BEST & WORST WEAPONS IN PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUND

Assault Rifles

SCARL
What sets the SCAR above all other assault rifles is the ability to control the recoil when firing, particularly when you have an array of modifications attached . It’s the only AR that can comfortably use automatic fire at medium range


Groza
A new care package-only assault rifle , the Groza is similar to the AKM, but with a higher rate of fire and slightly different recoil. It's clearly a beast: a tough gun to control from the hip but aiming down the sights makes a nice straight vertical line and the recoil can be managed . It's worth picking up if you find one , or are brave enough to hit up a supply crate . Have some 7.62 ammo ready


M16
A great ‘off the shelf’ option that requires fewer modifications than the SCAR to reach its full potential . The M16 is fast and accurate in single shot mode compared to other ARs , while burst fire is best limited to close range . It has just has three attachment slots

• Magazine
• Barrel
• Optics

AKM
Does the most damage per bullet , meaning it’s an exceptional tool if you’re able to land multiple headshots , but heavy recoil and a slightly slower rate of fire mean it’s probably the weakest Assault Rifle overall (unmodified) , with a poor automatic fire mode—though the best players can take advantage of it's power . For best results stick to single-shot above 20m and always try to land those headshots (it should only take 2 headshots to down an enemy—if you can land them) . Only has three modification slots

• Magazine
• Barrel
• Optics

M416
Offers similar levels of modification to the SCAR with the option to add a tactical stock that is required if you plan on using automatic fire anything above 20 meters . Not quite as stable as the SCAR but with a faster rate of fire it’s still very viable . A good all-round weapon that doesn’t truly excel at anything

Recommended assault rifle mods
Vertical grip / angled grip – The angled grip improves stability to a lesser degree and offers faster aiming down the sight but you should prioritize the stability boost of a vertical grip to get the most out of your AR

Compensator , suppressor & flash hider – one of the key choices you need to make. Suppressors are deadly on all assault rifles, severely limiting your opponent’s ability to locate you through directional audio . A compensator steadies recoil which can be vital if you’re planning to fire in full-auto at anything above close range . If you find a suppressor , prioritize it over a compensator unless you have another suppressed weapon . Recent community testing has shown that the flash hider reduces recoil to the same degree as the compensator while giving the added utility of hiding gun-fire , making it a great pickup

Extended mag – Simply more useful than a Quickdraw mag . Having those extra bullets at the ready fundamentally means that they're ready to fire rather than reloading more quickly

2x 4x or 8x scopes – Assault rifles truly shine with decent optics , the superior magnification of an 8x allows you to focus on headshots

SMGs

Vector
A tiny package of doom that incapacitates quickly and is limited only by its short range . There's no weapon I'd rather have in the last moments of most matches , where I'm enclosed in a small area . Nearly always best used in full-auto , firing in bursts to retain accuracy beyond 15m


UMP
The bridge between SMGs and assault rifles , with the slower rate of fire offset by limited recoil and a better effective range (30-40m) than the Vector . The UMP requires a lot of modifications to reach its full potential . Fire it in full-auto to take people down quickly . Its 9mm ammo should be plentiful


Uzi
Fast but wildly inaccurate . With a stock the Uzi becomes far more stable but it’s still terrible at anything above 15-20 meters

Recommended SMG mods
Extended magazine – Absolutely vital to make the Vector and Uzi in particular shine , as the base , magazines are so shallow.

Suppressor – High rate of fire plus near-silence is an insane combo

Vertical foregrip – Gives a vital boost to both the Vector and the UMP’s effectiveness at range by steadying the recoil

Uzi stock – If you have your heart set on using an Uzi , be sure to pick this up to improve stability and lessen recoil

Sniper Rifles

AWM
Immensely powerful . The AWM is the only gun in the game that will one-hit KO against a level 3 helmet . With exceptional range , in the right hands it’s an invaluable tool for taking down well-geared foes . You'll only find it in care packages along with its . 300 Magnum (7.62×67mm) ammo type


SKS
The second-weakest long gun , fulfilling its role as a marksman rifle rather than a fully-fledged sniper weapon . I tend to prioritize it below assault rifles unless there’s a handy sniper rifle silencer to attach to it due to the rarity of sniper mods and the selection of solid single-fire assault rifles


Kar-98k
A fantastic rifle with decent iron-sights and deadly accuracy . Try to take the extra moment to line up headshots while operating the Kar-98—the slow rate of fire often means you’ll get limited opportunities to shoot and it can be difficult to hit targets that are moving defensively . A single headshot will KO enemies wearing anything below a level 3 helmet . Body shots will require at least two shots or three against a level 3 vest


M24
Kind of like the AWM’s little brother—not quite as powerful but still highly effective at distance . If you want to hide in the hills and take potshots , this will be your weapon of choice thanks to its relatively abundant 7.62mm ammunition


Mk14 EBR
We haven't hit a supply drop with one of these yet , so we can't speak from experience but here are the details: The Mk14 is a new mid-power marksman rifle with a tripod that increases stability while prone and a higher bullet velocity than the SKS , Kar98 and M24 . The Mk14 EBR and the VSS below are the only marksman rifles with automatic firing modes . We wouldn't say no to one if we came across it


VSS
The VSS is an unusual weapon . It comes with a permanent scope, and though its subsonic 9mm ammo is weak and tough to put on mark at long distances, the suppression makes it hard for targets to gauge your location. If you’re struggling to find optics and assault rifles, it can give you medium range capability in a pinch and could come in handy in the late game

Recommended sniper mods
8x scope & 15x scope – An AWM or M24 with no scope is a curse in disguise—they have no iron-sights

Suppressor – Nothing in Battlegrounds is more terrifying than realising a sniper is shooting at you , without being able to tell which direction they’re firing from

Shotguns

S686
The classic double-barrelled shotgun is probably the most effective tool for extreme close quarters . If you miss both shots you’re probably dead, but the two rounds are enough to finish off even the most heavily armored enemy and can be fired almost simultaneously . With the longest effective range of any shotgun (around 12m) and the fastest time to kill a fully armored enemy , the more modern shotguns pale in comparison


S12K
The S12K is great if you’re worried about accuracy , with five rounds in a mag and a speedy rate of fire you can comfortably spam it at close ranges . You can't attach a choke which means it’s less effective than other shotguns at anything beyond close range while it does slightly less damage per shot . Uses assault rifle modifications (don’t even think about sticking a scope on it though)


S1897
The pump-action shotgun is like all weapons of this class , incredibly powerful at close range (up-to around seven meters) . However , the slow rate of fire can spell your doom if you miss even once , making it unforgiving

Recommended shotgun mods
Shotgun choke – gives the S686 or S1897 a much-needed boost to range , making them effective at picking off wounded enemies at distance or throwing buckshot into cars full of enemies

Extended mag – Makes room for a couple more cartridges in the S12K

Pistols

Pistols are not in an especially good place at the moment . They're weak , inaccurate and have bad iron-sights . If you’re using a pistol during any stage other than the first five minutes of a game , the better option is probably hiding and avoiding combat altogether

Choose whichever pistol matches ammo types with your other weapons to save inventory space and then hope you never have to shoot it . Beware the awful reload time on the R1895

Melee

Pan
The frying pan the only melee option worth taking right now, primarily because it can save your ♥♥♥.

Special weapons

M249
Another care package only weapon , the huge 100 round clip , strong damage and speedy rate of fire make this a potent tool for car destruction , while at mid-range it can tear exposed targets to pieces . The M249 is even surprisingly effective at long ranges , particularly if you go prone and deploy the tripod (this happens automatically) . Try to fire it in bursts or you’ll quickly lose accuracy


Crossbow
A weapon for people who want to share clips of themselves pulling off clutch shots . With damage second only to the AWM , the crossbow combines with poor range and a slow projectile travel time to give you a weapon that is extremely limited in usefulness , but extremely satisfying to kill with . The bolts fall to the ground quickly after a few dozen meters . It is wonderfully stealthy, though . A quiver attachment slightly improves the dreadful reload time


Tommy Gun
Something of a novelty weapon right now . The Tommy-gun is hard to control and doesn’t do much damage but the fast-rate of fire and 100-round drum mag means it’s exceptional for shooting vehicles . The fact that it’s limited to care package drops means you’ll probably be quite angry if you risked everything for this underwhelming antique . If you have a Vector or UMP with all the mods they’re simply more reliable weapons for killing people quickly