Fortnite has changed so much over time, including the weaponry! Many are vaulted and unvaulted over the seasons but players love their old favorites. To help you pick up the best Fortnite weapons to fill your inventory after hopping off the Battle Bus, we’ve ranked 25 of the top Fortnite weapons worst to best.
Ranking the Best Fortnite Weapons
We’ve given you the sweatiest skins, best wallpaper, and some amazing creative codes for XP, and now it’s time for the best ever weapons in Fortnite. We’ve taken into account a weapon’s popularity and usability as a whole, rather than just killing potential, though this is a more heavily weighted factor for the most part.
25. Pistol
As if last place wasn’t obvious. The pistol is arguably the worst weapon in Fortnite. Its poor range limits its usability in ranged combat, and it doesn’t deal out a whole lot of damage to either opponents or structures. Plus, you’ll need a speedy trigger finger to fire off multiple shots with it being a semi-automatic weapon. There are certainly better options out there on the vast map. See the pistol as a last resort.
24. Suppressed Pistol
With a marginally faster reload speed, and the capability to deal fractionally more damage than its unsilenced sibling, the suppressed pistol just edges it out in our ranking. The additional bonus of it being silenced makes it far harder for opponents to work out exactly where you’re shooting them from. That doesn’t change the fact that this is, ultimately, still a pistol. You’ll need to contend with damage drop-off at distance, and have a strong trigger finger for dishing out rounds quickly in a battle if you want to come out on top using this. We’d just suggest finding something else, instead.
23. Minigun
The minigun sounds great in premise (and looks awesome), but it’s right down near the bottom of our list of best weapons in Fortnite. Why? Well, it takes a heck of a long time to wind-up before it starts firing. If you’re in close-range, you’re likely already dead before you can start landing hits on your target. At distance, its bloom makes it difficult to actually land hits on enemies. As such, the minigun is relegated to tearing down structures, though it’s incredibly good at doing so. Its high fire rate, unlimited magazine size, and as a result, non-existent reload time all factor into its suitability for a structure destroyed. However, due to your slower movement speed, you’re often better off with explosive weapons for destroying structures as a result.
22. Hand Cannon
Ahh the Hand Cannon. Following the vaulting of the Revolver at the beginning of Season 6, the Hand Cannon is the go-to for anyone who wants a high-powered pistol capable of dealing damage even at range. Its slow fire rate does mean you’ll need to be more accurate than you would with other weapons, but a headshot with the legendary variant can deal 156 damage. If you’re an accurate shot, the Hand Cannon can be lethal. However, due to its slow fire rate, you need to be landing every shot you shoot. Especially in a close-range situation.
21. Guided Missile
After initially entering the game a little broken, Epic took the decision to vault the Guided Missile, only to bring it back a little later in a reworked form. More useful as a scouting tool than for dealing damage now, the Guided Missile moves at a slower speed and can only be controlled for 15 seconds before exploding. What’s more, for all of that explosion, its legendary variant only deals 77 damage. Add in the fact you’re a sitting duck while guiding the missile, and this only really comes in handy during the very late stages of a game.
20. Semi-Automatic Sniper
In theory, the semi-automatic sniper sounds great. You’ve got a clip of 10 bullets and you can unload them in fairly quick succession. Problem is, this convenient fire rate comes at the expense of damage, which is just over 30 less on a body shot (78), and 110 on a headshot (165) compared to the epic bolt-action (110 and 275 respectively). Though the semi-automatic system will certainly help those less accurate, missing the first shot often alerts your target and results in them building. At which point, you’re left waiting for them to pop their head out to try again, and so you’re better off with something that packs more punch per round. You’ll also need to factor in bullet drop with the snipers, making them a tricky weapon for beginners to get to grips with.
19. Dual Pistols
Dual Pistols are often left behind by many players in Fortnite, but they’re not quite as bad as they might at first seem. Though repping a slightly lower fire rate than the previous pistols on this list (with the exception of the hand cannon), the larger mags and insane headshot damage of 86 on the epic variant make for some formidable close-range weapons. Unfortunately, they don’t have the range of many weapons above them on this list, and so you’ll often be facing off against SMG and shotgun users. If you’ve got a good aim, you can probably compete by aiming for headshots, otherwise, you’re going to be outdone in terms of sheer damage output.
18. Scoped Assault Rifle
The Scoped Assault Rifle is a bit of a love-it-or-hate-it kind of weapon in Fortnite. That’s why it makes sense for it to sit in the middle of this list. With a large clip, little recoil, and a decent scope, it’s capable of dealing out damage from range, with headshots on the epic variant dishing out 48 damage. However, due to the fact it’s scoped, it doesn’t fair too great in close to mid-range battles. It’s strength, however, comes in the near complete lack of bullet drop you get, setting it apart from the longer-range sniper rifles. There is a better alternative to this, but we’ll get to that later.
17. Bolt-Action Sniper
Not a whole lot needs to be said about the Bolt-Action Sniper. As previously mentioned, a headshot with the epic bolt-action dishes out up to 275 damage and body shots 110. It does take some serious time to reload, however, so you’ll really want to make sure you nail your shot. Bullet drop doesn’t help with this, either, making it tough to land the shot you want. Make that shot, though, and your target’s either going to take heavy damage, or be eliminated. Winner.
16. Grenade Launcher
The grenade launcher is another weapon that takes a bit of getting used to. You’ll need to take some time learning how the grenades fly through the air, and the right trajectory for the kind of shots you want to hit. However, with a DPS of 110, it sits higher than the rocket launcher’s of 90.75, and you’re able to deal serious damage if you make the hits. What’s more, the grenade launcher is perfect for taking down structures. Either fire one at the bottom, or land one in the top with an enemy, and watch the whole thing crumble… or your elimination tally go up.
15. Thermal Scoped Assault Rifle
This is the superior scoped assault rifle we mentioned earlier. Dealing out 37 damage in a body shot and 74 in a headshot, it’s significantly more powerful than the standard scoped AR. Its fire rate is almost half that of the scoped assault rifle, but the thermal sight makes picking out enemies from distance a breeze. Line up the headshot on unsuspecting targets and you can give yourself a great advantage before closing the distance (if you want to). Plus, you’ve got the added bonus of a complete lack of bullet drop. Without a doubt one of the best Fortnite weapons for long range.
14. Pump Shotgun
The pump shotgun is a solid choice for any close encounters you might get into in Fortnite. Capable of dealing out upwards of 160 damage in a single headshot, the pump shotgun can wipe out most players in a shot or two at most. The downside, however, comes in its slow fire rate and limit of five shots per clip. Oh, and if you’re remotely tuned in with the Fortnite community, you’ll likely know about the inconsistent damage shotguns are infamous for having from time to time in the game. You’ll be in the same boat as other shotgun users, but just watch out for SMG players. Unless you’re accurate with the pump, the SMG can tear through your health far faster.
13. SMG
That’s why we’ve dropped the SMG just above the pump shotgun. Its blue, rare variant has a DPS of 228. That’s higher than the gold Compact SMG itself. As is the case with the shotgun, the SMG really is for close-quarters combat. You don’t want to be using this in a mid- long range skirmish against someone with an assault rifle. It’s going to end badly. However, if you take into account the recoil on this weapon, this can more than hold its own against the pump shotgun, or even the tactical shotgun if you’re accurate enough. It can deal out 42 damage for a single headshot, and with a fire rate of 12 it’s able to tear through an enemy with full health and shield in seconds. Literally.
12. Hunting Rifle
The hunting rifle is one of our personal favorite weapons in the game, but that doesn’t make it one of the best Fortnite weapons you can use right now. A single body shot deals up to 90 damage with the rare variant, and 225 with a headshot. Land a headshot with this, and you’ve got an instant elimination. This is a ranged weapon, albeit not as ranged as the other snipers, so this isn’t the weapon for close-range skirmishes. You really do have to be accurate with this, however, as its got one of the lowest fire rates in the game and requires reloading after every shot. With it being a ranged weapon, you will need to factor in bullet drop over distance. A weapon that takes time to get used to, but one that, once you get to grips with it, is a brutal one-hit-kill machine.
11. Tactical Shotgun
The tactical shotgun is the most forgiving of the shotguns in Fortnite, but that doesn’t make it the best. Due to its significantly higher fire rate than the pump, double barrel, or heavy variants, being deadly accurate is less important here.
Still, the rare variant is no slouch in the damage dealing department, either. A headshot can do up to 148 damage, and its DPS sits higher than that of both the pump shotgun and heavy shotgun. Again, this is only useful at close range, so you’ll need other weapons in your inventory to balance this out.
10. Assault Rifle
Ahhh the jack-of-all-trades. The Assault Rifle can hold its own in both close, medium, and fairly long-range affairs, although, at greater distances there is damage drop-off that’ll see your shots go from dealing 33 damage down to about 21-22. The rare variant has little recoil, and if you single fire it yourself rather than holding down the fire button, you can easily line up headshots for a smooth 66 damage. The Assault Rifle is only slightly held back by its relatively low structure damage, dealing 33 a shot, compared to the rare burst assault rifle’s 90.
9. Burst Assault Rifle
It should come as no surprise that this just tips the normal Assault Rifle on our list of best Fortnite weapons. The burst has pretty much the same stats as the standard, rare AR, but as we previously mentioned, deals out almost triple the structure damage. This makes it a great, ranged weapon for taking down enemy structures towards the latter stages of a game.
This comes at the cost of 3 damage per shot to human targets compared to the standard entry, but the additional stability of the burst makes it easier to land shots. When we have the chance, we’ll always opt for a burst over the standard AR.
8. Compact SMG
Having been one of the most OP weapons when it was first introduced, the Compact SMG has now been nerfed to a more acceptable but still formidable level in Fortnite. Dealing a couple extra points of damage per shot over the rare SMG, the Compact SMG is the best choice to go for if you’re looking for a close-range alternative to the shotgun.
The Compact SMG fire rates may be marginally slower than that of the standard SMGs, but the Compact’s make up for it with larger magazines (40 compared to 30), and a slight edge on structure damage. As is the case with the typically close-range weapons in Fortnite, the Compact SMG’s effectiveness quickly dwindles the further you get from your opponent. Y’know what they say, keep your enemies close and all. It’s especially true with the Compact SMG.
7. Rocket Launcher
Now we’re coming up to the definitive best Fortnite weapons in each category. The rocket launcher is the best explosive weapon in Fortnite. Not only can they deal upwards of 100 damage in a single blast (as you’d expect), the rocket launcher also has a lot of practical uses in the latter stages of a game. The legendary variant deals 413 structure damage, meaning a well-aimed shot at the bottom of a base will likely see the whole thing taken down. At the very least, it’ll be looking very unstable.
Furthermore, you’ve got the ability to rocket ride a friend to a far-off location if you get enough practice in, making the rocket launcher a traversal tool as well as a weapon. Just make sure they jump off in time, otherwise, they’re going to end up downed.
The rocket launcher beats out the grenade launcher purely for ease of use. Rather than having to get used to the trajectory of the grenade launcher, the rocket launcher is a simple point and shoot weapon. Plus, the rapid reloading of the legendary rocket launcher means you can send a near endless barrage of rockets in your enemy’s direction, making it incredibly hard for them to land a shot on you, as they’re constantly on the defensive.
6. Legendary Burst Assault Rifle
The rare burst assault rifles share many of the same traits as the standard bursts. It’s still got a rapid fire rate of 1.75, a relatively speedy reload time at 2.3, and ups both base and headshot damage to 33 and 66 respectively from 30 and 60 on the standard. It also deals just shy of 100 structure damage, making it another viable all-rounder to have in almost any combat scenario.
Its added stability makes picking opponents off from afar much easier than its lesser counterparts, though its fire rate is slower than other high-end ARs. A viable option all the same.
5. Double Barrel Shotgun
If you’re looking for a close-range weapon, this is one of the very best Fortnite weapons you can get. Enemies are as good as dead if you get right up close to them, as this can deal out 240 damage in just two shots. There’s no need for accuracy or aiming for the head with this, either. Body shots are all you need to go for. We suggest literally getting as close to your opponent as possible when using this weapon for the best results.
Keep in mind, however, that the double barrel shotgun is dreadful at any sort of range which isn’t dead in front of you. Still, for those manic incredibly close affairs, there really is no better weapon for the job in Fortnite than the double barrel shotgun.
4. Heavy Sniper
The heavy sniper is a long-range elimination machine. With almost no bullet drop, the heavy sniper is the easiest of the long-range weapons to get to grips with. Plus, the fact it dishes out headshot damage nearly twice as much as what’s possible for any player to have in the game, they’re an instant bye-bye if you connect the shot. Even without a headshot, a body shot will leave them with less than half health, making them far easier to finish off at mid to close range.
And to make things even better, the heavy sniper does a ridiculous amount of structure damage coming in at 1100. That’s enough to ‘delete’ any surface, or object in a single shot. To give you some context, that’s almost three times as much as the rocket launcher. Sure, it takes some time reloading, and you’re definitely not going to want to use the heavy sniper in any close-range affairs. However, if you save an inventory slot for a ranged weapon, this should absolutely be your first choice.
3. Suppressed Assault Rifle
One of the top three best Fortnite weapons you can currently get in Season 6, the Suppressed Assault Rifle is for those looking for a little more precision in their high-end AR. With some trigger discipline, the Suppressed Assault Rifle offers an exceptional level of accuracy and little to no recoil. Hold that trigger finger down, and things will get a little trickier to control, but it’s still a cut above most weapons in the game.
It doesn’t quite pack the punch of the Scar (legendary assault rifle), with its base and headshot damage numbers falling a few points behind, but the silencer on the end makes it trickier for opponents to pinpoint your location. Its DPS is higher than that or the burst assault, though you won’t get anywhere near the same structure damage at only 33 on the legendary suppressed assault rifle. Still, as far as Fortnite weapons go, this is a lethal weapon in most combat scenarios. As always, however, keep in mind damage drop off if you’re trying to pick off enemies from afar.
2. Heavy Shotgun
The godfather of the shotgun and close-range weapons in Fortnite. The legendary Heavy Shotgun offers almost all of the explosive damage of the other shotguns, but with a significantly improved range. Headshot damage sits just shy of 200, though its base damage of 77 is no slouch either. Its fire rate sits somewhere between the pump and tactical variants, too, meaning it’s a little more forgiving if you’re not 100% accurate with your shots.
The Heavy Shotgun’s additional range also makes it perfect for those mid-close range battles you’ll likely find yourself in. It may not be able to compete with our top pick at greater distances, but anything close-quarters belongs to the Heavy Shotgun.
1. SCAR
If you didn’t see this coming, we’d be surprised. The legendary assault rifle, commonly referred to as the Scar, is the top of our list of best Fortnite weapons, and for good reason. Simply put, it’s an outstanding performer regardless of the situation you find yourself in. Dealing 36 damage in a single body shot, or an insane 72 damage from a headshot, the Scar makes rinsing an opponent’s health and shield a breeze. There’s almost no recoil, it deals 36 structure damage per round, has a faster fire rate than the burst variants, and reloads in just over two seconds.
Thanks to its damage dealing capabilities, the Scar can hold its own in mid-close range affairs. Those with trigger discipline can also single fire the Scar with remarkable accuracy, allowing you to drop players from upwards of 100 meters for those with a really keen eye. It does suffer from damage drop off, but as this isn’t exclusive to the weapon, it’s a con worth accepting.
That does it for our list of the best Fortnite weapons in the game! Now you’re ready for that battle royale mayhem. Let us know your favorites down below!
Published: Nov 22, 2023 01:01 pm