Despite choice paralysis being a very real thing when it comes to the best Cyberpunk 2077 weapons, both melee and ranged, there are some that are head and shoulders above the rest. Including the Phantom Liberty expansion, there are loads of unique and iconic weapons to be found across Night City, not to mention all the basic weapons you can also find.
However, we've narrowed down the absolute best so you don't have to test them all. We've even gone one step further and explained how to get them. We haven't included the Cyberpunk 2077 Mantis Blades or Gorilla Arms in this list because they're technically cyberware, and we have a separate guide for the Cyberpunk 2077 Skippy gun because while it isn't one of the best, it is one of the more interesting options. We'd recommend pairing this best guns list with our guide to the best Cyberpunk 2077 builds too if you want to become seriously overpowered.
The best Cyberpunk 2077 weapons
Below we've listed all the best weapons in Cyberpunk 2077, including Phantom Liberty, where you can get them, and what makes them so deadly:
Dying Night
Type: Power
Class: Pistol
Kicking things off is one of the first iconic weapons you can get in the game. Dying Night is available from Robert Wilson's gun shop, which is in Megabuilding H10 - the same place as V's apartment at the start of the game. As soon as you get the side quest called The Gun, you'll be able to go in and buy Dying Night for free.
Dying Night is a handgun that does +125% headshot damage and has +25% armor penetration. While it doesn't have particularly high damage, it's accurate and reliable, especially early on in the game.
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Divided We Stand
Type: Smart
Class: Assault Rifle
The Divided We Stand assault rifle is a smart weapon, which means it has homing bullets. It also has a chance to produce a poison cloud with each bullet that hits your target, making it one of the best assault rifles in the game, especially if you don't want to go to too much effort, y'know, aiming.
You can get your hands on Divided We Stand by either killing all the 6th Street Gang members in the Stadium Love mission (or you can just grab the weapon and run away), or if you can record the fastest time in the target shooting contest, you'll be given the weapon as a reward. Funny that you need to be the most accurate to win a weapon that doesn't require much accuracy...
Overwatch
Type: Power
Class: Sniper Rifle
Snipers are a huge asset in Cyberpunk 2077, and Overwatch is possibly the best of the lot - especially if you like to stay hidden for as long as possible. You can get your hands on it by completing the Riders on the Storm side mission, at which point Panam will gift it to you.
Overwatch has a very slow attack speed since it's a bolt action sniper, but as long as you can hit your shots, the +300% headshot damage means you can one-hit any standard enemy, and two or three-shot boss foes. It also has +50% armor penetration, but it's arguably the best sniper in the game because it comes with a silencer, so you can pick enemies off from afar and their pals won't hear a thing.
Malorian Arms 3516
Type: Power
Class: Pistol
The Malorian Arms 3516 is a simple weapon, but it's a damn reliable one. This is Johnny Silverhand's pistol, and you can get it from Greyson during the Chippin' In quest. This should replace Dying Night when you get your hands on it - the Malorian Arms 3516 has the same +25% armor penetration, but it deals +150% headshot damage, and it has some serious oomph.
Murphy's Law
Type: Melee
Class: One-handed Club
Over to the Phantom Liberty expansion now with Murphy's Law, one of the best blunt melee weapons in the game. You can get it if you kill Murphy during the mission Firestarter, when V and Alex attempt to rescue Songbird.
It has 50% armor penetration - impressive for a blunt weapon when you think about it - but it also has +20% chance to bleed, stun, and shock with every hit. If you're hitting an enemy that has already been knocked down, your attack speed increases, and strong attacks deal more damage. Wowzer.
Her Majesty
Type: Power
Class: Pistol
What's this, another pistol? If you're rocking the aforementioned Overwatch, this must be your sidearm, because as you'd expect, it comes with a silencer. Again, this is obtained during Phantom Liberty - slightly earlier on though, as Alex gives it to you around halfway through the main story.
Alongside the silencer, it deals +150% headshot damage, +10% crit damage, and has a +5% crit chance. It excels if you have Optical Camo however - which you definitely should if you're rocking a stealth build - as when it's active, Her Majesty gains perfect accuracy, increased damage, and guaranteed headshot crits.
O'Five
Type: Power
Class: Sniper Rifle
If stealth isn't your thing but you still want to pick foes off from afar, you need the O'Five sniper rifle. You can get it during the Beat on the Brat: Arroyo side quest in the main game. Beat Buck in the fight, then raise the wager and taunt him. Beat Buck again - and his pals - and you can get O'Five from him.
This thing is heavy, so when wielding it, you'll be unable to sprint, dodge, or dash, and your movement speed and jumping reach are reduced. What you get in return is a sniper rifle that heals +50% armor penetration and crit damage, has a 40% chance to burn your target, and the bullets themselves are packed with explosives. The more enemies you have burning simultaneously, the faster your reload speed and the higher your crit chance. Damn.
Hawk
Type: Power
Class: Assault Rifle
Finally, we have Hawk. An Assault Rifle from the Phantom Liberty expansion you'll get when you're free to explore your Dogtown hideout
Alongside offering +175% headshot damage and +25% armor penetration, the Hawk stands out because headshots "temporarily weaken and mark enemies". This means that enemies are slower, can't use abilities, deal less damage, and may also lose their balance. Plus it has an empty scope and muzzle slot - two customisation options a lot of iconic weapons are missing.
M251S Ajax
This is the only generic weapon I've included and it's by far the best assault rifle because of how balanced it is; not too much recoil, deals a hefty amount of damage, and it's automatic so no worrying about firing bursts. You'll be able to find a number of M251S Ajax assault rifles by killing enemies, although it's not as common as the Copperhead or Masamune assault rifles. Stick a scope on one of these bad boys and you'll be headshotting like never before.
Cyberpunk 2077 Power, Tech, and Smart guns explained
Every gun in Cyberpunk 2077 comes under one of three categories: Power, Tech, and Smart. Understanding the difference between the three is crucial to finding the best weapons for you, especially if you've made certain choices with your build. So how do they all work?
- Power weapons are your run of the mill, closest-to-standard-weapons you'll find in Cyberpunk 2077. However, bullets can ricochet off surfaces, and if you have the Ballistics Coprocessor cyberware, you can control where they ricochet to.
- Tech weapons aren't too dissimilar from your usual guns, but you can charge these for much more powerful bullets. Charged shots can penetrate through walls to hit enemies behind cover
- Smart weapons are for those of you rocking a cyberware-focused build. You don't actually have to aim accurately, as Smart weapons fire homing bullets and can lock onto targets - provided you have Smart Link installed, a cyberware mod for your hands
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