How to Get the Best Weapons in Fallout 76

During the early stages of Fallout 76, players will likely notice that the weapons they use will constantly be changing. As enemies get stronger, the old pipe pistol seems to no longer cut it. And so, on a whim, one weapon is scrapped, and another is crafted or looted. It seems, at first, that there are no weapons with any kind of unique identity, or anything that makes them worth holding on to. However, as players spend more time with the game, and the world becomes more challenging, a select group of weapons will rise above the rest. These are the best weapons in Fallout 76.

Creating a list of the best guns and melee weapons in Fallout 76 is actually a tricky endeavor. So much depends on playstyle and perk choice. Each style of play could easily have its own best weapons list, and they would be very different from each other. With that in mind, this guide will strive to pick several unranked options, with an eye toward variety and the greatest overall utility for players.

Updated December 14, 2024, by Christopher Norman Worcester: As Fallout 76 rounds out 2024, we are revisiting many of our most popular guides and ensuring they still provide the best possible information. This update will check to ensure our guide to finding and acquiring the best weapons in Fallout 76 still remains accurate.

Fallout 76
is an online multiplayer experience, and as such it is constantly changing. With the year coming to a close, this list presents the
best weapons in
Fallout 76
2024.
As new weapons are introduced in 2025, the list will be updated.

Best Weapons in Fallout 76 – Skyline Valley Update

The Skyline Valley update for Fallout 76 does not introduce a wide range of new weapons. What it does do, however, is introduce several new versions of previously popular weapons, many of which are still the best weapons in Fallout 76 in 2024. From this new pool of weapons, We picked two that we enjoyed using the most. They are:

Shattered Grounds:

• This new version of the Handmade Rifle was out favorite gun we found in the new update. The Hadmade Rifle is already on our list of the best guns in FO76, and for good reason. Shattered Grounds adds explosive rounds, which boost damage by 20%. It also has 90% reduced weight, and the Junkie effect, which increases damage for every Addiction status gained, up to 50%. The explosive damage is the real star of the show, which makes the gun very fun to use, and incredibly effective against soft targets.
• How to Get: To get Shattered Grounds, you simply need to follow Skyline Valley’s main quest line. Eventually you’ll encounter Stolz, the Overseer, and Oberlin, the head of security. There will come a point where you will start receiving quests from both. Follow Oberlin’s questline until you reach “Double-Crossed Wires,” Completing this mission will get you Shattered Grounds.

V63 Shock Baton:

• For our money, this has become the best melee weapon in the game. With legendary effects that increase durability by 50%, increase armor penetration by 50%, and makes it 50% more likely to cripple limbs, this things is a terror when used with a good perk loadout. In particular, Use it with a fully upgraded Incisor perk to fully ignore enemy armor. Add Matrial Artist to greatly increase swing speed. This will allow you to cut through the new Lost enemies with the greaterst of ease.
• How to Get: This too is a reward from Oberlin. Complete the first quest he gives, “Houskeeping for Hire” to receive the V63 Shock Baton.

Plasma Caster – Special Mention 2024:

• While not technically a Skyline Valley addition, the Plasma Caster has grown immensely popular since the release of the first map expansion. This Heavy Weapon is essentially a Gatling Gun that shoots plasma rounds. The Quad Explosive mod is particularly popular.
• How to Get: Once you complete the either the Settler or Raider questline from the Wastelanders update, you’ll be able to purchase the plan from Regs for 750 Gold Bullion. After crafting the Plasma Caster, you can get it as a drop from Legendary enemies, as well as Purveyor Murmrgh’s event rewards.

Holy Fire

• Holy Fire is one of the most powerful weapons in Fallout 76. This unique Flamer is capable of taking out the deadliest foes is a matter of seconds.
• The Vampire effect means it restores health as it does damage.
• Use with Heavy Gunner, Bloody Mess, Batteries Included, Friendly Fire (with team), Bear Arms, Stabilized, One Gun Army.
• The only real downside to Holy Fire, and why we can’t say it’s unequivocally the ‘best weapon in FO76′, is how fast it burns through ammo. Nearly every other weapon on the list can sustain ammo through looting corpses. This is not the case with Holy Fire. You will have to constantly craft or buy Fuel to keep the tank full. Still, from a purely offensive perspective, this is the best gun in Fallout 76.

Holy Fire Legendary Effects:

• Rapid (25% faster attack speed),
• Durability (Degrades 50% slower),
• Vampire’s Legendary Mod: Restore 2% health over 2 seconds when you hit a target.

How to Get Holy Fire:

• Possible reward for completing the Beasts of Burden event.

Cold Shoulder

• The Cold Shoulder is currently one of the strongest weapons in Fallout 76.
• Pairs cold/cryo damage with regular ballistic damage, causing a unique effect where enemies are slowed as they take damage.
• Increased ammo capacity in the chamber means players get all the power of a double-barrelled shotgun, with the extended shell count of pump-action or automatic shotguns.
• Use with Scattershot, Skeet Shooter, Enforcer, and Shotgunner perks.
• Upgrading the receiver can increase damage.
• Players looking for a powerful shotgun without needing to use Atoms or stamps should pursue the Combat Shotgun. Through basic upgrading and legendary crafting, they can be extremely powerful.
• Requires Gunsmith (Level 2) perk to craft.

Cold Shoulder Perks:

• 4x Ammo Capacity
• +50% Damage to Cryptids
• Gradual Freezing that reduces target’s movement speed by up to 85% for 4 seconds.

How to Get the Cold Shoulder Shotgun in Fallout 76

There are currently two methods of acquiring the Cold Shoulder:

• Purchase crafting plans from Giuseppe at the Whitespring Refuge for 500 Stamps.
• Purchase crafting plans from the Atomic Store for

Perfect Storm

• Perfect Storm is an extremely useful 10mm submachine gun that players can use to great effect against many types of enemies.
• Aside from its ballistic damage, Perfect Storm adds 3 seconds of fire damage to each attack, allowing the player to retreat behind cover and let the flames do their work, making this truly one of the best guns in Fallout 76.
• Pair with Commando (Base, Expert, Master), Ground Pounder, and Long Shot perks.

How to Get the Perfect Storm 10mm Submachine Gun in Fallout 76:

Because players can only get Perfect Storm once, players should wait to acquire the gun until they are level 50 or above. This has nothing to do with difficulty, and more to do with the fact that there is no way to level the gun at a crafting station. The gun’s level will match the level you are when you complete ‘Cold Case.’ Level 50 is by far the best version of the gun.

• Perfect Storm can only be acquired as a reward for completing the ‘Cold Case’ mission at Wavy Willard’s Water Park in the Toxic Valley. Speak to Annie the Miss Nanny robot near the center of the park.
• There is no other way to craft or purchase this weapon.

Cremator

• The Cremator is a Flamer that does massive damage to many enemy types, including the most powerful.
• Pair with the Heavy Gunner (Base, Expert, Master – STR) perks. Consider using Power Armor with this weapon, as there are several perks that benefit a Power Armor and Heavy Guns combination, such as Stabilized (INT).
• The Cremator can set you on fire, so consider using the Fireproof (END) perk to help offset the damage.
• If playing with a team, use the Friendly Fire (CHR) perk.
• Requires the Science Expert perk to craft.

How to Get the Cremator Flamer in Fallout 76

• Currently, the only way to get the Cremator is through the ‘Rip Daring Duel with the Devil’ Season. Players must reach Rank 22 and use 45 tickets to unlock the plans
• Players looking for similar weapons in the base game can get a Flamer weapon, which has many of the same characteristics. The Flamer plan can be purchased at several Whitespring merchants. Check their stock to find individual weapons.

Tesla Rifle

• The Tesla Rifle is one of Fallout 76′s energy weapons. It uses arcing electricity to destroy enemies. This is incredibly useful against robotic enemies that take a huge amount of ballistic damage.
• It has the ability to chain electricity between enemies, making it effective against large groups.
• Crafting requires Science (Rank 1).
• Tesla Rifles can and do drop in Legendary form. They also accept legendary crafting.
• Best Perks: Full Commando or Rifleman depending on auto/single fire. Batteries Included reduces wight of energy ammo. Check for any perk that enhances Energy Weapons.

How to Get the Tesla and Gauss Rifles and Gauss in Fallout 76:

• Players can purchase the plan from Vendor Bot Phoenix at Super-Duper Mart in Watoga Shopping Plaza, and the Brotherhood of Steel local goods vendor at Whitespring Mall. The cost for the plans, without any perks or discounts, is 2760 caps.
• Gauss Rifle pans can be purchased from the Brotherhood of Steel local goods vendor in Whitespring Mall, and the vendor bot at Wotega Station for 4140 caps.
• Tesla Rifles can drop from Deathclaws.

Handmade Rifle

• Handmade Rifles are arguably the best craftable assault rifle. While other guns, like the Combat Rifle, provide decent damage in the very-early portions of Fallout 76, the Handmade can last throughout the entire game, especially when legendary crafting is used.
• Handmade rifles are incredibly versatile, with a wide selection of mods available. Experiment with them all to find the best fit.
• Use with either the Commando or Rifleman perks, depending on auto/single firing status. The plans for the Handmade Rifle are Single Fire to start with. The Automatic Receiver mod as to be found or purchased.
• The Gunsmith (Level 3) perk is required to craft the Handmade Rifle.

How to Get the Handmade Rifle in Fallout 76:

• The Handmade Rifle plans can be purchased from several vendors in Appalachia. Visit the Whitespring Mall, as multiple vendors sell the plans for 1863 caps.
• Several vendors sell the gun itself. Both NPC and player vendors are viable options. They are usually fairly cheap when buying as a single unit. Between 100–150 caps.
• Raiders commonly drop the Handmade Rifle.
• Also possible to receive from crowned bosses, Yao Gui, Honey Beast, Free Radicals.

Auto Axe

• The Auto Axe is an incredibly fun and useful Edged Melee weapon in Fallout 76.
• This massive, spinning saw/axe chops through flesh-based enemies extremely fast, making it a great tool for clearing crowds of Scorched and Ghouls.
• The Auto Axe does not run on any ammunition type. Because it is a melee weapon, it runs on AP.
• Pair with any of the Two-Handed Melee Weapon perks, such as all Slugger variants.

How to Get the Auto-Axe in Fallout 76:

Currently, there are two ways to get the Auto Axe:

• Purchase plans from Giuseppe at the Whitespring Refuge for 500 stamps.
• Purchase from the Atomic Shop.

Honorable Mentions

There are so many weapons in the game, there will always be some weapons missing from any list of the best weapons in Fallout 76. These selections are some alternatives to consider if the main list is not quite enough.

Auto Grenade Launcher:

The Auto-Grenade Launcher is a powerful Heavy Weapon in Fallout 76. While late-game players may find more use from it, there are far more practical weapons for new players to enjoy. The Auto-Grenade Launcher plans can be purchased from various merchants at the Whitespring Mall for 4658 caps. It can also be dropped by high-level enemies.

Gatling/Minigun Variants:

Many lists of the best weapons in Fallout 76 include some form of Gatling Gun or Minigun. The Laser and Plasma Gatling Guns are incredibly powerful energy weapons, but their rapid ammo use makes them impractical for players just starting out in Appalachia. The basic ballistic Gatling Guns and Minigun are also very useful against large enemies, such as Deathclaws, Scorchbeasts, Ogua, Blue Devils, etc. At the very least, it is worth keeping one in your stash for when you know you are taking on these boss-type enemies.

• Super Mutant Primus and Warlords on the east coast of the map (Cranberry Bog, the Mire) often carry and drop Miniguns.
• Lower level Super Mutants often drop Small Gatling Guns.
• All plans can be purchased from various vendors at the Whitespring Mall.

The Dragon:

The Dragon is a four-barreled Black-Powder Rifle that many players enjoy using. It uses .50 balls and, despite shooting four projectiles, only costs a single unit of ammo each time the trigger is pulled. The reason it is not included in the main list, is because the stock version of the gun takes 10 seconds to reload. Even with its incredibly high damage potential, this fact makes it far less practical.

• The Dragon can be purchased from the Free States local goods vendor at The Whitespring Mall.

Alien Blaster:

The final entry is more for fun than anything else. The Alien Blaster uses special ammo, or can be modded to use Fusion Cells. While it never reaches the damage level of other weapons on this list, it can be fun to use, especially against smaller enemies.

The Alien Gun is found in a submerged safe at the Toxic Pond and Wreckage. This unmarked location is found in the Toxic Valley, east of Grainger Farm. Look for the Butterfly on the map. This serves as a perfect landmark.

Merchant Locations in Fallout 76

Several merchants have been listed in this guide. This section will explain where they are located in the world of Fallout 76.

Whitespring Mall:

The Whitespring Mall is located in the Whitespring Resort in the central section of Appalachia. It is found in the area known as the Savage Divide. The resort is made of two different sections, the Mall and the Refuge. The Mall features a long hallway with several vendors. Look for chalkboards outside each storefront to see which type of local goods they sell. The stock of these stores change, so if one does not carry the weapon or plans you are looking for, quit and switch servers, then reload.

Whitespring Refuge:

Giuseppe’s Curios is located in the Whitespring Refuge. Head to the large pink-tinted room with a chandelier hanging in the center. There is a pink and white banner over a small room to the side. Giuseppe can be found here. His market only accepts stamps, which are earned through Fallout 76‘s Expeditions.