Assault rifles are the classic faithful damage dealers of Fortnite. They have the versatility to be be used at close and medium range and generally have the accuracy to land headshots for some added damage. Across the many chapters and seasons of Fortnite, it's rare to find an assault rifle that ranks below a B tier. Here’s our reasoning on where we placed them for Chapter 3 Season 3:
● Heavy Assault Rifle - With a quick reload time, decent fire rate, and punishing damage, the Heavy assault rifle lands itself solidly in the S tier. The overall damage per second potential of this weapon makes shredding your opponents a breeze at medium and long range and the damage per hit can really take chunks out of your opponents. With its current stats, the Heavy Assault rifle is one of the best guns in Fortnite.
● Ranger Assault Rifle - With incredible accuracy at range and a solid fire rate the Ranger Assault Rifle is our go to weapon in Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 3. Exceptionally good for tearing down opponents shields as you close on them or lasering down players running through open spaces, the Ranger Assault Rifle lands itself in A tier for its dependability and accuracy.
● Striker Burst Rifle - The Striker Burst rifle trades rate of fire for a two-shot burst that delivers incredible accuracy. This rifle is fantastic if you’re hunting for headshots but the damage per second really drops off if you aren’t landing both rounds on your opponent every trigger squeeze. We’ve ranked the Striker Burst Rifle as a B, but with strong aim and some SCUF instant triggers found on the Reflex FPS and Instinct Pro the Striker could easily be A tier.
Sniper Rifles
Sniper rifles can be exceptionally hard to rank for Fortnite because the average player is going to be better off getting in close to medium range to land more shots but a skilled shooter player won’t have any issue making the most out of any bolt action sniper variant in Fortnite. Snipers tend to get a 2x damage bonus for headshots, meaning unshielded opponents get instant-downed when you land a headshot. Even if you’ve got the shops to land juicy headshots your average opponent is going to be pressuring you by getting up close and personal as often as possible, making your sniper a sub-par option to be taking up space in your inventory. For these reasons we’d say Fortnite snipers generally don’t land higher than a B tier.
● Heavy Sniper Rifle - The Heavy Sniper Rifle is a very solid sniper rifle in Chapter 3 Season 3. Players with skill will be able to strip opponents of all their shields or one shot unshielded opponents when they land headshots. The low fire rate and high zoom make for a difficult time in close quarters gunfights though which is why we place the Heavy Sniper Rifle in B tier.
SMGs
SMGs have had a habit of being swingy in Fortnite’s past. They either rank as some of the best guns in the game or are completely ignored for other weapons. They’re great in a pinch for close quarters on a hot drop but quickly become useless in more open spaces. Overall we’ll place SMGs in C tier but chapter 3 Season 3’s SMGs have put that ranking to shame.
● Stinger SMG - With a crazy fire rate, small spread, and low recoil the Stinger SMG is our second gun to land in S tier. This SMG’s accuracy and low recoil actually make it perfect for medium range engagements as well as close quarters. If you need to laser down an opponent in chapter 3 Season 3, look no further than the Stinger SMG.
● Combat SMG - The perfect weapon for when things get up close and personal. The Combat SMG lands its place in A tier as our preferred weapon for close quarters combat in chapter 3 Season 3. Normally we’d recommend a shotgun for this role, but unless the shotguns of this season get a buff, the Combat SMG is the way to go.
Pistols
Pistols always end up being a sleeper hit amongst serious Fortnite players as they can deliver remarkable accuracy and a strong fire rate for players with fast fingers or instant tap triggers. That being said, there are usually better options to be found while looting, so most pistols will find themselves sitting pretty in the C tier.
● Sidearm Pistol - A solid option when you get up to the blue rarity levels and better than nothing when green, the Sidearm Pistol can deliver solid damage per second with a quick trigger finger. Best used if you don’t have a Drum Shotgun or SMG when fighting in close quarters, we place the sidearm pistol in the C tier.
● Revolver - While lacking the punch of some of its variants from early chapters and seasons, the Revolver can be useful for a trained sharpshooter to shred a solid chunk of shield or health from an opponent before taking them down with another weapon. We wouldn’t want to find ourselves with nothing but a Revolver in a gunfight with someone better equipped and for that reason we placed the Revolver in the C tier.
We hope this tier list proves helpful in your future matches of Fortnite and maybe you now have a stronger understanding of what might be the best guns in Fortnite. If you’re looking for more Fortnite content please check below or head to the Fortnite game hub for more.