Highlights
- Finding the best weapons in Fortnite is crucial to winning the Victory Royale against 99 other players in the challenging Battle Royale mode.
- The Enforcer Assault Rifle may have intense recoil, but with practice, it can be a hard-hitting death machine in Chapter 5 Season 3.
- The Boom Bolt explosive crossbow, introduced in Season 3, brings splash damage and can be used effectively to destroy structures and vehicles.
Fortnite has a constantly changing loot pool, where weapons can change every season, but there’s one universal consistency: players will always need the best weapons if they are to win the Victory Royale. It’s no secret that the famed Battle Royale mode has its fair share of challenges, and Chapter 5 Season 3’s Wrecked theme with apocalyptic vehicles roaming the map certainly adds to the difficulty.
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Suppose players want a better chance to compete with the other 99 players. In that case, they are going to want to seek out the best weapons in Fortnite, and most certainly avoid the worst that could cause them to be eliminated and return to the dreaded lobby screen without a crown on their head.
9 Enforcer Assault Rifle
Long Range AR, Recoil Heavy
Rarity |
Common |
Uncommon |
Rare |
Epic |
Legendary |
Damage |
35 |
37 |
39 |
41 |
43 |
Fire Rate |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
Magazine Size |
25 |
25 |
25 |
25 |
25 |
Reload Time |
2.42 |
2.31 |
2.2 |
2.09 |
1.98 |
Consistent in loot, but reliable based solely on the recoil, the Enforcer AR isn’t a bad choice, but it’s certainly one that requires practice. The Enforcer AR has an intense recoil that can have players easily miss their shots more than they’d like, but with a controlled grip, they can use it as a hard-hitting and slow-firing death machine.
The AR choices in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 3 have been lacking from the start due to the reliance on vehicle combat, but the Enforcer AR will definitely get the job done. Try to look out for variants with attachments, as that’s where the true beauty of this weapon lies.
8 Boom Bolt
Explosive Crossbow For Intense Splash Damage
Rarity |
Rare |
Epic |
Legendary |
Damage |
102 |
105 |
108 |
Fire Rate |
0.7 |
0.7 |
0.7 |
Magazine Size |
3 |
3 |
3 |
Reload Time |
2.5 |
2.4 |
2.25 |
A weapon introduced for Chapter 5 Season 3, the Boom Bolt brings explosive potential in the hand of a crossbow. This weapon introduces splash damage back into the game, and wielding explosives is always a good time for destroying structures and cover, as well as enjoying the splash damage that might affect enemies that are grouped together.
Hitting targets directly with the explosive is going to hurt, a lot, and the fact it’s all chambered on the support of a modified crossbow makes it more reliable and manageable to use. When dealing with the vehicle mods in Fortnite, players should look to this explosive to try and chip away at the health of vehicles, and to use it at longer ranges and higher ground where explosives are going to outmatch an assault rifle.
7 Hand Cannon
Heavy Bullets, Great For Long Range Sniping
Rarity |
Rare |
Epic |
Legendary |
Damage |
85 |
89 |
94 |
Fire Rate |
0.7 |
0.7 |
0.7 |
Magazine Size |
7 |
7 |
7 |
Reload Time |
2.2 |
2.09 |
1.98 |
Without Sniper Rifles in the early days of Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 3, players had to adapt, and what better way to use those heavy bullets than to place them into a Hand Cannon? With the Hand Cannon, players had a weapon of utter skill, as it was slow firing, with an intense kick from the recoil, but the damage potential was certainly rewarding, especially with the timed bullet drop.
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With just a shot or two, players might be able to eliminate opponents, saving time and ammunition as they devastate their foes from medium-range and long-range. The problem with the Hand Cannon is players need to make every shot count, as competing with weapons that fire faster with more reliable recoil could spell the end of them.
6 Ranger Pistol
Rapid Fire Damage For Close-Range
Rarity |
Common |
Uncommon |
Rare |
Epic |
Legendary |
Damage |
24 |
26 |
27 |
28 |
30 |
Fire Rate |
6.6 |
6.6 |
6.6 |
6.6 |
6.6 |
Magazine Size |
15 |
15 |
15 |
15 |
15 |
Reload Time |
1.65 |
1.58 |
1.5 |
1.43 |
1.35 |
Carrying an efficiently fast weapon is always a good idea to keep players’ arsenal varied and useful for different encounters. The Ranger Pistol boasts of a high fire rate and bullets that reach reasonably far into the medium-range zone, but it’s still best used for close range. It might not beat the kick and hit from a shotgun, but well-aimed headshots will devastate opponents before they can fire a second round of their own weapon.
The Ranger Pistol is deadly in the right hands, and it’s always a good idea to have a lighter weapon that can laser in on targets, shredding them of health and shield before they even have time to react to the onslaught that they are the victim of.
5 Gatekeeper Shotgun
Powerful and Fast With 3 Shells
Rarity |
Common |
Uncommon |
Rare |
Epic |
Legendary |
Damage |
76 |
80 |
84 |
88 |
92 |
Fire Rate |
1.7 |
1.7 |
1.7 |
1.7 |
1.7 |
Magazine Size |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
Reload Time |
2.75 |
2.62 |
2.5 |
2.38 |
2.25 |
The Gatekeeper Shotgun might not be for everyone, as it requires precision in every shot. There is not much room for error with the Gatekeeper Shotgun, as every magazine only has three shells. Other shotguns might have more shells, but they do not hit as hard as this, and with the Gatekeeper Shotguns, players can easily eliminate others with one headshot and one body shot, but the third is always there for backup.
The Gatekeeper Shotgun also has a great fire rate, so players will not be waiting between shots. The rapid-fire potential of the Gatekeeper Shotgun will keep combat at close range fast, but the damage drop-off is fairly inconsistent, making this a shotgun to be used up close and personal.
4 Harbinger SMG
Reliable With Controlled Recoil and Consistent Damage
Rarity |
Common |
Uncommon |
Rare |
Epic |
Legendary |
Damage |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
21 |
Fire Rate |
9.5 |
9.5 |
9.5 |
9.5 |
9.5 |
Magazine Size |
30 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
Reload Time |
2.9 |
2.7 |
2.6 |
2.5 |
2.3 |
Whilst some weapons hit harder than others, some weapons shoot faster than others. High damage can be great, but it’s really the fire rate that matters most when assessing DPS. With the Harbinger SMG, players will be able to shoot first and fast and ask questions later. It’s obvious why this gun should be used, as it’s very manageable in terms of recoil, but not the best at further distances than close-range.
The Harbinger SMG brings an efficient and reliable rate of fire that can easily counter shotguns at close range, depending on how players are honed in on shooting their target in the head. The DPS for the Harbinger SMG makes it a worthwhile weapon, but it does require a trained eye in order to consistently laser enemies.
3 Tactical Assault Rifle
Perfect For Medium Range Encounters
Rarity |
Common |
Uncommon |
Rare |
Epic |
Legendary |
Damage |
19 |
20 |
21 |
22 |
23 |
Fire Rate |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
Magazine Size |
30 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
Reload Time |
2.4 |
2.3 |
2.2 |
2.1 |
2 |
Assault Rifles are a must-have to the loot pool in Fortnite, due to their versatility of use in medium-range and long-range combat. Bring in the Tactical Assault Rifle, and players now have a weapon capable of damage at any range. It fires fast, and the recoil control is extremely manageable, especially if players use a weapon mod bench to add a grip to it.
No matter the rarity, the Tactical Assault Rifle is going to be of valued use to the player, as the weapon drop is fairly consistent depending on the range this weapon is fired, and its consistent damage output matched with its fire rate is going to make for an effective AR.
2 Combat Shotgun
Hard-Hitting, Fast-Firing, With Great Range
Rarity |
Common |
Uncommon |
Rare |
Epic |
Legendary |
Damage |
61 |
65 |
68 |
71 |
75 |
Fire Rate |
1.7 |
1.7 |
1.7 |
1.7 |
1.7 |
Magazine Size |
8 |
8 |
8 |
8 |
8 |
Reload Time |
5.5 |
5.3 |
5 |
4.8 |
4.5 |
The loot pool always benefits from the addition of the Combat Shotgun, an evolution of the famed weapon type that will see players benefit from close-range combat, and even medium-range combat. With the Combat Shotgun in hand, players are going to be able to hit their targets for around 80 damage at a reasonable distance, making those that try and run for the fight sitting dicks against any rarity of the Combat Shotgun.
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The Combat Shotgun has a great rate of fire, and even without a grip, it’s consistently smooth to shoot with little recoil to watch out for. The 8 shells allow room for error in accuracy, but the weapon might not hit as hard as other shotguns, paired with a sharpshooter, enemies will be eliminated fast and efficiently.
1 Nitro Fists
Great For Fast Movement and Juggling Melee Damage
Rarity |
Epic |
Punch Damage |
55 |
Last Punch Damage |
70 |
Air Punch Damage |
70 |
Uppercut Damage |
60 |
Charges |
4 |
Recharge Time |
8 |
Nitro Fists have certainly changed the game early into Chapter 5 Season 3, as this new Legendary melee tool has seen players across the map uppercut, slam, and punch their way to victory. It’s a great weapon, one that has an intense and fun movement style. Players will have 4 charges on the Nitro Fists, which refresh every 8 seconds. These charges can be used for uppercuts and air-dashes to keep players on the move, and fast.
Not only is it a great weapon for escaping hard battles, but it can be used to get into the action quickly, and the three-hit combo is almost always guaranteed to eliminate whoever is stuck being juggled by the Nitro Fists. The only downside comes from the close-quarter combat, but once players get in there and hit first, they’re most likely going to win a 1v1.