Quick Answer
Use melee early, buy the Pistol when clearing slows, and choose heavier weapons when your current attacks cannot keep up. Weapons include the Baseball Bat, Knife, Pistol, Uzi, AK-47, Shotgun, Chainsaw, RPG, and Flamethrower. Support guns with ammunition upgrades, and fix overloaded Grinders before spending more on firepower.
Which weapons can you buy in Can 'Em All?
You can buy the Pistol, Shotgun, and Chainsaw, with other options covering melee, explosives, and fire.
The Uzi and AK-47 also move the company emails forward toward the Sell Factory offer.
| Weapon | Role and buying advice |
|---|---|
| Baseball Bat | Early melee option that does not depend on firearm ammunition. |
| Knife | Another melee option when you want to avoid using gun ammunition. |
| Pistol | Buy when melee attacks take too long or creatures are difficult to reach. |
| Uzi | Automatic firearm; you need it to progress past the When Money Was the Problem email. |
| AK-47 | Automatic rifle; unlocking it brings the Excellent Work email. |
| Shotgun | Strong short-range attacks, with pellet-count and firing-delay upgrades. |
| Chainsaw | Close-range attacks limited by fuel. |
| RPG | Explosive attacks, with explosion-radius and damage upgrades. |
| Flamethrower | Relevant to fire-based production and the Smoked Meat bonus. |
The Automatic Turret supports combat while you handle production. Choose it when manual shooting competes with moving creatures or feeding Grinders.
How do you unlock weapons, and what do they cost?
You progress from melee into firearms, explosives, and automatic defenses through the weapon tree, then buy available options.
Use these purchase examples to understand the money involved. They do not establish a fixed unlock day or a complete prerequisite route.
| Purchase example | Cost shown |
|---|---|
| Chainsaw | $1,000,000 |
| Turret | $1,000,000 |
| Shotgun | $5,000,000 |
The complete weapon price list and exact unlock prerequisites are still being added. Treat these amounts as purchase examples, rather than a universal shopping sequence.
A Pistol purchase also shows a 70-round supply. That example does not establish a universal ammunition allowance or a required purchase day.
Which weapon should you buy first?
Stay with melee until its speed or reach prevents you from clearing creatures efficiently.
Early attacks mainly need to clear creatures quickly enough for processing. The Baseball Bat and Knife avoid dependence on firearm ammunition during that stage.
Buy the Pistol when melee becomes too slow or leaves creatures difficult to reach. Once you rely on guns, support them with damage and ammunition upgrades.
Starting-ammunition upgrades increase the ammunition available at the beginning of a day. Other upgrades give you a chance to recover a bullet after killing a creature.
These help you sustain combat across a shift. Another gun is less useful if your current setup already runs dry before clearing the creatures.
When are heavier weapons and turrets worth buying?
Buy heavier weapons when your current combat setup struggles with incoming creatures, then choose the role you need.
Choose the Shotgun for powerful close-range attacks. Improve pellet count and firing delay when you need more from that role.
Choose the RPG for explosive attacks. Its radius and damage upgrades improve that approach.
The Chainsaw gives you another close-range option, but its fuel can run out during a workday. Avoid depending on it as your only weapon for the entire shift.
The Automatic Turret keeps attacking while you operate the Vacuum or feed Grinders. Prioritize turret damage and ammunition when creatures regularly survive until the shift ends.
An expensive weapon cannot clear a production backlog. Overloaded Grinders can leave you with more bodies without increasing cans sold.
Once combat clears incoming batches reliably, spend on the factory stage delaying sales. Compare your next purchase against the wider Can 'Em All upgrades before committing your money.
Is the Flamethrower worth buying for Smoked Cans?
The Flamethrower becomes relevant when you use fire-based production with Smoked Meat.
The late-game Smoked Meat upgrade costs $100,000,000. Smoked creatures produce Smoked Cans worth twice as much as normal cans.
This gives fire a production role alongside combat. Your processing chain still needs to keep up, because unprocessed bodies cannot deliver the higher can value.
Weapons unlock through the skill tree, and two of them move you toward the sell factory offer.
FAQ
Use the answers below to match your next purchase to the problem slowing your shift.
The Pistol is a practical purchase when melee attacks become too slow or creatures are difficult to reach.
Purchase examples show $1,000,000 for the Chainsaw and $5,000,000 for the Shotgun. Exact unlock prerequisites are still being added.
Yes. Its fuel can run out during a workday, so avoid relying on it as your only weapon.
Buy one when you need combat to continue while you operate the Vacuum or feed Grinders.
No. If your Grinders are overloaded, additional firepower can increase the backlog without increasing completed can sales.