22 Best Weapons (& How To Get Them)

Key Takeaways

• Variety of Western weaponry in
  Red Dead Onlin
  e allows players to customize loadouts for different purposes and playstyles.
• Weapons like Dynamite and Bolas offer unique tactical advantages for situations requiring crowd control and immobilization.
• Best guns like Volcanic Pistol and Evans Repeater provide power, accuracy, and ammo capacity essential for dominating in combat scenarios.

Red Dead Online has a huge array of Western weaponry to choose from, each serving its own unique purpose. From revolvers to repeaters, every weapon in Red Dead Online is useful in its own right, but there are a few weapons that rise above the rest. There are multiple weapons in each class as well, leaving no shortage of firepower to choose from.

When creating a loadout, players have to keep in mind that they can hold multiple weapons at once, meaning they should think about how each gun covers another’s weaknesses. These are the best weapons to use in Red Dead Online for everything from bounty hunting to the showdown series.

Updated on November 21, 2024, by Jake Fillery: Choosing the best gun in Red Dead Redemption 2 is essential to survival, but the best guns in Red Dead Online will change the game forever. Weapons are everything in the Old West, and if players want to defend themselves and lay siege on others to become the finest gunslinger of all, then try and locate the best weapons in Red Dead Online for the most varied arsenal for every combat situation.

29 Double-Action Revolver

Reach Rank 17 and Purchase for $127/6 Gold Bars

The Double-Action Revolver is one of the more inept pistol choices that cowboys and cowgirls have available to them, but it’s still not a bad one. While there are some truly special options out there in the Old West, the Double-Action Revolver will reliably get the job done in a few ways.

The Double-Action Revolver has a fast fire rate that pairs with its damage output for a revolver, and it also has a fast reload for gunslingers constantly in a pickle. It’s a decent enough choice for fighting on horseback for those very reasons and does its job well until it’s inevitably replaced by superior guns in later Ranks.

28 Carbine Repeater

Purchased For $90 / 4 Gold Bars

One of the first weapons that players can get their hands on is the Carbine Repeater. While it doesn’t offer much outside of average stats, it’s still worthy of claim considering how useful it can be to low-level players, as this is a gun that unlocks at Rank 1 so everyone can use it at least once or while they are trying to gain further Ranks.

The Carbine Repeater is extremely reliable, and a popular choice for those still lacking the necessary upgrades. A decent reload and fire rate makes for a weapon worthy of a gunslinger who wants to fight their way through the Old West.

27 Improved Bow

Purchased for $275 / 11 Gold Bars

While the Improved Bow has identical stats to the standard Bow, the Improved Bow does have the unique advantage of having less stamina drained while aiming. This can be seen as a massive improvement to those who adore the use of bows and arrows in their playthroughs.

It might not be the hardest-hitting weapon in the game, but its silent, deadly, and a one-hit kill to those with a steady and skillful aim. It’s a great weapon for using in the forests or while hunting animals for a clean kill, and having a bow that has superior stamina drain is quite the advantage indeed.

26 Lasso

Automatically Unlocked At Rank 1

A weapon that is reliable and always worthy of use, especially for bounty hunters. The lasso is a classic for cowboys, and everyone should have one in their arsenal. Whether players want to take their bounties alive, or simply rope up a victim to toss into an incoming train, the lasso is great fun that everyone should use once or twice. The lasso is great at tying up NPC enemies, kidnapping others, or even pinning down players to stop their hostilities. It’s also a sadistic joy to drag enemies through the dirt with a lasso wrapped around their ankles.

25 Elephant Rifle

Purchased for $580 or 24 Gold Bars at Gunsmiths

A diabolical marvel, the Elephant Rifle acts like a cannon held in the palms of a gunslinger’s hands. With 2 bullets chambered, players are able to cause mass devastation and a fairly decent range, for maximum effect. The damage of the Elephant Rifle is unparalleled, and truly monstrous in battle. Players can send limbs flying, as long as they are alright with the ferocious kick and sound.

24 Throwing Knife (Poison)

Crafted With Throwing Knife (1) and Oleander Sage (1)

Throwing knives aren’t just great for looking cool with tactical weaponry. Throwing knives have a grand set of uses. They can be used in stealth, they can eliminate targets fast with headshots or body shots due to the dripping poison that can instantly kill most targets. Even better, they are great for hunting, and players can easily kill heavy and viscous animals with a precise throw. Easily accessible, fun, and pretty cool, throwing knives are a decent pick.

23 Dynamite

Reach Rank 16 & Purchased For $1

A powerful explosive that may have been designed to help for mining purposes, the dynamite has been repurposed as a tool of destruction in Red Dead Online, and players can expect a grand amount of chaos just by throwing this small stick. Dynamite is great for situations where clusters of enemies are huddling, and also for when other hostile players think they are safe behind cover. Simply toss the dynamite and wait for the bang, which will snuff out anything breathing in the area. Dynamite has a large explosive radius, and it’s fairly quick to blow, so be careful when using it, but don’t bring it to a standoff.

22 Bolas

Reach Bounty Hunter Rank 10 & Purchased For $30 / 2 Gold Bars

For the bounty hunters out there, the Bolas can help make them feel like a revered hunter of men and women who think themselves above the law. This throwable weapon is great for immobilizing targets, whether NPCs or other players are retreating, the bolas can snare them, much like a throwable lasso. They’re fairly expensive, but the way they work adds to situational activities, and players can re-obtain their bolas when thrown, and the throwing range is great, much more effective than a lasso.

21 Pump Action Shotgun

Reach Rank 5 & Purchase For $266.40 / 11 Gold Bars

The Pump action shotgun can make other players disappear so quickly that the opposing player looks possessed. The shots aren’t as strong as most other shotguns, but the reload time and capacity give this the staying power that other shotguns often lack.

20 Double-Barreled Shotgun

Reach Rank 30, Purchase For $185 / 8 Gold Bars

Trying to get a double-barreled shotgun to be only slightly strong is tough to do. Firing one shotgun shell is usually enough to kill somebody. Two is essentially a massacre at short range. Unless a hacker turns the player into a UFO, the enemy player won’t last long up close against this.

19 Rolling Block Rifle

Reach Rank 13, Purchased For $411 / 17 Gold Bars

The biggest drawback of the Rolling Block is that it can only be fired when scoped in. Not great against targets that move quickly, but just fine for semi-stationary targets on the horizon.

Hey, that’s what sniper rifles are supposed to be used for. Just remember to capture all of the farmland animals alive and don’t use this overkill machine.

18 Volcanic Pistol

Reach Rank 21, Purchase For $270 / 11 Gold Bars

The Volcanic has a bit more firepower but is a bit slower to fire than the standard Cattleman’s Revolver. Nevertheless, running into battle armed with two of these will only see one victor, and that will definitely be whoever is behind the trigger of the Volcanic.

17 Evans Repeater

Purchased For $300 / 12 Gold Bars

Boasting an impressive 26-round capacity, the Evans Repeater can take down huge groups of enemies without having to reload. It’s an ammo dump, but finding cover to reload safely shouldn’t be a problem, and this weapon’s power and accuracy help put down enemies without too many shots. Just don’t aim it at the domestic animals, the horses have been horrified enough as it is.

16 Sawed-Off Shotgun

Reach Rank 19, Purchase For $111 / 5 Gold Bars

The dual-wield power of the Sawed-Off Shotguns is underestimated by anybody who isn’t playing at a high level. The bottom line is that players carry two weapons and their sidearms. Their two major weapons are wisely made for medium and long ranges. This leaves the job of close damage to the sidearm and nothing works better close up than these. With incendiary ammo, the lobbies can feel hot but this weapon is hotter.

15 Springfield Rifle

Reach Rank 38, Purchased For $156 / 7 Gold Bars

The concept of being able to remain in one place, lie low, and shoot is novel, but not entirely feasible. Not every fight is going to be the strangest duel ever. Especially given the hit-and-run nature of pulling off the perfect heist, snipers have had to evolve. The Springfield is remarkably accurate even when under fire, making it a good choice for mobile snipers.

14 Varmint Rifle

Reach Rank 8 & Purchase For $72 / 3 Gold Bars

Yes, some players are going to laugh at this inclusion, but anybody who is broke won’t be laughing for long. It’s impossible to rain down death without the proper financing. With a little money for upgrades and a ton of patience, the quickest way to make money is to go hunting. This is the perfect gun for the job, just don’t dress up like a hipster and scare off all the animals (and human players).

13 Repeating Shotgun

Reach Rank 11, Purchased For $434.40 / 18 Gold Bars

Players who have been doing Red Dead Online since the beginning are fully aware that snipers have reigned supreme in PvP since day one. Recognizing the need for an advantage for those brave enough to get in close, this gun was added for some serious lethality.

12 Semi-Automatic Pistol

Reach Rank 22, Purchase For $537 / 22 Gold Bars

Those who grind out the levels and save up the cash are in for a treat. The live-action makes it hard to find a perfect use for Deadeye in the game, but having two of these death dealers is where it shines most. The ridiculously fast fire rate is unmatched in a quick-moving firefight. Large beasts won’t stand a chance.

11 Ancient Tomahawk

Purchase For $5.50

Most players will recognize the value of the Ancient Tomahawk when it one-shots a variety of the game’s most ferocious animals. That’s one way to deal with annoying players right there. They’re hard to aim and use, yet those who have been playing PvP at the game’s highest level will usually notice somebody using them, and that somebody usually wins the match.

Throwable weapons like the Ancient Tomahawk also benefit from the ability to be reclaimed and act as a great stealth weapon.

10 Litchfield Repeater

Reach Rank 18 & Purchase For $348 / 14 Gold Bars

With all of the great repeater options out there, too many people are passing up on the Litchfield Repeater, especially when factoring in its winning reputation among the game’s top players. Yes, it’s got fewer shots in it. Yes, it’s too powerful to cleanly kill a flock of delicate birds. But that’s bad in-game karma that nobody needs. Overkill against human-controlled opponents is always welcome.