While shooters tend to aim for balance by making every weapon viable, there’s always some disparity and, hence, a few standout choices. The same phenomenon applies in Delta Force, with all the guns ranging from underwhelming to meta. You’ll notice this in matches, too — a large part of the playerbase uses only a handful of weapons.
To keep things interesting, the game locks a good chunk of weapons behind specific classes and operators. Still, with 52 guns in total, including secondary weapons, there are only so many you can upgrade and invest in for the long run. Thus, knowing which weapons are truly overpowered can give you a significant edge over other players and make the grind a lot more worthwhile.
Tier List Rankings
The list below divides all the weapons in Delta Force into five chronological tiers: S+, S, A, B, and C. The higher up they are on the list, the better they’ll perform in the field based on their damage-per-second (DPS), handling, recoil, and compatibility with attachments.
Here’s what you can expect from each tier:
- S+ Tier: Undisputed. The weapons in this tier represent or, at least, rival the top of their respective category and have the highest potential when you upgrade them.
- S Tier: Amazing picks. Compared to the weapons in S+, the picks here trade a bit effectiveness to be more accessible, like easier to unlock or smoother to handle.
- A Tier: Great candidates. These weapons are still capable on the field but can get better or worse depending on the map and which side you’re playing on.
- B Tier: Mediocre picks. You can still use them if you want to, but there are a few alternatives that objectively render these weapons a suboptimal choice.
- C Tier: Avoid at all costs. The payoff of these weapons is worse than most others in Delta Force, and there’s a high chance you’ll lose firefights when using them.
Fortunately, most of the weapons up to A-tier are more than viable, but, of course, S+ houses all the true “meta picks” that pump lead better than anything. It’s worth mentioning that this list does not consider weapons at their peak with the preferred attachments and loadouts, so only their base stats in Warfare mode will come into play.
S+ Tier
This tier highlights the cream of the crop among Delta Force’s weapons catalog. You’ll usually find half of the lobby using these guns, and for good reason — their time-to-kill (or TTK) has virtually no competition, and you can even make them “laser-like” with the right loadouts.
|
Weapon Name |
Category |
Usable By |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
SG552 |
Assault Rifle |
Assault, Recon |
The SG552 is arguably the most broken AR in the game. The absurd range and fire rate define its feature set, making it a monster on shorter maps. |
|
CAR-15 |
Assault Rifle |
Assault, Support, Engineer, Recon |
One of the most accessible meta ARs in the game, the CAR-15 feels like a recoil-less gun. You can combine a higher mag with its minimal kickback for a long-range beast. |
|
M4A1 |
Assault Rifle |
Assault |
The M4A1 rivals the CAR-15’s recoil control but with significantly less weight. If you want more mobility by sacrificing accuracy, this is the ideal pick. |
|
Cl-19 |
Assault Rifle |
Assault |
This weapon is, simply put, the best AR for mid-range fights. The Cl-19 shines on the Ascension and Shafted maps because of that ridiculous ADS speed. |
|
SMG-45 |
Submachine Gun |
Support, Recon |
Taking advantage of Delta Force’s lackluster damage drop-off, the SMG-45 is a serious threat in Warfare. Exceptional fire rate and accuracy without any repercussions. |
|
M250 |
Light Machine Gun |
Engineer |
The best thing any Engineer could ask for. If you find a good place to camp, the damage-per-bullet on the M250 will shred enemies en masse. |
S Tier
S-tier weapons aren’t as widely popular as the ones in S+, but they make up for it in different ways. They’re either more accessible, more favored in a specific yet effective archetype, or have immense (and possibly untapped) potential.
|
Weapon Name |
Category |
Usable By |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
SCAR-H |
Assault Rifle |
Engineer, Recon |
A beginner’s choice but highly rewarding. The SCAR-H has some of the most promising balance of damage output, recoil control, and customization options you’ll find. |
|
M7 |
Assault Rifle |
Engineer |
The M7 does everything an Engineer wants, almost feeling like an LMG in disguise; it has unreal damage output and penetration power for an AR. |
|
AUG |
Assault Rifle |
Engineer, Recon |
This would be in S+ if its vertical recoil wasn’t so inconsistent. All you need is to attach recoil-reducing attachments, and you get a versatile weapon usable on any map. |
|
SR-3M |
Submachine Gun |
Support |
The SR-3M is certainly the close-range killer among SMGs. With bold stats on handling, fire rate, accuracy, and ADS speed, it’s a menace on short maps. |
|
Vector |
Submachine Gun |
Support |
The Vector has all the strengths of the SR-3M with lower damage output. However, it compensates for that with a 46 percent higher fire rate, allowing incredible burst opportunities. |
|
MP5 |
Submachine Gun |
Support |
Arguably the most versatile SMG in the game. The MP5 is open to so much customization that you can craft any build around it — range, speed, or DPS — and make it work. |
|
Bizon |
Submachine Gun |
Support, Recon |
The Bizon’s rapid TTK and ample mag capacity keep it in the higher echelon of SMGs. It’s almost always relevant in the meta, and a reliable counter-pick against ARs. |
|
QJB201 |
Light Machine Gun |
Engineer |
What enhances the QJB201 is its weight, creating a deadly combo of a mobile LMG. There are also plenty of loadouts that transform it into a true monster. |
|
93R |
Pistol |
Assault, Support, Engineer, Recon |
The 93R is undoubtedly the strongest pistol you can get. The burst mode means a solid TTK with multi-kill potential. |
A Tier
With the A-tier weapons, you won’t regret using your Weapon XP cards to upgrade them, but there are a few visible caveats. The guns are either highly dependent on particular maps and playstyles or underpowered to the point that they need attachments to cover up their weaknesses.
|
Weapon Name |
Category |
Usable By |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
K416 |
Assault Rifle |
Support |
If you’re on a map with small rooms and tight corners, the K416 is a lethal gun. It’s impressive at short range, but the recoil makes it bad for fights beyond that. |
|
AKM |
Assault Rifle |
Assault |
The AKM prides itself on being a familiar weapon, and its powerful yet untamed nature is already a staple. With accuracy-improving attachments, the end result works extremely well in open environments. |
|
AS VAL |
Assault Rifle |
Assault |
The AS VAL has the fastest TTK of any weapon, but the disappointingly low mag capacity means you’re likely running out of bullets mid-fight. |
|
AK-12 |
Assault Rifle |
Assault |
The jack of all trades among ARs — great accuracy, DPS, mobility, and range, but doesn’t excel at anything. |
|
ASh-12 |
Assault Rifle |
Assault |
The ASh-12 is like a mirror variant of the AKM. High damage output that favors aggression and peeking, but low recoil is out of the question. |
|
G3 |
Assault Rifle |
Engineer |
An underrated juggernaut. The G3 has a solid TTK with tons of synergy with different builds, but the only drawback is that most of them are only viable on Defense. |
|
P90 |
Submachine Gun |
Support |
The P90 is a brilliant multi-killing weapon with an exceptional fire rate and surprisingly good accuracy. However, the slightly underpowered damage output means you need backup to confirm kills. |
|
UZI |
Submachine Gun |
Support, Recon |
One of the safest SMG picks in Delta Force. The UZI’s range makes it compatible with any map, but it often gets outclassed by other maxed-out guns in its class. |
|
Vityaz |
Submachine Gun |
Support |
As a distant relative to the Bizon, the Vityaz keeps a familiar feature set — moderate fire rate, decent iron sight and range, relatively high damage, and smooth handling. Like the AK-12, though, it’s far too temperate. |
|
PKM |
Light Machine Gun |
Engineer |
A good pick if you find a firm camping spot, thanks to its high damage output. The PKM is far from the best LMG, but it works well in areas like the third point in Trench Lines. |
|
M870 |
Shotgun |
Assault, Support, Engineer, Recon |
The M870 has the traditional DPS, fire rate, and reloading speed, but it’s enough to make it the best. However, like any shotgun, you can’t use it beyond closed spaces. |
|
SV-98 |
Sniper Rifle |
Recon |
This thing is brutal on Defense, especially in mid-range engagements. It justifiably has the best synergy with the 3.5X and 6X scopes, so you have some flexibility in usage. |
|
M700 |
Sniper Rifle |
Recon |
The M700 is nimble and quick without sacrificing accuracy. Another lethal option on Defense, but a bit more focused on close range. |
|
Mini-14 |
Marksman Rifle |
Recon |
The Mini-14 is extremely easy to control because of the high fire rate. It’s the only viable Marksman Rifle in the game, used in mid-range fights that utilizes its handling. |
|
G18 |
Pistol |
Assault, Support, Engineer, Recon |
As the only automatic pistol, the G18 is superb as a sidearm in close fights. Its TTK on nimble targets is great, but the recoil makes it tough to recommend on larger maps. |
|
.357 Revolver |
Pistol |
Assault, Support, Engineer, Recon |
The .357 Revolver’s two-shot capability is such a solid pairing for its impressive range. However, you’ll definitely need some practice if you want to use it. |
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B Tier
This is where the weapons start getting dicey. You’ll notice a lot of them are way too niche, have clear outlying weaknesses, or are plain inferior copies of guns in the higher tiers. These factors come into effect when you’re playing Warfare, and they’ll regularly keep you underneath the top performers because of their negatives.
|
Weapon Name |
Category |
Usable By |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
AKS-74 |
Assault Rifle |
Assault, Support, Engineer, Recon |
The post-beta nerfs hit the AKS-74 pretty badly, but it’s still okay-ish. It has substantial damage output but comes with abysmal accuracy. |
|
M16A4 |
Assault Rifle |
Assault, Support, Engineer, Recon |
Burst ARs are always tricky to place, and the M16A4 is on the lower end, unfortunately. Unless you guarantee a three-hit kill, you’re doomed to lose firefights. |
|
QCQ171 |
Submachine Gun |
Support |
The only thing holding this gun back is the bullet spread — it’s just too erratic. Otherwise, it feels like a carbon copy of the Vityaz. |
|
MP7 |
Submachine Gun |
Support |
This is a worse version of the UZI. Although it has similar results in areas like bullet speed, the lower damage output and recoil control are too noticeable. |
|
S12K |
Shotgun |
Assault, Support, Engineer |
The S12K is the only gun in a very specific niche: the rapid-fire shotgun. Still, the damage output and sheer spread just isn’t there for it to compete with SMGs and ARs. |
|
AWM |
Sniper Rifle |
Recon |
The AWM’s only saving grace is its one-shot-one-kill ability. Unfortunately, the flimsy fire rate means you’re not contributing much unless you’re targeting Supports. |
|
PSG-1 |
Marksman Rifle |
Recon |
The PSG-1 would have been better than the Mini-14 because of its higher TTK. Unfortunately, the gun’s kickback does no favors, so it’s extremely hard to control. |
|
SR-25 |
Marksman Rifle |
Recon |
The SR-25 is in a weird position. It’s not as consistent as the Mini-14 nor as effective at long-range as a Sniper Rifle; instead, it offers the best (and worst) of both worlds in terms of handling, fire rate, and bullet speed. |
|
Desert Eagle |
Pistol |
Assault, Support, Engineer, Recon |
The Desert Eagle is a powerhouse that feels out of place. Although it has relative DPS but better customization than the Revolver, it falls significantly and critically short on range. |
|
M1911 |
Pistol |
Assault, Support, Engineer, Recon |
The damage output on the M1911 alone makes it the strongest single-shot pistol. However, there’s no world where this gun is viable when the 93R and G18 are easier to handle with better TTKs. |
C Tier
Reaching the C-tier category, these weapons are just awful. They’re irredeemable in most cases, and even their redeeming factors (if any) aren’t enough to make them feasible. The easy tip is to ignore them and use your XP cards elsewhere.
|
Weapon Name |
Category |
Usable By |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
QBZ95-1 |
Assault Rifle |
Assault |
The QBZ95-1 is an unorthodox mess; it has a pitiful TTK, terrible vertical recoil, and a worthless iron sight. You can’t use this thing without a scope attachment. |
|
PTR-32 |
Assault Rifle |
Assault |
Even as a Battle Rifle, the PTR-32 doesn’t stack up. The damage output simply doesn’t make up for the slow fire rate, and it’s the worst AR for Attackers. |
|
M249 |
Light Machine Gun |
Engineer |
This is basically the “tickling gun” in Delta Force. The DPS is so disappointing that it lets any enemy escape your line of fire. |
|
M1014 |
Shotgun |
Assault, Support, Engineer |
While it is significantly quicker than the M870, the M1014’s underwhelming damage is a tremendous hit. It enters a category where you’re better off with a good SMG. |
|
R93 |
Sniper Rifle |
Recon |
The R93 is a black sheep in a declining class. That weak range causes it to feel extremely slow and subpar. |
|
SKS |
Marksman Rifle |
Recon |
Despite a seemingly impressive fire rate, the kickback on the SKS is abysmal. You cannot use this in mid-range and close-range fights unless you get a lucky shot. |
|
VSS |
Marksman Rifle |
Recon |
Had it not been for the VSS’s built-in suppressor, it would’ve been the worst in-game weapon. The fire rate alone is enough to lose any long-range or close-range encounter. |
|
SVD |
Marksman Rifle |
Recon |
The SVD highlights the key problem in Marksman Rifles: range. At just 70 meters, you’re barely contesting ARs, and the iron sight is so small that you can’t ADS without a scope. |
|
SR9 |
Marksman Rifle |
Recon |
The SR9 has the same iron sight problem as the SVD while also having the same unsatisfying damage-to-RPM issue as the PTR-32. High stability on paper, but no real way to use it. |
|
QSZ-92G |
Pistol |
Assault, Support, Engineer, Recon |
Aside from the three-hit killing potential, the QSV-92G doesn’t have much going for it. Weak handling, subpar mobility, and a mediocre fire rate. |
|
G17 |
Pistol |
Assault, Support, Engineer, Recon |
The G17 sacrifices everything a good single-shot pistol has for a slightly better fire rate. It feels like a “last resort” because of the mediocre control and a death sentence if the enemy has a G18 or 93R. |
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