Wasteland 3 has many different weapon types for you to choose from, from tiny pistols to giant laser guns. As such, there are many unique weapons you can find for each of these weapon types throughout the Colorado Wasteland.
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It can be overwhelming to try to decide which weapons you should give to your characters; however, there is a weapon for each type that is the objective best in most situations. These are the best weapons for each type in the RPG Wasteland 3 and where they're located.
Lancer
- Damage: 32-40
- Effect: 10 percent chance to apply bleed damage
- Location: Found near the Monster Army Bunker on the World Map
- Weapon Type: Assault Rifle
The Lancer is one of the strongest assault rifles in Wasteland 3 because it deals a lot of base damage per shot while also applying bleed damage to your enemies in roughly 1 in 10 hits. Luckily, the Lancer isn't too difficult to obtain as it can be found near the Monster Army Bunker, which only requires you to traverse the world map.
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There are many different assault rifles that you can obtain in Wasteland 3, but the Lancer is one of your best options if you're creating a heavy-hitting assault rifle build.
Shrink Ray
- Damage: 5-6
- Effect: Weakens an enemy's damage dealt
- Location: The Prison Of Broadmoor Heights
- Weapon Type: Science Weapon
The shrink ray doesn't deal a lot of damage; however, it has a unique special effect that makes it one of the best weapons in the wasteland. This science weapon shrinks enemies down, making them deal less damage while they're attacking you.
The best way to use the shrink ray is by giving it to a character skilled in the Weird Science skill since they can put it to the best use so that it can benefit the rest of your Ranger squad.
The Retirer
- Damage: 123-151
- Effect: 25 percent chance to apply shocked to an enemy
- Location: Godfisher Windfarm near Yuma County Speedway Weapon Type: Laser Pistol
Although handguns aren't the strongest weapon type in Wasteland 3, they still have their place, and there are a few pistols that outshine even assault rifles and SMGs.
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One such example of these powerful pistols is the Retirer, which is an energy handgun that has a high chance to apply shock damage to an enemy when it hits them. Players that enjoy energy weapons will have a blast with the Retirer; however, you can benefit from using this high damage weapon even if you don't usually use laser weapons.
Tesla Arc Projector
- Damage: 69-101
- Effect: 75 percent chance to apply shocked to an enemy
- Location: Small chance of finding it at the dig sites near the Massacre Site
- Weapon Type: Flamethrower
One of the most entertaining weapon types to use in Wasteland 3 are flamethrowers, and you can't get a stronger flamethrower than the Tesla Arc Projector. This weapon deals up to 100 base damage while also having a high chance to apply shock to enemies hit.
The Tesla Arc Projector is rare since you only have a small chance of finding it at dig sites; however, it's still one of the best weapons in Wasteland 3 if you use flamethrowers.
PDW-01
- Damage: 39-52
- Effect: 10 percent chance to deal extra damage to an enemy's armor
- Location: Massacre Site, Dominator Chassis required for level 3 radiation
- Weapon Type: SMG
SMGs are considered to be one of the best weapon types in Wasteland 3 because of how much damage they deal per turn while not requiring too many action points. If you want to create an SMG build in this complex RPG, then the PDW is the best SMG that you can find in the Colorado Wasteland.
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Not only does the PDW have high base damage for such a quick-firing weapon, but it also has a chance to deal damage to an enemy's armor, effectively weakening their defenses.
Nooka Zuka
- Damage: 375-564
- Location: Found in the bunker at the Eastern Plains on the World Map
- Weapon Type: Rocket Launcher
The Nooka Zuka is a rocket launcher that deals massive damage upon impact. The base damage of this weapon can be as high as 564, which is very impressive compared to most other weapons, regardless of type.
You can find the Nooka Zuka inside of the bunker at the Eastern Plains, and it's worth obtaining this weapon as early as possible if you have a character in your party that regularly uses rocket launchers. With this weapon, you'll never have to worry about fighting multiple enemies at the same time since it can hit multiple characters at once.
Neutralizer
- Damage: 64-95
- Effect: Deals explosive damage
- Location: Purchasable at the Hundred Families Store on the World Map
- Weapon Type: Shotgun
The Neutralizer is a shotgun that deals explosive damage, which makes it one of the highest damage shotguns in the entirety of Wasteland 3. Luckily, this shotgun is easy to obtain since you can purchase it at the Hundred Families store while adventuring on the world map.
Not only does this shotgun deal a lot of damage, but its explosive damage means that each hit with this weapon deals a lot more than a regular shotgun would ever come close to. Shotguns are a powerful weapon type since they can hit multiple enemies at once, and you can't go wrong with buying the Neutralizer.
Fusion Launcher
- Damage: 138-206
- Effect: Weird Science
- Location: Found in a level 10 safe at the company store of the Scar Collector Mine
- Weapon Type: Science Rocket Launcher
Another powerful rocket launcher, the Fusion Launcher, is a weird science weapon that deals 206 base damage at the highest. Although the Fusion Launcher doesn't deal as much damage as other rocket launchers, it makes up for this by being a unique science weapon, which allows it to be affected by different skills and perks.
You can find the Fusion Launcher in the Scar Collector Mine by breaking into a level 10 safe. It's important to note that you probably won't be capable of obtaining this weapon until late in the game since it requires a high lockpicking skill to open the safe.
Ray Tracer
- Damage: 190-261
- Effect: 25 percent chance to apply Shocked to an enemy, +25 percent Strike Rate
- Location: Purchasable from the Ranger HQ once you've progressed in the main story
- Weapon Type: Sniper Rifle
Sniper rifles are a good option if you prefer security and range while fighting enemies; however, finding a reliable sniper rifle in Wasteland 3 can be tricky. The Ray Tracer is your best option for a powerful sniper, and it's easily obtained by purchasing it at the Ranger HQ after reaching the final stages of the main story.
Although it takes a while for you to get the opportunity to purchase the Ray Tracer, it's a worthwhile investment since it can deal up to 261 base damage, and it has multiple special effects, including extra shock damage dealt.
Graviton Shredder
- Damage: 30-42
- Effect: Weird Science, 10 percent chance to apply Shocked to an enemy
- Location: Purchasable from the Ranger HQ after meeting Angela Deth for the first time
- Weapon Type: Energy Machine Gun
Machine guns are a heavy-hitting weapon type, and they're even stronger when they're of the energy variety. The Graviton Shredder is an energy machine gun that's affected by weird science perks, and it also has a chance to apply the shock effect to enemies.
You can purchase the Graviton Shredder after meeting Angela Deth, and luckily it's purchasable from the armory of the Ranger HQ, so you don't have to travel anywhere special to buy it.
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