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Fortnite is a game which requires plenty of skills to master. From accuracy to movement to building, you’ll slowly develop these skills as you play match after match of the game’s addictive game modes. That said, if you’re anything like me, you’re probably looking for some tips to help you get ahead. Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Here I will rank some of Fortnite’s weapons so that you can ensure that you’re always packing the best punch possible.
Inventory Management
Unless you’ve never played Fortnite, you’ll know that your inventory space is limited to five items. This includes everything form weapons to utility and healing items. That means you have to be careful with the weapons you pack, as you don’t want them to become dead weight in your inventory. Generally speaking, you will aim to have 2-3 of your inventory slots filled with weapons, while keeping the rest open for healing and utility items.
And remember, to upgrade how your guns and character looks in Fortnite you’re going to need to buy vbucks to get your hands on some nice skins.
Ranking Criteria
Before we dive into the list, it’s worth establishing how I’m going to rank the weapons here. These rankings are primarily based on their overall power—taking into account damage, rate of fire, reload speed, accuracy and more. It’s also worth noting that Fortnite’s weapons come in a variety of rarities which affect their stats. Where relevant, these have been mentioned in the list to avoid confusion.
Each weapon in the game can dominate in the right hands and right situation, but the higher a weapon is on this list, the more reliable it is across the whole range of player skills and situations Fortnite has to offer.
Bottom Tier (D class and below)
– Pistol (Common)
With low damage and high recoil you may find the pistol in your inventory at the start of a game, but you don’t want to be holding onto it for long.
– Burst Assault Rifle (Common)
While battle rifle style guns often dominate in competitive shooters, Fortnite’s burst assault rife isn’t something you want to be holding on to as it’s burst fire and low accuracy actually reduce its usability.
-Submachine Gun (Uncommon)
It’s fast and flashy, but it really lacks damage making it something you probably don’t even want in the early game unless its your only choice.
– Tactical Shotgun (Common)
Shotguns are a top pick for new players, especially if you’re in a close-quarters area of the map, but the tactical shotgun sacrifices some damage for increased rate of fire. In our tests, higher damage is always better for a shotgun.
– Pump Shotgun (Common)
This is the better early-game shotgun. It’s pump action means rate of fire is low, but it hits harder meaning that you can make each shot really count. Especially when you’re up close and personal.
Mid-Tier Weapons (C and B class)
– Assault Rifle (Rare)
The assault rifle class is one of the most reliable in Fortnite, offering decent range, accuracy and damage in one package. If you find a rare assault rifle, it will take you far.
– Tactical Shotgun (Rare)
While the pump may have been better at the common rank, the rare tactical shotgun’s damage is significantly more. Thanks to it’s balance of decent rate of fire and good damage, it is one of the best shotguns in the game.
– Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle
Snipers are among the strongest weapons in Fortnite, as long as you can aim well enough. The Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle is a good choice thanks to its ability to engage effectively at a distance, but its specific use cases mean it doesn’t hit A tier for us.
– Heavy Assault Rifle (Uncommon)
High damage output is really desirable in Fortnite, making us rank this Heavy Assault Rifle slightly higher than the standard assault rifle. Even if that extra damage does come at the cost of some accuracy.
– Infantry Rifle (Common)
If you want something between an assault rifle and a sniper, this is a good choice for you. It’s semi-automatic shots mean that you can more easily pop heads at medium to long distance.
Top-Tier Guns (A and S Class)
– Scar (Legendary)
This is one of the top guns in the game, lorded for its powerful damage and high accuracy. If you find one, hold onto it. You might just win the game.
– Heavy Sniper Rifle
Improving everything about the bolt action sniper rifle, this Heavy Sniper Rifle will see you dominate at range.
– Rocket Launcher
A more unique entry to this list, the rocket launcher is situational, but it is incredibly good at totally demolishing structures and one-shotting enemies. It can be tough to use and hard to find ammo, but if you master your aim with it, you can wreak havoc.
– Suppressed Assault Rifle (Epic)
One-upping the other assault rifles on this list, the suppressed assault rifle dishes out great damage while keeping you hidden. Sure, it’s not quite as powerful as the Legendary Scar, but with improved stealth you can expect to stay alive longer.
– Compact SMG (Legendary)
If you’re fighting in close combat, pick the compact SMG over a shotgun. It has an incredibly high fire rate, resulting in big damage. And thanks to the spray, you can get away with missing a few shots—which you cannot do with a shotgun.
While this hasn’t covered all of Fortnite’s weapons and rarities, hopefully you have a better idea of which guns to hold on to and which to leave behind. Some are situational—like the Sniper Rifles, SMGs and shotguns—while others are more general purpose. As a rule of thumb, if you fill your inventory with one general purpose weapon and one special use case, you may just start finding yourself dominating in lobbies.