Just like in the past Fallout games in the series, there are a lot of different weapons present in Fallout 76. When the game initially launched, there wasn’t much to choose from, but years later players now have an arsenal to choose from. More are being added with every content update that 76 receives. Another perfect reason to give Fallout 76 another chance.
Some weapons listed may be harder to obtain than others, but with a little hard work and dedication, you’ll get them in no time at all. With these weapons, you’ll feel almost unstoppable and make everyone in the wasteland fear you. That being said, let’s get locked and loaded.
10/10 Auto Grenade Launcher
If you want a bit more boom in your adventure across the wasteland, the Auto Grenade Launcher is just for you. The name describes the weapon perfectly as it allows you to do massive amounts of damage in short bursts. If there is a cluster of enemies you can easily get rid of them as you see fit.
RNG will have to be on your side as you can only get it off of high-level Super Mutants and Scorchers. If you’re not at a high enough level don’t worry. There are some other weapons on this list that you can have easy access to.
9/10 Combat Shotgun
Let’s get up close and personal and talk about the Combat Shotgun. Considering that the weapon can be found almost anywhere from different drops and vendors, the capabilities that it has is almost unreal. The shotgun itself has a very high damage output and the rate of fire it has makes it much faster than the other shotguns in the game.
It’s not hard to come across shotgun shells either, so you’ll rarely find yourself running out of ammo. For low-level players, coming across one of these bad boys isn’t hard, and it’ll be your best friend once you find it.
8/10 The Dragon
The Dragon is a unique rifle not only because of the way that it looks, but the type of rifle that it is. It’s a black powder rifle with four distinct barrels and is loaded with .50 caliber balls. It initially does a base damage of 200. With the proper upgrades in mind, it has the potential to do around 900.
There are multiple ways to find this weapon as it can be obtained from the Fort Defiance area, Scorchbeasts, and sold from vendor bots in Watoga Station or Harpers Ferry. Pick it up as soon as possible if you want to do massive amounts of damage.
7/10 All Rise
Fallout 76 isn’t shy from taking weapons and giving them a creative makeover. If you thought the sledgehammer was a great weapon to have (which it is), then you’re going to love the All Rise. It’s literally a sledgehammer with a giant rocket attached to it. As cool as it looks, you can best believe that it has the stats to back it up.
It has a base damage of 160, but when combined with other perks it can do even more. Unlike the regular sledgehammer, it has an improved swing rate, adds 10 health to the player for just equipping it, and has a 90% weight reduction. You receive it after completing “Mayor for a Day”.
6/10 Gatling Gun
In Fallout 76 you can create different builds for yourself in regard to what weapons you use. If you find yourself wanting to use heavy weapons more and do high damage while staying alive, then the Gatling Gun is exactly what you need. Letting out a stream of bullets on your enemies will easily tear through them like wet paper.
It’s not hard to come across them as they frequently drop from enemies and supply drops. The moment you pick it up, you’ll never want to put it down. Just know that it slows your movement speed when equipped, so it’s best to use it while in power armor.
5/10 Perfect Storm
The Perfect Storm may be the best submachine gun in the game. You can find it pretty early on in the game but as you progress you can make it an unstoppable force to be reckoned with. It’s a legendary weapon that has the capability to set enemies on fire for 24 damage over 3 seconds.
If that doesn’t convince you, with the right perks you can even up your damage stats raising it from its initial 14 damage. With all this in mind, you can’t go wrong with having this baby on you at all times. You get it after completing “Cold Case”.
4/10 Combat Rifle
The Combat Rifle is one of the third-best rifles in all of Fallout 76. It’s one of the most adaptive weapons in the game since you can craft it starting at level 20, and it can continue being upgraded throughout your adventure capping out at level 50. It packs a punch especially if you have commando perks equipped.
The customization options that it has makes it extremely versatile as well giving you a variety of options. Because of this, some players have more than one to change up their approach to certain fights.
3/10 Gauss Rifle
The Gauss Rifle is a weapon that doesn’t require you to be too high of a level in order to obtain it. The rifle itself is rare and can pack a lot of damage if you fully max out its stats and capabilities. You have to be at least level 35 in order to craft it.
The Gauss rifle fires explosive projectiles that deal explosive area-of-effect damage which allows you to kill several enemies at a time. With the proper modifications, you can do 140 damage per shot. You can also charge your shot and do even more damage.
2/10 Ski Sword
Ending the melee portion of this list we have the Ski Sword which is one of the best melee weapons in all of Fallout 76. The weapon itself is creative as it’s literally a piece of alpine ski shaped into a sword. The reason why most people underestimate this weapon is primarily due to its looks. However, looks can be deceiving.
The sword can do brutal amounts of damage to enemies and has a pretty high swing rate. The robot Rose from the Cutthroats Raiders faction carries this weapon for players. There is also another version of the sword that’s located at the Sunnytop Ski Lanes Base Lodge.
1/10 Handmade Rifle
Despite the weapon being considered normal, the Handmade Rifle is the best rifle in Fallout 76. The reason being is that it’s versatile as it has seemingly endless modification options, and ridiculous damage stats. Combined with a variety of perks such as Commando and Rifleman, you’ll be an absolute monster.
You have to be level 15 for a drop to even start from it, but once you reach it, you’ll find it across the wasteland almost anywhere. Initially, it might not appear to be much, but the more you upgrade it, the happier you’ll be that you have it.
