Fortnite: The Best Weapons & Guns in Battle Royale

TOP 7 BEST WEAPONS IN FORTNITE BATTLE ROYALE

Fortnite Battle Royale is a game of survival that rewards those who play tactically and know how to measure each potential combat scenario. A great deal of what dictates which strategy you’ll use will depend on the weapon(s) that you have in your inventory. Here, we’re running through five of the best weapons in Fortnite Battle Royale that are so powerful that they should determine exactly how you approach each match once you have located them. As always, heading to the best chest locations on the map is your best chance of finding the Rare, Epic, and Legendary versions of these weapons. The addition of supply drops to Fortnite Battle Royale means that there’s also a plentiful supply of higher tier weapons during the match.

Rare Semi-Auto Shotgun

Damage: 74
Damage per second: 111

The Semi-Auto Shotgun is a fearsome weapon at close range in Fortnite Battle Royale, able to take out enemies with a single shot to the upper body or two to the lower body. Even when your opponent is wearing armor, it’s a formidable weapon that will give you the upper hand in close quarters engagements. Unlike the Pump-Action Shotgun, there’s no pausing in between rounds to load a new cartridge into the receiver, which means you can keep the pressure on your opponent with multiple shots. But while this more than makes up for the lower damage output in comparison to the Pump-Action variant, the Semi-Auto Shotgun still isn’t exactly a fast firing weapon, and you’ll still need to place your shots carefully in order to be effective.

For that reason, as with weapons such as the Revolver, the shotguns are best used in surprise attacks, when you’re certain to land the first hit without reply. Even in a close-quarters engagement, shotguns can be less effective than automatic weapons with which one can “spray-and-pray”. Land your shots effectively, though, and the Rare Semi-Auto Shotgun can dominate the battlefield.

Rare Pump Shotgun

BEST WEAPONS IN FORTNITE BATTLE ROYALE

Damage: 95
Damage per second: 66.5

The rare pump shotgun only recently got its blue background thanks to a change in the rarity of shotguns to better reflect their effectiveness in combat. Its stats have remained the same as it was when it was categorized as an uncommon weapon, but it’s still absolutely lethal in the right hands and one of the best weapons without a shadow of a doubt in Fortnite Battle Royale.

Though we mentioned before that the tactical shotgun’s lack of pausing between rounds to load new cartridges means you can keep the pressure on your opponent with multiple shots in quick succession, the pump shotgun’s added power means that, in the right hands, you can finish an enemy in a shot or two. It can take some getting used to, but once you learn to have a calm head and take the time to line up headshots with the pump shotgun rather than panic firing, you’ll be obliterating fools in no time.

Rare M16 Assault Rifle

BEST WEAPONS IN FORTNITE BATTLE ROYALE

Damage: 33
Damage per second: 192.5

The M16 variant of the Assault Rifle is an excellent medium range weapon with enough damage and accuracy that it can still make for an effective long-range weapon, too. In blue Rare form, the M16 packs more damage and slightly less reload time in comparison to its more commonly found grey and green varieties. Finding an M16 allows one to roam the battlefield in confidence, selecting between static defensive tactics or a more mobile aggressive strategy. Indeed, the weapon’s automatic fire and impressive damage per second mean you can effectively camp and open up at enemies from close to medium range. But its accuracy and punch mean that even enemies with scoped weapons will have a hard time overcoming the Rare M16 as long as one stays moving during the engagement (the scoped Assault Rifle is comparatively difficult to use effectively when strafing or moving forward).

Legendary Rocket Launcher

BEST WEAPONS IN FORTNITE BATTLE ROYALE

Damage: 121
Damage per second: 90.7

The Rocket Launcher is a devastating and intimidating weapon to opposing enemies. It has the ability to kill multiple enemies in a single hit, destroy walls and buildings, and confuse enemies from long range. The weapon has recently had both its reload speed and damage-to-buildings nerfed in a recent update, but it’s still an absolute beast and its damage-to-enemies remain the same. The Rocket Launcher presents a serious problem to anyone hauled up in a building, and it gives you a huge advantage late game versus survivors that attempt to built forts or walls during the final firefight.

Legendary Heavy Shotgun

BEST WEAPONS IN FORTNITE BATTLE ROYALE

Damage: 77
Damage per second: 77

We know, we know, we have a lot of shotguns on this list, but that’s plain and simply because they’re the best weapons on offer in Fortnite Battle Royale. The heavy shotgun is one of Fortnite Battle Royale’s most recent additions, essentially combining the explosive power of a pump shotgun with the range of something like an SMG. Considering many close-range encounters tend to result in a lot of jumping about as you and your foe/ foes take turns firing shotgun shells at one another, this gives you a serious advantage.

It’s damage and DPS may not look quite as impressive as the rare tactical and pump shotguns we have on this list, but the range more than makes up for it, allowing you to drop players before they’ve even got close enough to deal damage. Oh, and it sounds awesome every time you fire off a shot, so there’s that.

Legendary Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle

BEST WEAPONS IN FORTNITE BATTLE ROYALE

Damage: 116
Damage per second: 38.3

There are only three scoped weapons in Fortnite Battle Royale, which means whenever you find one you’ll have a decent advantage over other players from range. The sniper rifle comes in two variants: Bolt-Action and Semi-Auto. A recent patch has increased both the damage and speed of reload time for the Semi-Auto version, but the Bolt-Action’s incredible power means that it’s still the king of the scoped weapons and generally one of the best weapons in Fortnite Battle Royale.

In Legendary guise, it’s a one-hit-kill with exception to leg shots/body shots when your opponent is in full armor. As soon as you locate this weapon, you should consider switching to a static camping tactic by finding an elevated position to survey your surroundings. As we’ve mentioned in our tips and tricks guide, the bush and pine trees that almost completely conceal you in crouched position make for superb hiding spots when equipped with the Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle.

Legendary SCAR Assault Rifle

BEST WEAPONS IN FORTNITE BATTLE ROYALE

Damage: 36
Damage per second: 198

The Legendary SCAR rifle is absolutely the best of the best weapons in Fortnite Battle Royale. With more damage and a quicker reload time, it has all the perks of the M16 with an even higher damage per second, which means you can maraud the battlefield in supreme confidence that you have an advantage over enemies at close, medium, and long range.

Even opponents with a Sniper Rifle can be overcome at all but the longest range due to the SCAR’s ability to keep the pressure on with sustained fire. Its versatility suits any strategy and is especially handy in the late game when the storm squeezes opponents together from medium to close range.

And there you have the best weapons in Fortnite Battle Royale. For more on the game be sure to check out our ever-expanding wiki.