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Fallout 4 best weapons and weapons list

Here are the top weapons in Fallout 4 to help tip the scales in your favor. Also, a list of every weapon in the game, broken down by type.

An Enclave character aims the piggy bank modded Fat Man up into the sky

What are the best Fallout 4 weapons? If you’re looking for the top weapons, you’ll need to scour the Commonwealth, looting buildings, taking on dangerous legendary enemies, and even uncover a secret or two along the way. You see, Fallout 4 offers up a huge range of weapons for players to try out, and depending on your playstyle, some are simply better than the rest. Fortunately, we’re here to tell you which ones to go after, and some more general tips on making the most of the weapons you already have.

Finding the best weapons in Fallout 4 will make your time surviving the wasteland a lot easier, and a lot more fun. Many of the wide range of Fallout 4 quests available in the game task you with facing down tough enemies, from the radiation-dealing ghoul to the hard-hitting Deathclaw. In fact, as you traverse this RPG game you’ll need to make note of what types of weapon work against what types of enemies. Though some weapons are powerful enough to level pretty much anything in your path, of course. Here are our picks for the best weapons in Fallout 4, as well as a full list of the weapons you can find while exploring the Commonwealth.

Fallout 4 best weapons

Fallout 4 works a little bit differently to its predecessors when it comes to weapons. You can modify guns, adding effects to them to change the way they work. Because of this, the permutations are endless. Below, you’ll find our recommendations for the best weapons in Fallout 4, with some tips on modding them where applicable.

Of course, how hard weapons hit also depends on your build, so keep in mind that if you’ve put more points into pistols and melee weapons, these will automatically be better picks for your character. With that in mind, here are the best overall weapons in Fallout 4.

A close up of the Fat Man, one of the best Fallout 4 weapons, in the inspect menu

Fat Man

The Fat Man is perhaps the most iconic of all the weapons in Fallout 4, one that seems to embody all of the things that make the series great. It launches Mini Nuke projectiles towards the enemy, detonating in a huge blast which is likely to kill anything that gets caught in it. It’s relatively easy to get a hold of early on as well, as you’ll find a raider wielding one near the entrance to the Corvega Assembly Plant at the start of the game. Ammo can be tricky to come by, so it’s best to save your shots for bigger enemies like Deathclaws. Just make sure you stand back from the point of detonation however, as it’s easy to blow yourself up by accident.

 The best Fallout 4 weapons: A Close up of the Spray n’ Pray SMG in the inspect menu. Cricket is seen in the background.

Spray n’ Pray

The Spray n’ Pray is a Unique Submachine gun that packs some serious firepower. It comes packed with an assortment of great mods, and a particularly strong bonus effect as well. You see, each bullet deals 15 explosive damage on the enemy. This will stagger an enemy, as it lands hit after hit, stacking huge amounts of damage in a short space of time. Once again, this weapon can be tricky to use, so just make sure there’s a good amount of distance between you and your target, and make sure your companions aren’t about to run into your line of fire before using. Head to the Diamond City entrance and speak to wandering merchant Cricket to purchase one.

Fallout 4 best weapons: The Gatling Laser

Gatling Laser

If you want to make the most of bonus effects on your weapons, the Gatling Laser is the way to go. It can be modified to deal Burning or Cryo damage with every hit, and given just how fast this gun fires, you can turn it into a serious killing machine. Look for fallen Brotherhood of Steel knights, as they often drop the Gatling Laser. A little ways into the main story, you can purchase one aboard the Prydwen.

The best Fallout 4 weapons include the problem solver

The Problem Solver

Now onto a weapon that can only be obtained by visiting Nuka World, via the associated DLC pack. What makes this rifle so special is that it has the Furious perk. This means that each consecutive shot that lands on an enemy hits for increased damage. If you use this weapon in a quick-fire manner, you can slowly ramp up its damage, making it a seriously formidable weapon.

Fallout 4 the problem solver location as shown in the pipboy map

To get it, you need to speak to Mason during the Nuka World DLC, passing a Charisma check in the process. Not only that, but you need to pick the aggressive response for each exchange (the option on the right, of the four available). This will make Mason respect you and give you the weapon.

The best Fallout 4 weapons include the Overseer's Guardian rifle

Overseer’s Guardian

Finally, there’s the Overseer’s Guardian. This is a variant of the Combat Rifle that can be purchased from a vendor inside Vault 81 (Alexis Combes). This gun packs the Two Shot effect, which adds an additional projectile for every bullet fired. In essence, you get twice the bang for your buck, making it one of the best early game weapons to go grab as soon as you can. The oath from Diamond City to Vault 81 isn’t too dangerous, so as soon as you hit level 10, go grab this awesome weapon.

A Raider sits on a makeshift bench, aiming a pistol to the left. Nuka World is in the background.

All Fallout 4 weapons

There are many weapons to find in Fallout 4, ranging from giant launchers to tiny melee switchblades. Here’s a list of every weapon you can find, broken down by type:

Rifles

  • Assault Rifle
  • Combat Rifle
  • December’s Child (Far Harbor)
  • Gauss Rifle
  • Handmade Rifle (Nuka World DLC)
  • Hunting Rifle
  • Kiloton Radium Rifle (Far Harbor)
  • Lever-action Rifle (Far Harbor)
  • Old Reliable (Far Harbor)
  • Overseer’s Guardian
  • Prototype Railway Rifle
  • Radical Conversion (Far Harbor)
  • Radium Rifle (Far Harbor)
  • Railway Rifle
  • Reba
  • Reba II
  • Splattercannon (Nuka World DLC)
  • Syringer
  • The Last Minute
  • The Problem Solver (Nuka World DLC)
  • Tinker Tom Special

SMGs

  • Silver submachine gun (Unique Submachine gun)
  • Spray n’ Pray (Unique Submachine gun)
  • Submachine gun

Shotguns

  • Combat Shotgun
  • Double-barrel shotgun
  • Justice
  • Le Fusil Terribles

Heavy Weapons

  • Ashmaker
  • Minigun

Projectiles

  • Admiral’s Friend (Far Harbor)
  • Big Boy (Unique Fatman)
  • Broadsider
  • Death From Above (Unique Missile Launcher)
  • Defender’s Harpoon Gun (Unique Harpoon Gun, Far Harbor)
  • Fat Man
  • Harpoon Gun (Far Harbor)
  • Junk Jet
  • Missile Launcher
  • Nuka-Nuke Launcher (Nuka World DLC)
  • Partystarter
  • Skipper’s Last Stand (Far Harbor)
  • The Striker (Far Harbor)

A close up of the Righteous Authority laser rifle in the inspect menu.

Lasers

  • Good Intentions
  • Institute Laser
  • Laser Gun
  • Laser Musket
  • Laser Pistol
  • Laser Rifle
  • Old Faithful (Unique Laser Gun)
  • Protectron’s Gaze (Automatron DLC)
  • Prototype UP77 (Unique Laser Gun)
  • Righteous Authority (Unique Laser Rifle)
  • Survivor’s Special (Unique Laser Gun)
  • Virgil’s Rifle (Unique Laser Rifle))
  • Wazer Wifle (Unique Laser Rifle)

Plasma

  • Experiment 18-A
  • Plasma Gun
  • Sentinel’s Plasmacaster

Heavy Lasers

  • Aeternus (Nuka World DLC)
  • Final Judgment (Unique Gatling Laser)
  • Gatling Laser

Alien

  • Alien Blaster Pistol
  • Hub’s Alien Blaster (Nuka World DLC)

Flame

  • Flamer
  • Sergeant Ash (Far Harbor)

Gamma

  • Gamma Gun
  • Lorenzo’s Artifact Gun (Unique Gamma Gun)
  • Zeta Gun (Unique Gamma Gun)

Tesla

  • Tesla Rifle (Automatron DLC)

Energy

  • Cryolator

A close up of a Tactical Hardened Pipe Pistol in the Inspect menu

Pistols

  • .44 Pistol
  • 10mm Pistol
  • Deliverer
  • Eddie’s Peace (Unique .44 Pistol)
  • Flare Gun
  • Kellogg’s Pistol (Unique .44 Pistol)
  • Pipe Bolt-Action
  • Pipe Gun
  • Pipe Revolver
  • The Gainer (Unique .44 Pistol)
  • Wastelander’s Friend
  • Western Revolver (Nuka World DLC)

Traps and Mines

  • Bear Trap (Far Harbor)
  • Bleeding Bear Trap (Far Harbor)
  • Caltrops (Far Harbor)
  • Cryo Mine
  • Fragmentation Mine
  • Nuka Mine
  • Plasma Mine
  • Poisoned Caltrops
  • Pulse Mine

A bottle of molotov cocktail in the inspect menu

Explosives

  • Artillery Smoke Grenade
  • Baseball Grenade
  • Bottlecap Mine
  • Cryogenic Grenade
  • Fragmentation Grenade
  • Fragmentation Grenade MIRV (Nuka World DLC)
  • Fury Grenade (Nuka World DLC)
  • HalluciGen Gas Grenade
  • Homing Beacon
  • Institute Beacon
  • Molotov Cocktail
  • Nuka Grenade
  • Nuka Quantum Grenade (Nuka World DLC)
  • Persuasion Grenade (Nuka World DLC)
  • Plasma Grenade
  • Predator Grenade (Nuka World DLC)
  • Pulse Grenade
  • Smart Fragmentation Grenade (Nuka World DLC)
  • Synth Relay Grenade
  • Vertibird Signal Grenade

Melee (Blades)

  • Assaultron (Automatron DLC)
  • Butcher’s Hook (Far Harbor)
  • Chinese Officer’s Sword
  • Combat Knife
  • Deathclaw Gauntlet
  • Disciples Blade (Nuka World DLC)
  • General Chao’s Revenge
  • Grognak’s Axe
  • Kremvh’s Tooth
  • Machete
  • Meat Hook (Far Harbor)
  • Mr Handy’s Buzz Blade (Automatron)
  • Pickman’s Blade
  • Reckoning
  • Revolutionary Sword
  • Ripper
  • Shem Drowne Sword
  • Shishkebab
  • Switchblade
  • Sword of Wonders (Nuka World DLC)
  • The Harvester (Far Harbor)
  • Throatslicer (Nuka World)
  • Zao’s Sword

Melee (Blunt)

  • 2076 World Series Baseball Bat
  • Atom’s Judgement (Far Harbor)
  • Baseball Bat
  • Baton
  • Boxing Glove
  • Big Jim
  • Bloodletter (Far Harbor)
  • Board
  • Cito’s Shiny Slugger (Nuka World)
  • Commie Whacker (Nuka World)
  • Fencebuster (Far Harbor)
  • Knuckles
  • Lead Pipe
  • Pipe Wrench
  • Pole Hook (Far Harbor)
  • Pool Cue
  • Power Fist
  • Rockville Slugger
  • Rolling Pin
  • Sledgehammer
  • Super Sledge
  • Swatter
  • The Fish Catcher (Far Harbor)
  • Tire Iron
  • Walking Cane

That’s all you need to know about the best weapons in Fallout 4. For more on the game, be sure to check out our guide on how to find the Brotherhood of Steel. Elsewhere, there’s our look at the best Fallout 4 mods to enhance your gameplay experience. Finally, try out these Fallout 4 builds to tackle the wasteland in creative ways, some even based on the TV show.