This list includes the most useful and efficient weapons in ARK. Whether you are taming creatures, or exploring dark caves, these weapons guarantee your best chance at survival!
10. Fabricated Sniper Rifle
This gun may have less punch than a Longneck Rifle, but rest assured it can be fired much more rapidly.
Take comfort in wielding this weapon as it offers a decent ranged option . Think of this gun as a more advanced version of the Longneck Rifle. It may not deliver as much damage per shot as the Longneck, but it can be fired 8 times before needing to be reloaded. Furthermore, the Fabricated Sniper Rifle includes the added benefit of coming with a built-in scope attachment, eliminating the need for a separate one.. However, the downside to this weapon and the reasoning for its placement on this list is largely due to the time survivors spend reloading. Additionally, it's the most expensive to craft.
What Makes Fabricated Sniper Rifles Great:
- As mentioned earlier, this weapon comes with a built-in scope that doesn’t use the attachment slot, allowing the gun to technically have two attachments.
- The power behind this gun comes from it’s ability to fire rapidly which can prove to be helpful to players with poor aim.
- Though a long-ranged weapon at heart, the Fabricated Sniper Rifle remains a decent option at close range and does not require scoping for good accuracy!
Fabricated Sniper Rifle Stats:
- Rate Of Fire- 3.3 RPS
- Reload Time- 4.24 Seconds
- Durability- 70.0 (1 per shot)
- DPS- 165
How To Get Fabricated Sniper Rifle:
9.Pike
Simple but reliable, don’t underestimate the Pike!
The Pike is arguably one of the best beginner weapons in the game and can prove to be useful even in late-game battles. Unlike the Spear, the Pike cannot be thrown, though that doesn’t change much about this weapon’s usefulness. I believe it’s never a bad idea to have a Pike in your hotbar, no matter how far into the game you are, you never know when you’ll need a quick and cheap attack option!
What Makes The Pike Great:
- This weapon is one of the more advanced and reliable melee weapons ARK has to offer.
- The Pike has better range and knockback compared to the Sword.
- Unlike the Sword, the Pike offers you the ability to use it while running.
- Easy to obtain and not too expensive to craft.
Pike Stats:
- Rate Of Fire- 1.5 RPS
- Durability- 40 (-0.15 per use)
- DPS- 75
How To Get The Pike:
The Pike can only be crafted at a Smithy; place 10 metal ingots, 20 hide, and 10 wood inside of the Smithy and find the weapons folder, then the melee folder. There you can find the Pike ready to be crafted!
8. Crossbow
Useful and versatile! What’s not to love?
There are so many ways to use the Crossbow, the opportunities seem endless! This weapon uses many different ammo types giving the crossbow a unique advantage over the regular Bow. Reload times and rate of fire are fairly decent for a weapon that is rather easy to acquire. The Crossbow’s durability is at 100 only using -1 per use. Crafting and repairing this weapon is very simple making it a perfect tool for new survivors.
What Makes The Crossbow Great:
- This weapon can use a great variety of ammo types such as; Stone Arrows, Tranq Arrows, and Flame Arrows.
- The Crossbow comes with the unique ability to attach a zip-line anchor to the other end, turning the weapon into a makeshift grapple.
- One of the most helpful features of the Crossbow is that it can be fired underwater, making it an ideal choice for all underwater activities including hunting and taming unique water creatures.
- Arrows fired from the Crossbow can be recovered by walking over the area of impact. However, all arrows will be recovered as Stone Arrows regardless of which type of arrow was originally fired.
Crossbow Stats:
- Rate Of Fire- 0.383 RPS
- Reload Time- 02.61 seconds
- Durability- 100 (-1 per use)
- DPS- Damage caps at 755.3%
How To Get The Crossbow:
You can find the Crossbow in the Smithy in the weapons, and then the ranged folder. You will need 7 metal ingots or scrap metal ingots, 10 wood or fungal wood, and 35 fiber.
7. Chainsaw
This weapon can do a whole lot more than cut wood!
The only downside to this powerful tool is its rapid consumption of gasoline. Besides that, the Chainsaw can be used to not only gather wood efficiently but also deal an incredible amount of damage against enemies. The Chainsaw does require you to be level 55 in order to acquire it, though the process of leveling is well worth it in order to get one!
What Makes The Chainsaw Great:
- Other than wood, the Chainsaw can gather a few other resources efficiently such as; Organic Polymer, Hide, Cactus Sap, Oil, Raw Meat, and Black Pearls.
- This tool happens to deal torpor while simultaneously dealing damage to enemies.
- The Chainsaw has the ability to gather resources at a much higher rate than regular tools. Due to its efficiency in gathering ocean creature resources, the Chainsaw is unable to be used underwater.
Chainsaw Stats:
- Durability- 80.0
- DPS- Caps at 755.3%
How To Get The Chainsaw:
6. Longneck Rifle
A fan-favorite weapon amongst all survivors!
The Longneck Rifle is one of the most efficient weapons in terms of taming. This simple single-shot rifle is highly accurate, its only major downside is its long reload time. Unlike the Crossbow, the Longneck Rifle deals significantly less damage while taming creatures, reducing the chances of killing the dinos you are trying to acquire.
What Makes The Longneck Rifle Great:
- This weapon supports a few different attachments such as a flashlight, Laser, Scope, and a Silencer.
- Available to survivors at level 35 allowing players to tame and fight enemies more efficiently early on.
- The Longneck Rifle has the highest damage per shot of any gun in the game.
Longneck Rifle Stats:
- Rate Of Fire- 0.22 RPS
- Reload Time- 4.5 seconds
- Durability- 70 (-1 per use)
- DPS- 196
How To Get The Longneck Rifle:
In the Smithy, you can find this weapon under the ranged weapons folder. In order to craft you will need; 95 metal ingots, 20 wood, and 25 hide.
5. Assault Rifle
Easily the fastest way to fill your enemies with holes.
The Assault Rifle is a fully automatic ranged weapon that has the ability to load up to 40 bullets at once! In continuous fire, only one other gun has the ability to beat this weapon’s DPS capability. Keep in mind, due to the Assault Rifles’ high fire rate, this gun can quickly become expensive to keep full stocks of ammo.
What Makes The Assault Rifle Great:
- This weapon sports an extremely high fire rate, dealing nearly the same amount of damage per shot as the Fabricated Pistol but twice as fast.
- Paired with “ Shadow Steak Saute” the Assault Rifle will allow its user to easily cover ranges greater than most guns can.
- The Assault Rifle has great durability.
- You can use any attachments on this gun except for the scope, but like most guns in ARK, it can only use one attachment at a time.
Assault Rifle Stats:
- Rate Of Fire- 10 RPS
- Reload Time- 02.12 seconds
- Durability- 40.0 (0.05 per shot)
- DPS- Damage caps at 755.3%
How To Get The Assault Rifle:
4.Compound Bow
Easily feel unstoppable with one of these!
Much like the Crossbow, the Compound Bow has a few different ammo options, not as many as the Crossbow but what this weapon lacks in ammo, it surely makes up for it in damage. The required level to craft a Compound Bow is level 79, though this weapon is definitely worth the grind of leveling and resource gathering to get one.
What Makes The Compound Bow Great:
- This weapon is the only bow able to fire armor-piercing Metal Arrows.
- The Bow has an actual sight which is brought into focus by using the alt-fire button.
- Arrows fired from the Compound Bow fly faster and further, making this weapon great for long ranged battles!
Compound Bow Stats:
- Rate Of Fire- 0.37 RPS
- Reload Time- 0.66 seconds
- Durability- 55.0 (-0.1 per use)
How To Get The Compound Bow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML-7rzFReMg
3.Flamethrower
Unlocked at level 65, this weapon is sure to heat up your survival experience! Expensive to craft but the resources needed to make one aren’t too hard to find. The Flamethrower is a costly but extremely efficient way of taking down clusters of enemies at a time.
What Makes The Flamethrower Great:
- The Flamethrower can be used to clear bushes and most vegetation, making it a useful tool when needing to quickly clear land or when entering the Jungle Dungeon on Ragnarok.
- The Flamethrower is very useful when attempting to tame a Phoenix.
- This weapon proves to be very helpful for locations such as the Snow Cave where mounts are unable to enter.
Flamethrower Stats:
- Magazine Size- 200
- Durability- 40
- DPS- The maximum damage is 100.
How To Get The Flamethrower:
2. Tek Phase Pistol
This small but mighty weapon shoots plasma beams with varying intensity, only costing element! The level needed to acquire this beast of a weapon is level; 118. Plan on farming explorer notes or play on a boosted server if you wish to experience ARK with one of these in hand. The Tek Phase Pistol is considered to be a close-range weapon that you can find in Genesis: Part 2. It shoots out a beam, which can affect its target very differently depending on its mode.
What Makes Tek Phase Pistol Great:
- The Tek Pistol has 3 different modes: killing, healing, and stun. These effects are amplified by the consistency of fire on its target.
- Kill mode deals high damage over time gaining up to 20x damage on its duration, making it great for large targets!
- Stun Mode adds “Stun Percentage” Upon reaching 100% the creature will be stunned which can prove to be useful in caves and many other adventures!
How To Get Tek Phase Pistol:
1. Pump Action Shotgun
Extremely powerful up close, but less reliable with range. This fan-favorite weapon can fire up to six rounds before reloading! Unlocked at level 55 and not too expensive to craft. Players are able to get their hands on this gun fairly early on. This weapon easily finds itself on every top ARK weapons list and rightfully so, whether you are using the Pump Action Shotgun for PVP, boss battles, or caves, you should always find yourself carrying this gun!
What Makes The Pump Action Shotgun Great:
- This weapon shows clear advantages on short to medium ranges, from its massive damage output combined with a decent fire rate and a rather large ammo count for a shotgun.
- The Pump Action Shotgun has great bullet cost efficiency and durability.
- It costs just as much to craft as the Assault Rifle and is 10 times more efficient.
- This weapon can have any attachments besides the silencer, but again, like all guns in ARK, it can only have one at a time.
Pump Action Shotgun Stats:
- Rate Of Fire- 0.910 RPS
- Magazine Size- 6
- Reload Time- 4.3 seconds
- Durability- 300
- DPS- 354.2
How To Get The Pump Action Shotgun:
You can find the option to craft it in the fabricator or replicator, all you need is; 30 metal ingots, 55 polymer, and 45 cementing paste.
