Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 4 weapons tier list (August 2026) — every gun ranked

How we ranked them

This Fortnite weapons tier list is current to Chapter 6 Season 4 (shipped July 2026 with the wasteland map and the rank refresh). The list reflects zero-build ranked play in Champion and above on PC, where augment availability is at its highest and the meta is most refined.

We ranked every weapon by:

• Damage per second at typical engagement range (10-30m for SMGs/shotguns, 30-80m for ARs, 80m+ for snipers/Marksman)
• Recoil pattern difficulty — a weapon that needs a controller-friendly aim assist ranks higher than one that requires frame-perfect mouse input
• Time-to-kill on a fully-shielded opponent (200 HP) — the standard competitive benchmark
• Augment ceiling — how much better the weapon gets with the S-tier augments
• FNCS pick rate from the Chapter 6 Season 3 finals and the current competitive circuit

The list is split into five sections by weapon class. Each section has its own tier ordering, but the S-tier overall — the weapons you should always keep — are the Hammer Assault Rifle, Sentinel Pump Shotgun, Thunder Shotgun, Nemesis AR, and the Baller.

Assault Rifles (ARs)

S Tier

Hammer Assault Rifle — The Chapter 6 Season 4 AR that replaced the MK-7 as the top AR. The Hammer is a 30/30 damage AR with the highest DPS in its class and a controllable recoil pattern. The Hammer is the meta AR in zero-build ranked and the most-picked AR in FNCS Chapter 6 Season 4. The Hammer's Headshot Accolade augment is the best single-target damage augment in the game.

Nemesis AR — The Season 4 AR with the highest first-shot accuracy. The Nemesis is the best long-range AR in the game — its accuracy over 50m is unmatched, and the damage falloff is the smallest of any AR. The Nemesis is the meta pick for any fight where you can't close distance.

A Tier

MK-7 — The Chapter 5 AR that was the meta pick for 2 seasons. The MK-7 is still strong but the Hammer and Nemesis outclass it in pure DPS. The MK-7 is a safe fallback when neither S-tier AR is available.

Warrior AR — The Chapter 6 Season 2 AR with the highest headshot multiplier. The Warrior is the best AR for the rare "every shot is a headshot" player. The Warrior outclasses every AR in the headshot-specific build, but the ceiling is hard to reach consistently.

B Tier

Red-Eye Assault Rifle — The thermal-scope AR. The Red-Eye is niche but strong in the right context. The thermal sight reveals enemies through smoke and walls, making it the best AR for the new Chapter 6 Season 4 smoke-heavy meta.

Striker AR — The burst-fire AR. The Striker is the best AR for tracking moving targets but the 3-round burst is inconsistent. The Striker is a strong secondary pick for players who prefer burst over full-auto.

C Tier

Combat Assault Rifle — The first-ever AR added to Fortnite (Chapter 1). The Combat is fully outclassed in zero-build but still the best AR in creative mode and OG reloads. Skip in modern builds.

Burst Assault Rifle — The original burst AR. The Burst is fully outclassed by the Striker. Skip.

D Tier

SCAR — The classic Chapter 1 AR. The SCAR is fully outclassed by every modern AR. The only reason to pick it up is the OG throwback.

Shotguns

S Tier

Sentinel Pump Shotgun — The Chapter 6 Season 4 pump with the highest headshot multiplier. The Sentinel is the best close-range shotgun in the game — a headshot at 5m is a guaranteed one-shot kill on any opponent. The Sentinel is the meta CQC weapon for zero-build and the most-picked shotgun in FNCS.

Thunder Shotgun — The Chapter 6 Season 4 auto-shotgun with the highest DPS. The Thunder is the best auto-shotgun in the game — its fire rate is the highest of any shotgun and the damage is comparable to the Sentinel. The Thunder is the meta pick for players who prefer auto over pump.

A Tier

Havoc Pump Shotgun — The Chapter 5 pump that was the meta for 2 seasons. The Havoc is still strong but the Sentinel outclasses it in pure headshot damage. The Havoc is the best fallback pump when the Sentinel isn't available.

Maven Auto Shotgun — The Chapter 6 Season 3 auto that was the meta before the Thunder. The Maven is still strong but the Thunder's higher fire rate wins out. The Maven is the best secondary auto when the Thunder is on cooldown.

B Tier

Two-Shot Shotgun — The double-barrel shotgun. The Two-Shot is the highest-risk shotgun in the game — two shots, no follow-up, the entire fight is in the first pull. The Two-Shot is the meta pick for surprise close-range fights; outside of that, the Sentinel is better.

Charge Shotgun — The Chapter 5 charge shotgun. The Charge is the best shotgun for the medium range (15-25m) but the CQC damage is too low. The Charge is a niche pick for the Chapter 6 Season 4 long-range meta.

C Tier

Tactical Shotgun — The Chapter 1 tactical shotgun. The Tactical is fully outclassed in modern Fortnite. Skip.

Drum Gun — The Chapter 1 LMG. The Drum is a shotgun only by category — it's an SMG-class weapon with shotgun damage. The Drum is fully outclassed by every other close-range weapon. Skip.

SMGs (Submachine Guns)

S Tier

Stinger SMG — The Chapter 6 Season 4 SMG with the highest DPS. The Stinger is the best close-range SMG in the game — its 25-round mag and high fire rate make it the best weapon for the post-spray meta. The Stinger is the meta SMG in zero-build.

A Tier

Combat SMG — The Chapter 5 SMG that was the meta for 2 seasons. The Combat is still strong but the Stinger outclasses it in pure DPS. The Combat is the best fallback SMG when the Stinger isn't available.

Suppressed SMG — The silenced SMG. The Suppressed is the best SMG for the surprise-rotation meta. The integrated suppressor is the best feature — the Suppressed is the only SMG you can fire without revealing your position on the minimap.

B Tier

Burst SMG — The 3-round burst SMG. The Burst is the best SMG for the medium range but the CQC damage is too low. The Burst is a niche pick for the Chapter 6 Season 4 long-range meta.

C Tier

Compact SMG — The original Chapter 1 SMG. The Compact is fully outclassed. Skip.

Suppressed Pistol — The silenced pistol. The Suppressed Pistol is the best pistol in the game but the SMG comparison makes it look weak. The Suppressed Pistol is the best secondary weapon when you need a single sidearm.

Sniper Rifles / Marksman

S Tier

Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle — The Chapter 6 Season 4 bolt with the highest headshot damage. The Bolt is the best sniper in the game — a headshot at 100m is a guaranteed one-shot kill on any opponent. The Bolt is the meta sniper in zero-build and the most-picked sniper in FNCS.

Heavy Sniper Rifle — The wall-piercing sniper. The Heavy is the best sniper for the Chapter 6 Season 4 wall-and-cover meta. The wall-piercing rounds are the best feature — the Heavy is the only sniper that can take down a fortified position with one magazine.

A Tier

Semi-Auto Sniper — The Chapter 6 Season 3 sniper with the highest fire rate. The Semi is the best sniper for tracking moving targets but the headshot damage is lower than the Bolt. The Semi is the best secondary sniper when the Bolt is on cooldown.

Lever-Action Rifle — The Chapter 5 lever-action. The Lever is the best Marksman rifle in the game — its fire rate and damage are both high. The Lever is the meta pick for the medium-range Marksman role.

B Tier

Hunter Bolt-Action — The original Chapter 1 sniper. The Hunter is fully outclassed by the Bolt in modern Fortnite. The Hunter is the best fallback sniper when nothing else is available.

DMR — The Chapter 3 DMR. The DMR is the best weapon for the extreme long range but the CQC damage is too low. The DMR is a niche pick for the open-field meta.

Explosives / Special Weapons

S Tier

Baller — The Chapter 6 Season 4 vehicle-bubble. The Baller is the best mobility weapon in the game — its bubble shield makes the user immune to all damage while in the bubble. The Baller is the meta mobility item and the most-picked special in FNCS.

Grappler — The grappling hook. The Grappler is the best mobility item for the high-ground meta. The Grappler is the meta pick for the Chapter 6 Season 4 elevated-terrain fights.

A Tier

Rocket Launcher — The Chapter 1 rocket. The Rocket is the best explosive for the wall-and-cover meta. The Rocket is fully outclassed by the Heavy Sniper for direct damage but the splash damage makes it the best area-denial weapon.

Boomer — The Chapter 6 Season 4 explosive bow. The Boomer is the best explosive for the long-range meta. The Boomer is fully outclassed by the rocket for direct damage but the cluster bomb makes it the best crowd-control weapon.

B Tier

Clingers — The sticky explosives. The Clingers are the best explosives for the CQC meta. The Clingers are the meta pick for surprise close-range fights.

C Tier

Bombs — The original Chapter 1 throwables. The Bombs are fully outclassed by every other explosive. Skip.

What's next

The Chapter 6 Season 4 mid-season update is expected in September 2026, with new weapons and a balance pass. The next tier list will be updated after the patch lands.

For the loadout advice that uses this tier list, see the Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 4 complete guide — it covers the new map, every new weapon, and the rank mode refresh.