In Rimworld, there are numerous weapons to select from. When you have sufficient resources to equip all your pawns, you might consider crafting the most effective ones available. Below, I will tell you of the best weapons in Rimworld.
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Best weapons in Rimworld 1.5
What the best weapon in Rimworld is depends a lot on your playstyle. If you're someone who wants to focus on close range weapons, you most likely want to focus on a melee build, while longer range combat is done best with the ranged weapons. Regardless of the either option, you have plenty of options to choose from.
I've compiled this list based on weapons that are relatively cheaper to craft or find compared to their DPS (damage per second). These weapons are all affected by modifiers and the materials you use to craft them.
List of best ranged weapons in Rimworld
All ranged weapons in Rimworld go through the same firing cycle, which starts with the aiming time as your pawn prepares to shoot at the enemy, followed by the firing time. The firing process depends on your pawn's ability to shoot and the weapon's base accuracy. This ends with the cooldown process, where the firing cycle resets, and your pawn can begin shooting their weapon again.
These are the best weapons in Rimworld based on cost-effectiveness and optimal DPS. This is a hypothetical scenario where each shot hits the enemy based on the base damage, which differs from real combat situations influenced by range:
- Touch: 3 tiles
- Short: 12 tiles
- Medium: 25 tiles
- Long: 40 tiles
| Tier | Weapon | Optimal DPS (damage per second) |
|---|---|---|
| S | Minigun | 36.76 |
| S | Assault Rifle | 10.88 |
| S | LMG | 15.78 |
| S | Charge Rifle | 13.24 |
| A | Chain Shotgun | 18.73 |
| A | Heavy SMG | 12.34 |
| A | Machine pistol | 11.02 |
| A | Triple rocket launcher | 15.52 |
| A | Pump shotgun | 8.37 |
| A | Charge lance | 6.82 |
| B | Frag grenades | 12 |
| B | EMP grenades | 12 |
| B | Auto pistol | 7.69 |
| B | Sniper Rifle | 4.31 |
| C | Bolt-action rifle | 5.63 |
| C | Revolver | 6.32 |
| C | Greatbow | 4.86 |
| D | Shot bow | 3.67 |
| D | Doomsday rocket launcher | 5.56 |
| D | Tactical turret gun | 4.86 |
| D | Nerve spiker | 3.55 |
| D | Recurve bow | 4.52 |
| E | EMP launcher | 7.14 |
| E | Molotov co*cktails | 2.4 |
| E | Pila | 3.13 |
| E | Flamebow | 2 |
| E | Incendiary launcher | 1.43 |
In my opinion, the assault rifle is the best ranged weapon in Rimworld, despite being further down on the list. This is because the Assault Rifle is easily obtainable once you have the machining table, requiring only 60 steel and 7 components. Your pawns only need a minimum of six crafting skills to make one of these powerful weapons.
All ranged weapon quality modifiers in Rimworld
The quality modifiers on each weapon are chance-based. Higher-skilled pawns have a greater chance of crafting a higher-quality weapon, resulting in increased damage and accuracy.
| Quality | Accuracy Modifier | Base Damage Modifier | Armor Penetration Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awful | 0.80 | 0.90 | 0.90 |
| Poor | 0.90 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Normal | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Good | 1.10 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Excellent | 1.20 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Masterwork | 1.35 | 1.25 | 1.25 |
| Legendary | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 |
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List of best melee weapons in Rimworld
When it comes to melee weapons, you need to consider not only the DPS (damage per second) a weapon can deliver but also the type of damage it can inflict. These include sharp, blunt, burn, or EMP. Depending on the type of enemy you are facing and your objective of either killing or disabling them, you can make a choice.
| Tier | Weapon | DPS | Type of damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | Thrumbo horn | 9.44 | Sharp |
| S | Monosword | 11.45 | Sharp |
| S | Persona monosword | 14.53 | Sharp |
| S | Persona zeushammer | 13.17 | Blunt + EMP |
| S | Power claw | 9.28 | Blunt |
| A | Hand talon | 8.18 | Blunt |
| A | Persona plasmasword | 9.97 | Sharp + Burn |
| A | Elbow blade | 7.78 | Blade |
| A | Zeushammer | 9.41 | Blunt + EMP |
| A | Knee spike | 7.57 | Sharp |
| B | Venom fangs | 6.65 | Blunt |
| B | Elephant tusk | 6.44 | Sharp |
| B | Longsword | 7.9 | Sharp |
| B | Spear | 7.88 | Sharp |
| B | Venom talon | 6.34 | Blunt |
| C | Club | 6.31 | Blunt |
| C | Arcotech arm | 6.28 | Blunt |
| C | Plasmasword | 7.39 | Sharp + Burn |
| C | Drill arm | 5.9 | Sharp |
| C | Gladius | 7.06 | Sharp |
| C | Knife | 7.02 | Sharp |
| C | Mace | 6.95 | Blunt |
| D | Warhammer | 6.91 | Blunt |
| D | Bionic arm | 5.53 | Blunt |
| D | Axe | 6.68 | Sharp |
| D | Ikwa | 6.7 | Sharp |
| D | Breach Axe | 6.22 | Blunt |
| E | Jade knife | 5.73 | Sharp |
| E | Eltex staff | 4.51 | Blunt |
If you are looking to enslave many pawns to build your colony, I recommend using weapons with lower damage output and blunt damage. This will reduce the likelihood of them dying upon impact, allowing you more time to transport them to your beds for prompt treatment by your pawns.
If you're looking for pure damage at a low cost, I recommend investing in crafting plenty of longswords, as they are the most affordable high-damage melee weapons in the game. They can be crafted at any smithy once you have researched them.
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All melee weapon material modifiers in Rimworld
Unlike ranged weapons, melee weapons in Rimworld can be crafted from a wide variety of materials, with each material slightly increasing the base damage multiplier in addition to the skill of the crafter.
All melee weapon quality modifiers in Rimworld
The quality modifiers on each weapon are chance-based. Higher-skilled pawns have a greater chance of crafting a higher-quality weapon, resulting in increased damage.
| Quality | Base Damage Modifier |
|---|---|
| Awful | 0.80 |
| Poor | 0.90 |
| Normal | 1.00 |
| Good | 1.10 |
| Excellent | 1.20 |
| Masterwork | 1.45 |
| Legendary | 1.65 |
The choice of weapon you make will largely depend on the type of colony and gameplay you are focusing on. So, I highly suggest you continue using weapons that fit your playstyle and level of enjoyment.
For more on Rimworld, be sure to check out 15 Essential RimWorld Mods and How To Install Them and RimWorld pollution, explained and how to deal with it here on Pro Game Guides.
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