The wasteland of Fallout 4 can be an unforgiving place, filled with ruthless raiders, giant mutants, and irradiated creatures looking to make you their next meal. When up against these lethal foes, you need the very best in heavy weaponry by your side.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll be showcasing Fallout 4‘s most hard-hitting and overpowered heavy weapons. From the high damage Gatling Laser to the explosive punch of the Missile Launcher, these death-dealers will allow you to dispatch enemies with unrivaled force.
We‘ll also take an in-depth look at one of Fallout 4‘s unique flamethrowers—the Sergeant Ash. This rare firearm has a chance to cripple targets and can be used to take down some of Fallout 4‘s deadliest creatures, like the Deathclaw. With good range and high base damage for a heavy weapon, the Sergeant Ash is a great addition to any Wasteland loadout.
So without further ado, let‘s light ‘em up!
Best Overall Heavy Weapon: Big Boy
When looking for the most damage output from a single heavy weapon, the Big Boy MIRV Launcher in Fallout 4 takes the cake. Purveyed by Arturo in Diamond City, the Big Boy fires two mini-nukes simultaneously while only costing one round of ammo, offering the most value from the staggering strength of mini-nukes.
Getting the Big Boy is a quintessential moment for any high-level Fallout 4 player, as two mini-nukes can outright annihilate most enemies, groups of foes, or even legendary creatures like the Queen Mirelurk or Mythic Deathclaw. The Big Boy‘s listed damage of 922 coupled with perks like Heavy Gunner and Bloody Mess, can reach an unparalleled output of over 3000 damage.
Getting caught in the crossfire of two nuclear detonations is not an experience most hostiles can walk away from. If you‘re looking to close out encounters as fast as possible, be sure to have the Big Boy at the ready. It‘s hands down Fallout 4‘s most terrifyingly effective heavy weapon. Just stock up on mini nukes!
Stats:
- Damage: 922
- Fire Rate: 1
- Range: 117
- Weight: 30.7
Highest DPS: Explosive Minigun
If you want to send a continuous stream of high-damage rounds downrange, check out the legendary variants of the Minigun. Fully upgraded automatic ballistic firearms like the standard minigun get most of their damage from the Heavy Gunner perk. An explosive legendary modifier multiplies this gun‘s baseline bullet damage into double explosive damage that also benefits from the Heavy Gunner perk and Demolition Expert.
When you can grab a Relentless, Powerful, or other high damage effect Minigun with the explosive property, the result is an absolute roaring bullet hose. Provided you have enough 5mm ammo to fuel its incredible rate of fire, even mythic enemies and high DR foes will melt under this whirring engine of destruction.
The Minigun otherwise struggles with low damage, but despite having only a Damage stat of 112, the Explosive Minigun makes up for it in sheer DPS output. You can also find the Explosive property on other high capacity automatic ballistics like the Submachine Gun or Assault Rifle.
Stats:
- Damage: 112 + Explosive
- Fire Rate: 313
- Range: 95
- Weight: 22.9
Most Effective All-Rounder: Gatling Laser
While it may lack the sheer damage numbers of the Big Boy or explosive Minigun, the Gatling Laser combines a superb fire rate and damage output to shred enemies with ease. The gatling laser has a base damage of 14, significantly higher than the Minigun, and is further boosted by perk investment into Heavy Gunner and Nuclear Physicist.
A fully upgraded Gatling Laser can achieve an insane 150 damage, while firing 500 dense fusion cell rounds from a single Fusion Core. This makes it incredibly ammo efficient, especially compared to ballistic heavy weapons that require you loot hundreds of bullets individually. One high value Fusion Core goes a long way.
With Charging Barrels, the Gatling Laser has a Fire Rate of 45 and deals sustained energy laser damage to soften up and rapidly fell enemies. The high DPS and great ammo efficiency let the Gatling Laser pull weight in any encounter, cutting down countless hostiles before needing a reload. It‘s also surprisingly light for a heavy gun, weighing under 40lbs with proper upgrades and perks.
A surefire investment for any fallout 4 loadout looking to maximize damage over time.
Stats:
- Damage: 155
- Fire Rate: 45
- Range: 251
- Weight: 39.5
Strongest Single Shot: Quad Barrel Missile Launcher
What‘s better than a shoulder fired missile? Four of them at once. Outfitting the Missile Launcher with the Quad Barrel gives this explosive weapon an bump to magazine capacity—now able to volley out four high-impact warheads before needing a lengthy reload.
While lacking rapid-fire capability, the Missile Launcher offers incredible damage potential in the form of its weighty mini-nuke warheads. A level 2 Locking Targeting Computer mod allows these rockets to lock onto enemies before screaming forth to their explosive demise.
With a base damage of 150, a long 203 range, and the ability to sink multiple points of explosive ordnance into targets, the upgraded Missile Launcher acts like a lighter version of the Fat Man. Missiles weigh less individually compared to mini-nukes, though their combined 21lb launcher weight is nothing to scoff at.
When you want to open a fight by smashing hostile forces with a barrage of locked-on devastation, this quad-missile volley should do the trick nicely. Just be sure to keep a surplus of missiles handy for quick reloads.
Stats:
- Damage: 150
- Fire Rate: 2
- Range: 203
- Weight: 21
Unique Flamer: Sergeant Ash
No guide to Fallout 4‘s heavy weapons would be complete without the inclusion of the Sergeant Ash—a unique flamer found only in the Far Harbor DLC. It has a strong focus on crippling limbs thanks to a special Kneecapper modifier.
While flame and plasma weapons act differently from ballistic guns affected by the Heavy Gunner perk, the Sergeant Ash still outputs some nice damage with 90 range. Up close, its searing torrent of flame does work on heavily armored enemies, setting alight creatures and humanoids while cooking them inside their own armor.
Every pellet of flame has a 15% chance to cripple limbs through the Kneecapper effect. Since the flamer fires many flaming projectiles per second, targets will swiftly find their legs or arms disabled. This is perfect for handling nimble enemies like Feral Ghouls, or heavily damaging the legs of Deathclaws to limit their lethal charges.
The Sergeant Ash brings great utility through potential leg crippling and high close range damage, while weighing 40% less than the standard Flamer. It‘s lighter to carry while dishing out useful debuffs, so consider hunting this unique beauty down in Far Harbor when using heavy weapons against quick or bulky enemies.
Stats:
- Damage: 139
- Fire Rate: 90
- Range: 47
- Weight: 16.1
Heavy Hitter: Recoil Compensated Cryolator
There‘s something incredibly satisfying about crystallizing your foes with the icy blue bolts of the Cryolator. Fantastic upgrade options like the Recoil Compensating Stock and Crystalizing Barrel make this gun "cool" in more ways than one.
Despite the rarity of its Cryo Cell ammo, the Cryolator is capable of dishing out +100 damage when upgraded, freezing then shattering opponents as they shamble towards you. The arcing projectiles have a forgiving aiming profile, able to freeze multiple hostiles near the targeted enemy.
A level 3 Cryolator sports some great stats: 239 Damage, 203 Range, and 77 Accuracy. The high damage and moderate fire rate let you stack Frozen debuffs quickly, preventing enemies from closing while you ice them down. Recoil is very manageable even in full auto thanks to custom mods.
While acquiring enough ammunition takes some effort, having a surplus of Cryo Cells turns the Cryolator into a wonderful crowd control tool. Freezing entire groups of oncoming hostiles creates openings to retreat or reposition. Just make sure to keep it loaded!
Stats:
- Damage: 239
- Fire Rate: 90
- Range: 203
- Weight: 19.7
So there you have it, the absolute cream of the crop when it comes to Fallout 4‘s most hard-hitting heavy weapons. Outfit your Power Armored survivor with any combination of these death-dealers to become an unstoppable juggernaut, crushing all opposition on your way to total dominion of the Wasteland. Just mind the splash damage—wouldn‘t want to tear up your newly claimed territory, after all.
Whether you prefer the methodical power of Gatling Lasers, room-clearing might of the Missile Launcher, or the limb-crippling special touch of the Sergeant Ash flamer, Fallout 4 has no shortage of ways to unleash mayhem. Now get out there and wreak havoc upon your enemies! The best heavy weapons await…
