Summary
Cyberpunk 2077may not technically be a looter-shooter, but it has a ton of guns on offer. Before Patch 2.1 came along and revolutionized the game, it used to be that some weapons were clearly better than others. With the game’s latest updates, however, CD Projekt Red has dished out countless buffs and nerfs in an attempt to balance the game’s arsenal. These days, whether or not a weapon is any good relies just as much on V’s build as it does on the weapon’s stats.
For the most part, fans would agree this has been for the best. However, iconic weapons got the short end of the stick, and many were so heavily nerfed they’reno longer worth upgrading. On the other hand, common weapons V picks up off the street will usually be scaled to match their level, making them much more viable. As balanced as most of the weapons inCyberpunk 2077now feel, there are still a handful that feel underwhelming. Some have lackluster special effects, some have low stats and others just aren’t that fun to use.
8
Effects
Fires an explosive projectile causing major physical or elemental damage. Charged Shots Receive: +30% damage +25% radius +40% dismemberment chance
TheProjectile Launch Systemmight be a controversial pick, which is why it’s at the bottom of this list. When it comes to cyberware, it’s largely a matter of taste, but there’s an argument to be made that the PLS is the worst cyberware weapon in the game.
A rocket launcher attachment for V’s arm sounds cool, and using the PLS can be a lot of fun. The problem with it is, to unlock the weapon’s true potential, the player needs to use a very specific build. With the right perks, the PLS will one-shot pretty much everything in sight, but that’s all players will be doing. Other cyberware weapons are far more versatile and otherbuilds more fun to use.
20
41
1.2
24
Handling
7
TheProblem Solveris an iconic variant of the Militech M221 Saratoga. Its iconic modifier gives the gun a 90-round extended clip and speeds up the fire rate by 33%. So far so good.
The problem lies in the fact that its iconic modifier also nerfs the gun’s handling and reload speed, not great when the game’s SMGs already struggle with range and accuracy.
The only thing saving it from a worse ranking is that,with the right perks,the Problem Solver can be made somewhat usable - it can be particularly good if players want to walk right up to a boss’s face and unload.
13
34
1.6
30
72
Received asa reward for helping Paco and Babsduring “Balls to the Wall,“Carmen’sunique modifier isn’t especially useful. It increases handling when running, jumping, or sliding and boosts damage by up to 10% and bleeding by 15% depending on movement speed. On top of this, it has an extra 20% Crit Chance against limbs. Essentially, it wants V to run around like the Duracell bunny and rewards gamers for not hitting center mass.
On a close-range weapon like an SMG or a shotgun, this modifier would have been great, but less so on an assault rifle. The rest of its stats are essentially the same as the common DA8 Umbra, meaning low damage but a high rate of fire. As with most ofCyberpunk’sworst weapons, the Carmen isn’t intrinsically bad, there are just many better options out there.
0.8
510
2.9
TheCarnagefeels like it should be awesome. It’s a power shotgun that holds five shells, each of which puts out 10 projectiles. This means the Carnage packs a respectable punch (although it’s nowhere near being the most powerful shotgun in the game). Unfortunately, everything else about it is completely underwhelming.
It has a painfully slow fire rate and reload speed, which are exacerbated by its small clip size. Plus, since it’s a heavy weapon, if V doesn’t have the right perks, they’ll be hampered by reduced movement speed and a shorter jump - less than ideal when the Carnage needs V to get up close and personal. There are much better shotguns on offer, especially Rebecca’s Guts (from theCyberpunk:Edgerunnersanime), which is a step up from the vanilla Carnage in every way.
240
Stamina Cost
16
TheHammerlooks cool, and Patch 2.1 gave it some cool special moves if V has thebest body perks equipped. Unfortunately, even with these moves, it’s still arguably the worst blunt weapon inCyberpunk 2077.Its description says it does high damage, but in reality, the Hammer only hits as hard as the humble baseball bat, but uses up much more stamina to do it.
Its attack speed is subpar and as a heavy weapon, it slows V down and hurts their jump. Since melee builds tend to utilize speed and agility, that’s not exactly ideal. Players are better off picking up any other melee weapon (bar one that appears even lower on this list) - they’ll do more damage and have more fun.
5
67
0.9
36
7.2
Plan Bis the perfect gun for players looking to burn some money. It’s an iconic version of the Constitutional Arms Liberty that can be looted off of the backstabber Dexter DeShawn. Its modifier means it uses Eurodollars instead of normal ammo, and it has a larger magazine size.
Sadly, its other stats aren’t all that impressive - its attack speed is low, and its damage is too. There’s just no point in using the Plan B - ammo is rarely scarce inCyberpunk 2077,and players are spoiled for choice when it comes to better handguns. Anyone running low on ammo should probably work on their aim rather than relying on Plan B.
11
2.1
5.6
Cyberpunk’sLMGs have always been underwhelming. Whereas most weapons have been pretty well-balanced since the legendary Patch 2.1, the game’s light machine guns still aren’t great. On paper, there’s nothing wrong with theDefender- besides its awfully slow reload time.
However, the defender can’t equip a scope and, to be used effectively, most players will find themselves needing to get close to enemies. At that point, they’d be better off carrying a much more user-friendly SMG. With the right perks, LMGs like the Defender can become viable, but like most weapons on this list, it’s just not worth the effort.
49
0.6
TheChaoscomes with a pretty unique modifier: after reloading, the gun’s damage type, status effect, and Crit Chance are all randomized. That means one minute V could be firing high-crit electric rounds, and the next they could be poisoning their foes with chemical bullets. Using Chaos could have been a lot of fun.
The thing is, it’s a tech weapon, which means players need to charge each shot and take their time if they want to do decent damage. That means V probably won’t be reloading all that often and could get stuck with a less than ideal version of Chaos mid-battle. The final nail in the coffin for the Chaos is its weak DPS, which is worse than many common pistols, let alone other iconics. InCyberpunk 2077fans need a reliable weapon, and the Chaos is the exact opposite by design.
133
6.4
TheCocktail Stickhas to be the most disappointing iconic weapon in the game. It looks so cool, but everything about it is lacking.Cyberpunkhas two kinds of katanas - one with a very high DPS, the other with a painfully low DPS. The Cocktail Stick is the second kind of katana.
Worse still, its iconic modifier is next to useless. With optical camo active, the katana will cause prolonged bleeding on targets, making it one of thebest weapons for bleeding damage.
That would be great if the whole point of stealth attacks wasn’t taking enemies out with one hit, which nullifies the effects of bleeding before they do anything. On the bright side, the Cocktail Stick does have a hidden +300% chance to dismember - except it doesn’t work on bosses, andCyberpunk 2077’senemies are already more prone to losing limbs than a Mr. Potato Head.
6
4.3
Nothing sums up the violent, dystopian world ofCyberpunk 2077quite like theSlaught-O-Matic.It’s a disposable Power Pistol produced by Budget Arms and sold via their vending machines. The gun comes with a 36-round clip and can’t be reloaded, making it a single-use item.
The gun is obviously a joke weapon, and that’s reflected in its stats - low damage, weak attack speed, and a short range. Simply put, it’s the worst gun in the game by a mile. The gun is so terrible that fans have created a brutalchallenge centered around it.
