My Journey Exploiting The Pulse Rifle Glitch as a Hardcore Fan
As a lifelong Dead Space devotee with over 300 hours across the franchise, I‘ve eagerly dived into my first playthrough of the remake. This rebuilt-from-scratch version of the 2008 classic retains everything I adore – the foreboding atmosphere, strategic dismemberment combat, and engrossing storytelling.
However, one aspect that still causes tension is managing limited ammunition supplies. Even veterans can struggle mitigating ammo consumption across the 12+ hour single-player campaign. So when I caught wind of an exploit involving the Pulse Rifle generating unlimited ammo, I knew I had to try it out!
In this guide, I‘ll share everything I‘ve uncovered about abusing this glitch to effortlessly gain ammunition and currency.
How The Pulse Rifle Glitch Fundamentally Works
Through community testing, players have discovered a technique to produce infinite Pulse Rifle rounds by repeatedly converting grenades into ammo drops. Here‘s an overview of the glitch:
- Only functional with the Pulse Rifle found during Chapter 2
- Involves purchasing capacity upgrades to fill the clip
- Unloading the clip makes grenades spawn
- Picking up grenades converts them into Pulse ammo
- Rinse and repeat to stockpile enormous quantities of ammo
- Excess ammo can be sold for credits to repeat the process
On paper, it seems almost too good to be true. But I‘m here to confirm that this glitch absolutely works as of the remake‘s January 2023 launch! By abusing a loophole with the Pulse Rifle‘s alternate fire and ammo conversion, you can easily generate:
- 350+ Pulse Rounds per attempt
- 131,250 Credits per attempt by selling said rounds
In just a couple minutes, you can score unlimited firepower and currency. However, properly executing this exploit does require some specific steps and conditions which I‘ll fully break down.
Step 1: Grab The Pulse Rifle During Chapter 2
The first prerequisite, as mentioned, is getting your hands on the Pulse Rifle early in the Ishimura storyline.
More specifically, this weapon is obtained late within the opening events of Chapter 2 after boarding the damaged Ishimura and taking the tram to arrive at the Medical Deck. Upon exiting, you discover a dying security officer pleading for help next to a saves station.
Interact with his body to acquire the Pulse Rifle. Note this powerful gun isn‘t available anywhere else, so don‘t sell it or accidentally leave it behind! Otherwise you‘ll have to restart Chapter 2 or reload an old save.
With the necessary Pulse Rifle in hand, it‘s time to start gathering some other mandatory resources.
Step 2: Stock Up On Nodes and Credits
Before attempting to activate the glitch, I highly recommend gathering:
- 7 Power Nodes – Needed to repeatedly purchase ammo capacity upgrades
- 5,000+ Credits – Required to reset the Weapon Bench between attempts
Power Nodes are consumable items allowing Isaac to upgrade his gear, typically found scattered across the environments or dropped by certain "Divider" enemies. I managed to easily collect 7 extra nodes through careful scouring of rooms in the first couple chapters.
These glowing triggers essentially serve as the "fuel" driving the glitch. Alternatively, they can be directly bought from the Store for 15,000 credits a pop if desperate. But through standard scavenging, I racked up plenty of nodes before manipulating the Pulse Rifle.
You‘ll also want at least 5,000 credits in the bank to re-spec your weapons between cycles. Luckily, credits steadily flow via objective rewards, items sales, etc. Within 4-5 hours of natural progression, I organically saved about 20k credits without even trying. But grind a bit specifically for cash if needed.
With 7 nodes and 5000 credits secured, you have the backbone to start exploiting! Now it‘s time to pick an ideal location…
Step 3: Scope Out Weapon Bench & Store Spot
The next pivotal step is identifying an area containing an Upgrade Bench and Store in close proximity. This allows rapidly alternating between upgrading the Pulse Rifle then selling the yield.
Conveniently, there are several perfect spots aboard the Ishimura fitting this criteria! After some exploration, I found the hallway junction with a Bench and Store right outside the Tram station on the Medical Deck works flawlessly.
Yet almost any region with neighboring upgrade/shop facilities can work. I‘ve verified the following additional areas are viable:
- Engineering Bench/Store – Opposite the save point and tram
- Hydroponics Atrium – Circular region before gravity panel
- Flight Deck Hall – Outside initial objective door
Essentially, find a similar station to conveniently perform the glitch. Now let‘s discuss the actual execution…
Step 4: Upgrade Ammo Capacity 5x
The real meat of this exploit involves strategically utilizing Power Nodes at a Weapon Bench to expand the Pulse Rifle‘s ammunition capacity.
Interact with the Workbench prompt and enter the Upgrade Menu. Here you‘ll notice various nodes letting Isaac improve armor, stasis, health, etc.
Your focus is on the middle Capacity nodes colored pink. There are 5 available to upgrade the Pulse Rifle‘s maximum clip size, each adding +1 magazine per purchase.
So in total, spend 5 Power Nodes on Capacity Upgrades. This sets you up to unload a ton of ammo next…
Step 5: Unload Entire Clip Into Ammo Drops
After maxing capacity, exit the bench and start firing away! Emptying the beefy Pulse Rifle magazine makes special grenade pickups spawn. For PS5 players specifically, press R1 to unload the alternate fire attachment.
Make absolutely sure to completely drain the clip for maximum output. Once depleted, around 10 grenades should litter the floor around you.
Step 6: Collect Grenades to Transform Into Ammo
This is where things get interesting. Those glowing spheres that spawn from unloading aren‘t simply explosives…
Approach the first grenade pickup and press the prompt to grab it. But instead of adding the explosive to inventory, it will automatically convert into a Pulse Rifle ammo drop containing 100 rounds!
These conversion drops look like flashing rectangular boxes rather than spheres. Interact with each leftover grenade to turn them into boxes of premium Pulse ammunition.
In total, around 10 grenades transform into 10 ammo boxes equating to 1000 rounds! Now the exploiting really ramps up…
Step 7: Repeat Upgrades & Unloading For Infinite Ammo
The glitch isn‘t limited to just one cycle. By repeatedly upgrading capacity then unloading the clip, you can stack ammunition reserves exponentially.
To reset the Weapon Bench, you‘ll need to spend 5,000 credits to clear nodes and restore the web to default. Then simply buy 5 more capacity nodes, unload the fresh clip, transform more grenades into supply drops, and bask in the unlimited power!
On my first attempt, I scored 1000 Pulse rounds in only a couple minutes. I repeated the process two more times within the same Medical Deck area to end up with over 3000 rounds stored!
At that point, I had enough firepower to probably complete the entire Dead Space campaign 10x over. And that‘s not even the credit-earning half of this exploit…
Step 8: Cash In Pulse Rounds For Loads of Credits
Now what should you do with thousands of surplus Pulse Rifle rounds? I‘ll tell you – make BANK!
Take your massive stockpile of ammo to any Store location around the Ishimura. Here you can sell off 100 rounds for a solid 2250 credits apiece.
So after miscellaneous looting and my initial 3000 round glitch haul, I quickly earned over 6 million credits! And remember, extra funds can cover resetting Weapon Bench nodes to repeat the cycle too.
An positive feedback loop of ammunition and currency starts to emerge. Suddenly you have unlimited flexibility to upgrade other gear, buy health packs, save often, etc.
Step 9: Put That OP Plasma Cutter To Work!
After unlocking infinite resources, I decided to redirect efforts towards fully upgrading my beloved Plasma Cutter. Turns out when you remove ammo restrictions, Isaac‘s signature one-handed slicer becomes an unstoppable dismemberment machine!
I utilized a similar upgrade approach by purchasing all damage nodes and adding the following must-have attachments found via Schematics:
Plasma Cutter Attachments
- Precision Tip – Unmissable headshots
- Scorpion Visor – +2 Damage
- Heavy Damage Support – +3 Damage Per Shot
- Reflex Furnace – Increase Fire Rate
Combined with Stasis coating to slow enemies and maxed damage benchmarks, virtually no Necromorph can withstand more than a couple shots before limbless obliteration.
I was quickly dismantling Twitchers and Exploders on Impossible difficulty with contemptuous ease. The Plasma Cutter felt akin to wielding a light-saber compared to traditional grueling ammo conservation tactics.
Of course, challenge does diminish substantially when resources become infinite. But carving apart legions of mutants with my ridiculously-buffed signature weapon still proved intensely enjoyable.
Additional Tips For Mastering This Exploit
After repeated testing and optimization, I‘ve compiled some extra pro-tips worth mentioning:
- This glitch remains possible with both default and New Game+ saves
- Occasionally pegged frame rates during conversion suggest its working
- Grab drops before fast-traveling or progressing to prevent despawns
- Auto-save frequently in case something goes awry
- 5 rounds converts grenades fastest; 10 is more reliable
- Chapter 3 unlocks Schematics for damage upgrades
- The Contact Beam absolutely annihilates with infinite ammo
And if you somehow haven‘t gotten your fill of endless carnage, why not jack up the difficulty to Zealot Level 12? This provides a small inkling of challenge to your insanely overpowered character build.
Soon you‘ll be delimbing Feeders just for fun as they pose no real threat to your unlimited arsenal and wealth. Enjoy it while you can!
Does This Ultimately Count as Cheating?
A question that emerges regarding manipulation of advantageous glitches involves cheating. Some players argue that techniques like the Pulse Rifle exploit detract from the intended difficulty and feel of Dead Space.
Personally, I see it as a single-player experience where users should have autonomy over their own enjoyment. The remake‘s discouraging ammunition situation slightly irritates me. So something offering respite from constant pressure to conserve resources proves welcome.
Of course, things like one-shotting Necromorphs does diminish dread substantially. But again, players uncomfortable with easier exploits aren‘t forced to utilize them. Ultimately, it‘s about individual choice in a PvE game.
I will note that typically leaderboards restrict obvious manipulation of bugs like this. So for those obsessed with rankings, steer clear! Otherwise, go wild with endless ammunition and currency to your heart‘s content!
Final Verdict: An Awesome Glitch That Trivializes The Game
While clearly exploitative, I wholeheartedly recommend Dead Space fans try the Pulse Rifle upgrade glitch immediately. Chaining increased capacity with ammo conversions and selling yields game-breaking quantities of firepower and money.
You‘ll certainly feel extremely overpowered blasting apart twitching beasts with sheer excess. Yet that‘s part of the appeal! Leaping into a swarm of Slashers, obliterating their extremities without regard, proves sadistically satisfying.
Plus, credit yields allow freely purchasing other upgrades and items most would consider unattainable during initial missions. If desired, you can become a virtual demigod just hours into the Ishimura nightmare.
While this glitch will likely get patched soon, I highly suggest all Dead Space players test it out ASAP! Let me know your experiences abusing infinite ammo and credits to trounce the Necromorph scourge with minimal effort! Happy hunting!
