Fortnite Season 5 is here and it brings with it the usual array of changes, tweaks, upgrades, and callbacks. There’s loads to see, plenty of things to relearn, and a whole new map to explore too. If you’re looking to keep ahead of the competition then you’ll need to make sure you know which weapons to keep an eye out for, and that’s where we come in.
Fortnite Season 5 weapons tier list
While we have sorted these into tiers, it’s important to keep in mind that these are just how they do overall. It may well be that you find one of the lower-ranked weapons to be far more effective, and that’s perfectly fine. The tiers just represent how they are in general, and that means that in certain situations or in some people’s hands that a C Tier weapon can outperform an S Tier weapon. That being said, you’re probably still better off aiming for the better weapons.
Best Fornite weapons at a glance for Season 5
- SCAR
- Heavy Assault Rifle
- Rocket Launcher
- P90
- Sniper Rifle
- Tactical Assault Rifle
- Dragon’s Breath Shotgun
- Tactical Shotgun
- Double Barrel Shotgun
- Tactical Submachine Gun
- Storm Scout Sniper Rifle
- Charge Shotgun
- Submachine Gun
- Burst Assault Rifle
- Pump Shotgun
- Scoped Revolver
- Pistols
- Combat Shotgun
S Tier
The S tier is reserved for the best of the best. These weapons, in the right hands, will utterly destroy everything in their path. While the gun alone isn’t enough to guarantee victory, if you use it alongside good shooting skills and positioning, then you’ve got a very good chance of one.
SCAR
The SCAR is a legendary assault rifle and it remains rather obnoxious thanks to its incredible damage output. It’s potent at nearly any range and basically unparalleled if you’re at mid-range. As long as you put the time in to learning and mastering the recoil pattern, you’ll be unmatched with this in your hands.
Heavy Assault Rifle
While this weapon is a bit slower than something like the SCAR, the punch it packs is obnoxious so it’s usually worth that sacrifice. Much like the SCAR, you’ll need to learn the recoil pattern to make the most out of this weapon, but it’s well-worth learning thanks to how hard it hits with each hit.
Rocket Launcher
Rocket Launchers are still fairly hard to get ahold of, but they’re also still one-hit kills the vast majority of the time. Sure, they’re a little slow, but that won’t matter if you can time your shots right or just sneak up on someone. If you see one of these, make sure you pick it up and use it, it’ll definitely help you out.
A Tier
The A Tier weapons are let down by a small weakness that stops them getting into the highest-ranked weapons. They are, however, still incredible weapons that you should definitely pick up if you get a chance.
P90
This is the best possible version of the SMG, and it’s a doozy. While it lacks some of the versatility of the S Tier weapons in general, at a close range you can make everything fall in front of you with one of these. Just don’t try to fight anyone at midrange with it because it won’t go well.
Sniper Rifle
On the opposite end of the scale with have the Sniper Rifle. These still pack an impressive punch, but the fact is that unless you’re at a long range they’re just not going to help you out. If you like to take your time (to perfect the beat) and you’ve got a good line of sight up the street then you’ll love this weapon.
Tactical Assault Rifle
With an excellent fire rate and damage output, the Tactical Assault Rifle is making a grand return to Fortnite. It’s a great weapon, but you have to take out evil henchmen dotted around to be able to get one, which can be more hassle than it’s worth if you don’t have great weapons to begin with.
Dragon’s Breath Shotgun
What an incredible shotgun this is. The Dragon’s Breath Shotgun is aptly named as it spits out four rounds at a time with a huge spread and inflicts a burn on anything hit by it. That means that even if the ridiculous amount of bullets doesn’t kill the enemy, the fire that remains after it probably will.
Tactical Shotgun
The second shotgun on this list is the Tactical Shotgun, and it’s another great choice if you like to be up in everyone’s faces when you’re in a fight. They do great damage, they’re easy to use, and you can find them pretty easily too. Just remember they’re useless at long range.
B Tier
These weapons are good, but only if there’s nothing else available. They’re not exceptional by any means, but you’ll get a lot of use out of these in most situations. You should still upgrade to one of the above tiers if possible, but if not, these B Tier guns still will see you through if all else fails.
Double Barrel Shotgun
This shotgun does great damage, and if you can land both shots it’ll take nearly anybody out. However, if you miss a shot you’ll find yourself left wide open as you scramble to reload. As far as shotguns go, this one is a little less effective than the Tactical and Dragon’s Breath shotguns.
Tactical Submachine Gun
The Tactical SMG isn’t a bad weapon by any means, but it falls a bit flat when compared to most of the other close range options. It’s still more than enough to take out foes within smelling distance, but you’d be better off swapping it for something higher on the list if you can.
Storm Scout Sniper Rifle
To be honest, this weapon probably belongs in the C Tier, but there’s just something so interesting about it, so we can’t help but give it a slightly kinder rating. The Storm Scout Sniper Rifle lets you see where the next storm circle is going to be, which gives you plenty of time to find a good position ahead of time. It’s not the most powerful weapon, but the ability it has makes up for it.
C Tier
In the right circumstances you can turn C Tier weapons into game-winning weapons – you just have to know how to.
Charge Shotgun
The Charge Shotgun remains a beast if you can master its peculiar firing pattern, but it’s still slightly more hassle than it’s worth most of the time. It means that you’re usually better off picking up anything else instead.
Burst Assault Rifle
This weapon is fine before you get something better, but it’s often best to abandon it once you’ve got something better suited for combat. It’s not bad as such, but it’s not a fast weapon and the damage per shot isn’t high enough to offset that issue.
Pump Shotgun
The Pump Shotgun is fine if you’re in a pinch in the early game. It puts out a decent amount of damage if you’re fighting at short range and don’t have much of an alternative. If you’re up against players with shields, however, it’ll fall flat so we recommend you ditch it for a better shotgun or SMG as soon as you can.
D Tier
We’re not trying to hate on the D Tier weapons, they’re just too situational for our liking. This is the tier reserved for the weapons that are fine if you’ve got nothing else to hand, but if you can take anything over these then you should do so.
Scoped Revolver
While we love the idea of this weapon, the reality is that it’s just not good enough. It’s just too slow to be worth the effort, although you have to admit it has a certain amount of style.
Combat Shotgun
The worst of the shotguns used to be a beast in earlier patches, but it’s since gradually climbed down the rungs. If you absolutely have no other option, pick this cannon up, fire off a couple of shots and then hightail it for cover – and pray for the best.