There’s no easy way to earn that elusive Victory Royale without good loot, and in Fortnite you are truly spoiled for choice. Battle Royale, luckily, has a plethora of arms to make up the essential Fortnite arsenal. Excluding the melee weapons which don’t drop as frequently, and consumable items such as grenades, there are five main categories for guns in the game, all of which have their own combat approaches and variety in their own categories. Obviously, it would be remiss to mention that a list of this nature is subjective, but the community have thankfully banded together on various sections of the internet to determine what weapons are the most popular, what weapon categories rule the roost, and what players should be aiming for as they drop onto the battlefield.
This list is going to discuss the different kinds of Assault Rifles, Shotguns, SMGs, Pistols and Sniper Rifles. We will break down what is unique to each gun category, what makes each fortnite gun (or guns) the best for their category, and where they rank against each other. We will also have an honourable mention for any weapons that do not fit into these categories, including grenade launchers and melee options. So, what do we think are the best guns in Fortnite?
Assault Rifles
Assault rifles remain an eternal fan favourite for Fortnite players, though there isn’t much doubt as to why. Being a versatile option at any range, excelling in accessibility and skill-ceilings for beginners and experts alike, and the waves of support in new guns with each new chapter that unfolds leaves Assault rifles in a class that will remain untouchable until the end. There are three (3) Assault rifle picks, however, that have shaken up the formula and we are going to rank them below:
Rank 1: Holo-Twister
The Holo-Twister and its Mythic variant, the Enhanced Holo-Twister, are essential for this new chapter in Fortnite. It’s a hit-scan weapon with competitively dangerous damage scaling over a respectable 11 tiles (55 metres), rivalling long-range weaponry as an intuitive option. Where the gun truly shines, however, is in the close-mid range. Its precision-based targeting and built-in scope are great, but firing from the hip imposes little to no bullet spread. Its fast fire rate also means that if anybody gets in close for an ambush and you don’t have a shotgun or escape plan ready, the Holo-Twister is just as good to go.
The Mythic variant – the enhanced Holo-Twister – is impressive in and of itself. Without sacrificing the steady formula that makes this rifle great, the damage output makes the weapon an instant pick when looting for guns at any stage in the game.
Rank 2: Ranger
Introduced all the way back in Chapter 3, the Ranger has remained an ever-present fan-favourite: arguably the forefather of the Holo-Twister which has topped our list. The Ranger plays just as consistently at long range. The slower fire rate does mean that at shorter ranges you will be switching to a pump action as quick as you can, but at long ranges this hit-scan precision weapon is accurate and clinical. Its damage-per-shot is higher than the Holo-Twister, and is better and destroying structures than the rapid-fire Fury rifle. For those tight margins, it also boasts the quickest reload speed to mitigate its relative ineffectiveness when ambushed at shorter ranges.
The higher-rarity variants scale up the damage to players and structures, meaning whilst the short range issues don’t become easier, it at least becomes a primary pick for long range firefights.
Rank 3: Fury
The Fury is bottom of its class, but by no means the worst gun Fortnite has ever made. The main issues with the Fury is that it is what the Holo-Twister is, but slightly worse across the board on everything that isn’t long range. At long range though, it lags behind. With the highest fire rate and reload time, plus the lowest damage in class, the others are simply better. The benefit though, is that as mention prior the Assault rifles in the game are strong as always. It might be that you try and find a Holo-Twister as soon as you can, though!
Shotguns
Shotguns reign supreme in Fortnite. Much like the Assault rifle, every shooter needs a close-range option when so many of the best guns in the competitive scene excel at long-range skirmishes. Pump shotguns in particular are a safe loadout slot for up-close and personal battles. In this class, there are three (3) shotguns to choose from, though perhaps one might be better than the others:
Rank 1: Sentinel Pump
Simply put, slow and steady wins the race for shotguns in the current meta. The Sentinel Pump shotgun is the slowest firing shotgun in its category, it has the longest reload time, and has the shortest damage fall-off at just over a single tile (1.3 tiles, 6.5 metres). Yet it lands on top because of two reasons. The first, as you’ll come to read, is that the other shotguns aren’t performing as highly this year (especially our Rank 3). The second, is that the Sentinel Pump is a pure-bred powerhouse. It’s DPS is lower than its own single-shot damage (yes, that is how slow it fires), but when its base damage is 92 it becomes the shotgun for the steady-handed. It obliterates players, and any built-up defences and torn through by this weapon.
Its fire-rate might still be a turn-off for some as you scale through its rarities, but the damage output becomes a one-shot kill in the right hands.
Rank 2: Oni Shotgun
Perhaps the best-looking shotgun in its class, the Oni remains a divisive pick. On the one hand, it has half the reload speed and great structural damage, and on the other it has a painful 2-shell clip and the lowest DPS of all three options. This is not an easy sell for beginners as it has a high margin for error with a very narrow bullet spread and an unforgiving, clip-emptying punishment if you miss. If you hit, though, the rate and damage per-shot is good enough that it can be a decent pick if you need a backup.
The base damage increases and quicker reload times do make hunting down a higher-rarity option worth it if you can. Overall, for the Oni it is a matter of preference, though the downsides are gnarly if you miscalculate.
Rank 3: Twinfire Auto
This one hurts a bit. Fully automatic shotguns should excel in a meta where being the first to react in an encounter is crucial to winning, rather than an over-reliance on fast movement. The Twinfire Auto shotgun is the highest DPS in-class according to the Omniverse, but it simply does not feel like it. Its range, thankfully, isn’t too bad and there have been far worse weapons in the past, but for close-quarters options you are far more likely to survive with an SMG than the Twinfire anytime soon.
Submachine Guns
Chapter 6 has been kind to SMGs so far, where both (2) of the notable entries are easy and fun to use, as well as one of them being arguably the best gun right now. SMGs excel at fire-rate matchups and hold their own at close-quarters. Hit-scan reliance for the weapons going forward also means zero delay on any hits landed, so finishing off a fleeing or low-health enemy is as easy as its been for a long time. One can argue that a later-mentioned pistol option should get an honourable mention here for firing like an SMG, being as effective as an SMG, and even almost looking like an SMG, but we will save that one for its own category. For now, let’s break down the true Submachine Guns:
Rank 1: Veiled Precision SMG
The Veiled Precision SMG is great for what it is. It is your typical high-fire rate Submachine Gun (in THE high-fire rate gun category of the game), with good output, structural damage, but a small clip of only 21 standard bullets in its common rarity. It is a solid option for any loadout, and would be Rank 1 on this list anyway, but its legendary variant makes it perhaps the best gun in the meta right now.The Night Rose variant on the Veiled Precision is simply stunning. It deals a dumfounding 206 damage per second, halves the reload time of its in-class rival, and is the most flexible weapon for newcomers to get to grips with. Whatever our strategy for a combat – ambush, spray-and-pray, equal-footing firefight – the Night Rose Veiled Precision’s skill ceiling is high enough, but its skill floor brings everyone up with it and is one of our must-haves for right now in Fortnite.
Rank 2: Surgefire
The Surgefire has a tough job, standing up to what might be the best Fortnite weapon (that isn’t called the Holo-Twister, at least). It has a better clip size so you might not be reloading every time you fire, but that’s about it. It lags behind in every other markable category in order to allow for a more customizable approach with changes in fire-rate. This charge mechanic is neat, and up against any other weapon the Surgefire is solid, but the standard Veiled Precision still outranks it so maybe this one is best avoiding this time around.
Sniper Rifles
Every shooter needs one, they are the high-skill ceiling, long range experts that fuel thousands of gaming compilations and hundreds-more panicked interactions where somebody you can’t see hits you from out of nowhere. Sniper Rifles require patience, and other options to complement their slower playstyle. With how good the Holo-Twister is this season, we still recommend that for long ranged encounters, but here is the assessment of the current best in-class.
Rank 1: Hunting Rifle
The Hunting Rifle is a very solid option for the brave or the keen-eyed. One of the oldest guns out of the vault right now in Fortnite, and it might be among the best if not for the absurd quality at the top of the pyramid in Chapter 6 so far. Clearing 90+ damage per shot with only its Rare quality, even a common Hunting rifle can be put to good use in the right hands. The downsides with all Sniper Rifles are that they are so reliant on long-range tactics that swapping to a close-range weapon is the only option in ambushes, and the Hunting Rifle in particular is bolt-action; meaning taking a break after every shot. If you make your shots count, or if you enjoy staying well out of the way quietly picking off the competition, then this is not a bad pick right now.
Rank 2: Rail Gun
The Rail Gun is a cute gimmick but plays more like a wrecking ball than a traditional head-shotter. Charging the Rail Gun is the main, and only, method of dealing damage. This places any Rail Gun player in a strange limbo between proactively charging up a weapon for seemingly no targets at all and reacting too late to fire the thing. It has its moments, but its potentially massive damage output – particularly on buildings – only helps it along so much before its clunkier playstyle catches up with it.
Pistols
It is the return of the Chapter 4 pistols it seems right now in Fortnite, and they make up solid options for any loadout. Pistols vary wildly between properties and qualities, often sharing nothing in common with each other, but luckily the two (2) Pistols available right now are as easy to use as ever:
Rank 1: Lock On Pistol
Both options are good to an extent at the moment, but the Lock On Pistol makes pursuing other players so much easier. It does what it says, tracking other players as you chase them down or try to take risky shots. As it is semi-automatic it fires as fast as you want it to, it deals consistent damage, and doesn’t take an age to reload. As far as traditionally secondary weapons go, the Lock On Pistol sits up with the primaries as the best of the Fortnite pistols right now.
Rank 2: Suppressed Pistol
The Supressed Pistol, referenced earlier as a ‘pseudo-SMG’ of sorts is not a bad option to have, but is the worst of the pistols, and completely up against the wall in the SMG class this chapter. The benefit of using it, obviously, is for the suppressor. Not appearing on enemy indicators means that you can potentially take out entire teams with this thing, but drawing enemies closer to you to hit them with an ambush is not a bad idea either. Once again it comes down to preference, a compliment to the balancing of every weapon outside of, once again, the Holo-Twister or the Night Rose, as there are fringe uses for the Supressed Pistol at the moment. It is up to you to decide if its benefits outweigh its drawbacks, if its more passive and subdued approach beats out the run-and-gun approach of the Lock On.
Best of the Rest
We have arrived then at the rest of the guns Fortnite has to offer, and other weapons that may be the difference between bowing out early and a victory royale. Making up a seemingly random pool of four (4) items, including two Katanas, a rocket launcher, and a mask of all things, we will conclude this list by rounding off the best of the rest of Fortnite Weapons.
Rank 1: Typhoon Blade
If there is any take-away from the use of Katanas in Fortnite right now, it is that movement makes or breaks a weapon. Luckily, the two Katanas stick the landing – one more so than the other, but not by much. The Typhoon blade is as good as the upper echelon of each of the other classes bar the very best, though even that is debatable. Its default damage is solid, but its Falling Strike slam attack and Cyclone Slash pushback variant control close-quarter combat expertly. What really kicks the weapon up at the top of this category, however, is the fall-damage negating Wind Leap and Air Dash movement options that allow you to run rings around everyone else. This is an excellent choice, and the best Fortnite melee option right now.
Rank 2: Kinetic Blade
The runner-up in a tightly fought melee race to the top, the standard Knockback attacks on the Kinetic Blade are still an excellent offensive and last-resort option. The durability is almost identical to the Typhoon Blade which runs across all of its abilities, its damage is solid, and its Dash Attack may as well be an escape option in and of itself. The only thing letting the weapon down is the comparison to the absolutely stacked ability list of the Typhoon Blade, which isn’t even the Kinetic Blade’s fault. For those who enjoy melee battles, the time to hop in and play is now it seems.
Rank 3: Burst-Quad Launcher
The weapon with perhaps the most missed potential at the moment in Fortnite. The benefits of running an hard-to-get-hold-of Burst Quad Rocket Launcher are certainly there; launchers always do high damage, the clip size isn’t awful and it doubles up on single ammunition meaning more bang for your buck, and it obviously wrecks any structures it comes into contact with. The downsides are big, and get very steep very quickly. For starters, as much as achieving a headshot with a rocket launcher would be absurd, the critical damage is missed on the weapon. The Rail Gun Sniper Rifle eats builds alive compared to the launcher, which is sad for a demolition weapon. But the most grievous sin of all is that the weapon is locked behind quite the mountain to climb in finding Godzilla in the map, killing him, AND being the one to deal the most damage overall. The weapon is okay, but the condition of grabbing one is not worth it.
Rank 4: Fire Oni Mask
If the Fire Oni Mask ever gets patched or reworked, and Fortnite players hope that it does, this has the potential to be meta-breaking. Currently, its comically weak against any player who knows how to deal with it. To begin with this, our final weapon on the list, its projectiles are slow enough that playerd who see it coming have the chance to leisurely dodge out of the way. It deals 100 damage on a direct hit and to a small impact area, which in theory is good, but with the impact area being as small as it is you will rarely land a conclusive shot in moments where you need to. To top it off the mask has two shots before you’re out of ammo, and eight shots before you need a new one as it leaves your inventory for good. Steer well clear, especially as this list has heaped praise on so many other weapons you can grab that you should be hunting down instead.
