Fortnite best weapons tier list for Chapter 5 Season 2

The best weapons for your loadout.

Image credit: Eurogamer/Epic Games

Guide by Jessica Orr Senior Guides Writer

Additional contributions by Jake Green

Updated on 4 Apr 2024

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 5 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.

On this page:

Best weapons in Fortnite explained
Best weapons in Fortnite tier list for Chapter 5 Season 2
List of vaulted weapons from Chapter 5 Season 1

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 doesn't mean you should only use those. Some of the best loot is hard 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!

Zeus lines up a lightning bolt shot in this screenshot from the Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 2 trailer. — Image credit: Epic Games

Best weapons in Fortnite tier list for Chapter 5 Season 2

There are 21 weapons in the current Chapter 5 Season 2 version of Fortnite. Season 2 has refreshed the loot pool again, but you can still mod them at Weapon Mod Benches.

Keep in mind that when you find a weapon as loot, it probably already has a mod attached to it. If it's of Uncommon rarity, it'll already have one mod. If it's of Rare rarity, it'll have two mods. Epic rarity, three mods. And Legendary, four.

Lastly, remember that you can remove mods at Weapon Mod stations, and that not every mod works with every weapon!

With all that in mind, here's our Fortnite best weapons tier list for Chapter 5 Season 2:

Weapon	Tier	Rarities	Reasoning
Cerberus' Gatekeeper Shotgun	S-tier	Mythic	Cerberus' Mythic version of the Gatekeeper Shotgun is one of the best weapons in the current chapter. It's devastating at close-range combat and lets you reload all shells at once, making it a speedy hitter. If you don't like the feel of a shotgun, however, then you'll want to go for Hades' Harbinger SMG instead.
Hades' Harbinger SMG	S-tier	Mythic	The Hades' Harbinger SMG is perhaps the best weapon in the current Fortnite season. As the Mythic version of the regular Harbinger SMG, it comes with mods that fix its recoil and accuracy problems, making it a lot easier to control at close-range. The only reason you might want to swap it out is if you personally prefer the feel of a shotgun, in which case we recommend Cerberus' Gatekeeper Shotgun instead.
Gatekeeper Shotgun	A-tier	Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary	The only thing wrong with the Gatekeeper Shotgun is that its Mythic version exists! It's the best type of shotgun in the current season, as it's fast firing and lets you reload all shells at once, making it great for close-range battles. We still recommend using and SMG over a shotgun as close-range if you can, but the Gatekeeper is an excellent alternative if you don't have an SMG, or prefer the feel of a shotgun.
Harbinger SMG	A-tier	Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary	The Harbinger SMG is our pick for the best close-range weapon in the current season, but you have to be very accurate to make the most of its devastating damage potential, as it's got a big recoil after a few seconds of firing. We highly recommend adding Underbarrel and Barrel mods to reduce the recoil, if your Harbinger doesn't already come with them. However, shotguns are more forgiving if you don't want to deal with the Harbinger's recoil and accuracy problems.
Ares' Warforged Assault Rifle	A-tier	Mythic	This is the Mythic version of the Warforged Assault Rifle, so is naturally a much stronger weapon than its regular variety. You don't have to worry about adding a scope or reducing recoil with Ares' version, as it comes with mods already attached, meaning it's ready to wreck enemies at medium and long-range distances as soon as you get it.
Zeus' Huntress DMR	A-tier	Mythic	As the Mythic version of the regular Huntress DMR, Zeus' variant is excellent at filling in for a sniper rifle, but keep in mind that it's got a fully automatic fire rate, so make sure to take advantage of its quick shot capabilities!
Ranger Pistol	A-tier	Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary	It may be classified as a pistol, but the Ranger Pistol is more like an SMG due to its speedy rate of fire. It really shines when you add the full set of mods to it, however, as the Legendary version of the Ranger Pistol can eliminate enemies at incredible speeds, even if they have full health and shields.
Striker AR	A-tier	Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary	If you could guarantee getting one with a scope mod, the Striker AR would be even higher on our list. That said, it's still a fantastic general use assault rifle, especially at medium range, with a high rate of fire. It can also hold its own at long-range, especially if you have a scope.
Thunder Burst SMG	A-tier	Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary	Another brilliant SMG, the Thunder Burst can even help out in medium-range combat scenarios if it has a scope mod. You just have to take account of the vertical recoil if you don't have a pre-modded version if you want to get the most out of this powerful burst SMG.
Reaper Sniper Rifle	A-tier	Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary	As it's the only sniper rifle in Fortnite right now, the Reaper Sniper Rifle is a must for those who like picking their targets off from a distance. As the lone sniper, it's a good thing that the Reaper Sniper Rifle is also a fantastic one-shot killing machine for those with a steady aim! If you're not confident in taking headshots or recovering after a missed shot, then you might want to switch to an assault rifle or DMR with a good scope instead.
Warforged Assault Rifle	B-tier	Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary	The Warforged Assault Rifle is a great standard medium-range weapon to have, and it's fairly similar to the Striker AR featured in the previous season. Just like the Striker AR, the Warforged Assault Rifle needs mods to stabilise its recoil to fully take advantage of its power. If you want more of a long-range weapon, then we also recommend modding a scope to the Warforged Assault Rifle - but balancing its recoil should be the priority for most players.
Huntress DMR	B-tier	Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary	The Huntress DMR is more than capable of plugging the gap of a missing sniper rifle if you're after a long-range weapon, but we generally recommend swapping to a sniper rifle when you can, unless you like the fully automatic fire rate of the Huntress DMR, or you have a far better rarity of DMR than sniper. A scope will make this weapon even better for your long-range needs.
Drum Gun	B-tier	Rare Epic Legendary	The Drum Gun is actually quite different from what it used to be, and is actually classified as an SMG now, and you can of course mod it. We don't rate it as highly as the Harbinger SMG, but it is a little easier to control, so is a better all round weapon if you struggle with the Harbinger's recoil.
Nemesis AR	B-tier	Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary	The Nemesis AR is your standard jack-of-all-trades assault rifle with a moderate rate of fire. It won't be the best weapon to use, but it is one of the easiest, so it's a great gun to pick if you don't want to worry about landing headshots or switching between weapons. The Nemesis AR can almost do it all, it just can't do it the best.
Frenzy Auto Shotgun	B-tier	Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary	Although it's not the most powerful weapon, the Frenzy Auto Shotgun is very beginner friendly, as it holds a lot of shells and has a quick rate of fire for a shotgun. This makes it forgiving if you miss a shot or two. We don't recommend using the Frenzy Auto Shotgun after you get used to combat, however, as it won't be much help against weapons with a greater rate of fire at close-range.
Firefly Jar	B-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 ot panicked enemy off.
Hammer Pump Shotgun	C-tier	Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary	It's best to go for a Hammer Pump Shotgun with no scope if you really want to get the most out of it. The Hammer Pump Shotgun isn't bad, but an SMG is far better at short and medium-range.
Cluster Clinger	C-tier	Uncommon	Cluster Clingers are a fun explosive that stick to any surface you throw them to, then eject tiny explosives around that area. While the damage of these explosions is decent, Cluster Clingers are best used for destroying enemy structures or buildings, so you can lure an opponent out and finish them off.
Impulse Grenade	C-tier	Rare	Good for knocking an enemy into the storm during the final circle, or boosting yourself across the map - but there's not really any other uses for it.
Thunderbolt of Zeus	C-tier	Mythic	While hurling Zeus' Thunderbolts might make you feel godly, you're actually very vulnerable while suspended in the air, giving enemies ample time to take you out. Add to this that you have to be fairly accurate to take advantage of the thunderbolts' damage potential, and we only recommend using the Thunderbolt of Zeus if you have a lot of high ground, and are very confident in your accuracy. The bolts are also good for destroying structures.
Wings of Icarus	C-tier	Epic	It seems the Fortnite community were punished for Icarus' sins of flying to close to the sun...well, in this case too close to the island, as the Wings of Icarus were immediately nerfed this season. You have to be at least 800 metres above the island to dive bomb now, whereas it was just 64 before the nerf. With this huge downgrade, we only really recommend picking up the Wings of Icarus if you plan on using it for getting around the island quickly, not for combat purposes.

List of vaulted weapons from Chapter 5 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 5 Season 2.