Starfield weapons

There are a diverse range of Starfield weapons from traditional guns to laser rifles, melee weapons, and heavy weapons, all of which you can find in our full Starfield weapons database. You can find weapons randomly in containers at any number of Starfield locations, earn them by taking down enemies, or purchase them from numerous vendors.

Unique weapons are often the most powerful of all the guns in the game, and can be earned by completing specific Starfield missions, or by purchasing them from specific vendors in the major cities.

All Starfield weapons

Already found your favorite weapon? Start planning your Starfield build by checking out the list of Starfield skills and choosing your Starfield background, many of which offer powerful buffs to your weapon proficiencies.

Best Starfield weapons

If you’re looking for the best Starfield weapons, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve spent hours testing every weapon in the game, and rounded up our favorites.

The best weapon overall is the Magstorm. This heavy weapon utterly shreds anything that stands in front of it while you’re holding down the trigger, and eat through your ammunition reserves just as quickly. Even when facing down a Terrormorph, the Magstorm simply obliterates anything in its path, particularly if you’ve customized it further with Starfield weapon mods, and Starfield legendary weapon effects.

Best Starfield pistols

Sidearms aren’t to be underestimated in Starfield. Switching between weapons is advisable in the heat of combat rather than trying to reload your weapon. It can take two or three seconds to reload, but only a second or less to switch. This is where pistols shine, offering a very quick, and often deadly quickdraw solution when a fight breaks out.

• Deadeye – A unique version of the Razorback pistol which you get for joining the Freestar Collective faction, this unique pistol deals a considerable amount of damage for the early-game, and comes with a really intricate skin.
• Magshot – The Magshot is one of the earliest railgun-like weapons you can get, and it packs a ridiculous punch. It’s less a ‘pistol’ and more a miniaturized shotgun. It fires three bullets with a single shot from three barrels, and each barrel has a targeting laser. Most enemies that face the Magshot in the early game won’t last more than a couple shots. If you’re looking for the upgraded version, you can grab the Keelhauler as part of the Crimson Fleet questline.

Best Starfield rifles

Rifles are an excellent way of dishing out damage from a safe distance. You can easily hide behind cover, and pop up while aiming down your iron sights to take a few select shots. You can also customize rifles heavily, changing them from single-shot rifles, to semi-automatic, burst-fire, or even fully automatic weapons.

• Grendel – While the Grendel is one of the earliest rifles you can get your hands on, don’t underestimate its utility. Its high rate-of-fire can easily stun enemies in the middle of their reload animations, and has just enough damage and accuracy to top the Maelstrom rifle. However, the Grendel is very bullet-hungry, so make sure you stock up on ammunition whenever you can. You can find a Grendel as early as the Kreet Research Lab during the Starfield opening sequence.
• Beowulf – The Beowulf is a mid-game rifle with a lot of power behind it. You can customize it with Starfield weapon mods to change it from a standard single-shot rifle into a monstrous sniper rifle. Pairing it with the Stealth, Ballistics, Rifle Certification, and Sniper Certification skills can turn the Beowulf into a one shot one kill weapon.
• Magshear – You won’t find this rifle until the mid to late-game, and for good reason. The Magshear is a magnetically-empowered monster with a grid of targetting lasers jutting out from it. The moment you pull the trigger, anything standing before you, even on higher difficulty levels, will die within a second or less. Finding ammunition for the Magshear can be a challenge, but the search is all the more worth it for security and peace of mind when dealing with the strongest Starfield enemies like the Terrormorph.

Best Starfield shotguns

Shotguns can be a bit risky in Starfield if you don’t keep a close eye on your health. By their very nature, shotguns require you to get closer to the enemy before pulling the trigger. However, if you can get close enough, you can deal some serious damage.

• Coachman – The Coachman shotgun is a very powerful early-game shotgun that can rip through enemy health bars if you’re close enough. Better yet, you can modify the weapon with slug rounds to improve the damage, and massively increase the effective range of the weapon. The Coachman is available at a wide-range of shops.
• Old Earth Shotgun – This relic from Earth has a mean kick to it, and a much higher magazine capacity than the Coachman. You won’t find this shotgun until you level up a bit, but finding one makes short work of any opponent in the early to mid-game.
• Breach – The Breach is one of my favorite weapons overall, combining the Old Earth Shotgun’s magazine capacity with a higher rate of fire and more damage. This mid to late-game shotgun will easily mow through enemies with tanky hitboxes, though the Terrormorph will still give you a run for your money.

Best Starfield heavy weapons

Heavy weapons are a curious case in Starfield, as you won’t likely find any heavy weapons until you’ve progressed to level 10. However, once you’ve got your hands on one, you won’t want to let it go.

• Arc Welder – This is one of my favorites because of its aesthetic. If you’ve ever watched the Matrix, the Starfield Arc Welder will seem quite familiar to you. The Arc Welder fires a continuous stream of lightning which deals energy damage. It’s very useful for dealing with robotic enemies and turrets, which usually have a very high physical damage resistance.
• Microgun – This is Starfield’s minigun, and a late-game heavy weapon. With a monstrous magazine capacity of 300 rounds, you can mow through cities of hostile (or friendly) NPCs after a short spin up. By taking the tier 2 Heavy Weapons Certification and the tier 1 Ballistics skill, you can further empower your minigun to cause true havoc.

Best Starfield melee weapons

For those with nerves of steel, or the best Starfield armor, melee weapons are best implemented to stun-lock your enemies. A good tactic is to wait for an enemy to begin their reload animation before attacking. That way, you buy yourself a considerable amount of time to hack them down before they can turn their Microgun or similar heavy weapon on you.

• Va’ruun Painblade – one of the rarest melee weapons, the Painblade deals a considerable amount of damage in a very short burst, and becomes further deadly when matched with the best legendary effects.
• Rescue Axe – While not the strongest melee weapon in the game, it is one of the most iconic. The Rescue Axe is available as soon as the first mission – One Small Step. You can pick one up from a Crimson Fleet Pirate as loot.
• Wakizashi – A mid to late-game entry, the Wakizashi deals a high level of physical damage, and can be found in a wide number of shops. It’s perfect for a Starfield samurai build, or as a ninja’s choice of stealth weapon.

Interested in boosting your weapons further? Make sure you check out our newly updated and comprehensive Starfield skills database.

Alternatively, have a favorite weapon that isn’t on this list? Head over to the Starfield forum and share your thoughts on what the best Starfield weapon is, and what Starfield weapon mods complete it.