Far Cry 5: What the Best Weapons & Guns Are

Bolted Pipe – Melee

Best Weapons in Far Cry 5

Melee objects aren’t the best weapons in the game, but if you’re a fan of getting up close and personal with enemies in Far Cry 5, you’ll need a solid melee weapon to keep the cultists at bay. In this department, we opted for the bolted pipe, offering higher damage than most other melee weapons, solid accuracy, and decent handling, too.

A runner-up in this category would probably be the Brass Knuckles, which have absolutely no range, but are lethal up close with near-perfect handling. Plus, who doesn’t want to go around taking down cultists with nothing more than some brass knuckles and their fists?

1911 – Pistol

Best Weapons in Far Cry 5

When it comes to your sidearm in Far Cry 5, you won’t have to look very far for the best choice. The 1911 is the default and most common pistol you’ll find in Far Cry 5, but it’s got enough power in it to take out basic enemies with a single headshot. Plus, because of how lightweight and dinky it is, the handling is nice and high, making it perfect for quickly dispatching multiple targets in a tight spot.

Oh, and equip a silencer to it, too. It makes it a perfect companion for liberating outposts and other stealth missions.

SBS – Shotgun

Best Weapons in Far Cry 5

As much as we love using the SPAS shotgun at any possible moment while playing games, it was the SBS that won us over in Far Cry 5. This double-barreled shotgun can obliterate groups of cultists without even breaking a sweat. It does have a very low rate of fire, however, and its accuracy could be better, so take a little bit of extra time to line up your shots and ensure you land a hit.

It’s also particularly useful for when you find yourself sprinting through confined, narrow corridors (which you’ll do quite a bit, we’re just not going to say where or when). Oh and those heavy enemy types with all the armor? A well-placed shot with the SBS and they’re history.

Vector.45 ACP “Classic” – SMG

Best Weapons in Far Cry 5

The Vector.45 ACP “Classic” is an absolute machine. Though its damage may be low, it more than makes up for it with a rapid rate of fire and solid handling. As long as you can get in range of your enemies and keep aim, the Vector.45 will make light work of any cultists that try and stop you from saving Hope County.

In reality, though, we didn’t really find that the SMG fit into our loadout in Far Cry 5, with a combination of Assault Rifles, Snipers, Bows, or Launchers providing a solid all-bases-covered selection. Still, if you’re in the market for an SMG, this is one to save up for.

AR-C – Assault Rifle

Best Weapons in Far Cry 5

The AR-C is the first assault rifle you’ll get your hands on in Far Cry 5, and once again, if we’re honest, it’s our favorite by a country mile. Though the likes of the AK-47 may offer a slightly higher damage, with the right attachments equipped, the AR-C is a jack-of-all-trades.

This comes down to the ability to switch between automatic, burst, and single fire modes on the fly. We attached a silencer, red dot sight, and an extended mag to ours, boosting the accuracy and handling to 7 and 6 respectively, while also making it a perfect weapon for picking off targets guarding an outpost. When things do get a little hot to handle, switch it into burst mode over automatic. The automatic mode’s recoil can be pretty crazy, especially in fast-paced combat scenarios where you don’t have time to perfectly line up shots or you’re constantly on the move.

AR-CL – Sniper Rifle

Best Weapons in Far Cry 5

Though it’s a bit unwieldy to use, the AR-CL is another weapon that can be used to combat any tricky scenario you manage to find yourself in against Eden’s Gate. Throw a silencer (of course) and the ADV-X scope onto the AR-CL and you’ve got a weapon capable of picking off targets from serious distance, and one that can quickly mow down any enemies that might sneak up on you with its burst mode.

Its damage might not be off the charts, but if you line up the headshots, it’s more than enough to take care of an enemy with a single round.

M60 – Machine Guns

Best Weapons in Far Cry 5

The machine guns were another category that didn’t find its way into our loadout picks all that often in Far Cry 5, but if you find yourself dealing with a lot of heavies, or have The Chosen hunting you down in their helicopters, this packs the punch and the range you need to make light work of them.

Of course, as you’d expect from a big, hulking machine gun, the handling isn’t all that great, so be prepared when you switch to it from an SMG, assault rifle, or pistol.

Recurve Bow – Bows

Best Weapons in Far Cry 5

There are only two bows in Far Cry 5, and the Recurve Bow is the clear winner out of the two. Its base stats are all the same or higher than the Compound Bow, and equipping a sight will help raise the handling and accuracy even higher.

Even if you can’t afford the Recurve Bow immediately, we’d still recommend picking up the Compound Bow as soon as possible. These are silent weapons with some serious range and power to boot. You can wipe out an entire outpost with ease if you’re stealthy enough. Plus, you can recover your arrows once they’ve been fired, so no more awkwardly running out of ammo right in the middle of a fight.

RAT – Launchers

Best Weapons in Far Cry 5

Though we’ve chosen the RAT as our choice of the best weapon in Far Cry 5’s launcher category, there’s not a whole lot of difference between that and the RPG. The only main difference here comes in the form of the RAT’s more competent sight, making it easier to line up shots on moving vehicles or large groups of enemies.

If you don’t want to spend the extra money on the RAT, the RPG is still worth throwing into your loadout if you’ve got the space.

Those are our picks for the best weapons in Far Cry 5. Be sure to check out our ever-expanding wiki for more tips, tricks, and information on the game.