Best Weapons

0:00 The best weapons in Wardogs, by the three tier lists reputable outlets have published, are the FAL and M4 assault rifles, which Dexerto, Destructoid and KeenGamer all put at the top, followed by the PKM machine gun, the MP5 and Super-45 submachine guns and the BMR-308 and SVD marksman rifles. The cheap pick all of them like is the T-21. Two cautions: all three lists were written in mid-September 2026, before Season 2 (Oct 15, 2026) cut the damage of the big calibers that most of their top picks fire, and no reputable outlet had ranked the four guns Season 2 added (TCX-SPR, PP-19 Bizon, Evo-3 Ultra, M14) as of Oct 26, 2026. This page sets the lists side by side, explains why each pick leads, and shows what Season 2 changed. Builds for each gun are on Best Loadouts; every gun's stats are on Weapons.

Quick facts

Sources: Dexerto, Sep 16, 2026, Destructoid, Sep 13, 2026, KeenGamer, Sep 15, 2026, Bulkhead's Season 2 notes, Oct 14, 2026.

The tier lists side by side

A blank cell means that outlet did not rank the weapon. Dexerto also ranks the three free faction starter rifles (A-91, Bushmaster M17S, KH-2002) B and the GGX 17, Judge and M1911 pistols C. Sources: Dexerto, Destructoid (which calls its list "a work in progress"), KeenGamer; prices from Bulkhead's Season 2 notes and Dexerto's weapon database.

Where the lists agree: the FAL and M4 are top-tier assault rifles in all three, the T-21 is the recommended cheap rifle, and the MP43 and Scout Rifle TD sit at the bottom. Where they disagree: the SVD is S on Dexerto but C on KeenGamer, which says the SKS "covers the same role far more cheaply"; the M249 SAW is S on Destructoid but A on Dexerto; and Destructoid puts the PKM a tier lower than the others, citing weaker recoil control than the SAW.

Best assault rifle: FAL, then M4

3:37 The FAL is the one gun every list puts in its top tier. In Season 1 it fired .308 Winchester for 60 damage per shot at 650 RPM, per KeenGamer, and Game Rant measured 141 head and 66 torso damage with standard ammo. It is also the last Assault rifle you unlock: Assault 35 for $250,000 in Season 2, and Game Rant notes it starts with only 10 and 20 round magazines. Season 2 hit it hardest of all: .308 base damage fell 25%, so Dexerto's database now lists 45, and Bulkhead says it "still has the highest damage-per-shot within the assault rifle category, but now sits closer to the TCX-SPR and M4." The clip is Strider's Season 1 tier list, from before the .308 cut and the price drop to $6,000.

The M4 is the all-rounder: 800 RPM, 500 m effective range and a light 2.92 kg, per Dexerto's database, at $2,800 a life. Its 5.56x45mm round was not part of the Season 2 caliber cuts, so it lost nothing to them, but it became harder to reach: its unlock moved from Assault 20 to 28 and from $100,000 to $150,000, per Bulkhead. More are compared on Assault Rifles.

Best cheap rifle: T-21 or AK74

KeenGamer called the T-21 "the strongest overall choice" on Sep 12, 2026, when it cost $600 and needed no unlock, and Destructoid named it the "best beginner assault rifle." Season 2 changed the math: the T-21 now costs $1,200 and unlocks at Assault 3 for $10,000, while the AK74 dropped from $1,600 to $800 and is unlocked by default, per Bulkhead's notes. Both fire 5.56 or 5.45 rounds untouched by the caliber cuts. If you are completely broke, Game Rant recommends the $400 MP43 double-barrel shotgun in the first week of a season, which can down unarmored or Level 1 targets up close. Each faction's starter rifle is free but takes no attachments.

Best SMG: MP5 or Super-45

4:41 The MP5 is S tier on Dexerto and Destructoid. Season 2 made it much easier to reach (Medic 4 for $25,000, down from Medic 15 for $75,000) but gave its recoil "more of a horizontal pattern" because "it was too easy to use," and raised its price from $1,500 to $1,800, per Bulkhead. The Super-45 fires 1,200 RPM of .45 ACP, and Game Rant's Medic guide calls it the SMG with the lowest recoil and highest damage. Season 2 more than doubled its price from $2,600 to $5,600 and increased its damage falloff past 50 m, "pushing it firmly into a close-quarters role." See Submachine Guns and Shotguns.

Best machine gun: PKM or M249 SAW

6:11 The PKM fired 7.62x54mmR for 55 damage per shot in Season 1, and KeenGamer calls it "very strong when bipod-deployed." Season 2 cut that caliber by 20% and made all machine guns' body damage match assault rifles, because "LMGs win fights through sustained fire and magazine size, not by out-damaging assault rifles on every shot," per Bulkhead. It also moved down the Support track to level 15 for $100,000. The M249 SAW ($3,200) keeps its 5.56 round; Game Rant's Support guide prefers it for its smoother recoil. See Light Machine Guns and Pistols.

Best marksman and sniper rifles

7:04 The BMR-308 and SVD are Dexerto's S-tier marksman rifles, and KeenGamer also ranks the BMR-308 S. Both took Season 2 cuts (.308 by 25%, 7.62x54mmR by 20%), and marksman rifles also lost headshot and upper-body damage so they "sit between assault rifles and snipers," per Bulkhead. Bolt-action sniper rifles came out better: their hit-location damage was raised to make up for the caliber cuts. Among them Dexerto ranks the SV98 and AMR 50 A. The full sniper picture is on Sniper Guide and Sniper and Marksman Rifles.

Best launcher

None of the three weapon lists ranks the launchers. KeenGamer's loadout guide picks the RPG-7 against vehicles, with about a 12 m blast radius; it costs $1,800 in Season 2 and unlocks at Support 6. Against aircraft, the 9K333 Verba ($800, Support 14) locks onto air vehicles only, per Dexerto. PC Gamer suggests RPGs, IEDs or C4 for an enemy team's spawn APC, which is "very profitable." See Launchers and Explosives.

What Season 2 changed

Season 2 (Update 0.2.0, Oct 15, 2026) is the biggest balance pass so far. Its center is a cut to base damage for four calibers, applied to every infantry and vehicle weapon that fires them:

Sources: Bulkhead's Season 2 notes (the cuts), Dexerto's weapon database (each weapon's caliber).

10:48 Bulkhead's reason: high-caliber rounds in assault rifles, marksman rifles and machine guns "were doing close to sniper damage at a much faster fire rate," so "picking anything else felt like a disadvantage." That is why the September lists' .308 and 7.62 picks (FAL, PKM, BMR-308, SVD) should be read as weaker now and the 5.56 guns (M4, T-21, M249 SAW) as relatively stronger. Season 2 also evened out torso damage for rifles and machine guns, trimmed assault rifle body damage slightly, and rebuilt suppression so small and medium calibers suppress more on near misses. Prices moved both ways: the AK74, FAL, PKM, Galil and RPG-7 got cheaper, while the T-21, MP5, Super-45, AMR 50 and MGL-40 got dearer. The whole list is on Season 2 and Patches and Updates.

7:01 Bulkhead does not promise stable rankings. Bulkhead CEO Joe Brammer told PC Gamer on Sep 29, 2026: "Sometimes in our game, we're going to be OK with something being a bit overpowered for a season and then underpowered next season, to keep it interesting." Expect the order to change again with Season 3.

The Season 2 guns, not yet ranked

1:49 Season 2 added one gun on each of the Assault, Medic, Support and Recon tracks. As of Oct 26, 2026 no reputable outlet has tested or ranked them, and Dexerto's database shows no tier for them; claims about them on boosting and fan sites are not reliable.

Sources: Bulkhead's Season 2 notes, Dexerto's pages for the TCX-SPR, PP-19 Bizon, Evo-3 Ultra and M14.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best gun in Wardogs? The FAL is the only Wardogs gun all three published tier lists (Dexerto, Destructoid, KeenGamer) put in their top tier, with the M4 close behind. Season 2 cut the FAL's .308 damage by 25%, which narrows its lead over the M4.

Is there a Wardogs weapon tier list for Season 2? No reputable outlet had published a Season 2 Wardogs tier list as of Oct 26, 2026. Dexerto's Sep 16, 2026 tiers still show on its weapon pages but predate Season 2's caliber cuts.

What is the best budget gun in Wardogs? Since Season 2 the AK74 is the cheapest real rifle in Wardogs at $800 and unlocked by default; the T-21, the September guides' budget pick, now costs $1,200 and unlocks at Assault 3. Game Rant also suggests the $400 MP43 shotgun when you are broke.

What is the best SMG in Wardogs? The MP5 is S tier for Dexerto and Destructoid, and Game Rant calls the Super-45 the Wardogs SMG with the lowest recoil and highest damage. Season 2 roughened the MP5's recoil and more than doubled the Super-45's price to $5,600.

Did Season 2 nerf the FAL in Wardogs? Yes: Season 2 cut .308 Winchester base damage by 25%, so the FAL now does 45 base damage per Dexerto instead of 60, though Bulkhead says it still has the highest damage per shot among Wardogs assault rifles. Its price fell from $6,500 to $6,000.

What are the new weapons in Wardogs Season 2? Season 2 added the TCX-SPR assault rifle, PP-19 Bizon SMG, Evo-3 Ultra machine gun and M14 marksman rifle to Wardogs on Oct 15, 2026. No reputable outlet had ranked them as of Oct 26, 2026.

Sources

• WARDOGS | Season 02 Patch Notes, Bulkhead (Steam news), Oct 14, 2026
• Wardogs weapon tier list: Best guns (meta), Dexerto, Sep 16, 2026
• All Weapons, Wardogs wiki, Dexerto, Oct 15, 2026
• Dexerto weapon pages: FAL, M4, 9K333 Verba, RPG-7, Sep 4, 2026; TCX-SPR, PP-19 Bizon, Evo-3 Ultra, M14, Oct 15, 2026
• WARDOGS weapons tier list, Destructoid, Sep 13, 2026
• WARDOGS - Best Weapons and Loadouts, KeenGamer, Sep 12, 2026
• WARDOGS Best Weapons Tier List, KeenGamer, Sep 15, 2026
• The Best WARDOGS Loadouts For When You're Completely Broke, Game Rant, Sep 15, 2026
• Best Assault Class Loadout in WARDOGS, Game Rant, Sep 17, 2026
• Best Medic Loadout in WARDOGS, Game Rant, Sep 28, 2026
• Best Support Loadout in WARDOGS, Game Rant, Sep 30, 2026
• 10 beginner tips to not suck at Wardogs, PC Gamer, Sep 10, 2026
• Wardogs boss talks balance, XP, and why 'the endgame is sh*t' right now, PC Gamer, Sep 29, 2026
• WARDOGS | Road to Season 02, Bulkhead, Oct 9, 2026 (video)
• WARDOGS | Press Conference 01 | Road to Season 02, Bulkhead, Oct 9, 2026 (video)
• Wardogs Season 2 Just Changed EVERYTHING (Huge Update!), TheTacticalBrit, Oct 9, 2026 (video)
• The ULTIMATE WARDOGS Weapon Tier List, Strider, Sep 18, 2026 (video)