Survive The Swarm Weapons Reference: Observed Weapons, Effects, and Upgrades

Survive The Swarm gameplay footage shows six weapons being selected and upgraded during runs: Linked Sword (also captioned "link sword" or "wings sword"), Kunai, Thunderbolt, Boomerang, Sword, and a Bomb. Item-card descriptions captured in that footage read "Throw kunai enemies in range. High critical damage" for the Kunai and "Randomly shock enemies within range" for the Thunderbolt. This is a bounded reference, not a confirmed complete roster: only weapons named in player-captured gameplay are listed, and no numeric item-card stats (base damage, crit values, ranges) are documented for any weapon.

Weapons observed in runs

The weapons below were seen in mid-run selection and upgrade screens:

• Linked Sword — selected by name in one recorded run ("let's do linked sword").
• Kunai — thrown at enemies in range, with high critical damage per its in-game card description.
• Thunderbolt — randomly shocks enemies within range, per its card description.
• Boomerang — shown reaching a powerful area effect at higher levels (see upgrades below).
• Sword — named among the weapons available in the shop.
• Bomb — appears in the shop list shown in footage.

One player reviewing the shop reported that roughly half of the weapon list is locked behind Robux: "I have everything except the bow, hammer, mage, staff, and javelin, which is basically half of it. All right, so half of it is hidden behind Robux." That player did not confirm the exact free-versus-paid split for the rest of the list, and no exact weapon prices were captured. The same footage showed a mage character at a price of 19,000 on the post-run screen, but did not state that price's currency, so check current prices in-game.

In-run upgrade behavior

Weapons upgrade through level-up cards during a run. Observed behavior:

• Upgrade cards can add attack count, base damage, and attack speed to a weapon — one recorded pick was "Plus one attack count for my boomerang."
• The Kunai was shown reaching a maximum level, with one player noting "five is the max" for that weapon, alongside what appeared to be "weirder, lesser powerful upgrades" as options. That level cap was observed for the Kunai specifically; whether it applies to every weapon is not documented.
• The Boomerang at level five was described as strong area coverage: "that's like a good AoE area effect."
• Players can apparently hold multiple weapons at once — "I don't think there's a limit on the weapons we can get."

How weapons are accessed

Weapons sit inside the game's broader progression. Survive The Swarm is described as "a roguelite bullet-heaven inspired by Megabonk and Vampire Survivors," where you pick a class, fight endless waves, and try to reach the portal before being overrun. Codes reward Coins and Essence; Essence is spent on eggs for pets and also "to buy new classes, with each class featuring a unique set of weapons and a special ability." As of September 10, 2026, guides reported two active codes: CLASSES (25 Essence and roughly 308,250 Coins) and LAUNCH (25 Essence and roughly 15,410 Coins), redeemed in the code field at the bottom of the Store window. Guides currently disagree on whether the code field is case-sensitive, so enter codes exactly as printed. Whether classes gate which weapons are actually available during a run is not documented — verify in-game.

Reading this reference

Entries above record only what gameplay footage shows: weapon names, short card descriptions, observed upgrade effects, and reported Robux locks. This page deliberately does not rank weapons or recommend builds — use the separate best-weapons comparison guide for selection advice, and individual weapon records for item-specific detail where available.