Best weapons in Starfield: Rifles, shotguns, melee, more

Starfield offers a vast arsenal of weapons, but selecting the best ones for your space adventure is ideal. From rifles and shotguns, to melee tools, here are our recommendations.

In Bethesda’s expansive space RPG, the universe is your playground, with numerous planets to discover, and Ships to fly. There are also plenty of unique weapons, and if you’re curious about what the best selections are for each type, we’ve got you covered below.

Best weapons in Starfield

Before we dive into the details, here’s a quick overview of the weapons we’d most recommend for each category:

• Heavy Weapon: Poisonstorm
• Melee Weapons: The Last Priest
• Pistols: Sir Livingston’s Pistol
• Rifles: Gallow’s Reach
• Shotguns: Experiment A-7

Best Heavy Weapons

Poisonstorm

Named for its unique ability to randomly inflict poison damage, this Heavy Weapon is fantastic.

Dexerto/Bethesda

The Poisonstorm has a solid spread of stats, and despite low melee damage, it’s got a blistering fire rate of 400. This makes it perfect for reining down hell on unsuspecting hostiles before they can react.

Ammo Type	Damage	Fire Rate	Range	Accuracy	Damage Type	Magazine Size	Mass
.50 MI Array	9	400	58	56.1 %	Physical	160	12.20

You can purchase the Poisonstorm from Kore Kinetics in Neon for 40,645 Credits.

Heller’s Cutter

Heller’s Cutter is another solid Heavy weapon. Its damage output is high with almost zero recoil, the firing rate is acceptable, and it’s extremely effective against robots.

You can find the Heller’s Cutter during the Back to Vectera quest.

Ammo Type	Damage	Fire Rate	Range	Accuracy	Damage Type	Magazine Size	Mass
Cutter	4	76	3	76.7%	Energy	9	4.00

The N67 Smartgun

The N67 Smartgun is a unique variation of the Microgun that excels thanks to its armor-piercing capabilities. You can blast through just about any enemy with this gun in your hands, and it’s a lifesaver to have in the early game.

Dexerto/Bethesda

Finally, the fact it takes 7.777mm ammo is also extremely handy as it’s one of the most common you can find during playthroughs. Its accuracy and range are slightly lower compared to the other heavy weapons we’ve recommended but it’s still a great option.

You can purchase the N67 Smartgun from the UC Distribution Center in the New Atlantis Commercial District for 34,144 Credits.

Ammo Type	Damage	Fire Rate	Range	Accuracy	Damage Type	Magazine Size	Mass
7.77mm	11	350	40	49.3 %	Physical	300	15.10

Best Melee Weapons

The Last Priest

The Last Priest is the best melee weapon in the game. It’s a variant of the Va’Ruun Painblade and is a brilliant close-range melee option. Apart from the Physical Damage, it has the chance to randomly inflict elemental damage upon impact.

To get your hands on The Last Priest, you’ll need to complete the Infinity’s End side quest and The Hunter will reward you with it.

Ammo Type	Damage	Fire Rate	Range	Accuracy	Damage Type	Magazine Size	Mass
–	62	–	–	–	Phys	–	1.80

Va’Ruun Painblade

The Va’Ruun Painblade is a close second to The Last Priest. It doesn’t have the elemental benefits but still deals staggering damage to enemies. If you want to use a melee-focused character, this is an absolute must-have.

Dexerto/Bethesda

You can either buy it from a Vendor in The Key, or it can be found on high-level Crisom Fleet pirate ships, and looted from Va’Ruun Zealot corpses.

Ammo Type	Damage	Fire Rate	Range	Accuracy	Damage Type	Magazine Size	Mass
–	62	–	–	–	Phys	–	1.80

Best Pistols in Starfield

Sir Livingston’s Pistol

Sir Livingstone’s Pistol is the best pistol in Starfield. It’s a lethal combination of accuracy, damage, and fire rate. To get it, you’ll need to take the Kid Stuff trait and strike up a conversation with your father at The Lodge.

Ammo Type	Damage	Fire Rate	Range	Accuracy	Damage Type	Magazine Size	Mass
.45 Caliber	28	67	24	69.2%	Phys	15	1.80

Va’Ruun Starshard

The Va’Ruun Starshard combines Physical and Energy damage for some devastating results. The 80 Energy Damage can easily wipe out enemies, and paired with its high 70.1% accuracy you should be able to finish off any hostiles that dare to attack you.

Dexerto/Bethesda

Unfortunately getting your hands on Va’Ruun Starshard takes a bit of luck as it will very rarely appear at weapon vendors once you’ve reached approximately Level 35.

Ammo Type	Damage	Fire Rate	Range	Accuracy	Damage Type	Magazine Size	Mass
Light Particle Fuse	26 Physical / 80 Energy	12	30	70.1%	Physical / Energy	12	1.00

Best Rifles in Starfield

Beowulf

The Beowulf is a great rifle to use in Starfield. It shines in mid-ranged combat and has a solid combination of accuracy, damage, and clip size that ultimately make it pretty deadly.

Alongside solid stats, a lot of mods can be used to upgrade and improve this gun including supplying it with Armor-Piercing Rounds, and Burst Fire.

Ammo Type	Damage	Fire Rate	Range	Accuracy	Damage Type	Magazine Size	Mass
7.77x37mm Caseless	36	50	40	69.1%	Phys	30	2.00

Gallow’s Reach

Dexerto/Bethesda

Gallow’s Reach is a unique variant of the Old Earth Assault Rifle. You’re sure to land most shots with this thanks to its high 70.6% accuracy. It also comes pre-equipped with 5 mods which include:

• Armor-Piercing Rounds
• Ergonomic Grip
• Laser Sight
• Muzzle Brake
• Reflex Sight

Thanks to these, there’s a good chance you can randomly poison enemies in combat. Although the Earth Assault Rifles might not be the most exciting, this variation is certainly a gun to invest in.

You can find Gallow’s Reach in Petrov’s room during the No Sudden Moves main quest.

Best Shotgun in Starfield

Experiment A-7

The Experiment A-7‘s ability to deal a ton of damage makes it the best shotgun in Starfield. If you’re up against Aliens its Experimentor characteristic will also increase damage by 30% which makes it ideal to have in your arsenal.

You’ll have to wait until the late game to get it but it’s definitely worth it.

You can get this gun during the Main Quest ‘Entagled‘ by passing a speech check with Ethan.

Ammo Type	Damage	Fire Rate	Range	Accuracy	Damage Type	Magazine Size	Mass
15×25 CLL Shotgun Shell	119	10	20	50.6%	Phys	6	6.90

Those are our picks for the best Starfield weapons. If you’re just diving into the Shattered Space DLC, check out our quest guides for The Duel, What Remains, Conflict of Conviction, and Zealous Overreach.