Fallout 3 includes various weapons from ancient swords to devastating nuclear catapults. How not to get lost in this diversity? We will help! This guide is designed for all players who want to discover the best weapons in the game. Of course, some of these guns are difficult to find, some of them require beating specific quests etc. But here you will find powerful common weapons, as well. Guns from DLCs will be described separately.
Top rated common weapons
This equipment is available for every adventurer. Some weapons are rarer but we will start with the most basic guns:
- Hunting rifle.
Hands down it’s the best gun for everybody except well-experienced high-level players. You will find a regular hunting rifle near the start and it will be your first gun except for a weak BB gun. Hunting rifle has wonderful zoom and pretty high damage, especially, on low levels. It is extremely accurate, as well. You will have a lot of ammo and spare parts for it always.
- Sniper rifle.
Compared with a hunting rifle, this gun deals a lot more damage. It has the best zoom among all weapons, so you can destroy enemies from a long distance. However, sniper rifle wears out quickly and spare parts for it are very rare. Ammo is rare, too. All in all, this gun may be useful for everybody who loves stealth solutions.
- Chinese assault rifle.
On middle and high levels hunting rifle becomes a bit weak. The best analog of it for experienced players is Chinese assault rifle. This gun has really cool damage even to well-protected enemies. Ammo and spare parts for it are common, so you will have no problems with repairing. Chinese assault rifle is designed for midrange battles.
- Combat shotgun.
You know, shotguns are priceless at close range. You want to take this gun in the underground or in abandoned buildings. Combat shotgun can blow up any unarmed hostile in just a few shots. Since raiders use such guns often you will find parts for it. Sure, don’t forget that shotguns are useless at mid and high ranges.
- Fat Man.
Here we have the symbol of Fallout series. It’s big and devastating nuclear catapult with which you can throw mini nukes to destroy everything. Ammo is extremely rare but you don’t want to use Fat Man too often. It is helpful when fighting behemoths or hordes of enemies. Be aware of radioactive cloud that will appear after shot!
- Frag grenade.
Not only guns can be helpful in Fallout 3. Be sure to have at least 2-3 frag grenades in the inventory. These weapons are pretty universal as you can use it almost anytime. Grenades are useful against big packs of hostile beasts, several raiders and even protected guys in power armor! It’s easy to throw grenades, as well.
- Chinese officer's sword.
Well, even citizens of the post-apocalyptic world use melee weapons. If you are building unarmed hero who can slay enemies in close combat, find at least one regular Chinese officer’s sword. Such weapons have high attacking speed and quite high damage. There are several unique versions of swords and they are even more powerful.
Best unique weapons
These guns and devices exist only in a single copy. Basically, you have to complete a quest or minor objective to obtain them:
- Mesmetron.
This unusual weapon is designed for a non-lethal playthrough. With it, you can stun any calm NPC to avoid battle. However, you cannot stun alerted hostiles, so Mesmetron will not be helpful in direct combat. With this gun, you can enslave NPCs and sell them in Paradise Falls. Mesmetron can cause infuriate victims or literally blow up their heads randomly.
Obtain conditions: accept Strictly Business mission from Grouse in Paradise Falls.
- Dart gun.
The best thing about this gun is its venom effect. Poisoned darts cause a cripple effect on target’s legs, means, your victim cannot run away. It’s highly useful against fast foes, e.g. deathclaws, super mutants and yao guais. Poison also deals additional damage to organic enemies. The more darts you fire the more damage the victim will receive.
Obtain conditions: create it using the related schematics.
- Wazer Wifle.
It’s the unique version of laser rifle which you can get for 500 or 250 caps. It’s a quite low price for the accurate and durable gun. Wazer Wifle works the best in the V.A.T.S. mode and with Concentrated Fire perk unlocked. Probably, it’s the best laser rifle. However, if you don’t use energy weapons it will be not so useful.
Obtain conditions: buy it from Biwwy in Little Lamplight or use Child at Heart perk.
- Burnmaster.
Here we have the real deal for all who love flamers. Burnmaster is the most powerful gun of this kind in the original game. It isn’t affected by Pyromaniac perk so far as it has the same effect already. This gun will help you to deal with big beasts in close combats. Try to find Burnmaster as it gives really valuable advantages!
Obtain conditions: find a secret location in Franklin Metro utility behind a flooded tunnel.
- Blackhawk.
This weapon is the unique version of scoped .44 Magnum. But it has high, no, we mean really high damage. Blackhawk is even more powerful than a regular sniper rifle. Use this precise weapon to deal with single targets at long and middle ranges. Everyone who specializes in Small Guns has to obtain Blackhawk.
Obtain conditions: bring the sheet music book to Agatha during Agatha’s Song mission.
- Vengeance.
It’s the unique Gatling laser that has extremely high DPS as well as a quite low durability. Vengeance is indispensable in battles with deathclaws if you don’t have a Fat Man. Anyway, it takes only 13 reloads to break this cool gun, so you cannot use it all the time. And you always can sell it for 2400 caps…
Obtain conditions: find it in the southeast part of the deathclaw sanctuary.
- A3-21’s plasma rifle.
Plasma rifles are interesting but they have little ammo. However, the unique version of this weapon obtained from android Harkness in Rivet City has significant additional pros. This gun deals more damage, it has a higher critical chance and what’s more important can be repaired by parts from regular plasma rifles.
Obtain conditions: finish The Replicated Man quest by revealing to Harkness his nature.
Other cool weapons from add-ons
Some cool stuff can be obtained not only in the original game but in DLCs. Here are only three guns, the best ones:
- Metal blaster from The Pitt.
This laser rifle is some kind of shotgun mixed with energy gun. It fires several beams for only one energy cell, deals a lot of damage and can be repaired with parts of common laser rifles. Metal blaster successfully deals with deathclaws and other beasts at close ranges. You want to get close to the target, so all beams will hit the mark.
Obtain conditions: take Mill Worker mission and deliver 50 steel ingots to Everett.
- Perforator from The Pitt.
It’s the variant of infiltrator, the most effective weapon for all stealth men. The perforator is more powerful than a regular infiltrator but it has less durability. It cannot be repaired with regular spare parts, as well. But Perforator is too cool to don’t use it. Just try this gun with a high level of Sneak to reveal its power!
Obtain conditions: take Mill Worker mission and deliver 90 steel ingots to Everett.
- Gauss Rifle from Operation: Anchorage.
Here is the best weapon in the game without doubts. Gauss Rifle is completely unique. It fires small rounds at very high speed to knock down enemies and deal terrific damage. With Gauss Rifle you can easily blow up even the strongest super mutants. It has some problems while aiming in the V.A.T.S. mode, although.
Obtain conditions: survive a virtual reality to find it in the VSS Armory.
Well, we provide various examples, so you will find something cool surely.
