Best Fortnite guns of all time, ranked from worst to best

Epic Games has released many fantastic weapons in Fortnite over the past few years. Due to this, it’s nearly impossible to pick the best Fortnite guns of all time. Some of them were so strong that they stayed in the game for only a few days, while some were nerfed into oblivion.

Considering that Epic’s battle royale game keeps constantly changing, the developer usually adds at least one new weapon every season. As a result, Fortnite players have to adapt their playstyles and learn how to use the new guns.

Let’s check the best guns in Fortnite of all time and rank them from worst to best.

Ranking best guns in Fortnite history

Pump Shotgun

The Pump Shotgun is an absolute beast from close range. This weapon is capable of dealing massive damage and even taking enemies down with a single shot. At one point in Season 1, the shotgun was so powerful that it had no damage drop-off. This means that it dealt full damage from an unlimited distance, which was mindblowing.

Epic Games has made many changes to the popular Fortnite weapon over the past few years, and it went from being a one-shot weapon to dealing under 200 damage. However, despite its numerous changes, the Pump Shotgun is still a fan favorite.

Heavy Sniper Rifle

The Heavy Sniper Rifle was first added to Fortnite in Chapter 1 – Season 5. Not only did the weapon deal nearly 400 damage for a headshot, but was also capable of taking builds down with a single shot. The sniper rifle did have a slow reload time, but it certainly wasn’t a big problem.

While dealing more than 250 damage is somewhat pointless against players, the Heavy Sniper Rifle can be used against vehicles and bosses. Unfortunately, it was deemed too strong, which is why Epic ended up nerfing its damage against both players and structures.

Combat Shotgun

Most shotguns are capable of dealing massive damage, but their range is limited to a couple of meters. However, that was not the case with the Combat Shotgun. This weapon, which debuted in Season 9, was capable of dealing damage from medium range, and on top of that, it had a fast fire rate.

The Combat Shotgun had no disadvantages, but that is not something many players enjoyed. Epic Games nerfed the weapon several times, reducing both its damage and long-term effectiveness. The long-range shotgun, which used to be one of the best guns in Fortnite, was eventually vaulted in Season X.

Drum Gun

The first Drum Gun was released in Fortnite in Chapter 1 – Season 4. Its first variant was extremely powerful and nearly unstoppable. The Drum Gun was classified as a submachine gun, yet its damage was higher than the damage of the other guns in the same class.

✓ The Unvaulting Event

Fortnite players decided to bring the Drum Gun back in Season 8

During Season 8, Fortnite players had a chance to witness The Unvaulting live event. The event was fantastic, and culminated with the destruction of Tilted Towers. However, players were also able to unvault one weapon during the event, and the Drum Gun was victorious. Due to this, Epic Games brought it back.

What made this weapon nearly overpowered was a 50-bullet magazine. Even good builders struggled to defend themselves against it, which is a testament to its power. Epic vaulted the powerful Fortnite weapon in Season 5, but players brought it back three seasons later.

Guided Missile

The Guided Missile has a destructive rocket you can guide straight to your target. While this is not technically a gun, we have to include it on this list. For a few weeks in Chapter 1 – Season 3, this explosive was the best Fortnite weapon by a large margin.

The first variant of the weapon dealt up to 110 damage. It was powerful against both players and structures, and at the time, players didn’t have any practice modes, like Playground or Creative. Due to this, below-average builders struggled to defend themselves against the Guided Missile, which completely ruined the game for them.

Assault Rifle (SCAR)

The SCAR has been one of the best Fortnite guns for a long time. If you know how to control its bloom, you can take down targets in just a couple of shots. While the weapon isn’t quite common, once you get it, you know you’re gonna have a good time.

At the moment, the Assault Rifle is balanced. However, the reason it ranks so high is its past. Back in the first season of Fortnite, the SCAR used to deal 39 damage for a body shot and had a 2.5x headshot multiplier. Its maximum damage per shot was 98, which was insane, especially considering that Small Shield Potion wasn’t available at the time.

While the SCAR is no longer overpowered, it’s still a reliable weapon and nearly every Fortnite player loves to use it.

Compact SMG (P90)

Epic Games released the Compact SMG, a powerful fast-firing weapon, to Fortnite in Chapter 1 – Season 5. The original weapon was so powerful that it dealt more damage than Thanos’ laser beam. Its Legendary (Gold) variant dealt 24 damage per shot, and the weapon fired 11 shots per second. However, what makes it one of the best Fortnite guns of all time is its magazine size.

With 50 bullets in the magazine and a fire rate of 11, the Compact SMG allowed players to shoot it for more than four seconds without reloading. On top of that, the submachine gun was extremely accurate, and its damage favorable damage drop-off made it usable from medium range as well.

Epic quickly addressed the issues, nerfing the weapon several times. The Compact SMG is still a great weapon, but nowhere as powerful as it once was.

Infinity Blade

The Infinity Blade is another Fortnite weapon that’s not technically a gun, but it was so powerful that we had to include it. Released in Chapter 1 – Season 7, the blade was a nightmare for many players. It’s arguably the most powerful weapon in Fortnite history, which is why Epic Games removed it after only three days.

Here are all the benefits the Infinity Blade gave its bearer:

• Passive healing (1 effective HP per second)
• Siphon (50 HP per elimination)
• Increased health and shield pool to 200 each, 400 in total
• Movement boost of 30%

On top of this, the weapon dealt 75 damage per hit and 25 damage when its wielder used it to jump on someone. The only disadvantage of the Infinity Blade was that its wielder couldn’t build to protect themselves from ranged attacks. However, there was a quick workaround, as many players simply dropped the weapon for a few seconds to build cover.

Best guns in Fortnite – FAQ

What’s the best gun in Fortnite right now?

It’s hard to pick the best gun since it all depends on your playstyle. However, we’d recommend you always carry an assault rifle, as it’s versatile, and at least one close-range weapon.

Did Fortnite Chapter 1 have many overpowered weapons?

Unfortunately, Fortnite Chapter 1 wasn’t very balanced in terms of weapons. Epic Games released many overpowered weapons in this period, but they were also nerfed shortly after.

What was the most overpowered weapon in Fortnite?

The most overpowered weapon in Fortnite is definitely the Infinity Blade. The melee weapon was incredible in every way, and the only thing Epic Games could do to make the game fair was to remove it completely.