Fortnite best weapons tier list for Chapter 4, Season 2

The best weapons in Fortnite can help you get to the final Storm Circle and secure that sweet Victory Royale if you play your cards just right.

As there's so many weapons and items constantly being added, vaulted, and unvaulted in Fortnite, we've made a tier list of the best weapons in the current Chapter 4, Season 2 update to help you secure eliminations, or avoid being downed yourself.

This is a guide for the Battle Royale mode of Fortnite, so the reasoning and stats for each weapon listed won't apply if you're playing on Save The World.

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Best weapons in Fortnite explained

Our tier list of the best weapons in Fortnite will primarily focus on the offensive stats and capabilities of the various weapons found on the Battle Royale island.

Please keep in mind that just because we've listed a weapon higher than another, it does not mean you should only use those. Some of the better loot is harder to find, and how much you like using a weapon, or how good you are with one, should also factor in to what loadout you choose to go with.

We also won't move a weapon up in our tier list if a sudden exploit becomes available, as these weapons are usually vaulted by Epic as soon as it is aware of the bug, then brought back when the item is balanced properly.

Inventory space is limited - so choose wisely when coming across the best weapons in Fortnite!

Best weapons in Fortnite tier list for Chapter 4, Season 1

There are 31 weapons in the current Chapter 4, Season 2 version of Fortnite. While the Chug Cannon can technically be classified as a weapon, it doesn't deal damage, so we've not included it on our weapon ranking.

Compared to the previous season, Season 2 has a fantastic loot pool, so what you pick might come down to personal preference, rather than damage numbers. Make sure to read the reasoning for each weapon below to see what we think of it!

As of 5th May, here's our Fortnite best weapons tier list for Chapter 4, Season 2:

Weapon	Tier	Rarities	Reasoning	Picture
Heisted Blink Mag SMG	SS-tier	Exotic	The Heisted version of the Twin Mag SMG has an incredibly fast fire rate, and also benefits from having two magazines attached - speeding up your reload time. This Exotic version also gives you a Zero Point Dash effect after reloading. Like the regular variant, a good trick is to fire one bullet when you're on the slow reload to force it back to the other clip, making your next reload in a combat situation the fast one.
Heisted Run N' Gun SMG	SS-tier	Exotic	Deals large damage at close range, but the Heisted Run N' Gun SMG is actually so good because of the Slap effect you get while holding it, and that it reloads while you're sprinting. It's one of the easiest deadly weapons for players to use.
Enhanced Havoc Pump Shotgun	SS-tier	Mythic	This is identical to the Mythic version of the regular Havoc Pump Shotgun. See the next entry for details on how to use this gun.
Lightsaber (with force powers)	SS-tier	Mythic	Without force powers, we'd still rank Lightsabers as S-tier due to their effectiveness at short range, but with force powers, Lightsabers are one of the deadliest weapons in Fortnite! Push, Pull, or Lift enemies and items in the surrounding area while hitting, blocking, evading, or Force Jumping with your Lightsaber, and you're going to make short work of nearby opponents. Getting into a fight with another Lightsaber wielder with force powers is more of a challenge, though.
Havoc Pump Shotgun	S-tier	Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary	This a very slow firing shotgun that should only be used at close range, but boy does it pack a powerful punch. Similar to the Thunder Shotgun, the damage numbers on the Havoc Pump are fantastic, but you really need to make sure you're being accurate, due to it's slow pull out and rate of fire.
Kinetic Blade	S-tier	Epic	We love a good melee weapon in Fortnite, and the Kinetic Blade doesn't disappoint. If you don't like using a shotgun at close range, the Kinetic Blade is a more than capable replacement, and is very forgiving if you miss, due to its speedy strikes. You can also use its alternate Knockback Slash to zoom forward for traversal, or to knockback opponents.
Heisted Accelerant Shotgun	S-tier	Exotic	This is the Exotic version of the Maven Auto Shotgun, making it good at medium range as well as short range. It also has great recovery time between shots, making it more forgiving for players. However, this Heisted version gives your the Pepper effect when consistently fired, increasing your fire rate with each shot, turning it into something of a shotgun and SMG hybrid.
Red-Eye Assault Rifle	S-tier	Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary	If you don't like shooting in first person, then you should actually avoid the Red-Eye. If you are skilled in first person combat, however, then this will be one of the best weapons for your loadout in Fortnite. The accuracy and speed that you can track opponents with at medium and long range is incredibly useful.
Twin Mag SMG	S-tier	Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary	This fast firing weapon has two magazines attached which speeds up your reload time significantly. A good trick is to fire one bullet when you're on the slow reload to force it back to the other clip, making your next reload in a combat situation the fast one.
Tactical Pistol	S-tier	Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary	With a 2x headshot multiplier, ease of use, decent range, and their abundance on the map, it's hard to go wrong with the Tactical Pistol. It basically acts like an SMG, but with a lot of the perks that come with a pistol - including the Light Fingers Augment.
Heavy Sniper Rifle	S-tier	Rare Epic Legendary Mythic	It may be slower than other sniper rifles, but we think the power of the Heavy Sniper makes up for this. sloting it in as the best in the whole game if you have decent aim. The high damage of a bullet means it's also good for destroying structures and finishing off vehicles.
Highcard's Havoc Suppressed Assault Rifle	S-tier	Mythic	Highcard's weapon is a Mythic version of the ordinary Havoc Suppressed Rifle, making it the best version of this excellent medium ranged silenced weapon available. Just like the regular variant, it does sacrifice some damage to add a silencer, meaning there is no red blip on the compass when it's fired. However, as it's a Mythic that's easy to control, you'll be dealing a lot of damage with it anyway regardless of the loss of damage numbers.
Havoc Suppressed Assault Rifle	A-tier	Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary	This weapon sacrifices some damage to add a silencer, meaning there is no red blip on the compass when it's fired. This makes it great for medium range combat where you can pick off targets as they try and determine where they're being fired at. Keep in mind that there are better damage dealing weapons at medium range, but you'll lose that helpful silencer.
Overclocked Pulse Rifle	A-tier	Mythic	This is yet another variation on the standard Pulse Rifle, letting you fire faster from the hip, and slower when aimed down the sights - but deals more damage down sights. It does have a higher rate of fire than the previous Pulse Rifle variant, Slone's Pulse Rifle, but can still be difficult to be good with unless you have a very good aim. It's best used at longer range for those who are confident in their marksman abilities.
Heisted Breacher Shotgun	A-tier	Exotic	Like its Heavy Shotgun regular version, the Heisted Breacher Shotgun only fires a single bullet. This makes it good at medium range, but can also be effective at long range - which is an unusually good trait to have for a shotgun. However, we don't recommend using it as your long range weapon unless you want to make some extra room in your inventory.
Dragon's Breath Sniper	A-tier	Exotic	Another weapon that requires accurate aiming with its long range scope, but if you can handle it well then you'll be an unstoppable killing machine at distance. It isn't very friendly for other players, however, and it only has one shot before you need to reload, or we'd rate this weapon higher.
The Dub	A-tier	Exotic	Yes it's powerful, downing a fully shielded and healed up opponent in just two shots, but The Dub is very hard to use accurately, and you leave yourself open for attack while reloading it - especially if you've missed a shot.
Submachine Gun	A-tier	Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary	A great standard weapon to have in your arsenal for short-range fights, due to its fast rate of fire. Also good for damaging weak structures. If there weren't better SMG options available, we'd rate this weapon even higher.
DC-15 Blaster Rifle	A-tier	Mythic	A really good assault rifle-type weapon that has unlimited ammo. It excels at medium to long range encounters, and packs a good punch to boot. A very easy weapon to use that can cut out your time searching for ammo.
Cobra DMR	B-tier	Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary Mythic	We're a big fan of the Cobra DMR due to its scope and fast rate of fire, but it does suffer from the issue of not being the Red-Eye Assault Rifle. Although we find the Cobra DMR easier to handle, the Red-Eye is better for those with a good aim as it has a better scope, and better damage numbers at higher rarities. If you don't like the slow rate of fire of the Red-Eye, however, then the Cobra DMR is a great replacement.
Shadow Tracker	B-tier	Exotic	A B-tier weapon for its good damage potential, but we rank it higher more so because of its ability to mark an enemy after landing a hit, which is particularly useful in Duos, Trios, and Squads.
Combat Shotgun	B-tier	Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary	We like the Combat Shotgun for its fast fire rate, and its ability to cause decent damage even at medium range. Just be careful not to go toe-to-toe with an opponent at short range who has another type of shotgun, as their damage potential will be greater than yours.
Maven Auto Shotgun	B-tier	Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary	Another shotgun that does good damage at medium range! Similar to the Combat shotgun, but tends to be more forgiving to those with less accuracy, due to its recovery time between shots.
Charge Shotgun	C-tier	Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary	To get the most damage potential from the Charge Shotgun, you have to charge it for a second. This doesn't sound long, but in a short-range combat situation it can be a big disadvantage. It's best to not charge it in situations like this, then charge and fire when an opponent is reloading or unaware of your presence.
Lock On Pistol	C-tier	Rare	Although it sounds like the ideal weapon, we don't actually recommend using the Lock On Pistol in a regular firefight. You'll almost always get killed by those with other weapons - but it is good for hitting opponents hiding in bushes, or finishing people off when they're running away!
Grenade	C-Tier	Common	A pretty average explosive weapon, but good for causing damage to structures. For this reason we recommend it more if building is enabled.
Firefly Jar	C-tier	Rare	If you like drawing your enemies out of structures or causing them to panic, then we recommend using some Firefly Jars! They probably won't eliminate somebody unless they're low on health and shields, but they're great for chucking down and switching to another weapon to finish a fleeing / panicked enemy off.
Thunder Spears	C-tier	Mythic	Great for destroying structures, but unwieldy to use against enemies. The Thunder Spears deal a lot of explosive damage, but as they're so hard to actually hit an enemy with, we don't recommend using them unless you can catch somebody unaware. If you're playing in build mode, however, it's a great tool for destroying enemy structures.
Flare Gun	C-tier	Rare	It doesn't have great firepower, but the Flare Gun is very useful for marking enemies in the nearby area, and for burning wooden structures. Once you use all the charges however, the gun will automatically disappear. So, not recommended in combat situations, but a good scout weapon that can lure enemies out of wooden structures.
Flint-Knock Pistol	D-tier	Common Uncommon	When you hit someone with the Flint-Knock Pistol, they will be knocked back - but so will you unless you're crouched while firing. You can use this pistol to knock a player into the storm, or off cliffs, but it's not really good for much else, as its damage potential is lacklustre at Common and Uncommon rarities.
ODM Gear	D-tier	Mythic	Like the Grapple Love and Spider-Man's Web Shooters before it, ODM Gear is a decent traversal tool for zipping about the island. It can also be used as a melee weapon, but it's a bit tricky to control, and there are far better close-range options in Fortnite, so we don't really recommend using it unless you absolutely have to.

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 2 is here and with it comes Force Abilites and Lightsabers in the Star Wars 2023 event and a new selection of Battle Pass skins! Take a look at the Eren Jaeger skin too! If this is something you want, take a look at our challenge guides that show you the Jaeger's Family Basement location, plus how to find and use ODM Gear. Don't forget to complete the new challenges, including winning arcade games, knocking back players with the Kinetic Blade, shooting targets while on a Grind Rail and restoring health or shields on a Grind Rail. Meanwhile, learn what the best weapons are, new map changes, how to get XP fast, use the best PC settings, earn the Victory Umbrella and earn a Victory Crown.

List of vaulted weapons from Chapter 4, Season 1

With a new Fortnite season comes a shakeup in the loot pool - for better and for worse. Some of your favourite weapons might no longer be playable on the current version of the ever-changing island, so we've compiled all the weapons below that got vaulted at the start of Chapter 4, Season 2.

Here's a list of vaulted weapons from Chapter 4, Season 1 in Fortnite:

• Assault Rifle (also known as the Scar)
• Burst Assault Rifle
• Tactical Assault Rifle
• Infantry Rifle
• DMR
• The Ageless Champion's Ex-Caliber Rifle
• Ex-Caliber Rifle
• Thunder Shotgun
• Heavy Shotgun
• Machine SMG
• Tactical Pistol (Mythic)
• Revolver
• Six Shooter
• Rocket Launcher
• Primal Stink Bow
• Primal Flame Bow
• Mechanical Shockwave Bow
• Mechanical Explosive Bow
• Grappler Bow Grappler Bow
• Unstable Bow Unstable Bow
• Impulse Grenade
• Shadow Bomb
• Deku’s Smash

The Ageless' Shockwave Hammer and the ordinary Shockwave Hammer were also vaulted near the end of Chapter 4, Season 1.

Now that you know all about the weapons in Chapter 4, Season 2, you should check out our other pages on the best PC settings, Battle Pass skins, Eren Jaeger, and how to get XP fast.