Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over, have read our Privacy Policy and agree to the Terms & Conditions. Geographical rules apply.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • Videos
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
    • G+RLS Podcast
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • Home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Videos
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
    • G+RLS Podcast
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • BlizzCon 2026
  • Countdown to GTA 6
  • Join our monthly RPG Club
  • Game of the Week
  • G+RLS Podcast
  • GTA 6
  • Best gaming tech
  • Submit your clips. Win prizes
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
  1. Games
  2. Action
  3. Back 4 Blood

The best Back 4 Blood weapons and guns

Guides
By Joel Franey
Published 13 October 2021

What are the Back 4 Blood best weapons to choose? Here's some pointers

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Back 4 Blood best weapons
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Subscribe to our newsletter

The Back 4 Blood best weapons options give you guns that can make a huge difference in how you play the game, enhancing your killing capability and ensuring that you remain the most lethal being on the battlefield, living or dead. However, it's a little more complicated than just picking one gun and sticking with it throughout the game, as you'll be forced to make difficult choices and won't always have the best weapon to hand. 

Fortunately, we've put together this guide on the best guns in the game, how you can upgrade them, and what you should pick when it's time to make one of those tricky choices. Or you could just grab a baseball bat and turn as many undead heads into soup as you can before they overwhelm you. We don't judge.

Back 4 Blood tips  | How to unlock Back 4 Blood characters | Back 4 Blood split screen options explained | Best Back 4 Blood characters  | Best Back 4 Blood cards | Back 4 Blood drop attachments option 

Back 4 Blood best weapons and guns

Back 4 Blood split screen

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

The best Back 4 Blood weapons won't always be available to you while you play. Rather than choose your favourites and carry them in with you, players have to pick from a small selection of weapons and guns early on in their campaign and use them until they find something better, either found randomly or in the stores that appear in certain safehouses and checkpoints. This means the question is often not "what's the best weapon" as it is "what's the best weapon here." 

Then there's rarity and attachments. Like in many loot-focused games, Back 4 Blood has weapon rarities that boost their stats and can potentially make a low-tier gun better than a high-tier, because the former has a purple sticky note on it while the other only has a green one.

You may like
  • Modern warfare 4 best guns The best guns in Modern Warfare 4
  • Helldivers 2 helldiver running away from automatons with Eruptor weapon equipped Best Helldivers 2 Primary Weapons to use against the Terminids, Automatons, and Illuminate
  • Grounded 2 Into the Abyss screenshot How to get the best weapons in Grounded 2

On top of that, the card system further complicates things. Depending on what you pick for your deck, you might get huge advantages to SMGs, melee weapons, shotguns or more. You might even make sniper rifles viable. Anything's possible.

Still, that doesn't mean that there aren't certain guns you should keep an eye out for, especially if you're playing a more weapon-neutral deck or are still getting acquainted with the game. Here's some top-tier weapons you should be watching for as you go in.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Best Back 4 Blood LMG: M249

Back 4 Blood best weapons

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

LMGs are very good in Back 4 Blood, and this is the best of them. The M249 is a powerhouse weapon that tears through the hordes with decent control, a good rate of fire and a vast magazine. Its downside is that the individual bullets don't have much punch, and picking out specific targets isn't easy, so it might struggle a bit on special infected. But when somebody falls face-first into a pile of crows and every Ridden in the district comes running, the M249 is your best friend.

Best Back 4 Blood Shotgun: AA12

Back 4 Blood best weapons

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Shotguns and zombies go together nicely, and the AA12 is the best shotgun among them, largely because of its automatic fire and large magazine. Combine that with the standard shotgun damage - that is to say, very, very high - and you can shred anything that gets relatively close. Obviously the range isn't great, but considering the majority of enemies are trying to bite you, it needn't be too much of an issue.

Best Back 4 Blood SMG: Vector 

Back 4 Blood best weapons

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

This SMG isn't much for damage, but its superb control and rate of fire effectively make it a laser that can be fired from the hip, incredibly versatile and deadly in the right hands. Like the M249 it's a horde clearer, but while it won't fire for as long or heavy as the M249, it's much faster and more accurate to make up for it.

Best Back 4 Blood Assault Rifle: M16

Back 4 Blood best weapons

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

People are torn between this and the AK-47 as the best assault rifle right now, but we think the M16 comes out on top for its ease of use and tight control, rather than spraying fire everywhere. It's more of an all-rounder and kinder to new players, granting you accurate headshots at a distance for solid damage.

Back 4 Blood Weapon tier list (by weapon type)

Back 4 Blood best weapons

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

While there's all manner of weapons available, as mentioned, and not all weapons of a type are equal, we have had more luck with some weapons types than others, especially for beginners. As a general rule, if you're stuck on what to pick and there's no factors like cards, attachments or rarity to consider, here's a general precis on how to pick your preferred personal perforator, listed best to worst.

  1. LMGs
  2. SMGs
  3. Shotguns
  4. Assault Rifles
  5. Sniper Rifle

Of course, there will always be exceptions to this. Sometimes sniper rifles will be useful, sometimes a deck will favour assault rifles over shotguns, and the balancing in Back 4 Blood isn't at a point where one kind of gun clearer stands head-and-shoulders over the others. You can survive with anything, but if you pick well, it's a little easier.

CATEGORIES
Xbox One Xbox Series X PC Gaming PS4 PS5 Platforms Xbox PlayStation
Joel Franey
Joel Franey
Social Links Navigation
Guides Editor, GamesRadar+

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.

Read more
Modern warfare 4 best guns
FPS Games The best guns in Modern Warfare 4
 
 
Helldivers 2 helldiver running away from automatons with Eruptor weapon equipped
Third Person Shooters Best Helldivers 2 Primary Weapons to use against the Terminids, Automatons, and Illuminate
 
 
Grounded 2 Into the Abyss screenshot
Survival Games How to get the best weapons in Grounded 2
 
 
Helldivers 2 helldiver running with Speagun support weapon
Third Person Shooters Best Support weapons in Helldivers 2
 
 
Elden Ring player fighting Bloodhound Knight Darriwill wielding the Bloodhound's Fang sword in an evergoal
RPGs Best early-game weapons in Elden Ring and where to find them
 
 
Tiel wears the Forgotten Crossbow on his back, one of the best Mortal Shell 2 weapons
RPGs Best Mortal Shell 2 weapons and sidearms
 
 
Latest in Action
Lucia lounges on her pink bed, looking at her phone
Grand Theft Auto New Rockstar leak allegedly reveals GTA 6 assets and cut GTA 5 DLC, with nearly 200 GB of content
 
 
Image of the GTA 6 The Album on vinyl on a blurred background.
Toys & Collectibles The game may be a code in a box, but GTA 6's soundtrack is now available on vinyl for physical media fans
 
 
God of War Laufey
God of War TLOU director says AAA games are "boring," he's "not excited" looking at God of War Laufey gameplay
 
 
A grotesque creature fashioned after Napoleon in an alternate 19th century setting in action RPG, Valor Mortis
Action Games Upcoming soulslike Valor Mortis costs $40 as it's up against GTA 6 and the Ocarina of Time remake
 
 
GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto With GTA 6 about to launch, Take-Two boss unloads on investor criticizing "years of delays"
 
 
GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto You can't get a physical copy of GTA 6, but you can get the soundtrack on CD or $125 deluxe vinyl
 
 
Latest in Guides
The Build a Boat for Treasure game logo in Roblox
Simulation Games Build a Boat for Treasure codes during Roblox the Hunt 20
 
 
Wardogs solider sitting with hands clasped around rifle
FPS Games Common Wardogs error codes and potential fixes to try
 
 
Aniimo screenshot showing two creatures facing off in a fiery duel
RPGs Aniimo codes (September 2026) and how to redeem them for Glimmer, Credits, and more
 
 
Farmers stand near their wheat crops in Mini War on Roblox.
Simulation Games All Mini War codes (September 2026) and how to redeem them for Gems
 
 
Wardogs player driving Kodiak truck full of passengers with other Kodiak truck with mounted machine gun driving parallel
FPS Games How to earn Driver XP in Wardogs and increase your Driver level
 
 
Michael Myers sits in the back of a police car after being detained in Halloween the Game
Horror Games How to detain Michael in Halloween the Game
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. The Build a Boat for Treasure game logo in Roblox
    1
    Build a Boat for Treasure codes (September 2026) for Gold
  2. 2
    Fable lead says "every single member of the team is first and foremost" a fan of the original RPG trilogy
  3. 3
    Loki star Tom Hiddleston has a lot of love for Star Wars: "It's a very early introduction to moral clarity and the balance of goodness and love in the universe"
  4. 4
    Tommy Shepherd star won't confirm whether his Marvel character has powers in VisionQuest
  5. 5
    VisionQuest showrunner confirms no generative AI was used in the Marvel show, but it does feature a nod to its failings

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...