Highlights
- Heavy guns in Fallout 76 offer destructive power and are fun to use, with options for different playstyles and preferences.
- The .50cal Machine Gun and Harpoon Gun are solid heavy guns, while the Cryolator and Flamer provide unique effects like freezing enemies or setting them on fire.
- Other heavy guns like the Classic Minigun, Plasma Caster, Gatling Laser, and Gauss Minigun offer a combination of high damage output, modifiability, and futuristic elements to enhance gameplay.
Heavy guns are some of the most spectacular and fun weapons to use in any game that has them, and Fallout 76 is no exception. As the name suggests these guns are usually pretty hefty, but they trade being lightweight and easy to use for sheer destructive power. And boy are they good at indiscriminate killing!
Every Fallout Game In Chronological Order
Every game was not released in the historical chronological order of the post-apocalyptic alternate timeline world of the Fallout series.
Fallout 76 has a full range of heavy guns, including some of the most memorable heavy guns from the Fallout franchise along with some great new additions! From the classic minigun to the Gatling laser, there's a heavy gun for everyone.
10 The .50cal Machine Gun
- Damage at Level 50: 43
Perhaps the most basic of all the heavy guns in Fallout 76, the .50cal Machine Gun is nevertheless a classic weapon. With a good range but relatively poor accuracy, the .50cal Machine Gun is unlikely to be most players' first choice in heavy guns. With only one receiver and barrel mod available it's not readily customizable, and it does suffer a bit from a wide spread. That said, it's a solid weapon and is readily available unlike some of the other heavy guns, so it's definitely worth a shot.
Where to find the .50cal Machine Gun
Guaranteed at Hemlock Holes, randomly drooped from Scorchbeasts, purchasable from raider vendor bots in Pleasant Valley Station, Sutton Station, and Welch Station.
9 The Harpoon Gun
- Damage at Level 50: 175
This somewhat unconventional heavy gun shoots harpoons at the enemy to deal devastating damage. Dismembered limbs can even end up stuck to objects! This gun has good range, although it isn't very moddable, and has a low fire rate; this can be improved with the Quad Legendary effect. A more niche weapon, the Harpoon gun is fun to use but probably not as a main weapon.
Where to find the Harpoon gun
The Harpoon gun spawns in steamer trunks and behind level 2–3 locks, but there's a guaranteed spawn north of Point Pleasant.
8 The Cryolator
- Damage at Level 45: 36
First featured in Fallout 4, the Cryolator is a heavy gun that shoots cryogenic fluid to potentially freeze any enemy it hits. This heavy gun is really fun to play with due to its freezing effect, although some enemies can't be frozen at all! But the Cryolator is a fun if niche heavy gun, and although it isn't very moddable, it can be very satisfying to use.
Where to find the Cryolator
Dropped by a range of enemies including deathclaws, mothmen, super mutant behemoths, and fog crawlers.
7 The Flamer
Damage at Level 50: 36A series staple, the Flamer is exactly what it says on the tin; a post-apocalyptic flamethrower. Not very moddable, this heavy gun is fun to use and has good range. As one might expect from a flamethrower the Flamer can set enemies on fire, and even burns their corpses to a crisp! The Flamer is a great choice of heavy gun for any player looking to burn their enemies to a crisp!
Where to find the Flamer
Quarry X3, Grafton Underground, or craftable.
6 The Classic Minigun
- Damage at Level 45: 24
A staple of the Fallout franchise, the minigun is a powerful weapon that absolutely shreds the opposition. With a clip size of 500 this is a gun which really eats ammo, but for fans of its sheer stopping power, it's worth it! The minigun is fully moddable with a wide range of improvements, including the powerful Tri barrel mod which reduces the fire rate in exchange for more damage, better accuracy, and greater range. It even has a range of paint jobs to match any player's sense of style!
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Where to find the Minigun
The Minigun drops from super mutant overlords, but can also be found at a range of locations including Camp Venture, The ATLAS Observatory, and Harpers Ferry.
5 The Plasma Caster
- Damage at Level 50: 76 / 76
The Plasma caster is a powerful heavy gun dealing a mixture of ballistic and energy damage. With a low clip size of 20, the Plasma caster suffers from a lower ammo capacity and fire rate, but with its damage output, that might not matter. With only a small range of mods, it isn't the most moddable gun, but when crafted it gets a random Legendary effect. Like all plasma weapons, the Plasma caster can turn enemies into goo.
Where to find the Plasma caster
Craftable after purchasing the plan from Regs for 750 gold bullion, or available as rewards once the plan is known from Purveyor Murmrgh.
4 The Gatling Laser
- Damage at Level 45: 25
A classic Fallout franchise heavy gun, the Gatling laser is a futuristic reimagining of the Gatling gun that shoots high-powered lasers. Using the relatively rare fusion core as ammo, the Gatling laser is a high-tech alternative to the classic Gatling gun right at home in post-apocalyptic Appalachia. Not quite as moddable as other heavy guns in Fallout 76, the Gatling laser does still have some mods for players to choose from to improve its capabilities.
Where to find the Gatling laser
Available as a quest reward, loot from US government supply crates, or craftable with schematics from the MODUS vendor.
3 The Gatling Plasma
- Damage at Level 50: 58
The Gatling Plasma is a high-level plasma heavy gun that uses the rare plasma core ammo. Moddable with a relatively small range of mods to increase accuracy and damage, the Gatling Plasma also features mods to split its beams into multiple beams to cover a much wider area. This is a fun gun to use, although its rare ammo found in high-level areas means it can be a bit less accessible than some other heavy guns.
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Where to find the Gatling Plasma
Picklock 2 safes in the Mire, can be purchased from MODUS armory terminal in Whitespring bunker.
2 The Gauss Minigun
- Damage at Level 50: 49
This heavy gun is a real beast. The Gauss minigun fires explosive 2mm electromagnetic cartridges with a blast radius and area damage, and boy it is satisfying to use. Quite moddable, with options to convert its ballistic damage to energy damage, the Gauss minigun is a real treat to use. Gauss miniguns can't be dropped, traded, or sold to vendors as they use the gold bullion currency, but this is a fun enough gun that it's worth keeping around anyway.
Where to find the Gauss minigun
The Gauss minigun can be crafted if the plan is purchased from Mortimer for 750 gold bullion, after which it can be crafted with the right materials.​​​​​
1 The Pepper Shaker
- Damage at Level 50: 60
A heavy rotary barrel shotgun introduced during the Steel Reign update, the Pepper Shaker is all the best parts of the shotgun with the best parts of a Gatling gun. The Pepper Shaker is a great choice of heavy gun for crippling enemies due to its damage, shotgun spread, and high fire rate. The Pepper Shaker is moddable too, and able to use shotgun shells, fusion cells, or plasma cartridges, as well as getting a nice choice of barrel options.
Where to find the Pepper Shaker
Plan available from Grahm's Meat Cook as a rare reward.
