Ah, Fallout. When it comes to open-world RPGs, I'd say that the irradiated wastelands of Fallout offer players the greatest variety of weapons. I suppose it's only fitting. When the world goes to hell, you'd probably grab whatever you can get, be that a sledgehammer, some antiquated weapons, or the very latest tech. Married to this weapons choice is the greatest combat system available in an RPG. As well as having fun gunplay and tons of visceral gore, the game also boasts the VATS system, allowing you to target individual body parts. The result? Fountains of fun, with eyeballs popping out towards camera like a cheesy 3D movie, and many, many satisfying finishers.

Sure, Skyrim brought with it some intense special moves, and Oblivion's ragdoll physics provide us with a few laughs, but they can't come close to the combative fun offered by our friend the atom. What do you think is the most powerful weapon in the Fallout universe? The Fat Man? It's hard to get much more powerful than an atomic bomb that you can quite literally carry on your shoulder, right? Wrong. In this article, we've gone through the series' last three installments: Fallout 4New Vegas, and Fallout 3, to discover some of the most powerful weapons available in each of them. They're hard to find, and may not have the same overblown explosiveness of the Fat Man, but they're even more powerful, partly because their ammo, if they need it, is far from scarce. What's your favorite weapon in the franchise? Think that we've missed something? Let us know!

24 Kellogg’s Pistol

Via Ste Flack/Artstation.com

Far more entertaining than a bowl of cornflakes, Kellogg's Pistol is lethal for a number of reasons. One, it's wielded by Conrad Kellogg, a ruthless mercenary and operative of the Institute, two, it's a .44 Magnum, and three, it has a ludicrously powerful special ability. The pistol does a healthy 48 damage, but if you crit, the "Relentless" effect comes into play. This refills your AP points, letting you take shot after shot in VATS. To get it, you'll need to off Kellogg in the quest Reunions.

23  Grognak’s Axe

Via nexusmods.com

Are you a fan of Conan the Barbarian? How would you like to wander the wastelands like a post-apocalyptic nightmare, destroying Super Mutants with a swing of an axe? If you want to get your hand on Conan's...sorry, Grognak's axe, make your way to Hubris Comics, where it's in a locked display case behind the front desk. The lock is of advanced difficulty, but it's worth getting. The axe deals 25 damage, but causes more stagger and makes opponents take bleeding damage.

22 Furious Power Fist

Via destructoid.com

The Power Fist is an intense weapon. Essentially an upgrade to your punching strength, powered by a hydraulic ram, the weapon was initially used by demolition crews. Needs must, however, and it's a fantastic weapon. The Furious Power Fist, has, as the name would suggest, the furious effect, increasing the weapon's damage by 15 percent with each consecutive hit. To get it, you need to be brave, however. You need to take on Swan, the super mutant behemoth found at Swan's Pond. Defeat him, and you'll find the weapon on his body.

21 Le Fusil Terribles

Via Supercharged Gaming/Youtube.com

That's bad French, I know, but it's a fantastic weapon. Found in the captain's cabin in Libertalia, this weapon does an astonishing amount of damage. The base damage is 62, but its "violent" effect adds a lot of utility. This effect, while increasing recoil, increases damage and limb damage by 25 percent. It also comes with a fair few mods, including a light frame receiver, long barrel, full stock, and drum magazine. A shotgun with a 32 round clip and damage bonuses? You could take over the Commonwealth single-handed.

20 The Last Minute

Via ibtimes.co.uk

Oh my goodness. If you want to talk about damage, take a look at this Gauss rifle. The base Gauss rifle already does 110 damage, but this one? It doles out a whopping 192 damage. That's not all. It comes with the "crippling" effect, which increases limb damage by 50 percent. That means you can do close to 300 damage with a single shot. Not bad. The weapon is sold by Ronnie Shaw at the Castle, but you'll have to complete the quest Old Guns first.

19 Righteous Authority

Via goliath.com

Mao once said that political power comes from the barrel of a gun. Well, in the Commonwealth, it is no different. Authority, in its most righteous form, comes from the barrel of this laser rifle. The rifle was modded by Paladin Danse, and while its base damage of 26 isn't spectacular, it does have the lucky modifier, granting double damage on crits and filling the critical meter 15 percent faster. To get it, you must complete the quest Call to Arms for the Brotherhood.

18 Alien Blaster Pistol

Via gamersheroes.com

Now, here's a gun that you wouldn't really expect to find in Fallout, is it? The Alien Blaster Pistol is exactly what you'd expect, a weapon scrounged from the body of an alien, lying next to their crashed UFO, located in east-Southeast of Oberland station. The weapon is silenced for the purposes of detection, and can also be modified to run on fusion cells. Even without any pistol perks, the gun still does 50 damage. A very nice little weapon that you can find, with no cost to you.

17 The Big Boy

Via Stef/Youtube.com

You know how earlier, I was talking about the Fat Man? Surely no weapon is more powerful, shot for shot, than an atomic bomb, right? How about one that shoots two of the mini-nukes at once? Even better, each shot only costs one ammo. It's also compatible with the MIRV Launcher mod, letting you fire 12 (count them) nukes. There's only one place to find the weapon, being sold by Arturo Rodriguez in Diamond City. Despite its huge cost of 14,000 caps, it's easily the most powerful single-shot weapon in the game.

16 The Overseer’s Guardian

Via digitaltrends.com

Do you want to break the game from the very off? This is a weapon that you can get very, very early, by buying it from Alexis Combes in Vault 81. The gun is either a short or long-barreled rifle, and it has a very nice base damage rating of 55. On top of this, the weapon comes with the two-shot modifier, just like the Big Boy. It also comes equipped with armor piercing automatic receiver, recoil compensating shock, and a short night vision scope. It's one of the most powerful weapons in the entire game.

15 Maria

Via fallout.wikia.com

Ave Maria! This pistol is wielded by the sharply-dressed Benny, and after you rid the Mojave of him, it will be yours. The gun is a highly-modified 9mm pistol, and it's a truly beautiful gun to look at. As well as this, it does 20 damage per shot, has higher rates of fire, accuracy, and durability than the standard gun. It's also possible to have the gun as a holdout weapon, as long as your sneak skill is higher than 50, allowing it to be brought into weapons-free areas.

14 Holy Frag Grenade

Via imgur.com

Ah, the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch's lesser-known cousin. Essentially a mini-nuke in grenade form, this weapon does 800 damage when thrown, but keep in mind that there are only three of them. To get your hands on them, go to Camp Searchlight. Go into the church, and go down to the basement. Defeat the two golden geckos, and you'll be able to grab them. You need to have the Wild Wasteland trait turned on for them to appear in your game.

13 This Machine

Via nexusmods.com

Named for the message scrawled on its side, this gun is an M1 Garand in all but name. Chambered in .308, the gun does 55 base damage, and can fire close to 3000 rounds before it breaks. To get it, you need to complete the unmarked quest Dealing With Contreras. Why is it worth it? Well, despite a fairly large spread at long range, the gun does a huge amount of damage, and you can find its ammo absolutely everywhere.

12 Ratslayer

Via fallout.wikia.com

But Solomon, I hear you cry, I thought you said we were talking about the most powerful weapons in Fallout!  Not a Varmint Rifle variant! Now, hold on, before you get out your pitchforks. This isn't just any old Varmint Rifle. This is an incredible gun. Coming equipped with a scope, silencer, and extended magazine, it's already got the makings of a good gun, but it gets better.

It has one of the highest critical multipliers in the game. If the player has a luck of 10, the Finesse perk, and the 1st Recon Beret, every shot is a crit.

11 The Dinner Bell

Via nexusmods.com

Gained by completing the quest Bleed Me Dry, the Dinner Bell is one of the best shotguns available in the game. Accurate even at fairly long range, it fires 12 gauge shells, it can do a staggaring amount of damage. From just one single shot, it doles out 75 points of pain. The gun never jams, and can fire 745 shells before breaking. More powerful than a fully-spec'd Hunting Shotgun, get your hands on the Dinner Bell and leave enemies' heads ringing.

10 Atom’s Judgement

Via nexusmods.com

With a name that awesome, this weapon was hardly going to be a let down, was it? A unique super sledge, the hammer's head has been replaced with four fusion cores. In one fell swoop, the hammer does 40 regular damage, and 100 radiation damage. Even with no perks, it's easily one of the most powerful melee weapons in the game. Max out all your damage perks, and you can do 890 damage in one crushing blow. To get it, you need to complete the quest The Heretic for the Children of the Atom.

9 Railway Rifle

Via gamecrate.com

Do you remember the fun that was the nailgun in F.E.A.R? There's something viscerally satisfying about literally nailing your opponents to walls, and you can do it in Fallout 4 too. This custom weapon shoots railway spikes, and can be found in a few spots, including Big John's Salvage. The rifle does tremendous damage to limbs, and you can also retrieve shot spikes from fallen enemies. Doing 100 damage and firing very cheap ammunition, this is a fantastic gun for close-to-medium range.

8 Mesmetron

Via Gameweps/Youtube.com

A weapon with three possible outcomes for its use, only one of which deals with enemies? What's that doing on this list? Well, it's a very useful weapon for a number of reasons. If you don't care about karma, you can use this weapon to put people into a hypnotic trance, pacifying them and enabling them to be taken by the villains at Paradise Falls, earning you some cash. Secondly, it can make enemies rage, turning them against their allies. Three, it can literally make enemies' heads explode. Now that's value. It is obtained from Grouse at Paradise Falls.

7 Lincoln’s Repeater

Via fallout.wikia.com

Found in Fallout 3's Museum of History, Lincoln's Repeater is a dream weapon for a sniper. The gun may have a slow rate of fire, but it is easily the most powerful single-shot rifle in the game, and the only one to utilize the .44 Magnum round. It does 50 damage per shot, and its main draw is its extreme accuracy. The gun has zero spread, meaning you can hit targets from miles away, simply using the iron sights. Oh, and it also has three times the ammo capacity of the standard Hunting Rifle.

6 Mysterious Magnum

Via FaMe7000/Youtube.com

Ah, the weapon of the Mysterious Stranger. Playing his theme whenever the gun is drawn or holstered, this is a very powerful unique revolver. Dealing 42 damage per shot, the Mysterious Magnum can also be used as a holdout weapon, if you want one that packs a punch. Owned by the Lonesome Drifter, who sits out in front of the Sunset Sarsaparilla sign, you can either pass a barter check to get it, or do things the old-fashioned/more brutal way.

5 Medicine Stick

Via nexusmods.com

We've talked about powerful rifles already in this list, and this is one of the most powerful ones in New Vegas. Added in the Gun Runner's Arsenal DLC, the Medicine Stick is the most powerful .45-70 Govt rifle in the game. Doing a base damage of 78, and having a DPS of 108, this gun is very handy at medium-to-long range. It's got a cool story behind it too. After .45-70 Govt fell out of fashion in the real world, rifles were given to native tribes for use in subsistence hunting, hence the iconography on the stock.