The assault rifle and shotgun combo has dominated Fortnite for too long. Every time I refresh our best weapons guide they’re collectively at the top of the tier list—and if the assault rifle has a red-dot sight it’s essentially a must carry. This season’s scoped Deadeye AR, for example, is by far the best gun in the loot pool despite several nerfs.
Only a couple of overpowered, and incredibly fun, revolvers disrupted the meta in 2025 (and even then, the Wrecker revolver was basically a shotgun anyway). It’s too early to judge Fortnite in 2026 and I, for one, am enjoying Chapter 7’s big, varied map, even if I’m grieving shockwaves. But having to carry the same old loadout combinations is starting to feel a little stale.
There’s no quick fix, but I think part of the solution is two unloved, forgotten classes of weapons: SMGs and Snipers.
The last spectacular SMG was Chapter 5’s beloved Thunder Burst, way back in 2024. It was accurate, versatile, and hard-hitting. But since then, SMGs have been outclassed by rifles at mid-range and shotguns up close, and they’re only really viable if you carry them as a third weapon to spray enemies between shotgun blasts. Carrying three weapons means one less mobility, healing, or utility item, worsening your chances of a win.
SMGs should be low-recoil, high-damage beasts with accurate hipfire and limited range. They shouldn’t compete with assault-rifles over long distances, and in close quarters a shotgun should still win most of the time, but they should be the versatile stalwarts of the in-between. An agile SMG-led playstyle that plays distances smartly should be viable, and right now it’s not.
Getting them there might require boosting all their stats to the point they’re overpowered: higher damage, lower recoil, and bigger magazines. But that’s absolutely fine with me. What’s the worst that can happen? If they become S-tier weapons, that would simply bring them in line with any red-dot assault rifle in the loot pool.
But buffing them alone won’t be enough. Part of the problem is that assault rifles are just too darn good.
It pains me to say that—the Holo Twister from Chapter 6 is one of my favorite Fortnite weapons ever—but their accuracy, high fire rates and decent hipfire make them useful in practically every situation. They can dominate at longer ranges, but they can also be your follow-up weapon for a shotgun up close. This means you only really need to carry two weapons and you can fill up on other items to give you the edge in the end-game, particularly extra mobility or, if you’re playing Zero Build, portable cover.
So alongside buffing SMGs across the board I’d want Epic to reduce the fire rate of assault rifles and make their hipfire spray less accurate. I’m thinking something akin to the Spire Rifle from Chapter 6 Season 3, which hit hard and accurately at long ranges, but its slow fire rate made it dicey up close.
One shot, one kill
There’s another reason ARs have felt so dominant for ages: the painful lack of a proper meaty sniper rifle. Last year we got a parade of mediocre DMRs and scoped rifles that failed to dent in the meta, and it left players who love a steady, long-distance playstyle starved of options.
I’m not saying we should bring back 250-damage headshot rifles—although I’d love to see how that plays out—but we need to boost their DPS somehow. The Vengeful Sniper Rifle currently deals just 85 damage for a body shot. Combine that with its slow fire rate and you get a DPS that lags far behind any assault rifle.
Better snipers and SMGs would instantly make Fortnite feel more dynamic and give lapsed fans something to come back for.
It also gives Epic designers room for creativity. I wrote in November that the Simpsons mini-season proved that over-the-top weapons worked: a revolver that attached balloons to enemies, a full-auto infantry rifle, a radioactive slingshot. This season, we don’t have anything near as imaginative. So why not an SMG that makes you run faster, or masks your footsteps? Why not a sniper that marks enemies in red when you scope near them?
Why not both?
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