Where to find the Spread Gun and every Contra weapon
What each Falcon letter in NES Contra gives you and where the weapon pick-ups appear.
Original 1988 North American NES Contra. The 1987 arcade game has a different stage structure; Japanese Famicom presentation and PAL Probotector character replacements are outside this guide.
Where weapons come from
Weapons appear in two places: flying capsules that cross the screen, and pillbox sensors built into the ground and walls that open briefly. Shoot either one to release a falcon with a letter.
S: Spread Gun
Fires five bullets in a fan. It is the strongest weapon for most of the game. Spread Gun falcons appear in the first stage, so keep it from the start.
M: Machine Gun
Hold B for continuous fire.
L: Laser
A long, powerful beam. Firing again cancels the current beam, so tap at a steady rhythm.
F: Fire Ball
Shoots spiralling fireballs.
R: Rapid bullets
Speeds up your current weapon’s bullets.
B: Barrier
Makes you invincible for a short time.
Falcon with no letter
Destroys every enemy on the screen.
More Contra quick answers
Contra Konami code: 30 lives on the NESHow to unlock Contra’s harder second loopLosing a life also loses your weapon. In two-player games, let the player who most needs a Spread Gun take it.
Picture details
Game artwork belongs to its respective rights holders.