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. The Merchant brings you a new weapon at each visit, so knowing what best weapons you must get in Starfield is essential.
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, classification, and damage type.
- The best weapon in Starfield is Boom Boom.
| 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 |
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.
Many types divide weapons in Starfield. The first type is Melee weapons, used for close combat as they have little to no range. They don’t require any ammo. The second type, Pistols, is your secondary weapon in close to medium-range combat. When your primary weapon is out of ammo, you mainly use pistols because they have a low pull-out animation and reload time.
The third type of weapon in Starfield is Rifles. These are the primary and most used weapons in Starfield. They are significant in the game due to their versatility and usefulness in any range. Rifles are mostly automatic, which makes them suitable for dealing with large amounts of enemies.
The fourth type of weapon is Shotguns. Shotguns are the best close-range weapon in the game. They can one-shot enemies at close range. Shotguns have a wide spread of bullets, which is helpful to hit many enemies at once. The fifth type of weapon is Heavy weapons, with few explosive ammo, similar to a grenade launcher or a bazooka.
Some Weapons are classified into Energy, Ballistic, and Electromagnetic. In Starfield, Weapons are classified mainly due to their specific ammo and damage types. The sixth and seventh types of weapons, Laser Pistols and Rifle utilize energy sources to generate beams or projectiles as ammunition.
The eighth and ninth types of weapons are Particle Beam Pistols and shotguns that rely on gunpowder to launch projectiles. Enemies receive Physical and Energy damage from Electromagnetic rifles, which launch high-velocity projectiles using electromagnetic force. This is the last type of weapon.
The weapon choice is crucial in Starfield as weapons decide your playstyle. If you have a short-range weapon, you will likely move around in close quarters and avoid long-range fights. At the same time, players with long-range weapons will try to place themselves in high positions to shoot enemies from a distance.
Other factors, such as fire rate, accuracy, damage, and ammo availability, must be considered while picking a weapon. To solve the problem of choosing a weapon, we have combined a list of the best weapons in Starfield, ranked worst to best.
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.
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. However, Maelstrom has a high fire rate, which is helpful for the spray-and-pray strategy. You can use the Maelstrom to escape a sticky situation when enemies are in numbers close to you.
Ammo hunting can be very time-consuming and significant when choosing a weapon in Starfield. Players fret about using weapons that involve rare ammo, as you have to be very careful in a fight and not be wasteful. Additionally, it wastes their efforts to find ammo while they can complete an exciting mission.
This weapon is used by almost all of the enemies in Starfield. Maelstrom is very common in the game, which solves any ammo issue you might have, as you can quickly loot its’ ammo after defeating common enemies.
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 |
Sir Livingstone’s Pistol is on 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. Use the elevator and interact with the accessible door to enter your parent’s apartment.
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 Energy |
| Range | 50 |
| Accuracy | 70.2% |
| Mass | 3.20 |
| Fire Rate | 50 |
The Equinox is a laser rifle in Starfield. It makes use of electric-type ammo to inflict Energy damage. It has low damage per hit, but a high fire rate covers up for it. This gun allows players to aim carelessly.
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.
It is an excellent early-game weapon but 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 EM |
| 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. EM damage disables enemies rather than killing them. This weapon is specific to people who want to do a pacifist playthrough of the game.
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. Downed enemies with EM damage stay down unless you hit them with another damage-type weapon. In addition, failing to pickpocket will also wake them up.
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. However, this weapon must be replaced when fighting a boss or stronger enemies, as sometimes you have to kill an enemy.
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.
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 Energy |
| 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.
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.
Ember can be made better using the High-Velocity Barrel mod, increasing its fire rate. In addition, Ember’s magazine size can be increased using the Extended Magazine mod, which will help you fire longer without taking a break.
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 accurate in short to mid-range, but being accurate in long-range is a rarity. The Prime has an exceptionally high accuracy of 79.8%.
Prime is a must-have secondary weapon in Starfield. 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 in Starfield. It is highly rated due to its ability to one-shot-headshot enemies from medium range. It is an excellent weapon if you are a player who likes to plan out his moves and play it slow. You can place yourselves in an advantageous position and one-shot enemies from a range.
Another plus point for this weapon is that its ammo is common 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.
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.
This weapon isn’t recommended as your primary choice but for conserving ammo or escaping situations when you’re being rushed while out of ammunition. This weapon has no range and can only deal damage by physically touching the enemies.
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.
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 Keelhauler is fully automatic, but a 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. However, it has a low mag capacity of only six bullets.
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 is on this list solely for having the highest damage in the game. Magsniper 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. It one-shots most enemies in the game. 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. The machine gun, however, has 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 in Starfield. It ranks as the top shotgun on the list since it outperforms every other shotgun in all its functions. The shotguns generally have greater 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. It is advantageous when dealing with large amounts and higher armor enemies.
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.
Starfield provides its player base with a wide variety of weapons. The weapons’ weird names and different classifications may sound confusing at first. Still, as the game progresses, it becomes understandable, and soon, you are juggling between weapons and creating different inventories.
The type of weapon you choose will define your playstyle and gameplay experience. Choosing a sniper rifle will cause you to play stealthily, while a shotgun will make you give up range for significant damage. A boss fight might force you into picking a weapon with high damage output to counter the high health of the boss.
In another instance, you might have to pick a gun with a high fire rate to go through hordes and 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.
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