The Best Weapons in Fallout Shelter (& How to Craft Them)

There are numerous weapons in Fallout Shelter. From a simple BB Gun to a Butcher Knife to a Fat Man, there are all sorts of ways to destroy your enemies in the wasteland and the vault. Some are better than others, however. These are the best weapons in Fallout Shelter and how to craft them.

Best Weapons to Get in Fallout Shelter

All of the hardest-hitting guns in Fallout Shelter fall under the Legendary category. They can be hard to find, get the recipe for, and have enough junk to craft. It can often mean the difference between slaying the Deathclaws before they get to the second vault level or having multiple dead Dwellers.

That being said, there are a few rare weapons that you can craft during the middle game that can still qualify for quests and keep your Dwellers alive. Rare weapons require a recipe to make but are easier to acquire.

Best Rare Mid-Game Weapons in Fallout Shelter

Certain quests, like the Game Show Gauntlet, will require your team’s weapons to all hit a damage threshold. Typically, it’s 17 or more for the higher-level missions. The three rare guns listed below all meet this requirement, allowing you to continue through the storylines and earn items for Legendary weapons.

To craft any rare weapon, your Weapon Workshop will have to be upgraded. Going to level 2, the Weapon Factory costs x8,000 Caps and requires your vault to have 45 inhabitants. Use the links below to jump to a particular weapon, or read on to learn about them all.

• Plasma Rifle
• Pressurized Flamer
• Tactical Junk Jet

Plasma Rifle

The Plasma Rifle has the highest damage (17-18) output of any rare weapon in the game. It can be found in Lunchboxes, while on quests, when exploring the wasteland, or be crafted. This ease of access combined with the best damage makes it the number one best rare weapon to equip your Dwellers.

To craft the Plasma Rifle:

• x3 Alarm Clock, x3 Globe, x3 Microscope, x400 Caps
• Assign Dwellers high in Perception
• Takes 6h 4m 5s with six max P characters

Pressurized Flamer

The Pressurized Flamer is the fully upgraded version of the normal Flamer. Its damage range is 15-19, but it deals 17 on average. Like the Plasma Rifle, it can be obtained through multiple means. The attacking animation is pretty awesome, too. I love having one equipped on my lower damage teams.

To craft the Pressurized Flamer:

• x3 Alarm Clock, x3 Globe, x3 Microscope, x400 Caps
• Assign Dwellers high in Strength
• Takes 6h 4m 5s with six max S characters

Tactical Junk Jet

The Tactical Junk Jet has the same damage output as the Pressurize Flamer (15-19, average 17), but there’s one major drawback. This specific Junk Jet version can only be crafted. It can’t be found while questing or exploring. That means you have to find the recipe and make the weapon before you can ever test it out.

On the plus side, it doesn’t fire junk from your inventory or vault storage. Don’t worry about that rare Military Duct Tape or Shovel flying toward a Raider; those are safely tucked away. Random untracked junk is used as ammo instead.

To craft the Tactical Junk Jet:

• x3 Alarm Clock, x3 Globe, x3 Microscope, x400 Caps
• Assign Dwellers high in Strength
• Takes 6h 4m 5s with six max S characters

Best Legendary Late-Game Weapons in Fallout Shelter

Like the rare weapons, legendary ones require another upgrade to the Weapon Workshop. The final upgrade to Weapon Plant status is unlocked at 75 Dwellers and costs x60,000 Caps. Once done, you’ll be able to craft any weapon you have unlocked, regardless of rarity. As before, use the links below to jump to a particular weapon, or read on to learn about them all.

• Dragon’s Maw
• Vengeance
• MIRV
• Fire Hydrant Bat

Dragon’s Maw

Hands down, the Dragon’s Maw is the best all-around weapon in Fallout Shelter. It has the highest average damage, coming in at 25.5 with a range of 22-29. It’s a single-target gun, which makes it a little less impressive in quest scenarios, but it excels when wandering the wasteland and in the vault. The real downside is that it can only be crafted, not found or earned as a mission reward.

To craft the Dragon’s Maw:

• x3 Chemistry Flask, x3 Globe, x3 Military Circuit Board, x22,050 Caps
• Assign Dwellers high in Strength
• Takes 6d 5h 45m with six max S characters

Vengeance

The Vengeance is the perfect weapon for quests. While it’s a single-target weapon, its multi-shot will carry over to the next target once the original is killed. It’s the strongest non-AOE gun in the game, even though it has a lower overall range (21-26 damage). It’s also not restricted to just being crafted, so you can possibly find it while exploring.

To craft the Vengeance:

• x5 Microscope, x3 Military Circuit Board, x2 Giddyup Buttercup, x21,500 Caps
• Assign Dwellers high in Strength
• Takes 6d 2h 8m with six max S characters

MIRV

The MIRV is a variant of the Fat Man. It deals the most AOE damage in Fallout Shelter, hitting all targets in a room at the same time. For quests that may have a lot of enemies at once, this weapon is a saving grace. I happen to enjoy the animation that comes when it fires, and the bomb explodes. In addition to being made, it can also be acquired from a Lunchbox.

To craft the MIRV:

• x3 Chemistry Flask, x3 Military Duct Tape, X3 Shovel, x22,050 Caps
• Assign Dwellers high in Strength
• Takes 6d 5h 45m with six max S characters

Fire Hydrant Bat

The final weapon on our list is the Fire Hydrant Bat. As a melee weapon, it has the highest max damage in the game, with a range of 19-31. On average, it hits for 25, which can quickly crush any opponent. As a melee weapon, the wielder is unable to switch to another once the original target is dead. Often, they won’t even be able to attack the remaining enemies since they have to get up close. It’s good for wasteland wandering and in the vault, but quests are where it lacks. It can be obtained through all the various methods.

To make the Fire Hydrant Bat:

• x3 Chemistry Flask, x3 Military Duct Tape, x3 Shovel, x22,050 Caps
• Assign Dwellers high in Intellect
• Takes 6d 5h 45m with six max I characters

Those are the best weapons in Fallout Shelter and how to craft them. For more on crafting, how to make items from the Fallout show, or how to make babies, check out our Fallout Shelter guide vault.