Fallout 4 best weapons: where to find great guns and melee items
To save you from scouring the Commonwealth for Fallout 4's best weapons, here's where to look for the best guns and melee weapons!
The post-apocalyptic wasteland of Fallout 4 is a dangerous place, although, come to think of it, I can't think of many post-apocalyptic wastelands that aren't.
That means if you want to live long enough to see all of the weird and wonderful sights the Commonwealth has to offer, you will need to track down some of Fallout 4's best weapons to defend yourself.
Whether you're a nuclear cowboy with a big iron strapped to your hip or a hulking Grognak the Barbarian fan-boy, there's a powerful gun or massive melee weapon somewhere in Fallout 4 for you!
Fallout 4: where to find the best weapons
As well as being able to craft and upgrade standard weapons in Fallout 4, there's also a collection of exceptional weapons that will give you much more than the upper hand in battle. Each has unique characteristics and quirks. And all utterly devastate your enemies.
Some can be found, some bought, some rewarded and some stolen. How do you know it's an exceptional weapon? It'll have a cool name and a big star next to it in your inventory. Remember, you can give these to companions too, so none go to waste. The majority can also be fitted with mods at a weapons bench.
We're on a quest to find them all and will update this page as we go. If you've found any, please let us know in the comments and we'll add it to the list and thank you below.
Note: These weapons aren't the Legendary drops you get from Legendary Enemies. Those are weapons and armour randomly dropped and with a random perk attached.
Overseer's Guardian
The Overseer’s Guardian, arguably the best weapon in Fallout 4, can be found just to the southeast of Oberland Station, or slightly northwest of Diamond City. To get into Vault 81, you’ll have to give them three Power Cores, and if you don’t have them you can acquire them by using the infinite cap glitch that allows you to buy anything in the game. Once you’re inside, head to the elevator and take a ride deeper inside the vault.
When the elevator doors open again, exit and walk forward, sticking to the right side and locating a room called the Depot. Inside you’ll find Alexis Combes, and she is the trader that sells the weapon you’re looking for. Navigate to her Weapons category, and the Overseer’s Guardian should be the only one that she sells. It’s going to set you back about 3,000 caps, but that number could change depending on how you have your Perks set up. Don’t forget about that infinite cap glitch we mentioned if you lack the funds.
The main reason this might be the best weapon in the game comes down to availability and versatility. It’s an easy gun to find given that getting into Vault 81 doesn’t require you to kill any crazy creatures, only that you find three Power Cores. It’s also not overly expensive to get your hands on, so you can be using this weapon fairly early in your play through.
When you actually get around to using it, the versatility will impress you. You can slap whatever scope you prefer on it (or none at all) making it a good option across all Ranges, be it short, medium or long. You can also outfit it with a Suppressor, which can allow you to eliminate enemies quietly and keep the element of surprise on your side. It’s true that you will likely find a higher Damage weapon out there (we know you will), but not necessarily one that you can use in almost any situation without finding yourself at a disadvantage.
Junk Jet
The Junk Jet is a personal favourite. It's an engine that uses the junk from your inventory as bullets for 40 points of damage a pop. Pool balls, baseball gloves, toys, scrap - it all becomes lethal.
You'll find it in ArcJet Systems, which you will raid with Paladin Danse during the Call to Arms quest. Fire it up and put all that rubbish to good use.
Righteous Authority
You get this early in the game and although it becomes outclassed later on, it's a great laser rifle for the first half of your adventure. Paladin Danse will hand it to you after completing the Call to Arms quest. All Critical Shots do double damage and your critical meter refills 15% faster. Stick with the Brotherhood of Steel and as you rank up you'll be able to buy a couple more exceptional weapons later in the game.
Furious Power Fist
Go and investigate the Swan Pond in Boston Common, which is next to Park St Station. Whoops, the Swan is not as cute as you were expecting, right?
Use explosives and keep your distance to kill Swan. Once it's dead, loot the body to get the Furious Power Fist. It does 56 points of damage (more if you have the Iron Fist Perk) but more importantly the more you hit the same victim, the more damage it does. It's brutal in a punch-up.
Grognak's Axe
You can find this in the display case in Hubris Comics. Here's a more detailed walkthrough which will also land you Grognak's loincloth.
The axe does a massive 42 points of damage. If you've got the Swing for the Fences Perk that will make it deadlier. It also dishes out bleed damage and causes enemies to stagger back.
Prototype Up77
You don't need to complete a quest for this gun, you just need to find it. Be warned: you'll need Master lockpicking skills. It's hidden in the Bank at University Point. Find a detailed guide right here.
The Prototype Up77 has unlimited ammo capacity, meaning you can stand there and pump 200 fusion cells through it without having to reload (should you have 200 fusion cells). Note: it's unlimited ammo capacity, not unlimited ammo. It's a beast in V.A.T.S.
Kellogg's Pistol
This .44 magnum is a great pistol to pack, although bullets aren't that common. You'll get it for killing Kellogg during the Reunion main quest. Critical Hits with it cause your Action Points to refill instantly.
Consider modding at a weapons bench for an extra punch or handing it to Valentine or Piper as their weapon of choice.
Big Boy
This is one of a handful of weapons you can buy from vendors. You can get Big Boy from Commonwealth Weaponry in Diamond City.
It's a Fat Man nuke launcher and it's been modified to shoot two nukes at a time. It'll cost you over 13,700 caps so make sure you've got the barter Perks to shave the price down a little bit.
Old Faithful
You can also buy this laser pistol from Arturo in Diamond City for over 2,500 caps. It does double damage to a enemy who's at full health so is great for sneak attacks - you'll obliterate your foes 9 times out of 10. It's another good one to give to a companion if you can spare the funds.
Shem Drowne's Sword
Do detective file The Gilded Grasshopper (you need to complete Detective File: Disappearing Act first) and loot the grave that opens when the quest completes.
It's an old-fashioned sword but doesn't do a lot of damage. Instead it causes extra radiation damage for good effect. Not great, and probably worth selling on once you get one of the better melee weapons.
Furious Baton
I have no idea where I got this from. I'm really sorry, I only remember getting it early on in the game so it must have been a main quest item.
The Furious Baton is handy for beating down quick enemies - ghouls, bloatflies, rad roaches. The more you strike an enemy, the more damage it does so don't underestimate just because it doesn't look like much.
Rockville Slugger
Next to Commonwealth Weaponry in Diamond City you'll find Moe's baseball stall. It's here you can buy the Rockville Slugger for 1064 caps.
It delivers 52 damage but also uses 40 percent less Action Points to swing so it's a quicker melee weapon than other baseball bats. If you're not using it yourself, give it to Strong, who likes nothing more than crushing skulls.
Pickman's Blade
To get Pickman's Blade you need to be friendly with Hancock, the mayor of Good Neighbor. He'll give you the quest Pickman's Gallery, which can be tougher than it sounds. Complete that and you'll meet Pickman, who gives you a little quest that basically amounts to finding this blade behind a painting in his gallery.
Don't underestimate what looks like a simple knife. Pickman's Blade is quick to use and causes bleed damage, making it great for close quarters brawls. You'll soon have your enemy leaking like a sieve.
General Chaos' Revenge
The Drumlin Diner is an early supply location, which you'll find to the south of the Museum of Freedom. Inside you'll find Trudy, and she's got a good few supplies for you.
The best weapon on offer is General Chaos' Revenge, a serrated edge sword that deals 70 points of damage and 50% more to robots. It's brutal and quicker to wield than Grognak's Axe and most baseball bats. Buy it for just over 2,000 caps because it's a bargain.
Partystarter
Sold by KL-E-O in Good Neighbor, the Partystarter is a missile launcher that does 50% more damage against humans. It costs over 12,500 caps though, so you'd better get to work to pay for it.
Do you need to deal so much damage to human enemies? Probably not, but worth packing to take boss humans down quickly.
Deliverer
Whooo, boy. The Deliverer is the gun you want to use all that 10mm ammo on. It kicks especially hard if you've got good Agility stats. It uses up 25% less Action Points and improves your chances of a hit in VATS.
To get it you'll need to complete the Road To Freedom quest, and then the Tradecraft quest. On completion you get the Deliverer and Deacon as a new companion. Bargain.
Cryolator
The Cryolater is in the Overseer's office in your own Vault 111. The problem is you can't unlock its case unless you have the Master Lock Pick Perk. Come back later.
Actually, there's an easier way to get this. Return to Vault 111 with Dogmeat and Command him to fetch. For some reason this breaks the lock and you can help yourself to the gun. Easy!
Survivor's Special
This is the weapon of Paladin Brandis, who you'll find in Recon Bunker Theta at the end of the quest The Lost Patrol. There are two ways to get it: convince him to return to the Brotherhood and he'll give it over. Or you can steal (pickpocket it) or kill him and take it.
In truth it's not actually worth it. Survivor's Special is a laser pistol that deals 31 points of damage, but does more damage the lower your health is. Break it out if you find yourself without meds and in a pickle, or give it to someone like Piper who isn't usually much use in a gunfight. She'll get more use out of it.
Alien Blaster Pistol
An easy weapon to find that dishes out a lot of damage. What's not to like?
The Alien Blaster Pistol can be found in a cave near Oberland Station - here's an easy-to-follow guide to finding it. It dishes out a lot of damage but ammo is scarce so once you've used up all the AB Rounds you'll need to mod it to use fusion cells.
Spray N' Pray
If you only use one submachine gun, make it this one. Sold by the worryingly trigger-happy travelling merchant Cricket, Spray N'Pray's projectiles explode on impact, doing further damage both to your target and anything foolish enough to be close by.
Yes, you heard right. And no, you don't even need to hit anything with this - as long as there's a nearby wall, you'll give 'em a smacking. Very expensive but absolute murder in the right hands - or even the wrong ones.
Tinker Tom Special
This one has limited application, but if you favour a ranged, stealthy approach it's a winner. Accuracy up means you can get the party started from a safe distance, totting those sneak attack bonuses in leisure and comfort.
Sure, the AP trade-off is steep - but if you're far enough away, and have a high enough Sneak perk, it doesn't matter; the enemy won't be able to find you. Sit back, relax and let your AP refill - then pop another round through a skull. Purchase from the Railroad's vendor, the eponymous Tinker Tom.