Fortnite best weapons tier list for Chapter 4, Season 2
The best weapons for your loadout.
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.
On this page:
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 21 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 last one, 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 14th March, 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. | ![]() |
Havoc Pump Shotgun | SS-tier | Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary Mythic |
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. The Mythic version is one of our favourite weapons in the current season, but you need to claim Loot Island to get it. | ![]() |
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 | S-tier | Mythic | 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 Rife, 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 than 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. | ![]() |
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. | ![]() |
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 / panicked enemy off. | ![]() |
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. | ![]() |
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. | ![]() |
Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 2 is here and with it comes a new selection of Battle Pass skins! Take a look at the upcoming Eren Jaeger skin too! 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.