Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 2 has been out for a while now, and the next season is still a way off, so it’s worth familiarising yourself with some of the best weapons the game has to offer. Below, we’ve outlined all the weapons currently in the game, from Mythics to guns, ranking them from best to worst.
We’ve also added the best ways to build your loadout for a match, so hopefully, you can grab the Victory Crown in style and rack up plenty of kills along the way. This page will be updated as new patches are released to factor in any nerfs or buffs to different weapons and any weapons introduced.
Best Weapons in Fortnite Tier List
The table below lists all the best weapons you can find and use in-game right now, including their rarity and a brief description of what to expect from each weapon. Like with all rankings and tiers, there’s always a bit of personal taste involved, but this is what we’ve found to be the best.
Tier | Weapon | Rarity | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
S-Tier | Warforged Assault Rifle | Common
Uncommon
Rare
Epic
Legendary | The Warforged Assault Rifle is the best AR in the game right now, despite how unwieldy it can be un-modded. It has a fire rate of 7.2 and is best at medium range. |
S-Tier | Waterbending | Mythic | What makes Waterbending so good is the fire rate combined with the range. The weapon has barely any drop-off and can be reloaded quickly. |
A-Tier | Frenzy Auto Shotgun | Common
Uncommon
Rare
Epic
Legendary | The Frenzy Auto Shotgun was recently nerfed in the recent update, but it's still the best weapon close-range. One of the reasons why it's so effective is because of the magazine holding eight bullets, combined with good damage. |
A-Tier | Reaper Sniper Rifle | Uncommon
Rare
Epic
Legendary | This is currently the only Sniper available in Fortnite. It was recently nerfed slight but it still remains the best weapons for long-range fights. |
A-Tier | Nemesis AR | Common
Uncommon
Rare
Epic
Legendary | The Nemesis AR doesn't quite do as much damage as the Warforged AR but it is much steadier. Some may still opt for this weapon because of this even if the fire rate is slightly less. |
B-Tier | Huntress DMR | Uncommon
Rare
Epic
Legendary | The Huntress DMR is the only real alternative to the Reaper Sniper Rifle. The damage is less, but the magazine size and reload speed is considerably better. It also doesn't have as big of a drop off now either. |
B-Tier | Bowcaster | Mythic | The Bowcaster is often associated with the famous Wookie Chewbacca from Star Wars, and the weapon can be very effective in Fortnite in specific use cases. You will need to charge the gun to get the best out of it, which means it has a prolonged fire rate. |
B-Tier | Harbinger SMG | Common
Uncommon
Rare
Epic
Legendary | The Harbinger SMG can be devastating from close range but you'll have to be accurate, eventually being hard to control. It also has a magazine size of 30, which is a big help. |
B-Tier | Gatekeeper Shotgun | Common
Uncommon
Rare
Epic
Legendary | The Gatekeeper Shotgun would be much higher on the list if the magazine size was more than 3. You can mod the weapon to hold four bullets, |
B-Tier | Thunder Burst SMG | Common
Uncommon
Rare
Epic
Legendary | The Thunder Burst SMG could be your preferred weapon of choice up-close because of how effective it can be if you're accurate. How you feel about this gun will depend on if you like burst weapons or not, but it's still a good choice close up. |
B-Tier | E-11 Blaster Rifle | Mythic | The E-11 Blaster sounds and looks fantastic, but unfortunately, it's not great to use once you've found an Epic or better AR. The upside, though, is that there is no ammunition, so you'll never have to worry about running out of bullets. |
B-Tier | Hand Cannon | Rare
Epic
Legendary | The Hand Cannon is another weapon that is useful from long-range, however it's most helpful for destroying structures. If you can get a scope on one and you haven't got a sniper, it can be very effective at distance. |
C-Tier | Drum Gun | Rare
Epic
Legendary | The Drum Gun has been reintroduced this season after being vaulted but this time it's now an SMG. It's a bit better at medium range than the other SMGs, but it's not as effective as an AR or the other SMGs. |
C-Tier | Tactical Assault Rifle | Common
Uncommon
Rare
Epic
Legendary | This AR is unusual because it uses Small Ammo, so you can hold plenty of ammunition. However, despite that, it's just not veery effective when compared with other weapons. |
C-Tier | Pump Shotgun | Common
Uncommon
Rare
Epic
Legendary | This is without doubt one of the worst weapons in the game right now. The damage is average but reloading takes forever - with this gun you're at risk after firing. |
Best Loadout in Fortnite
If you’re trying to nail the perfect loadout in Fortnite, there are a few things to consider. You will need a weapon for short-range, mid and long. With the current meta, you’re best off using the Frenzy Auto Shotgun, a Warforged Assualt Rifle, and a Reaper Sniper Rifle.
The Waterbending Mythic is also a great option and could be an alternative for an AR or even a Sniper. This will leave you with two empty slots, one for healable items and then Wings or Impulse grenades to help with movement - as a match progresses, you may decide it’s worth taking two types of healable items.
Let us know in the comments what you enjoy using in the game, and in the meantime, here's everything we know so far about the next season in the game.
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