Master the unforgiving Wasteland of Fallout 4 with the best heavy weapon Tier List guide, equipping your build with early and end-game choices.
In Fallout 4, heavy weapons are your prototypical tremendous damage, heavy, and hard-to-come-by weapons. Heavy Weapons can be some of the best in Fallout 4, but they are also difficult to use, as the splash damage can kill you or a friendly NPC. Moreover, the ammunition, modification, and accessibility make Heavy Weapons rare but powerful. Our heavy weapon tier list showcases the best overall large-scale damage weapons, how to obtain them, and how to use them effectively in your Fallout 4 builds.
The Best Heavy Weapons in Fallout 4 – Tier List
The best overall heavy weapon in Fallout 4 is the Tesla Cannon, added in the free DLC update to Fallout 4. This weapon has area-based splash or chain damage, easy-to-find ammunition, and insane range. The Fat Man does more large-scale and higher base damage but often destroys the entire area, including you or friendly NPCs. The Incinerator was also added in the Fallout 4 update and is an excellent choice for short-range area damage and a massive upgrade to Flamer. Lastly, the Gatling Laser and Miniguns are similar in that they have high rates of fire and good damage. The best weapons in Fallout 4 will use Heavy Gunner, Demolition Expert, and Commando perks. Some of these perks stack on each other, adding multiple increasing damage sources!
Here is the tier list for the best heavy weapons in Fallout 4:
- S Tier – Tesla Cannon, Fat Man
- A Tier – Incinerator, Gatling Laser
- B Tier – Grenade Launcher, Missile Launcher, Minigun
- C Tier – Junk Jet, Cryolator
- D Tier – Flamer
Related:
Flamer (D Tier)
Flamer Stats and Effects in Fallout 4:
- Weapon Type: heavy weapon
- Effect(s): none
- Base Damage: 12
- Ammo: Flamer Fuel
- Magazine Size: 100
- Fire Rate: 90
- Range: 47
- Accuracy: 53
- Value: 137
- Weight: 16.1
The Flamer is a heavy weapon carrier by Forgged Raiders around the Saugus Ironworks and is a weaker heavy weapon. We rank it D tier because it doesn’t do anything exceptional; damage, range, accuracy, and ammo are weaker than other options throughout Fallout 4. Moreover, you need to be careful not to dose yourself, your companion, or your friends with burning fuel; otherwise, expect a strong reaction to death!
While flamer ammo is somewhat common, this weapon is simply a weaker version of the Cryolator, next on our tier list.
Cryolator (C Tier)
Cryolator Stats and Effects in Fallout 4:
- Weapon Type: heavy weapon
- Effect(s): can freeze enemies
- Base Damage: 20
- Ammo: Cryo cell
- Magazine Size: 25
- Fire Rate: 90
- Range: 71
- Accuracy: 66
- Value: 302
- Weight: 13.2
The Cryolator is a unique weapon found in the initial vault and, with Dog Meat’s help, can be obtained at the start of Fallout 4. We rank the Cryolator as C Tier for heavy weapons because it can freeze enemies, though it has short-range and limited modification options. Moreover, the ammunition can be difficult to obtain, requiring Cyro Cells. Typically, traveling vendors will sell this or weapon vendors, but it’s not widely available throughout Fallout 4 while looting ammo crates.
However, the Cryolator is a great heavy weapon to obtain initially and use in tough encounters. This weapon is your close-range heavy option, but plenty more range options become available pretty early in Fallout 4.
Junk Jet (C+ Tier)
Junk Jet Stats and Effects in Fallout 4:
- Weapon Type: heavy weapon
- Effect(s): none
- Base Damage: 40
- Ammo: Junk
- Magazine Size: 1
- Fire Rate: 20
- Range: 119
- Accuracy: 75
- Value: 285
- Weight: 29.9
The Junk Jet heavy weapon uses random items from your inventory to shoot enemies and is great for survival mode or when ammunition is scarce. Due to its ammunition usage, we rank the Junk Jet as a C+ tier and a good heavy weapon to carry only if you have the strength and material to use it. On your map, you can find the Junk Jet in the Arc Jet Systems, near Graygarden’s southwest.
Junk Jet also has a charge mechanic, where you can hold down and release the trigger. This can be helpful for timing shots outside of VATS, but the interface popup to load your weapon after every shot is highly annoying. Moreover, the Junk Jet has an insane weight, so most players will avoid lugging this weapon around.
Minigun (B- Tier)
Minigun Stats and Effects in Fallout 4:
- Weapon Type: heavy weapon
- Effect(s): none
- Base Damage: 8
- Ammo: 5mm round
- Magazine Size: 500
- Fire Rate: 272
- Range: 131
- Accuracy: 35
- Value: 382
- Weight: 27.4
The Minigun ranks B- tier on our heavy weapons list due to its early availability, ammo type, and good damage. The Minigun uses 5mm rounds and requires a brief spinning of the drum before shooting out rounds. While the base damage of 8 seems low, the firing rate 272 means you can put many bullets into a specific enemy. Miniguns are great for Power Armor builds, though they have a massive weight. The Minigun doesn’t rank higher on our tier list because the Gatling Gun acts similarly in almost all mechanics but does more damage and has many more modifications.
You can obtain a minigun at the Museum of Freedom in a room with crash-landed verified while freeing Preston Garvey. The Ashamker is a unique minigun with extra burn damage that can be obtained by completing the Big Dig side quest. You can start this quest chain by speaking with Bobbi No-Nose in the backstreets of Goodneighbor. Good neighbor is northwest of Diamond City and can be reached early in Fallout 4 for a powerful, unique minigun.
Missile Launcher (B Tier)
Missile Launcher Stats and Effects in Fallout 4:
- Weapon Type: heavy weapon
- Effect(s): none
- Base Damage: 15+135
- Ammo: missile
- Magazine Size: 1
- Fire Rate: 2
- Range: 203
- Accuracy: 65
- Value: 314
- Weight: 21
The Missile Launcher is a high-damage area-based weapon with few modifications available. We rank the Missile Launcher as B Tier because of its sheer damage, but it is weaker than the Fat Man using mini-nukes. Moreover, Missile Launchers or any explosive weapons require open spaces where friendly fire isn’t possible. However, with Demolition Expert, Heavy Gunner, and Explosives Bobblehead, you can one-shot entire groups!
Partystarter is a unique missile launcher that does 50% more damage to humans. You can purchase this missile launcher from the NPC KL-E-O in Goodnieghboor. You can further optimize this weapon with Quad Barrels, which gives you four shots and increases damage potential before reloading. Keep your missile launcher around; these are invaluable for large areas or boss fights, not in enclosed areas.
Grenade Launcher (B+ Tier)
Grenade Launcher Stats and Effects in Fallout 4:
- Weapon Type: Launcher Rifle
- Effect(s): Ignores 20% of Enemies Resistances
- Base Damage: 313
- Ammo: Frag
- Clip Size: 4
- Fire Rate: 11
- Range: 155
- Accuracy: 77
- Value: 2901
- Weight: 21.4
While technically a Rifle, the Grenade Launcher benefits from a Demolition expert due to the area-based splash damage. We rank this weapon as B+ tier because of the available modifications and the ability to change the rifle’s functioning to explosives. The Chinese Grenade Launcher Rifle can be found in Cambridge after the When Pigs Fly quest is completed or purchased from a new weapon dealer.
If you have extra frags lying around, put them to good use and take the demolitionist expert perk for even more damage.
Gatling Laser (A Tier)
Gatling Laser Stats and Effects in Fallout 4:
- Weapon Type: heavy energy weapon
- Effect(s): none
- Base Damage: 14
- Ammo: Fusion core
- Magazine Size: 500
- Fire Rate: 272
- Range: 256
- Accuracy: 48
- Value: 332
- Weight: 19.3
The Gatling Laser is an enhanced version of the minigun, using fusion core ammunition and having more base damage and range. Moreover, the Gatling Laser can be heavily modified if you invest in intelligence and the Science perk. These weapons are difficult to obtain and come later in the story for Fallout 4, but they are well worth it for commando perk users who enjoy firing from the hip without VATS. The downside of the Gatling Laser is the long animation to wind the barrel before ammunition starts firing, but it makes up for the overall damage. We would rank the Gatling Laser higher than A tier if it had one-shot kill potential.
Consider obtaining the Final Judgement unique Gatling Laser. This weapon has the added effect of a 25% faster fire rate and 15% faster reload, thus increasing overall damage.
Incinerator (A+ Tier)
Incinerator Stats and Effects in Fallout 4:
- Weapon Type: Energy weapon
- Effect(s): none
- Base Damage: 158 + 118
- Ammo: Flamer Fuel
- Magazine Size: 6
- Fire Rate: 24
- Range: 23
- Accuracy: 53
- Value: 2548
- Weight: 16.1
Recently added with the Free Update to Fallout 4 in April of 2024, the Incinerator acts as a mobile mortar weapon shooting massive flame fireballs from the nozzle. We rank the Incinerator as A+ tier on our heavy weapons list because of its damage, upgrade potential, and overall fun factor. You can obtain the Ghoul Slayer’s Heavy Incinerator by completing the Crucible quest.
An added benefit of the heavy Incinerator is a Flame Shield mod that helps avoid friendly fire damage. Moreover, this weapon uses flamer fuel, so sparse ammunition concerns are likely not to occur. The major downside of the Incinerator is its weak range of 23 meters and lower accuracy. You won’t be able to fire and forget this weapon from cover or stealth, but it is meant for a Power Armor build up close in the action.
Fat Man (S Tier)
Fat Man Stats and Effects in Fallout 4:
- Weapon Type: heavy weapon
- Effect(s): none
- Base Damage: 18+450
- Ammo: Mini nuke
- Magazine Size: 1
- Fire Rate: 1
- Range: 117
- Accuracy: 63
- Value: 500
- Weight: 37.7
If you want to wipe out a town of super mutants, look no further than the Fat Man mini nuke-heavy weapon! We rank the Fat Man as S Tier on the list and second best overall due to its staggering base damage. Once upgraded, with perks, you can see numbers over 3,000 base damage, which will likely convert an entire football field to ash in one mini-nuke rocket. The downside, however, is that the massive area it produces can often backfire, killing you! Moreover, you cannot use the Fat Man inside or in close-quarters combat; it weighs over 30 lbs!
If you want to spice things up, obtain the Big Boy Fat Man, a unique version with the extra effect of shooting an additional projectile! You can buy the Big Boy from Arturo Rodriquez in the Diamond City Market. While the Fat Man is the staple in overall heavy weapons, it comes with some big downsides, thus we rank one weapon higher on our tier list!
Tesla Cannon (S+ Tier)
Tesla Cannon Stats and Effects in Fallout 4:
- Weapon Type: Energy weapon
- Effect(s): none
- Base Damage: 20
- Ammo: fusion cell
- Magazine Size: 20
- Fire Rate: 20
- Range: 395
- Accuracy: 62
- Value: 314
- Weight: 21
The Tesla Cannon is the best overall heavy weapon in Fallout 4, producing incredible damage without the negatives of killing yourself or NPCs. We rank the Tesla Canno as S+ tier on our heavy weapons tier list due to the ammunition availability, lower weight, incredible range, and overall fun factor. What’s unique about the Tesla Cannon is the Assembly modification. You can make it blue or orange, which causes splash AOE damage or chain damage when hitting one target. Once upgraded, the orange chain damage avoids friendly fire and has incredible range and damage.
Additionally, it’s difficult to know which perks benefit the Tesla Cannon due to its name, function, ammunition, and range. Like Sniper RIfles, changing one mod can gain or lose perk damage, so be careful depending on your perk loadout. The Tesla Cannon can be obtained by completing the ‘Echoes of the Past’ quest. It is now a part of the base game and no longer relegated to the creation club.
Stop the Enclave and obtain one of the best weapons in Fallout 4 while you are at it: the Tesla Cannon!
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