Notes

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The tierlist doesnt take into consideration HEADSHOTS which are 1-hit kills EXCEPT when dealing with special zeeks, humans, zombie animals.
The tierlist is based on AMMO type and DOESNT include specialized ammo testings.
The tierlist may vary a lot by playstyle, some players like sniper rifles for long range kills and stealth, some tend to be in the center of action armed with a shotgun. I will focus mostly on the raw damage perspective WITH ease of use and weapon flexibility coming in as a differentiator WITHIN the tier.

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(UR) -> Ultra Rare
(VR) -> Very rare
(R) -> Rare
(C) -> Common

Guns

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12G Flare Bullets —– Flare Gun (VR)
(Flare gun can be used to illuminate the area or mark specific targets)

.22 —– Rugar Rifle (C) > Rugar Pistol (C)
(These are the worst ranged weapons in the game along the Flare gun and pistol)

9mm —– S VAL (VR) > Uzi (R) > Glock (R) > Pistol (C)
(S VAL is by far the best 9mm and one of the best weapons overall which comes pre-suppressed, low capacity though)

.45 ACP —– UMP45 (R) > M1911 (C)
(UMP45 is decent but far from other great weapons, M1911 is worse than UZI and GLOCK but better than PISTOL)

FN 5.7x28mm —– FN P90 (R)
(Decent weapon, i find it a tiny bit worse than the UMP45)

.357 magnum —– Revolver (C) = Lori 357 (R) > Desert Hawk (C)
(These are the second best pistols in the game with Desert Hawk having less damage than the revolvers but higher capacity and mods)

.308 WIN —– M1 Garand (R) > Hunting Rifle (C)
(M1 Garand is one of the best weapons overall, both are great for mid game, can be modded and have very high damage)

5.56mm —– MK18 (VR) >= M4A1 (VR) >= AR-15 (C) >= LMG (VR) > L85A2 (VR)
(You cannot go wrong with any of these. MK18 is the better option due to pre-suppression with M4A1 closeby due to personal configuration options. Damage wise i find the L85A2 having slightly less damage than the others which are almost on par)

7.62mm —– Mowzen (VR) >= AWM (VR) >= SVD (VR) > MINI-30 (R) > SCAR-H (R) >= AK-47 (C)
(Mowzen is one of the best weapons in the game along with M1 Garand, AWM and SVD, then the rifles which are most likely the same as their 5.56mm counterparts)

6.8mm —– ZM7 (UR)
(This is the best assault rifle in the game.)

50 Cal —– Barrett Sniper (UR) > Gold Desert Hawk (VR)
(Barrett is the best Sniper in the game and has the highest damage of any weapon without including close-range shotguns. The Gold Desert Hawk is the best pistol in the game and has higher damage than ZM7 when talking raw damage.)

12G Shotgun rounds —– AA-12 (UR) > Tactical Shotgun (R) > Sawn-off shotgun (R) >= Double Barrel (R) >= Pump Shotgun (C)
(In my opinion the AA-12 is best weapon in the game, combined with Barrett you can clear anything with ease)

Special Ranged Weapons

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FlameThrower (Craft only) —– One of the best weapons in the game

GL ammo —– Grenade Launcher (VR)
(Very high damage and radius, somewhat usable but not optimal due to many limitations)

Rockets —– RPG (VR)
(Very high damage and radius, not optimal due to many limitations)

Arrows —– Compound bow (VR) >= Hunting bow (VR) > Improvised bow (Craft Only)
(Probably the best weapon early to mid game considering many factors, fire arrows are very situational and require a lot of resources better spent elsewhere)

Bolts —– Crossbow (VR)
(Situational, requires a lot of scrap to use)

Final thoughts

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Difference from one weapon to another is small but the difference between the BEST weapons and .22 Rifle and Pistol is 3-4x more damage (not including Barrett and Shotguns close-range which is close to 15x more damage)

All this said, you should always prioritize HEADSHOTS (this makes even the .22 ammo viable) and should always consider surroundings as not suppressed weapons will create much more problems than damage can solve.

Personal Ranking based on my experience: