[GameSpot] - Fortnite: The Best Guns So Far

[343iBot]

A game as prolific and eventful as Fortnite is sure to have a lot of debate surrounding the topic of what may be its best guns. In Fortnite, the best guns will change from season to season, as each new season brings with it new toys to try out and new themes that open up new creative avenues for Epic. After much deliberation, here are our picks for the best guns in Fortnite so far.

The Best Guns In Fortnite

The best guns in Fortnite will vary from season to season.

Burst Assault Rifle (Epic Or Legendary)

Arguably the most versatile and reliable gun in the game, a purple or orange "Bursty" is must-have loot whenever it drops from chests or into eliminated players' loot piles. The Burst AR is extremely accurate and fires off three rounds with every trigger-pull, allowing you to recenter the gun on your likely moving target with very limited recoil. In seasons where the Burst Assault Rifle is vaulted, its absence is sorely missed.

Compact Submachine Gun

If you play like me, you always want to have a close-range weapon in your inventory. While many prefer shotguns for such encounters, I've found the Compact SMG gives me a better chance of winning gun battles. Shotguns are brutal but slow, whereas the Compact SMG gives you a big magazine and almost unrivaled firing rate, meaning anyone who strays too close can be eliminated swiftly with plenty of the clip left over for their teammates.

Kymera Ray Gun

We may have seen the last of the Kymera Ray Gun, but I sure hope not. This alien tech weapon acted as an alternative to the SMG class and provided a continuous stream of death ray energy the likes of which Fortnite has never seen before or since. While it's weak on builds, it's devastating on players and vehicles. If it meant having the island invaded again so I could play with the Kymera Ray Gun once more, I might take the deal.

Pump Shotgun (Epic Or Legendary)

Whenever the "pumpy" is unvaulted, you'll see Fortnite fans do one of two things online: rejoice or panic. Sometimes even the same people will do a bit of both. The Pump Shotgun has long been considered overpowered, but Epic has hardly dialed it back, seeming to like it that way. It's slightly slower reload time means hitting your first shot or two is critical, but if you do, that'll be all you need.

Automatic Sniper Rifle

Season 8 saw the return of the Automatic Sniper Rifle after a long absence, and it quickly changed the battlefield that is the island. With a longer scope than the Scoped AR, the ASR gives you the best of both worlds: rapid-fire shooting and deadly-accurate damage, creating one of the best DPS guns in the entire game. If I could make one gun permanent--never to be vaulted again--I'd choose this one.

The Kymera Ray Gun may never come back to Fortnite since it's so attached to the defeated aliens.

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Shadow Tracker

My favorite Mythic gun is the Shadow Tracker, and that's for two reasons. For one, this list probably reveals I love a highly accurate weapon, and virtually none are more accurate than this silenced pistol. But its special ability of pinging targets on your map for allies to see really lifts the Shadow Tracker from a great gun worth its price in gold bars to a pivotal late-game tool in the right hands. The Shadow Tracker has won me countless matches.

Midas' Drum Gun

When Midas was waiting at the center of the map in Season 2 of Chapter 2, his haven was the hottest spot of the season. That was owed all to his beloved Thompson, known in-game as Midas' Drum Gun. This Exotic weapon combined the accuracy of the Compact SMG with the improved range of an AR, giving players the most-wanted gun in a season that was already obsessed with overpowered guns. With so many Mythics on the map and so many bosses to take down if you wanted one, most people flocked to take on Midas for his Tommy Gun each match.

Dragon's Breath Sniper Rifle

This pyromaniacal sniper was already a fan-favorite gun, but it rose to new heights after Epic permanently buffed fire propagation in Chapter 2 Season 6. With each shot from the Dragon's Breath, the immediate area is engulfed in flames, and now that fire spreads farther and faster, tearing down builds and burning through enemies with a fierceness that is as panic-inducing as it is properly deadly. Whenever this Mythic is available, it's money well spent.

Mechanical Shockwave Bow

When the "Primal" Season 6 arrived in Chapter 2, snipers weren't found anywhere, but in their place was a series of bows and arrows. Of those, the Mechanical Shockwave Bow was the most fun. Hitting enemies with this bow would do the initial damage from the piercing bow, but then shoot them toward the sky (or back into the storm) thanks to the attached shockwave grenade with every hit. With practice, you could even shock wave yourself over and over to traverse vast distances quickly. While this is probably the weakest gun on this list, it's also one of the most creative when used in the right hands.

Sideways Minigun

The newest gun on this list, the Sideways Minigun is an otherworldly chain gun with accuracy that is probably too reliable for its damage. Perhaps that means a nerf is coming, but for now, we rank the Sideways Minigun as the best gun in Chapter 2 Season 8. Like other Sideways guns, the minigun is most effective when nearly overheated, so it's designed to bring a downpour of bullets early and often onto your enemies, shredding through builds, vehicles, or anything else in its way.

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