The best weapons and loadout for Fortnite Chapter 7

Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 2, titled Showdown, has delivered on its promise of a brand new loot pool. Only a couple of shotguns survive, joined by a mountain of absurdly powerful weapons. It's a mark of just how lethal these new guns are that last season's shotguns, the Twin Hammers and the Iron Pump, are relegated down the tier list.

The loot pool will only get busier as the community collectively unlocks new items through the Team Foundation vs Team Ice King battle that's at the heart of the season.

Below I'll rank all of the weapons so you know exactly what to equip. Then, I'll go over the uber-powerful mythic weapons and how to get them, before discussing the best mobility, healing, and utility items to complete your loadout. I'll update this list as new items are added.

Disregarding mythic weapons, here's my ideal loadout in Chapter 7 Season 2: Showdown

• The Chaos reloader shotgun for its one-shot potential
• The Thunderburst SMG as a versatile follow-up spray weapon
• The scoped Vector 7 DMR for long-range headshots
• Seven power gloves for mobility
• A healing item: pick any of the the Slapperoni Pizza for the extra stamina, the Chug Jug for raw healing output, the Chug Splash for team modes, or the Flowberry Mist, which doubles as a smoke grenade

If you prefer to double up on mobility—I do sometimes—then take the Seven power gloves alongside overdrive grenades. That leaves you two weapon slots: the Chaos reloader is a must, and pair that with a spray weapon of your choice.

If you're playing Zero Build, consider picking up Port-a-bunkers for the late game alongside two weapons, a mobility item and heals.

Fortnite Chapter 7 Showdown best weapons tier list

The Chaos reloader shotgun is Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 2's overpowered weapon. It only holds one shot but that single blast can deal 150 damage to the body, giving you an easy follow-up kill with a spray weapon.

Its power, and the multiplying of excellent short-range spray weapons this season—particularly the returning Thunder burst SMG and the Twin Mag SMG—make the other shotguns hard to recommend. I'm sure fans of the Twin Hammer and Iron Pump shotguns will still enjoy using them, but they're nowhere near as good as they were before.

You'll also notice there's only two items below B tier this season, reflecting the fact that most weapons are viable.

Remember that rarity matters, with rarer versions of weapons dealing more damage, and it can be worth swapping for a "worse" gun of a higher rarity.

S-tier

Chaos reloader shotgun

A shotgun that you need to reload after each shot sounds annoying—but the raw power of the Chaos reloader is worth that drawback. The most common version of this shotgun deals 135 bodyshot damage. 135! That ramps up to 165 for the legendary version. Up close if you can land that first shot, all you need to do is switch to your spray weapon of choice for an easy kill.

Best of all it reloads automatically even when it's not equipped. So shoot, switch, spray, and switch back to the Chaos again if you need to finish the job (although chances are your opponent is already dead).

A-tier

Vector 7 DMR

It's been ages since we've had a strong DMR in Fortnite, which makes the Vector's arrival feel even sweeter. Aside from an exotic sniper rifle it's the only weapon with a scope: its slow fire rate loses to spray weapons at middle distances but it dominates at range. If your aim is good you can two-tap opponents to the head in Builds mode (and in Zero Builds too, if you find the Legendary version), and it'll only take three bodyshots to kill them. It's absolutely lethal in the right hands.

Up to 100m it's a hitscan gun—beyond that you'll need to lead your targets slightly, so keep that in mind. And make sure you're adapting your playstyle when using it. Don't run in aggressively with this weapon: instead, find cover, peek out, take shots, and push when your opponent is weak.

Thunder burst SMG

A Chapter 5 favorite returns—this time as a hitscan weapon, making it even more powerful. This is a pinpoint accurate SMG from both the hip and aimed in, with monster damage numbers and a large magazine. A single bullet can deal up to 30 to the body and 50 to the head, which means you can drop enemies in a couple of bursts.

I like it as a follow-up weapon to the Chaos Reloader shotgun, but it can also match assault rifles at short-to-mid-range. You'll need to control the recoil on its three-round burst (pull slightly straight down), but once you've got the muscle memory you'll be melting the entire lobby.

Pistol

Don't sleep on this one. Its 18-round magazine is small but its potential damage is massive. It can deal up to 200 damage per second, and that's before you take into account its 2x headshot multiplier (higher than any other weapon on the list).

At range, it struggles, and you'll need to feather the trigger, but as a short-to-medium range spray weapon it works wonders. Pairs brilliantly with the Chaos reloader shotgun.

B-tier

Twin Mag SMG

The Thunder burst's larger magazine, mid-range accuracy and 1.75x headshot multiplier makes it my SMG of choice but the Twin Mag is close behind. Its gimmick is that every second reload is rapid, which partly mitigates its smaller 25-shot magazine.

An eye-watering DPS of nearly 250 at its highest rarity makes it excellent for chewing through opponents and builds alike. It lacks the range of the Thunder burst, but as a close-range spray weapon it's unparalleled.

Combat AR

We have two excellent assault rifles this season, and they're both in B tier simply because of how strong the loot pool is. The combat AR is the faster firing one, almost like an SMG hybrid but with better mid-range accuracy. It's also an excellent spray weapon to pair with your Chaos reloader shotgun if you don't want to take an SMG.

Nemesis AR

The slower-firing, harder-hitting assault rifle of the season. Its damage per second is lower than the Combat AR but it deals more damage per bullet. That makes it better at mid-to-long range, where you're more likely to be burst or tap-firing than full-auto spraying. I prefer the Vector 7 DMR for longer-range fights, but if you're more of an AR person the Nemesis will be a trusty companion.

Iron pump shotgun

This is an excellent pump-action shotgun that dominated last season, but the Chaos reloader shotgun bumps it down the list. The Iron pump is a slow-firing, high-damage shotgun—the Chaos fits the same mold, but with more damage.

If you're liable to miss your shots then you could consider picking the Iron Pump instead because it's more forgiving, with more shots in its magazine to help you through long firefights. But honestly, I'd rather just take the Chaos and carry an SMG that I can swap to if I need it.

Still, if you can't find a Chaos, the Iron pump is a good back-up, especially in build modes where you need high one-shot damage in box fights.

C-tier

Twin Hammer shotguns

In build modes the dual Twin Hammer shotguns feel weak because they don't deal very much damage per shot, and you sometimes only have a split second to hit your opponent between edits. In Zero Build, they're better because of their high fire rate and consistent damage—but we'd rather take the Chaos reloader shotgun or one of the high-damage SMGs.

Seven Cluster Cannon

The much-anticipated cluster cannon isn't as powerful as it looks. It shoots an energy ball that explodes and then splits into smaller fragments that also detonate. The damage is pretty piddly—80 for a direct hit—and the fragments spray unreliably in every direction.

Still, in team-based build modes, it could be worth one player carrying this to break open enemy bunkers.

Mythic weapons

Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 2 Showdown mythic and exotic weapons

Okay, strap in, because a cavalcade of mythics and exotics marches into this season, each with specific instructions for getting your hands on them. Many only have a chance to spawn, rather than a guaranteed method.

Let's start with the exotics, of which there are three.

You get them all from the rivals stations dotted throughout the map (look for the crossed swords icons). Starting rival contracts and defeating your rivals nets you coins to spend, and all of these cost coins.

• Lawful heavy impact tracking rifle: A sniper than can one-shot enemies to the head. When it hits, it pings players in the area.
• Lawful explosive Mammoth pistol: A high-damage pistol with explosive bullets.
• Lawful Shockwave rocket launcher: Launches rockets that mimic shockwave grenades, blasting you away from the impact. The best mobility item in the entire season.
• The Foundation's Rift Rifle: An exotic version of the DMR—if you charge a shot then you'll create a rift where the bullet lands (ideal for moving around the map). To obtain it, first hire The Foundation NPC at New Sanctuary, then get three kills. The NPC will give you this rifle.

Now, the mythics. Oh boy, there are loads.

• Dark Voyager's Obliterator: Pictured above, this is the mythic version of the chaos reloader shotgun, with two shots instead of one. The Dark Voyager boss drops it when defeated—they spawn at various points on the map but most commonly at Dark Dominion. An incredibly powerful weapon.
• Squibbly's Combat assault rifle: This mythic version of the combat assault rifle drops from the Squibbly mini boss, and its fire rate increases as you hold the trigger. Their spawn moves but they're often at Squibbly Shores.
• Brute Nemesis assault rifle: This mythic nemesis assault rifle has a chance to drop when you drive over a car over the jump at Looper's Leap.
• Ice King's Gauntlets: Defeat the Ice King at Frigid Fortress to get these. Their primary fire is a 50-damage projectile with some splash damage; right click for a projectile that creates an icy storm that continuously damages anyone within it (good for team-based modes).
• Brutus' Twin Hammer Shotguns: Lift the weight at Ripped Tides and this mythic has a chance to spawn (eat the steaks dotted around the POI to lift the weight faster).

You can also head to Sandy Strip and complete the drag race (you'll need two players for this, one in each car). When the race is over a random mythic spawns. You can get one of the above mythics (except the gauntlets) or a mythic Pinpoint Iron pump shotgun, or the Apex Thunder burst SMG.

Phew! That's a whole lot of mythics. They're all pretty good, so it's worth going out of your way to get them (in team modes, landing on the Sandy Strip race is a decent tactic).

Stabilize the Rift Anomaly in Chapter 7 Season 2 grants powerful weapons

In Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 2, "rift anomalies" can trigger randomly as a new storm zone begins. There are several, but the most important when it comes to weapons is the "stabilize the rift" anomaly. This will spawn a purple rift, marked on your map, with drones guarding it. Simply shoot the drones to get one of the following items:

• Modular Gatekeeper Shotgun: Triangular-spread automatic shotgun. One of Fortnite's strongest-ever weapons
• Explosive Repeater Rifle: Fires explosive rounds with decent splash damage
• Baron's Double Down Pistol: A high-damage pistol with two shots in the chamber
• Havoc Suppressed Assault Rifle: Fully-auto suppressed rifle
• The Kneecapper: The loved/hated bat is back: whacks enemies miles and boosts your speed when you carry it
• Typhoon Blade: An excellent mobility item that boosts your speed and jump
• Thorne's Vampiric Blade: A mobility-focused blade with a long slash when you right click
• Chains of Hades: A melee item with a long-range attack
• Grapple Blade: A grapply hook that attacks at the end of your grapple

Best Fortnite items

Best items in Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 2: What heals and mobility to carry alongside your weapons

What should you carry alongside your favorite weapons?

Well, you'll want at least one mobility item—possibly two—and some healing. Thankfully you have tons of options this season. I'll explain them all below.

Healing

As always, the best healing item is the one you have on you: shield potions, med kits, fish, and bandages will do in a pinch. But this season is stuffed with excellent heals for every situation. Four items stand out.

The first is Chug Jug, which heals 200 health and shield combined and can be used as many times as you need until it runs out. It's the best pure healing item in the game.

The Chug Splash is a throwable item that splashes to heal anyone it touches for 20 health (or shield, if health is full). It's fantastic for team modes because it heals multiple players at once.

The Flowberry Mist Grenade creates a concealing cloud when you throw it that patches shields and grants a zero-gravity effect. It can't heal your white health, but the smoke cloud has saved my life more than once. I like carrying this late on in rounds.

The Slapperoni Pizza might be the best of the bunch. You'll find this as a full pizza box that you can chuck on the ground, and then anyone can eat a slice or grab one in their inventory, stacking up to three. They heal for 35 health per slice and give you infinite stamina for a short time.

And while not technically a healing item, you'll want to keep an eye out for a self-revive device. When you're downed it'll bring you back to life. You can find it in health vending machines, on bosses, or rarely in chests.

Mobility

Who needs shockwaves when you have overdrive grenades?

These new items work similarly to shockwaves: you throw them at the floor and, after a short timer, they'll blast you away from the point of explosion. Combine that with jumps and sprints to adjust your trajectory and distance. They don't throw you quite as far as shockwaves in my testing, but they have the added bonus of boosting your movement when you land and granting unlimited stamina for a short time.

For me, they're the second best movement item in Chapter 7 Season 2, sitting just behind the Seven Power gloves.

They're similar to melee-based mobility items from past chapters, with a right-click uppercut that launches you up, and a left click punch that shoots you in the direction you're moving. Don't spam them because they're limited to 20 uses before they break. Uppercut to launch an enemy skywards, then switch to your shotgun to finish them off—it's a deadly combo that's especially handy against bush campers.

Your final mobility item, and the weakest, is the Skyline Deployer. It creates a zipline in the direction you aim it and you can chain them together to traverse great heights or distances. It sounds good but you're quite easy to hit on a zipline, so for that reason I'd pick the other two items first. It can break through builds, so it may have extra utility in build modes, although its behaviour is a little inconsistent.

Utility items

Finally, you should know about the various utility items this season. The Harpoon and the Pro Fishing Rod can be especially useful in the early game to find decent items in water. There's a variety of new fish this season, including one that marks nearby enemies and one that boosts your movement speed, so sometimes it can be worth landing at a fishing spot and stocking up.

For Zero Build, you should consider portable cover for the end game in the form of the Port-a-Bunker and the Shield Bubble Jr.

The Port-a-bunker is a small ramped fort that spawns on demand, while the Shield Bubble Jr creates a small, impenetrable barrier around you. Given the choice I'd pick the bunkers, and I'd recommend carrying them late in the game alongside two weapons, one mobility item, and one healing item.

Fortnite loadout tips

Experiment to find your perfect loadout

Now you have a feel for all the weapons and items, here are some simple tips for picking your ideal combo:

• Play to your strengths: Everyone’s playstyle is different. If you’re good at closing distances with shifty movement, you could ditch an assault rifle or the DMR and combine the Thunder burst SMG with a shotgun, and double up on mobility. Test different combos until you find some you enjoy.
• Pick weapons that synergise: Ideally, that means having, at least, something short-range and something for mid-range fights. Also think about your weapons’ strengths and weaknesses, and how they fit together. The Chaos reloader only has one shot, so carrying it alongside the slow-firing DMR is a recipe for disaster.
• Consider swapping to a "worse" weapon of higher rarity: A purple Twin Mag SMG will beat a white Thunder Burst SMG. Adapt to what you find.
• Remember, there are no rules: Find a loadout you enjoy and stick with it, or vary it up every match depending on your mood.