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There is a lot to do in every Fallout game, which is no surprise given the fact that it’s a role-playing game rich with content. But one of the most important aspects that you just can’t do without is undoubtedly your arsenal.
Whether it’s a single-layer Fallout game or Fallout 76 – you will need the very best of weaponry to survive in the wasteland. While Fallout 76 had a rocky start, it has received many updates that have improved and balanced the game, making the AI far more competent than it was before.
And this means that you need to make sure that you have the proper loadout required to deal with these threats. Naturally, the game has many different weapons that you can choose from, but not all of them are created equal.
So, what are the best weapons in Fallout 76 that you can use to survive the harsh wasteland? Let’s answer that question with a thorough guide so that you don’t have to waste time testing them out yourself!
1. Gatling Gun
Fallout 76 has a large arsenal of unique weapons – but this is Fallout. While you will need smaller guns, you mainly came here to blow things up with explosive power and that’s what brings us to the Gatling Gun.
It’s a mid-ranged weapon that is extremely lethal and helps greatly in groups of enemies thanks to its rate of fire and DPS. You can further apply mods to it, improving the ammunition capacity and speed, which makes an already excellent weapon even better.
You can find it as a plan at the Watoga Shopping Plaza, find the gun itself at the Lucky Hole Mine and Poseidon Energy Plant, and you can obtain it as a reward for completing the ‘Defiance has Fallen’ tasks too.
2. Combat Shotgun
If shooting games have taught us anything over time, it’s the fact that Combat Shotguns are one of the best weapons that you can use. In Fallout 74, the Combat Shotgun is an absolute beast and will tear through enemies without too much of an effort.
What makes it especially better though, is that the gun isn’t as slow as the usual shotguns that we see in games and you can even add more damage and speed with the right mods.
You can sometimes find it dropped by a Mole miner digger, and it can be found upstairs in the Southhampton Estate barn. Lastly, it can be obtained at Watoga’s southern entrance too.
3. Assault Rifle
On numbers 1 and 2, we have a mid-ranged weapon and a close-ranged one. Of course, you need an excellent long-range weapon for certain situations too and that’s why we have the Assault Rifle.
It can take care of enemies both from afar and those who manage to come close to you, and it deals a fair deal of damage to start. With the right mods, it can deal additional damage, have more ammunition capacity, turn into a DMR, and so on.
You can find it at Sugar Grove, Harpers Ferry, and the Crimson Prospect areas.
4. All Rise
So, you don’t want to shoot and instead want to beat people up with a melee weapon? Fortunately, the game has you covered.
All Rise is a sledgehammer that has a rocket attached to it and it comes with a unique perk that gives it a 90% weight reduction and it gives 10 health to the player when in use. Since it’s a hammer, you can easily guess that it’s a very powerful weapon that can take care of most enemies.
It has a base damage of 160 and can be modded with Slugger and Martial Artist perks, which would make it even better. There is only one way to obtain it, and that is to complete the quest ‘Mayor for a Day.
5. Black Diamond
The Black Diamond is an interesting yet strange melee weapon that happens to be a ski with some metal attached to it.
It adds +1 strength to your stats and is a very powerful melee weapon that can help you through complicated situations when you don’t want to use your ammunition. You can modify it with perks like Swing and Gladiator to make the DPS better, which makes it one of the best melee weapons in the game.
You can only obtain it by completing the ‘Flavors of Mayhem’ quest.
6. Handmade Rifle
The Handmade Rifle is one of the most popular weapons in the game despite not having a legendary status – and it’s no surprise considering how good it is.
While not incredibly useful at first, if you apply mods and the right perks to it, the Handmade Rifle becomes a very damaging weapon with great stats in every aspect, such as ammunition capacity and fire rate. It’s very customizable and can be catered to your preferences with ease.
It can be found in many areas, such as the Big Bend Tunnel, the Tree Burrows, the salon at Berkeley Springs, at the roof of the Amelia Espresso building, and more. It is also dropped by many enemies such as raiders, cultists, settlers, crowned boss enemies, and so on. And lastly, it can be directly purchased by Grahm, Watoga vendor, and Sunny too.
7. Perfect Storm
Most players in Fallout 76 will find themselves hoarding a lot of 10mm ammunition but never really using it since most powerful weapons don’t use it.
The Perfect Storm is a submachine gun that uses 10mm ammo but it’s not a lightweight weapon so to speak. It can set enemies on fire for three seconds which deals extra damage during that time. You can apply many mods and perks to it which even includes some that generally work on rifles – and you’ll have yourself one hell of a weapon.
It can only be obtained by completing the Cold Case quest.
8. Gauss Rifle
The Gauss rifle is a weapon that uses energy to attack enemies and is considered one of the highest-level guns that you can find in the game.
You can charge it up and use it strategically, especially as a way to do sneak attacks – or you can just use it like a crazy person with mods that make it extremely powerful. When maxed out, this weapon is some of the most fun you can have in the game and is absolutely explosive.
It can be purchased as a plan by the Watoga Station and White spring Bunker. You can find it in the Cranberry Bog and Abandoned Mine Shaft 4, and lastly, it is dropped by some high-level enemies such as Scorchbeasts and Deathclaws.
9. The Dragon
Want something similar to a shotgun but not satisfied with the damage potential of the Combat Shotgun? You’ll love The Dragon then because it has a base damage of 230 and four barrels that unleash the bullets at the same time – which combines to an unbelievable number of 920 damage in a single shot.
And you can even enhance it further by adding perks to it which would give it more ammunition and DPS.
You can buy it at Harpers Ferry through the vendor bots, Watoga Station, Grahm, and the Free States Vendor. It can be found in several places too such as Eastern Regional Penitentiary, Ash Heap, Uncanny Caverns, Morgantown Airport, and more. Finally, certain enemies drop it, such as fog crawlers, honey beasts, David Thrope, and the Scorchbest queen.
10. Deathclaw Gauntlet
The Deathclaw Gauntlet is a unique weapon that acts as a melee claw, which is great for massive damage to powerful enemies.
Not only is it great at slashing anything that stands in your way, but it’s also especially effective for situations where you’re in tight circumstances.
You will still need a good gun by your side as melee cannot be used as a permanent weapon in Fallout 76 due to the way the enemies are designed, but this weapon is very entertaining to use and helpful in most situations.
It can be purchased from different weapon merchants, it’s dropped by raiders on some occasions, and it can be found near the Deathclaw nest when playing through The Devil’s Due quest.
And that’s it for our guide on the 10 best weapons in Fallout 76 that you can use right now! We hope you found the perfect match for yourself and we’re here to answer any questions that you might have.
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