Summary
Fallout Shelteris a desktop andmobile gamewithin theFalloutfranchise, later released for last-gen consoles as well. Introduced in 2015, it is available under a free-to-play model. Initially seen as a promotional tool, rather than a serious game launch, the game has evolved into a popular live service model game, garnering a devoted and sizable fan base over time.
Wasteland combat against creaturesis something no player can avoid when playingFallout Shelter. And of course, the better the weapons a vault dweller is equipped with, the greater the chances they will survive encounters in the wasteland. When it comes to top-tier weapons, there is quite a wide choice of legendary options available to choose from.
Updated 15th of December 2024 by Mac Wheeler:Despite the fact there have been no major updates to Fallout Shelter since this list was first published, some additional weapons have now been added to it. These new weapons are somewhat unique, and more suitable for early-game activities such as equipping a full team for completing quests, or equipping dwellers who will be defending the vault. This means stat-wise they won’t necessarily be the very best, but in the early game stage, they are the best, simple to obtain options. They are great weapons for new players, or veterans who are starting over.
Based On The Smith & Wesson .32 Pistol
Wild Bill’s Sidearm is a coll pistol, that is modeled on the Smith & Wesson .32. It shares its graphic with all other similarly modeled pistols in the game, but as a legendary weapon, it offers slightly better damage modifiers.
It isn’t a particularly high-damage weapon, especially considering it is legendary tier. But it is the highest-damage .32 pistol in the entire game. Aside from being lootable and craftable, Wild Bill’s Sidearm is also carried by certain legendary dwellers, including Mister Burke and also James.
Decent Legendary Shotgun
Kneecapper is essentially a sawn-off shotgun. Meaning this is a short-range, but high-damage hand cannon in Fallout Shelter. Although it must be said that as shotgun weapons go in this game, it doesn’t do the highest damage, even though it is a legendary item. But it does have decent minimum damage.
One of the best things about this legendary sawn-off shotgun is the fact it can be obtained in many different ways. It can be found by vault-dwellers that are sent out exploring the wasteland, or found as quest loot. Additionally, it can be awarded when opening lunchboxes, and it can, of course, be crafted. With its quite high crafting requirements, it is probably not worth making this weapon, and only using it if it is looted.
A Unique Rifle
Henrietta is one of the only weapons in Fallout Shelter that has its own unique graphic. Most weapons are part of a group, which shares graphics, making Henrietta something of an oddity. This is a lever action rifle that seems to have had some modifications. Its stock is carved and shaped, and it has an additional under-barrel grip added.
The weapon has a place to store ammunition built into the stock, and also has a silencer or suppressor fitted. It isn’t the highest-damage rifle in the game, but it is a cool weapon despite this. Aside from being crafted, this rifle is also carried by the legendary vault dweller Old Longfellow. It must be said that the crafting requirements for this weapon are quite low, considering its stats, and could well be a good weapon for a quest team member to carry in the early game.
With A Powerful Punch
Crafting Requirements:
Ed’s Custom Power Fistis a really cool melee weapon inFallout Shelter.Especially when paired up with some form of power armor as the dweller’s outfit. It doesn’t do amazing damage – there are better melee weapons in this regard – but it just looks cool. It was added in the 1.15.0 version of the game.
Players need to be aware that only one dweller can use a melee weapon on a single combat target at once. However, dwellers equipped with ranged weapons don’t suffer from this penalty at all. This is why mostFallout Shelterplayers only have one melee dweller per team. Overall, for players who prefer cool factor over maxed-out stats will love watching their dwellers punching enemies with Ed’s Custom Power Fist.
Get Stabby In Revenge
The coolest thing about theRelentless Raider SwordinFallout Shelteris that players get to use a Raider weapon against Raiders. Anyone who has played the game for more than a few hours will know how annoying a poorly-timed Raider attack on a silo can be. It’s nice to get to stab them with their own weapon for some payback.
That being said, the Relentless Raider Sword is a solid weapon in its own right. With damage at the upper range of all weapons in the game, it can make a great weapon for a tank that is backed up by other dwellers carrying ranged weapons. Don’t forget, all melee weapons suffer from the penalty of only one melee dweller being able to attack an enemy at a time.
Plucked From The Sidewalk
TheFire Hydrant Batwas added toFallout Shelterin the 1.6 update. Its addition to the game was quite a surprise for veteran players, as it is now the highest-damage weapon available. Of course, it has the aforementioned melee weapon penalty, so it’s not all sunshine and roses.
Considering the crafting requirements for this melee weapon, it is a real bargain. It is also a fantastic weapon to equip to defense dwellers, especially for small room defenses. For example, if a room can only house a single dweller, equipping them with the Fire Hydrant Bat means that the room has the most DPS possible for its defense against Raiders.
Close Quarters Weapon
TheBurnmasteris a flamethrower that is intended to be used as a close-quarters combat weapon. It does a minimum of 15 damage per shot, making it the least damaging of all of the heavy weapons inFallout Shelter. Yet despite thesepoor stats, it is still effective.
The reason why the Burnmaster is on this list is because it is so easy to craft. Sure, there are much better weapons, but not at this crafting cost. It is also available quite early in the game. Players will generally use the Burnmaster until they have access to better heavy weapons.
Alien Blaster Weapon
TheDestabilizeris an alien blaster pistol and needs an alien power source to use as ammunition, which can be problematic to find. It does a decent 18 minimum damage, which makes it the most damaging of all of the pistols inFallout Shelter.
This is a good choice of weapon if the player can find or craft enough power sources to keep up with ammo needs. This will depend on howwell-developed the colonyis overall. The crafting cost is quite low as well, and it should be able to craft one or more of these by the mid-game.
Unique Plasma Thrower
TheDragon’s Mawhas the overall highest maximum damage of any weapon inFallout Shelter. There are other weapons that do a little more maximum damage, but when it comes to sustained DPS the Dragon’s Maw’s is the king. This is an excellent weapon tosend a dweller out into the wastelandwith.
However, this is a single-target weapon, it does no AOE damage. This means that quite often, damage is wasted when a single shot is overkill to take down the target. Therefore, when in combat with groups of wasteland creatures, it can be a better idea to use an AOE attack weapon, even if it does lower damage than the Dragon’s Maw’s.
Great Damage Up Close
Charon’s Shotgunhas a drum magazine and an automatic fire mode. It doesn’t do as much damage as some other weapons, but the low crafting cost means that it can be produced in numbers to equip several vault dwellers who are being sent to explore wasteland locations.
The ammo cost for the Charon’s Shotgun is quite cheap too. It is a good choice as a general-purpose weapon until the player gains access to better options at a later stage in the game.
