Fortnite's bug-themed Chapter 6 Season 4, Shock 'n Awesome, has added a pile of new weapons, many with unusual mechanics. They're mixed with returning favourites such as the Sentinel Pump shotgun to create an interesting, varied loot pool—with some standouts.
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If you want a victory crown in Battle Royale or Zero Build, you'll need to know what to drop, what to carry, and what to lean on in a tough situation.
Below I'll lay out the best rifles, shotguns, and other weapons to carry this season, including a tier list. I've got a separate section on the new exotic and mythic weapons, and then I'll discuss the best mobility and healing items to carry, including the Shockwave launcher and the joyful Flowberry Fizz.
If you just want to know my best five-item loadout, I'd pick the O.X.R. rifle as my primary weapon alongside the Wrecker revolver and the Swarmstrike rocket launcher. Then, I'd carry Shockwave grenades for mobility and any healing item I find, but ideally the legendary Slurp Juice or the Flowberry Fizz (with bonus anti-gravity fun).
My alternative loadout is the same, except it swaps the Swarmstrike for the Sentinel Pump. You can quick-switch between the Sentinel Pump and the Wrecker revolver and fire immediately, which is a dangerous combo. Also, if you never fight at long range, you might also consider swapping the Fury assault rifle in for the O.X.R. rifle.
Fortnite best weapons tier list
Tier |
Weapon |
|---|---|
S-tier |
Wrecker revolver Swarmstrike |
A-tier |
O.X.R. Rifle Sentinel Pump Fury assault rifle |
B-tier |
Hammer assault rifle Bug blaster Precision air strike Hyperburst pistol Falcon Eye sniper |
C-tier |
Hand Cannon Stinger SMG Veiled Precision SMG Auto Shotgun DMR Leadspitter 3000 |
D-tier |
Sweeper shotgun |
The Wrecker revolver and the Swarmstrike are the best weapons in Fortnite right now—even after a recent patch to reduce their potency. The revolver is basically a shotgun with absurd range, while the Swarmstrike is a rocket launcher that can obliterate opponents, especially if you're airborne.
The O.X.R. rifle edges out the Hammer and Fury as the best assault rifle because of its accuracy, reliable hip fire, and 1.75x headshot multiplier (the others have 1.5x).
But there are other viable weapons: use this list as a rough guide, but make sure to test different guns for yourself and find your favorites.
S-tier
Wrecker revolver
Think of it as a shotgun that can deal 150-damage headshots up close, but also a reliable 60 per shot at mid-range. It's incredibly versatile, with a decent firing rate and a tight bullet spread when you aim down sights, which you'll want to do most of the time. The Sentinel Pump will do more damage with a single shot up close, but the Wrecker is better in basically every other scenario.
When the season released, you could 'double pump' these revolvers, switching between them with no delay between firing. An update on August 11 fixed that, but this is still a must-carry weapon.
Swarmstrike rocket launcher
A skilled player with shockwaves and one of these launchers is a menace. It fires a swarm of seven rockets, and one salvo can kill a 200HP enemy in build mode (and leave a zero-build player with a slither of health). You can shoot from the hip or right-click for a laser sight that guides your missiles after you've fired them.
If you can grab mobility items and get airborne so that you're firing on opponents from above, they don't stand a chance. The only downside to this weapon is that you can hurt yourself with splash damage, so don't get too close.
A-tier
Sentinel Pump Shotgun
The old reliable. This is a high-damage, slow-firing shotgun that’s perfect for landing those 100-HP kill shots. You need to be close to your enemies, so chip away from afar with a rifle, use mobility items to close the gap, and finish them off. It's not as good as the Wrecker revolver, but it's still a fantastic finishing weapon.
O.X.R. rifle
The best rifle this season. It's accurate whether you shoot from the hip or aim in, and it deals solid damage from mid-to-long range with manageable recoil. Both the Fury assault rifle and the Hammer assault rifle are still solid picks, but they both deal less damage per bullet and kick more than the O.X.R, making them harder to handle while tap-firing at longer ranges. It's also the only rifle with a 1.75x headshot multiplier, which can be the difference between life and death.
Fury assault rifle
The Fury has been a staple of Fortnite Chapter 6, and it's a reliable assault rifle for short and medium-range fights. It only deals 22 damage per body shot at the base rarity, so chipping away at enemies from long range is futile, but it's excellent in every other situation.
Its fast fire rate and its larger 28-bullet magazine make it forgiving, and its relatively low bloom makes it reliable at tracking moving targets.
B-tier
Hammer assault rifle
Deals less damage than the O.X.R., but fires faster. Its recoil—up and to the right—is tricky to manage, but if you can master it you'll be able to melt opponents at mid range. Its 20-round magazine means you'll be reloading a lot, so be ready to swap to your secondary if you get in a sticky spot.
Bug blaster
This is probably never going to be your go-to weapon, but this explosive blaster hits surprisingly hard and you never need to reload it. Uncharged shots deal 50 damage and charged shots 100, and its generous area of effect, which can also damage people in builds or behind cover, makes it easy to aim. It deals 3x damage against vehicles, and 2.7x damage against bugs—that's useful when you're destroying hives and hunting Queens.
Precision air strike
A single-use airstrike that drops bombs from the sky, destroying buildings and players in its path. It's relatively easy to get away from with mobility items, but it's useful in the end game for controlling the zone and destroying cover, particularly in build mode and in team fights. Just make sure you don't waste it early in the round.
Hyperburst pistol
A sneaky powerful and accurate burst-fire pistol that can rip through health bars, especially if you land headshots. In the right hands, at higher rarities, it'll out-damage assault rifles. But you can only fire it six times before reloading and, ultimately, I prefer the versatility of ARs.
Falcon Eye sniper
It's exciting to have a proper sniper rifle in the loot pool even if it's not one of Fortnite's strongest. At high rarities it will one-tap enemies to the head in build mode (not in Zero Build), and for that reason it's worth a player in your squad carrying it. Epic has also reduced the bullet drop from previous versions of this weapon, making it easier to handle.
C-tier
Stinger SMG
SMGs are in a particularly weird place this season: three solid assault rifles, two brilliant shotguns, and an overpowered missile launcher leaves no room in your inventory for the Stinger. It fires fast and can pump out tons of damage up close, but it's not versatile enough for me to recommend carrying it beyond the first 30 seconds of a round. It is, however, good at shredding opponents' builds, so give it a go if you struggle with that.
Hand Cannon
This Deagle-like pistol sounds menacing, and landing a headshot is satisfying. But its high damage isn't enough to offset its sluggish fire rate: the aiming reticle takes an age to reset after you squeeze the trigger. Good for some pre-engagement hotshots, but it struggles when the fight begins.
Veiled Precision SMG
If you love red-dot scopes then this SMG might appeal, but there are simply better options at every range. I hope Epic reworks this weapon soon.
Auto shotgun
The Auto shotgun got a buff earlier in Chapter 6 and it now deals chunks of damage up close: even the base variant will do more than 80 damage to the body, and you can hold left click to fire it rapidly. It's nowhere near as good as the Wrecker or the Sentinel Pump, but it's arguably more forgiving if your aim isn't on point.
DMR
It's the only rifle with a proper scope, which will suit some players: if you like picking off enemies from afar, give it a go. It deals roughly 50 damage per bodyshot, which is the highest for any rifle, but the slow fire rate combined with the projectile travel time and bullet drop make it less versatile than the assault rifles, especially when players are shockwave-jumping across the map.
Leadspitter 3000
Fantastic at dealing with Queen mini-bosses and bug zones in general, and can tear down enemy builds, but I wouldn't recommend it as a primary weapon for most fights because you move slowly when you're firing it, and because it's hard to handle beyond close-range fights. If you're stuffing all 12 of your barrels in an enemy's face and holding the trigger you will melt them—but from 20 metres or more out, the recoil makes it inconsistent.
D-tier
Sweeper shotgun
This season's dud. Its horizontal fire pattern makes it nearly impossible to land high-damage shots. In a world with the Wrecker revolver and the Sentinel Pump, there is currently no reason to carry this weapon.
Exotic weapons
Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 4: Exotics from O.X.R. bunkers
Once you've killed enough enemies and smushed enough bugs to reach O.X.R. rank A, a bunker icon will appear on your map (it looks like a big sliding rectangular door). Unlock a bunker and you're treated to a random exotic weapon from a selection of five. They're all worth picking up, and give you a reason to race to rank A—but there are a couple of caveats.
- Eradicator Shadow Precision SMG: This SMG marks your targets with a red diamond after you hit them. Effective at tracking enemies who are trying to escape, and especially good in team modes because it highlights damaged opponents to your teammates.
- Eradicator Hoprock Fury Assault Rifle: Gravity is floatier when firing this exotic version of the Fury rifle, and you can aim down sights in mid-air (which you can't with any other weapon). The idea is you fire it, jump, aim down sights, and fire it some more, catching enemies off-guard. You're vulnerable when you're airborne, but getting above enemies confuses them and makes it easier to land headshots.
- Eradicator O.X.R. rifle: Landing shots in a row increases this rifle's damage by 5, up to a cap of 20 extra damage. It's a no-brainer upgrade on the regular O.X.R. rifle.
- Double Trouble: Two exotics for the price of one. These powerful shotguns can be 'double pumped', which means you can switch between them without any delay in firing. They're only worth carrying if you can spare two inventory slots, and keep in mind they only work up close, so you'll still need a weapon for handling mid-range skirmishes.
- Exotic Slap Berry Fizz: This season's best healing item. It sprays liquid over you and nearby teammates that replenishes both health and shield, and heals for 300 rather than the 200 of the regular Flowberry Fizz.
- Eradicator Marksman Wrecker revolver: This exotic does less damage per shot than even the most common Wrecker revolver—but it fires a lot faster from the hip and it has a 3x headshot multiplier, dealing 180 damage. A beast in the right hands.
Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 4: Mythics from reaching S+ rank
As well as the Exotics, this season also has several powerful Mythic weapons. The less exciting ones are just regular guns with slightly better stats—but the more exciting ones are unique weapons found in a drop pod when you reach S+ O.X.R. rank, which is extremely difficult to do.
The more boring ones are worth picking up to replace the regular versions of these weapons. There's the Mythic Leadspitter 3000, which you can get from the rift pod that spawns in the mid-late game (you get a "rift pod incoming" message). The others are obtained by defeating the Queen mini-bosses: the Queen at the Hive drops the Mythic enhanced Wrecker revolver, the queen at Ranger's Ruin drops the Mythic Sweeper Shotgun (don't bother), and the Queen at Demon's Debris drops the Mythic O.X.R. rifle (the single best rifle in the game).
Now for those S+ drop pods. They drop one of three weapons:
- Enhanced Havoc Pump Shotgun: A short-range monster. If you land a meaty bodyshot you'll deal 138 damage—or more than 270 for a headshot, enough to one-tap an enemy in zero build. It only has six shells, it fires slowly, and takes an age to reload, but your opponent will be dead within a few shots anyway. Just make sure you keep a rifle for mid-range fights.
- Enhanced assault rifle: The legendary SCAR returns. It's simply a fantastic assault rifle whether you're playing builds or zero builds. High damage, solid fire rate, pinpoint accuracy and a 30-round magazine.
- Overclocked Pulse rifle: The ultimate versatile weapon. Fire it from the hip and it feels like an accurate high-damage SMG—aim down sights and it fires slower, but hits harder. The only limitation is its 20-round magazine.
Best Fortnite items
So, you’ve picked your favorite guns. What else should you carry?
This season you’ll want a mix of heals and mobility. The number of slots you have to fill depends on what weapons you're carrying: if you're carrying three weapons (ideally three of the O.X.R. rifle, the Wrecker revolver, the Sentinel Pump and the Swarmstrike launcher), you'll want one healing item and one mobility item. If you're only carrying two weapons, I recommend doubling down on mobility.
Heals: Anything will do
The best items are the legendary Slurp juice, which you get from Queen boss fights or from the rift pod, and the exotic Slap Berry Fizz—but because they're hard to obtain, you'll be using something else most of the time.
The Flowberry Fizz reduces gravity and pairs brilliantly with mobility, so that's what I like using, but it only heals shields, not health. The Chug Splash is particularly good in teams because you can heal multiple people at once, both health and shields. But remember: anything will do. If your health is low then a Med Kit works in a pinch.
One tip: look for Slurp Barrels in the early game, and break them rather than wasting your healing items, which you can save for later.
Mobility: Shockwave mastery
We're not spoilt for mobility this season. We'll discuss shockwaves in a second, but first, there are two other items worth picking up: the new launch pad and the Crash Pad Jr.
The launch pad bounces you high above the map and deploys your glider. It's ideal for mid-round rotations, or for reaching faraway O.X.R. bunkers. If you're playing in a team, consider carrying one between you so it's on hand when you need it. If you're solo, I wouldn't recommend carrying it: instead, just use it when you find it if the timing is right.
The Crash Pad Jrs are bouncy inflatables that launch you in whatever direction you're running in. If you don't have shockwaves to hand, they'll get you around the map fine, but they're less versatile than shockwaves.
Shockwaves come in two forms: the Shockwave grenades and the Shockwave hammer. The hammer is a melee weapon, but if you right click you slam the ground and go flying. You get three uses before it needs to recharge.
But if you can get your hands on them, Shockwave grenades are the most versatile mobility item in the game right now.
They fly you further than the hammer, and work in every situation: escaping enemies, chasing a weakened foe down, or travelling large distances by chaining them together. Their only limitation is they're relatively rare. The hammer or a full stack of launch pads is better than a couple of shockwaves.
Whatever mobility you use, spray your Flowberry Fizz before jumping for extra height and distance.
The final item to consider is the Flare Gun. When you fire it into the distance, it pings any enemies in that direction. It's not worth ditching heals or mobility to carry it, but it can be a useful fifth item to carry, especially if you're playing solo.
Fortnite loadout tips
Experiment to find your perfect loadout
Now you have a feel for all the weapons and items, here are some simple tips for picking your ideal combo:
- Play to your strengths: Everyone’s playstyle is different. If you’re good at closing distances with shifty movement, you could ditch a longer-range assault rifle and double up on shotguns (the Wrecker revolvers and the Sentinel Pump, for example). Test different combos until you find some you enjoy.
- Pick weapons that synergise: Ideally, that means something short-range and something for mid-range fights. Also think about your weapons’ strengths and weaknesses, and how they fit together. The slow-firing DMR is useless up close, so if you’re only carrying one other weapon, you’ll need something that can deal sustained damage at short-range. A weapon with a larger magazine (the Twinfire Auto Shotgun or the Fury Assault Rifle, for example) might work better than a Sentinel Pump.
- Consider swapping to a worse weapon of higher rarity: The O.X.R. rifle is the best rifle for me, but given the choice between a common (grey) one and an epic (purple) Hammer assault rifle, I'll leave the O.X.R. behind.
- Remember, there are no rules: Find a loadout you enjoy and stick with it, or vary it up every match depending on your mood.
