Starfield: Best Weapons Ranked [Top 15]

There is a vast variety of available weapons in Starfield. Many categories and classifications divide these weapons. Moreover, players can only carry a limited amount of weapons. 

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Key Takeaways

• In Starfield, you have a vast selection of weapons to choose from.
• You can acquire weapons by purchasing, looting, or receiving them as a reward after completing missions.
• Each weapon has specific rarities, classifications, and damage types.
• The best weapon in Starfield is Boom Boom.

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Weapon	Damage	Range	Accuracy (%)	Mass	Fire Rate
Coachman	71 Phys	20	38.4	3	47
Shotty	68 Phys	20	35.2	2.95	60
Maelstrom	5 Phys	40	65.8	4.15	150
Sir Livingstone's Pistol	28 Phys	24	69.2	1.80	67
Equinox	13 Energy	50	70.2	3.20	50
Brawler Equinox	2 EM	50	66.5	2.90	180
Beowulf	49 Phys	40	69.1	2	50
Ember	12 Energy	24	73.6	2.90	25
Prime	84 Phys	48	79.8	3.60	12
Peacekeeper	17 Phys	41	72.2	4.50	112
Heller's Cutter	4 Energy	3	76.7	4	76
Keelhauler	53 Phys	24	70.1	3.50	140
Magsniper	304 Phys	100	86.1	9.55	17
N67 Smartgun	14 Phys	40	49.3	15.1	350
Boom Boom	68 Phys	24	43.3	3.75	60

Best Weapons Comparison

The weapons in Starfield are classified into three rarities. The first rarity is simply Rare. These weapons have 1 Perk. The second rarity is Epic weapons, which have 2 Perks. Lastly, the Legendary rarity weapons have 3 Perks. Perks improve your weapons by adding different stats and abilities.

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About Author

After 70+ hours of space exploration and countless enemy tackles in Starfield, Shaheer has identified the best handy weapons to keep loaded with you along your journey. He has developed the best early-game suggestions and tips to make them endure at higher levels.

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Coachman

Stats	Attributes
Damage	71 Phys
Range	20
Accuracy	38.4%
Mass	3
Fire Rate	47

The first shotgun on the list, Coachman is a high-damage close-range weapon. A meager mag capacity and fire rate compensate for the weapon’s high damage. Plus, it is utterly useless in the long range due to its very wide bullet spread.

The Coachman is ranked lower as it ultimately constricts your movements and maneuvering. Players are forced into moving in close quarters and avoiding open plains to lower the chances of a long-range fight. This weapon is only usable for specific tasks or missions.

This weapon is most useful for hit-and-run combat strategy. Players must hide or take cover after two shots to reload. The Legendary variant of this shotgun has three Perks: Lacerate, Concussive, and Bashing. Defeating Spacers results in the drop of the Coachman. These Spacers are found in the Porimma System, Abandoned Mines, and Deserted Mineral Plants.

I use this shotgun while taking out alien species. Those creatures tend to rush towards you without a second thought. So, I believe it is better to use the Coachman, where enemies will always be at close range.

Shotty

Stats	Attributes
Damage	68 Phys
Range	20
Accuracy	35.2%
Mass	2.95
Fire Rate	60

Right after Coachman comes the Shotty shotgun. Being a shotgun, it is efficient in short range but of no use mid to long range. The Shotty ranks higher than the Coachman weapon due to its higher magazine size and fire rate.

Additionally, the Shotty is lighter than most shotguns in Starfield. It has the same disadvantages as the Coachman. You can equip up to 8 mods on this weapon and increase its stats. The Shotty can be found while exploring containers, dropped as loot by enemies, or in an NPC’s inventory.

Maelstrom

Stats	Attributes
Damage	5 Phys
Range	40
Accuracy	65.8%
Mass	4.15
Fire Rate	150

The Maelstrom is the least likely weapon to appear on this list due to its lousy range and spray spread. If you somehow land a shot, it has a shallow damage of 5. Maelstrom has a high fire rate, which is helpful for the spray-and-pray strategy. 

The best thing I like about Maelstrom is its widespread use in the game. This solves any ammo issue, as you can quickly loot its’ ammo after defeating common enemies. I usually receive the Maelstrom in loot after taking down a Crimson Fleet pirate. 

Maelstrom is rewarded upon completing the The Heist quest. The quest becomes available on the New Atlantis planet after speaking to Darvin, the owner of Darvin’s Supply store.

Sir Livingstone’s Pistol

Stats	Attributes
Damage	28 Phys
Range	24
Accuracy	69.2%
Mass	1.80
Fire Rate	67

I considered adding Sir Livingstone’s Pistol to this list, not for its stats, range, etc., but for its uniqueness. This pistol has average stats and not-so-special damage, but it is one of Starfield’s rare weapons. It is scarce because you can only get it by selecting the Kid Stuff trait while creating your character.

This trait gives your character a Father and Mother. You can visit them for exclusive dialogues and get unique gifts. Your parents live in Pioneer Towers in New Atlantis. To reach the Pioneer Towers, take a right from leaving the NAT train in the residential district. 

To obtain Sir Livingstone’s Pistol, which belonged to a Constellation chairman, you must first become a member of the Constellation. Afterward, visit your parents, and your father will gift it to you.

Equinox

Stats	Attributes
Damage	13
Range	50
Accuracy	70.2%
Mass	3.20
Fire Rate	50

The Equinox is a laser rifle in Starfield, making use of electric-type ammo to inflict Energy damage. It has low damage per hit, but a high fire rate covers up for it.

I always consider carrying this weapon around as a backup. Most of all, it is my weapon of choice when dealing with a boss-type enemy. 

It is used as a quick spray gun; Equinox has a low magazine of 20 bullets. Players can use this weapon to quickly spray 20 bullets on an enemy due to its high fire rate or use it as a long-range gun. However, Equinox is useless when facing many enemies, as you must reload repeatedly.

I admire this weapon in early-game, but it is deemed redundant in late-game as you can find better upgrades of Equinox. This weapon is rewarded upon completing the Equinox quest at the Deadrock Mining Outpost on planet New Atlantis. To trigger this quest, speak to Darvin’s Supply store owner Darvin at Planet New Atlantis.

Brawler Equinox

Stats	Attributes
Damage	2
Range	50
Accuracy	66.5%
Mass	2.90
Fire Rate	180

The Brawler Equinox is the Legendary version of the Equinox weapon. It is one of the few weapons in Starfield that does electromagnetic damage, helping disable enemies rather than killing them. 

I do not recommend this version of Equinox. But this weapon suits best with players that have the Cyberrunner background. It is because I believe the capability of this weapon fits best with pickpockets and sneak thieves.

You can knock enemies down with EM damage and later talk to them but not loot them. However, you can use Pickpocketing skills to take their items. 

The Brawler Equinox has a unique Legendary power-up known as the Bashing Effect. This allows you to do double damage when close to enemies and perform a gun-bash attack. This effect is beneficial for stealth or discarding weaker enemies to preserve ammo.

Beowulf

Stats	Attributes
Damage	49 Phys
Range	40
Accuracy	69.1%
Mass	2
Fire Rate	50

Not to over-hype, but Beowulf might be the only weapon with equally balanced stats in the game. It has an average damage per hit, works well with any range, and has a balanced mag capacity of 30.

This weapon is my personal preference. However, its base stats might not be impressive, but I use ammo and accuracy mods to make this weapon a masterpiece. The only drawback I face using this gun is its ammo rarity. The enemies you take down will mainly not carry this gun’s ammo, but weapon shops will always have it. 

However, being well-rounded makes Beowulf bang average in every aspect. It doesn’t have specialization in a single sector, such as high damage or accuracy in long-range, etc. This makes the weapon suitable but not the best choice in different situations.

Players can equip the High-Velocity Barrel and Overcharged Capacitor mods to increase the weapon’s fire rate and damage, respectively. Same as Equinox, Beowulf is also found in the Deadrock Mining Outpost. Take the Overlord shuttle from the New Atlantis Spaceport to reach the outpost.

Ember

Stats	Attributes
Damage	12
Range	24
Accuracy	73.6%
Mass	2.90
Fire Rate	25

The Ember is a Laser-Pistol in Starfield. It is a unique variant of the Solistice weapon. Moreover, it is pretty accurate, with an accuracy of 73.6%. The Ember pistol almost instantly sets everything on fire and is powerful through Ryujin’s quest line.

The Saboteur and Gunslinger build pairs perfectly with Ember as they can efficiently use Ember’s energy damage and high accuracy. I highly recommend using any weapon of such sort that carries unique properties. However, I refrain from using these weapons as my primary because of ammo rarity. 

Ember Pistol is found in the Deadrock Mining Outpost on New Atlantis. The outpost is situated in the northwest sector of the planet. It would be best to take the Overlord shuttle from the New Atlantis Spaceport to get there.

Prime

Stats	Attributes
Damage	84 Phys
Range	48
Accuracy	79.8%
Mass	3.60
Fire Rate	12

The Prime is one of those rare long-range pistols that are accurate. Pistols are known to be precise in short to mid-range. The Prime has an exceptionally high accuracy of 79.8%.

I consider that Prime is a must-have secondary weapon in Starfield. Although I do not urge this, you can occasionally substitute it as a primary weapon. It has a high fire rate and accuracy, making it effective in various scenarios.

Additionally, it has a high mass and can accommodate up to 8 weapon mods. You can equip the Laser Sight mod onto the weapon to increase accuracy, making it nearly impossible to miss a shot. Furthermore, players can equip the Prime with Penetrator Rounds mod.

This mod will allow you to pierce through multiple enemies at once, which will let you deal with multiple enemies at once, improving your crowd control. The Prime can be purchased from the Laredo Firearm shop in Akila Ciy.

Peacekeeper

Stats	Attributes
Damage	17 Phys
Range	41
Accuracy	72.2%
Mass	4.50
Fire Rate	112

The Peacekeeper is a rifle weapon. It is highly rated due to its ability to one-shot-headshot enemies from medium range.

Another plus point for this weapon is that its ammo is standard and lootable from most enemies, so you never run into low ammo problems and can quickly stack up to 100+ ammo. In addition, the Peacekeeper has a high fire rate, suitable for crowd control.

To acquire this weapon, you must complete the Ground Pounder mission. To trigger this mission, visit the Altair system and explore until you get a distress signal from Private Mahoney. I highly recommend grinding for this weapon. 

If you accept the mission, it will require you to visit Altair II and rescue a bunch of NPCs. After completing the mission successfully, you will be rewarded with Peacekeeper from Captain Myeong.

Heller’s Cutter

Stats	Attributes
Damage	4 Energy
Range	3
Accuracy	76.7%
Mass	4
Fire Rate	76

The basic Cutter, at first glance, might look like a mining tool to harvest iron or nickel. However, it can also be pretty handy as a weapon. The Heller’s Cutter is an upgraded version of the standard Cutter, which deals 20% more damage to robots.

I do not recommend this weapon as your primary choice, but I consider it best for conserving ammo or escaping situations when you’re being rushed while out of ammunition. 

The reason why I selected this to be considered as the best weapon is that the Cutter is a necessary piece of equipment in Starfield. Therefore, turning your necessity into a temporary survival kit might be a wise choice, in my opinion. 

The Cutter would be useless during a battle involving Rifle, pistol weapons, etc. You should use it as an alternative to melee weapons, enabling you to conserve your rare ammo by not wasting it on weaker enemies. Unfortunately, it is not possible to modify the Cutter.

You can find The Cutter inside a crate on the Moon Vectera. To get this weapon, players must return to the Narion system after delivering the Artifact to Constellation; only then will they be able to get the weapon from the crate.

Keelhauler

Stats	Attributes
Damage	53 Phys
Range	24
Accuracy	70.1%
Mass	3.5
Fire Rate	140

The Keelhauler revolver is of Legendary rarity. It is one of the unique pistols that is fully automatic. Players consider the pistol to be the best in the game. Keelhauler has a high accuracy of 70.1%, making it long-range viable. Being a Legendary weapon, it has the following perks:

• Frenzy: The Keelhauler has a low possibility of inflicting Frenzy on an enemy.
• Staggering: Small chance to stagger an enemy.
• Berserker: The less armor an enemy has, the more damage Keelhauler does.

Now, there are two best aspects of getting this weapon. The first one is that you get to play the Crimson Fleet questline, which I have witnessed as the game’s best and most astounding questline. The second is that this pistol has an insane fire rate and works like a rifle, which I believe is the feature that a hand-sized gun can offer.

The Keelhauler comes modded with a Long Barrel, which improves the weapon’s recoil, accuracy, and range while reducing the ADS speed. In addition, if you keep your aim trained on enemies, Keelhauler’s Recon Laser Sight mod will mark them.

The only downside of the weapon is its poor recoil and spray spread compensate for this. It is handy at close range as you can spray the enemies with highly damaging shots without caring for the recoil and spread. 

To get this weapon, you can either sign up for the Vanguard by talking to Tuala to trigger the Deep Cover quest or commit a crime in New Atlantis to get recruited to the Fleet and trigger the Deep Cover quest. The Deep Cover quest will lead to Echoes of the Past quest, and upon completing this quest, you will be rewarded with Keelhauler.

Magsniper

Stats	Attributes
Damage	304 Phys
Range	100
Accuracy	86.1%
Mass	9.55
Fire Rate	17

The Magsniper is from the rifle weapons category in Starfield. It has an excellent range of 100 and an accuracy of 86.1%. This is the perfect weapon for someone who enjoys stealth playstyle.

The accuracy makes it impossible to miss a shot, and its range allows you to keep your distance. You can place yourself in a far-away position and kill enemies from a distance without revealing your position. However, players can only use this weapon in a single style of play.

Consider other weapons like Boom Boom if you enjoy rushing and taking enemies head-on. The Magsniper is not ideal for dealing with enemies fighting you simultaneously.

In addition, it also has higher mass and low mag capacity. The exact location of the Magsniper is unknown, but you can visit different merchant shops to find the weapon in the store.

N67 Smartgun

Stats	Attributes
Damage	14 Phys
Range	40
Accuracy	49.3%
Mass	15.10
Fire Rate	350

The N67 is Starfield’s take on machine guns. The weapons’ high fire rate and highest mag capacity in the game allow you to spray and melt enemies without restrictions. You can sit in a position, place yourself like a turret, and fire through oncoming enemies.

N67 uses 7.77 mm ammo, which is easy to find and stack up, so you can carelessly shoot up places and go through enemies. Unfortunately, it has a high recoil, so it will require some skills to control it. Furthermore, the weapon also has high mass.

It is best in mid-range fights. The N67 comes equipped with Shattering Perk, which makes the weapon more deadly by breaking through enemies’ armor.

You can also equip the Armor-Piercing Rounds Mod to inflict collateral damage, simultaneously damaging multiple enemies. The N67 Smartgun is purchasable for around 38000 credits from UC Distribution in the New Atlantis commercial district.

Boom Boom

Stats	Attributes
Damage	68 Phys
Range	24
Accuracy	43.3%
Mass	3.75
Fire Rate	60

The Boom Boom is a shotgun, ranking top on the list since it outperforms every other shotgun in all its functions. The shotguns generally have more significant damage than average but are plagued with little range and low mag capacity. However, the Boom Boom acts more like a rifle with a high mag capacity of 20 and an average range.

The above-stated is not even the most significant selling point of the Boom Boom, as this weapon comes equipped with a unique perk called Explosive. This perk randomly switches your round to explosive ones. An explosive shot deals more damage than an already high-damage shot.

The Boom Boom also comes equipped with Laser Sight and High-Velocity mods that further improve the accuracy of the weapons, which is very rare for a shotgun. This weapon enjoys the shotguns’ high-damage stats and a rifle’s mag capacity and accuracy, making it the best choice in most scenarios.

Travel to the City of Neon on Volli Alpha to get this weapon. In the city, look for the Neon Tactical Sign. Inside the shop, with this sign, interact with the Merchant to purchase Boom Boom for around 17000 creds.

My Thoughts

The fact that Coachman and Maelstrom are the easiest weapons to obtain in early games makes them the best choice, in my opinion.

In my 70+ hours of experience, I do not regret the decision to keep the cheap and looted weapons as my primary ones. I would rather encourage spending Credits on weapons mods than buying new ones.

Moreover, you should pick a gun with a high fire rate to go through hordes of enemies. Experimenting with weapon selection allows you to make ideal combinations that suit you best. You can consult this guide to choose the weapon that suits your playstyle and requirements.

More on Starfield:

• Starfield Best Melee Weapons.
• Starfield Best Traits.
• Starfield Target Engines.