Fallout 76 is a bit of a touchy subject for a lot of Fallout fans, however, to give the game some credit, they did a great job at giving players a wide range of weapons and weapon effects. As the title suggests, I will be diving into some of the best heavy weapons in Fallout 76.

Now this list can be made in many different ways. I have decided to focus on your standard, non-legendary heavy weapons. I chose this because everybody focuses on legendary weapons and nobody pays any attention to the standard versions of these weapons.

I know it’s nigh on impossible to play this game using basic weapons, but this list can really help beginners, and also maybe experienced players looking to change their build. 

So this list will be ranking non-legendary heavy weapons, I am ranking these based on a combination of damage, speed, and the ability to enjoy causing destruction!

Perks:

Fallout 76 Heavy Gunner Build! Best Perk Cards, Weapons, and Armor to Use

Perks are a crucial part of Fallout 76, they give you the ability to increase the damage, speed, and durability of your weapons. The stats in this list will show the weapons effects with no perks or special boosts. I find it’s easier to work from the ground up when trying to upgrade your weapons and their efficiency.

To help players in their quest to become a heavy weapon God, here is a list of must-have perks for heavy builds. Please note that other perks can help you too, but they depend on whether you are a team player, a lone player, power armor player ect, so this part is just for plain heavy weapon efficiency:

• Heavy Gunner Rank 3 - Non-explosive heavy weapons do 30% more damage
• Expert Heavy Gunner Rank 3 - Non-explosive heavy weapons do 30% more damage
• Master Heavy Gunner Rank 3 -Non-explosive heavy weapons do 30% more damage
• One Gun Army Rank 3 - Heavy guns gain a 12% stagger chance and a 12% chance to cripple limbs
• Bear Arms Rank 3 - Heavy guns weigh 90% less

Number 10 -  Harpoon Gun:

Fallout 76 Harpoon gun spawn location+plan+mods

Ah the harpoon gun, as efficient at hunting whales as it is dismembering humans! This takes the number ten spot as it’s a fun weapon, but it is by no means practical. It does have high damage per shot, but its reload time makes this gun a bit obsolete. But, get a good roll on a legendary and you never know!

How To Get One:

You can get one of these bad boys in the wrecked boat just north of Point Pleasant next to an unfortunate dead fisherman.

Stats:

• Damage:  Between 125 and 175
• Required Level: 30
• Ammo:  Harpoon
• Magazine Size: 1
• Range: >120
• Accuracy: 6
• Fire Rate: 2
• AP Cost: 40 
• Weight: 16.0

Number 9 - Minigun:

Fallout 76 minigun spawn location + plan + mods (2021 NEW)

This gun seems unfair, Super Mutants are able to turn you into a meat bag within seconds with this weapon, but when a player uses it, it feels like it takes about a month to warm up before a single bullet is fired. That being said, its ammo is cheap and plentiful and it does tear apart Feral Ghouls with ease so it’s not all bad!

How To Get One:

You can get one of these beasts by traveling to Burning Mine, there is one in the shed up the stairs just before you go into the mine

Stats:

• Damage:  Between 20 and 24
• Required Level:  35
• Ammo:  5mm round
• Magazine Size: 500
• Range: > 204
• Accuracy: 47
• Fire Rate: 182
• AP Cost: 30 
• Weight: 18.0

Number 8 -Gatling Laser:

Fallout 76 Gatling laser spawn location+plan+mods

This weapon would have been a little higher up on the list if it wasn’t for the expense! Running on fusion cores as ammunition makes for an expensive experience, also by the time you have reloaded this weapon it’s too late, You are already dead! 

On the plus side, it can turn enemies into a steaming pile of ashes, so yay!

How To Get One:

Getting one of these can be a little tricky as there is no guaranteed spawn location for it. The best chance of getting one is through completing events or by opening government supply creates.

Stats:

• Damage:  Between 16 and 25
• Required Level:  25
• Ammo:  Fusion Core
• Magazine Size: 500
• Range: > 204
• Accuracy: 56
• Fire Rate: 182
• AP Cost: 30 
• Weight: 18.0

Number 7  - Auto Grenade Launcher:

 

AUTO GRENADE LAUNCHER - Full Guide - Location, Plan, Mods, Stats, Legendary - Fallout 76

If you are looking to make as much noise as possible then this gun is for you. Quite literally a machine gun that fires grenades! Lots of fun to use, not very practical though as the ammo is heavy and expensive. This weapon is most effective against one single tough enemy, this is because trying to kill multiple moving targets with a grenade launcher usually ends up in accidental suicide!

How To Get One:

These can spawn randomly in various chests or loot boxes. But the easiest way to get one of these is by killing high-level Scorched or Super Mutants, they occasionally drop one for you.

Stats:

• Damage: 3/3 Physical Damage
• Area Damage: 107 To 117
• Blast Radius: Inner 150, Outer 500
• Required Level: 40
• Ammo:  40mm Grenade Round
• Magazine Size: 12
• Range: > 120
• Accuracy: 55
• Fire Rate: 100
• AP Cost: 30 
• Weight: 18.0

Number 6 - Missile Launcher:

 

Fallout 76 Missile Launcher Location

Ah the missile launcher, aka the lethal firework! This is a fun weapon to use on clusters of enemies, just fire and watch the body parts fly! One big drawback to this weapon is that missing your target is pretty upsetting, you are literally watching your hard-earned ammo blowing up the scenery for no reason. Still, it’s worth the risk if you ask me!

How To Get One:

Missile Launchers are a favorite weapon ofMole Miners, so killing a few of them is likely to get you one. There are several spawn locations for the Missile Launcher too.

Charleston Capitol Building, Inside Sam Blackwell’s office.

Fort Defiance, fourth floor, on a table next to a Power Armour station.

Clarksburg, Behind the security gate in the gun store.

Stats:

• Damage: 1 Physical Damage
• Area Damage: 105 To 155
• Blast Radius: Inner 150, Outer 500
• Required Level: 20
• Ammo: Missile
• Magazine Size: 1
• Range: > 204
• Accuracy: 69 ;)
• Fire Rate: 2
• AP Cost: 45 
• Weight: 20.0

Number 5  - Flamer:

 

THE FLAMER - Full Guide - Location, Plan, Mods, Stats, Legendary - Fallout 76

The flamer is the only weapon in the game that cooks your enemies for you! This weapon sets your enemies on fire, meaning that even after you have fired your flamer your target is still taking damage, so that’s pretty cool. Good for clearing caves as it doesn’t leave much room for your enemies to take cover or escape.

How To Get One:

You can find one of these in a couple of different places.

Quarry X3, On the platform behind the yellow pump.

Grafton Steel Underground, Next to a corpse at the end of a collapsed walkway in the northwest corner.

Stats:

• Damage: Between 29 and 36
• Required Level: 30
• Ammo: Fuel
• Magazine Size: 100
• Range: > 204
• Accuracy: 60
• Fire Rate: 91
• AP Cost: 30 
• Weight: 15.0

Number 4 - Gatling Gun:

 

Fallout 76 Gatling gun spawn location+plan+mods (2021 NEW)

The Gatling Gun is a personal favorite of mine. The sound that it makes when firing is so satisfying, thud, thud, thud, thud. It’s like music to my ears. Cheap ammo, pretty good damage per shot, and a large magazine. A great all-around weapon, good for killing groups of enemies or lone enemies. Large or small, it annihilates them all! 

How To Get One:

 You can get one of these by completing the quest Defiance Has Fallen, you can also get a short version of this gun in the Lucky Hole Mine, Or at Poseidon Energy Plant WV-06.

Stats:

• Damage: Between 43 and 86
• Required Level: 20
• Ammo: 5mm
• Magazine Size: 250
• Range: > 120
• Accuracy: 55
• Fire Rate: 91
• AP Cost: 30 
• Weight: 18.0

Number 3 -Light Machine Gun:

Fallout 76 Light machine gun(MG42) spawn location+plan+mods

This is a bit of a beast, it shreds enemies both near and far away. With a decent magazine size and fairly good damage, this is a good gun for lower levels as the ammo is pretty easy to come across too. The only thing that lets this gun down a little is the reload time, but that’s a small price to pay for such a powerful weapon!

How To Get One:

Getting one of these weapons is easy once you have the plans to craft it. It’s a fairly common plan to find so have a look to see if the train station vendors have one in stock. Failing that, check out player vendors as someone is bound to be selling one!

Stats:

• Damage: Between 29 and 42
• Required Level: 30
• Ammo: .308 Round
• Magazine Size: 75
• Range: > 174
• Accuracy: 74
• Fire Rate: 159
• AP Cost: 32 
• Weight: 8.0

Number 2 - 50 Cal Machine Gun:

Fallout 76 50 cal machine gun spawn locations + plans + mods

This automatic heavy machine gun is perfect for getting rid of unwanted visitors, has a good rate of fire, delivers a fair amount of damage per shot, and sounds awesome! The only real drawback of this weapon is that the ammo is quite expensive and isn’t the easiest to acquire, so you may have to use this weapon sparingly.

How To Get One:

• Plenty of places to get yourself one of these, so I’ll put them in bullet points for you:
• Hemlock Holes
• Clarksburg
• Abandoned Bog Town
• All Station Vendors (Most of the time)
• Watoga Shopping Plaza, Plan sold by the vendor

Stats:

• Damage: Between 25 and 45
• Required Level: 25
• Ammo: .50 Round
• Magazine Size: 250
• Range: > 204
• Accuracy: 47
• Fire Rate: 91
• AP Cost: 30 
• Weight: 18.0

Number 1 - Fatman:

 

Fallout 76 Fat Man Location

Where would Fallout be without the Fatman, it has become a real staple point of the Fallout games. Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to fire a nuke from a shoulder-mounted launcher? Well if you have then look no further than the Fatman (probably also worth a visit to a therapist if you think about firing nukes at people!). There aren’t any words I can say that give this weapon the respect it deserves, so I’ll just show you its stats.  Fun fact, the Fatman is also how I describe myself!

How To Get One:

• You can get one of these in a couple of different locations:
• West Tek Research Center
• Garrahan Mining Headquarters
• Berkeley Springs Station

Stats:

• Damage: 1 Physical Damage (Total destruction really)
• Area Damage: 355 To 455
• Required Level: 25
• Ammo:  Mini Nuke
• Magazine Size: 1
• Range: > 117
• Accuracy: 64
• Fire Rate: 2
• AP Cost: 60 
• Weight: 20.0

You may also be interested in:

• Fallout 76 Best Perks To Start With And Level Up (Top 10 Perks)
• [Top 10] Fallout 76 Best Weapons
• [Top 10] Fallout 76 Best Armors
• [Top 10] Fallout 76 Best Mutations
• Fallout 76 Best Power Armors (And How To Get Them)