When it comes to fun boomsticks to use to blow apart the screeching Xenomorph hordes, Aliens: Fireteam Elite has plenty of fun and deadly toys in its box to play with. So far, there are 26 guns in the game, eight of which need to be bought from the Requisition Officer, and they’re broken down into four different types: Heavy, CQC, Rifle, and Handgun.
Each class has access to its own unique set. For example, the Demolisher can use Heavy and Rifle type weapons, whilst the Tech can only bring in a CQC and a Handgun. It’s an interesting way of splitting up the rather massive list of weaponry that’s on show and it incentivizes you to swap in and out of different classes to try out each new gun you unlock. Although it can seem a little overwhelming as there are so many great guns to choose from, here's what's considered the best weapons to use in Aliens: Fireteam Elite.
Updated January 22, 2022 by Matthew Mckeown: Despite its rocky start, Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a solid squad shooter you can jump in for a few hours to blast apart Xenos heavily armed Synthetic soldiers. After a series of big updates recently, the developers have dropped a bunch of great new guns as part of its second season, with plenty of more great stuff coming along the pipeline in the future.
There’s already quite the wealth of weaponry at your disposal, with some requiring a bit of grinding or beating missions at a certain difficulty, it can be a little daunting to figure out which ones are worth jumping through a few extra hoops for. To make getting your hands on the best gear a little easier, here’s the best weapons in Aliens: Fireteam Elite that are worth spending your time on.
15 Microburst Launcher
Aliens: Fireteam Elite’s big launchers recently got a new addition with Season Two in the form of the Microburst Launcher. Similar to the M12A1 RPG, this weapon has a lower DPS, but a much faster reload speed, higher ammo capacity, and better accuracy. Getting those big damage numbers to pop in the right places makes the Microburst Launcher a great pick for Demos that like to make things go boom.
For starters, it has zero damage fall-off from its 550 per round, plus with a magazine capacity of 16 and a total reserve of 96, you have a lot of rockets you can fire off in one sitting. As an extra selling point, its explosion radius is much smaller than its bigger cousin, significantly cutting down on the frequent friendly fire problem. Its steady single-shot fire rate is relatively quick and with a decent-sized mag attachment, it offers great crowd control options. Plus, stick it on full auto with the Gunner's Overlock ability active and it turns into a mini-rocket spewing hose that gets the job done quickly.
14 Frontier Revolver
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
The Kramer Magnum, which is the starting pistol in Aliens: Fireteam Elite can comfortably carry you through the campaigns and well into the end-game, but if you want to feel like a real Gunslinger, grab the Frontier Revolver. Its base damage stat of 550 is nothing to sneeze at, and with a weak point damage bonus of 250 percent, it can chunk through boss health bars or one-shot smaller targets easily.
It’s inherent 100% Stumble buff when combined with a large magazine attachment means you can sit back and stun-lock larger targets whilst your team whittles them down. With a faster fire rate than the Kramer Magnum, and a decent reserve of rounds to put out per reload cycle, the Frontier Revolver should honestly be everyone's new go-to for a sturdy sidearm.
13 L59 Minigun
Part of the first pack of new weapons that were added to the game, the L59 Minigun is the next step up from the Smartgun for Demolishers looking to do more damage and a better job at crowd control. Available from Requisitions for the right amount of credits, this bullet-spewing behemoth boasts a faster reload speed, better accuracy, and weak point damage as it minces through cannon fodder and chews apart big boy health bars in seconds.
Best used in full auto as the longer it runs the more accurate it becomes, the L59 Minigun may have a lower base fire rate than the Smartgun, and it can seem a little unwieldy and less responsive at first. But after adjusting for the wind-up it can be super satisfying to unload. Leveling up its Star Perks will also boost its accuracy and fire rate with a nice buff at max level that activates on hit, increasing shot speed further up to a stack of 20 times. If you’ve got an itchy trigger finger, this is the gun for you.
12 PPZ-49 VOL
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
The Recon class had the short end of the stick when Aliens: Fireteam Elite launched as Sniper Rifles in a horde shooter aren’t always a good mix. There were options for sub-machine guns, and whilst doing the job it was hard to feel like you were making as much of an impact as the other classes in the Squad. Season 2 rolls around though and it seems the Recons latest toy is the best SMG in Aliens: Fireteam Elite.
An odd hybrid of an assault rifle and a submachine gun, the PPZ-49 VOL has a solid base stat of 127 damage, 64 rounds, and weak point damage of 200 percent. Its accuracy also improves by up to 15 percent with Star upgrades, with a stacking accuracy and Stumble buff applying at max rank. If you pick this up it’s recommended to get used to firing it in short bursts to make the most of damage scaling as single shot and full-auto is the biggest mistake you can make as the longer it fires, the less accurate it is and the faster the drop-off in sustained damage becomes.
11 L33 Pike
Another arrival with Season Two, the L33 Pike is by the best sniper rifle in the game, unseating the previous holder of that title, the Twilight V.4 in terms of raw damage numbers. Whilst it has a significantly lower rate of fire, each shot with the L33 Pike hitting at a staggering 1300 damage per round with Star Perks buffing an extra 50 damage at max and 5 percent accuracy per level. Plus there’s a stacking Weak Point Damage ability unlocking at Four Star Rank making it a solid big hitter best used for large monsters.
Though most of the Campaign maps are short and narrow in Giants In The Earth where things are more cover-based shooting, having someone with a big bolt-action way in the back can be pretty handy. Especially when the big Elites like the Heavy Synth start stomping around with their thick armor and massive miniguns. So for that one-shot showstopper, save up 9k in credits to get your hands on the L33 Pike from the Requisitions Store.
10 M41A2 Pulse Rifle
It wouldn’t be an Aliens video game unless it had the iconic Pulse Rifle. Sounding exactly as it should with its classic short staccato braying, it’s a solid damage dealer that can carry you through pretty much the entire game, as long as it’s upgraded with the right Weapon Mods.
Its base stats are pretty impressive as well as it boasts 104 points per hit at a dependable rate of 10.5 resulting in a steady spray of bullets that can put down most elites within one or two magazines. It also comes with a handy 15 percent Stumble Chance which means targets have a chance to trip and fall, letting you get in some punishing shots when they’re down. A great gun to have as a main weapon or a backup, the M41A2 Pulse Rifle comes highly recommended.
9 L36 Halberd
If you enjoyed using the Pulse Rifle but wanted something that could put out more bullets per minute then the L36 Halberd may be just what you need. Although not as strong as the Pulse Rifle, the Halberd makes up for it with a higher rate of fire, lower recoil, and better accuracy that can be increased further with attachments.
It has a respectable damage output of 87, with a rapid-fire speed of 12.9 and a quick reload speed of two seconds. Mags come in starter sizes of 50 rounds per clip and this can also be further boosted with custom mags equipped through the Weapon Loadout screen. It’s a gun that’s great for pinning down Elites or focus firing Specials that like to sit and fire ranged attacks from a distance like the Xenomorph Spitter or Synth Sniper.
8 M37A3 Shotgun
Unlocked right from the start, and the first weapon any budding Technician is introduced to, the M37A3 Shotgun is a pump-action beast that shreds anything that gets too close. It’s a formidable piece of kit that, like the Pulse Rifle, can see you through straight to the end credits with the right Weapon Mod tweaking.
When you first get your hands on this bad boy of a boomstick, you’ll find a nice starting damage base of 140 points per pellet. Although it has a low magazine capacity of just eight on top of a pretty slow reload speed, it makes up for these shortcomings with a Stumble Chance of 25 percent. It’s one of the best shotguns in the game as it reliably puts out a powerful punch per shot and its tubular magazine allows for some interesting elemental mods to be equipped, making it quite versatile.
7 Kramer .50 Magnum
There isn't a great selection of pistols to equip in Aliens: Fireteam Elite, but the best of the bunch is the Kramer .50 Magnum. This heavy hand cannon hits harder than a Pulse Rifle and can take down Xenomorphs in two hits, one if it’s in the head.
Its starting base damage stat is a surprisingly high 418, and it packs a Weak Point Damage Bonus of 250% making it quite the Critical Hit monster in the right hands. Reload times are relatively quick and despite its low magazine capacity of just eight rounds per clip, its stumble chance of 75 percent per shot makes it great for quickly subduing Xenos that get the drop on you.
6 Type 21 Tactical Shotgun
If you’ve ever wanted to just use something that continually sprays out shells at a ridiculous rate then the Type 21 Tactical Shotgun would like a word. This high-tech blaster may seem like a plastic toy, but don’t let it fool you as it’s quite the Xeno shredder.
Faster firing and quicker to reload than a pump-action, The Type21 Tactical shotgun's DPS may be slightly lower but what it lacks in damage it makes up for with higher accuracy and lower recoil. With a base hit rate of 77 per pellet, a Weak Point Damage Bonus of 150 percent, and a Stumble Chance of 20 percent, it’s great for whipping out when the swarms get close or focus firing on Elites that try to charge you down.
5 M12A1 Rocket Launcher
If you ever want to feel overpowered in Aliens: Fireteam Elite then it’s highly recommended you bring along the M12A1 Rocket Launcher into a Mission. This heavy-looking chap is quite the problem solver and it can turn any horde into a steaming mess of acid and body parts in no time at all.
Unlocked by purchasing it from the Requisitions Officer, the M12A1 Rocket Launcher is a fast-firing artillery piece that can clear out swarms with ease. Each rocket puts out 1131 points of damage, and although you only get three rounds per magazine, its quick reload time and generous Max Ammo capacity of 30 rockets means you can put out a lot of damage pretty fast.
4 Kramer Short-Barrel
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
If you want a good replacement for your pistol then you can’t go wrong with the Kramer Short-Barrel. This handheld Riot Gun kicks like a mule and can be more useful than the other Shotguns in some situations.
Each pellet from this pistol-shaped blaster packs a decent hit of 122 points of damage and its fast fire speed allows for fast shredding of Aliens leaping from the shadows. It’s also good for pouring damage into Elites as it has does a bonus 150 percent Weak Point Damage and its Stumble Chance of 50 percent means anything that charges in will comically fall on its ass in a shot or two.
3 M10 Auto Pistol
The M10 Auto Pistol is worth mentioning because it's a gun that's usefulness is hotly contested in the Community, with some praising it and others considering it an ammo-eating waste of time. Nevertheless, it's quite the DPS demon in disguise that can shred through the health bars of Elites given the right upgrades.
The biggest selling point of the M10 Auto Pistol is the fire rate, at 28.7 it’s perhaps the fastest firing weapon in the game. Its high Magazine Capacity of 40 rounds per clip and 89 points of damage per shot makes it handy for spraying out damage into clumps of Aliens or for shredding the tough armor of Elites like the Charger Xenomorph or Heavy Synth.
2 Type 99 Incinerator
A weapon that can be equipped by both the Technician and the Gunner Classes, the Type 99 Incinerator is a flame-spewing monster that’s perfect for close engagements and clearing out cramped corridors.
Available from the Requisitions Officer, the Type 99 Incinerator is a futuristic-looking piece of Weyland Yutani tech that hits as hard as the Heavy type Flamethrower the Demolisher Class uses. It also has 100 rounds more than its larger cousin as it sits at a Max Ammo capacity of 400 and it puts out a respectable amount of damage of 870 per hit making it a great CQC weapon.
1 L56A3 Smartgun
Another iconic Aliens weapon that no list would be complete without. The L56A3 Smartgun is a bullet spewing beast that is incredibly satisfying to use on a horde in full auto fire mode as you burn through an entire magazine in under a minute.
Speaking of Magazine Capacity, there are 200 rounds per clip and each one puts out 87 points of damage. A relatively lengthy reload speed means you’ll want to conserve your fire when you start to get closer to an empty clip, but its auto-tracking feature means you’ll never miss a shot. Although, the tracking is a little slow and it can’t handle anything at short range meaning you’ll need to be constantly backing up if you start to get overwhelmed.