy when they have spotted you, you don't need to buy a Laser Sight for your weapon if the weapon is a Sniper Rifle. Certain attachments onto your weapons are not necessary, such as the Flashlight (you have the Solid Eye, which has night vision). The point is, spend your Drebin Points wisely.
Acquisition
You can acquire many weapons and custom parts in the field, even those sold by Drebin. Here's a list of where to find these weapons.
Middle East
Note: The weapons listed here are those found without ID Locks found in the Middle Eastern chapter.
| Weapon | Category | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Stun Knife | Melee | Equipped at beginning of Middle Eastern Chapter |
| AK-102 | Assault Rifle | Found near pile of crates at beginning of Middle Eastern Chapter |
| Petrol Bomb | Incendiary/Thrown | Sometimes dropped by Militiamen during body shakedown |
| Operator | Handgun | Given to Snake by MK. II |
| Mk. I | Tranq. Gun | Given to Snake by MK. II |
| M4 | Assault Rifle | Given to Snake by Drebin |
| RPG-7 | Rocket Launcher | Found near entrance to Militia Safehouse |
| HK21E | Machine Gun | Near the Militia Safehouse exit, two Militiamen will be talking about gun laundering, one of them is holding this weapon. Use the Solid Eye to identify him, and use your Tranq. Gun to knock him out when they walk away to obtain the weapon. |
| Sleep Gas Mine | Mine | Advent Palace, either crawl over the mine to obtain it or use the MK.II to disarm and obtain it |
| Sleep Gas Satchel | Remote Mine | Advent Palace, behind the bar |
| Claymore | Mine | Advent Palace, either crawl over the mine to obtain it or use the MK.II to disarm and obtain it |
Note: The following weapons are those found with ID Locks in the Middle Eastern chapter, and is not a complete list as of yet.
| Weapon | Category | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Mk. 17 | Assault Rifle | Carried by almost all PMC Soldiers |
| M14EBR | Sniper Rifle | Inside a building housing multiple PMC Snipers in Urban Ruins area |
| P90 | Sub-Machine Gun | Carried by FROG Soldiers during their attack on the Advent Palace |
| Javelin | Anti-Tank Missile Launcher | Found on a rooftop after you exit the Advent Palace parking garage and get onto the street where the Militia tank is fighting the PMC Soldiers |
| Frag Grenade | Explosive/Thrown | Sometimes dropped by PMC Soldiers during body shakedown |
| White Phosphorus Grenade | Incendiary/Thrown | Inside a room with two dead PMC Soldiers in Militia Safehouse |
| Stun Grenade | Non-Lethal/Thrown | Sometimes dropped by PMC Soldiers during body shakedowns |
| Smoke Grenade | Non-Lethal/Thrown | Sometimes dropped by PMC Soldiers during body shakedowns |
| GSR | Handgun | Inside a room with two dead PMC Soldiers in Militia Safehouse |
Custom Parts
Note: This is a list of custom parts found in the Middle Eastern Chapter, and it is not a complete list as of yet.
| Part | Location |
|---|---|
| Red Dot Sight | Beginning of Urban Ruins area, at the top of a staircase near some boxes |
| M4 Silencer | Locker in the building near Liquid's camp |
| Handgun Flashlight | Urban Ruins area, behind a collapsed staircase |
| Laser Sight | Inside Locker, top floor of the building where you first encounter snipers |
| GP30 (Grenade Attachment) | Advent Palace during FROG Battle. After Akiba disables the lasers, roll over the gap and go to the end to find it along with some grenade ammo. |
South America
Note: This is a list of weapons found in South America without ID Locks, and is not a complete list as of yet.
| Weapon | Category | Location |
|---|---|---|
| G3A3 | Assault Rifle | Carried by almost all Rebel Guerrilla Fighters |
| SVD | Sniper Rifle | Found in a barn at beginning of South America Chapter |
| Twin Barrel | Shotgun | If you take out the two PMC Soldiers standing watch over the Rebels at the beginning of the South America Chapter, they will get up and unlock the door of a building they are using as an armory, and you will find it on the floor |
| G186 | Handgun | Carried by a small number of Rebels in Vista Mansion area |
| PKM | Machine Gun | Carried by Rebels in Power Station and Vista Mansion areas |
| C4 | Remote Explosive | Found in Power Station are |
| M10 | Sub-Machine Gun | Carried by a single Rebel in beginning of South America Chapter |
| PSS | Handgun | Fireplace of the mansion in Vista Mansion area |
| DSR-1 | Sniper Rifle | Obtained at the end of South America Chapter |
| VSS | Sniper Rifle | In the area after the power station, stick to the left and go all the way down the left path until you reach a house, on one side of the storehouse is the VSS. |
| XM8 | Assault Rifle | In Act 2. After you meet Drebin (so he can tell you about the B&B's), there are 2 paths you can take. Take the one on the left. It's in that area. |
Custom Parts
Note: This is a list of all custom weapon parts found in South America, and is not a complete list as of yet.
| Part | Location |
|---|---|
| Weapon Scope | Found in Power Station area by climbing the ladder on the tower that you can reach and hanging off the wire, and dropping down off the wire onto the other tower |
| Masterkey (Shotgun Attachment) | Carried by certain PMC Soldiers in Vista Mansion area, either kill them or knock them out to get the part |
| XM203 (Grenade Launcher Attachment) | Carried by certain PMC Soldiers in Vista Mansion area, either kill them or knock them out to get the part |
| Fore Grip B | Mountain Trail area in the beginning. When Otacon mentions the road splits into two, take the road to the right where you see a PMC soldier urinating into the river. The attachment is there. |
Tips
Well, now that you know the basics, here are a few tips to help you with weapons in the game.
- Make sure you can hit your target: Don't just fire blindly at the target, get a bead on it, then fire!
- Know your weapons: Make sure you know how your weapons fire and how to use them to the best of their abilities.
- Grenades are your friend: Throw grenades to get enemies out from behind cover and to take out large clusters of enemies without wasting ammo.
- Silencers will save your life: If you need to take out an enemy, for Pete's Sake, use a weapon with a Silencer! Even if there are only a few enemies in the area, those few could turn into many if they detect you because they heard your gunshot.