Palworld Weapon Tier List

The best weapons in Palworld 1.0, ranked on three axes: DPS measured in-game, whether the weapon can land weak point hits, and what its ammo costs to sustain. Per-shot power is the worst of the three predictors — the second-most powerful weapon in the game sits in D.

Game 1.100.427 · verified against 1.0.2.101103 (2026-07-30) — no weapon rebalance since 1.0 launch.

DPS = power per second, reload cycle included, measured without headshotsPower = Legendary rarity attack, the rarity the test was run on. The full table below lists base attack instead, so the same weapon deliberately shows two numbers

SBest

Plasma RifleAssault RifleHeadshotsCostly ammoDPS #116,126Legendary ATK2,232
Chains to nearby enemies and ricochets off the ground — the best mob clear in the game, and the easiest weapon to land headshots with in a boss fight.
Drone LauncherSummonNo headshotsDPS #714,400Legendary ATK240
Summon weapon: fire nine drones, swap weapons, they keep attacking. A permanent second slot from level 77 onward. Not boosted by Xenogard.

AGreat

Tactical Grenade LauncherGrenade LauncherNo headshotsCheap ammoDPS #215,487Legendary ATK8,066
Clicking too fast makes it fire SLOWER — find the rhythm. The explosion frequently registers away from the impact point, so headshots rarely land.
Mechanical BowBowHeadshotsCheap ammoDPS #514,719Legendary ATK24,000
17,391 PPS once Robinquill Terra adds +35% charge speed. Ammo is sulfur ingots only, the cheapest endgame weapon to feed.

BGood

Combat SMGAssault RifleHeadshotsMid ammoDPS #414,786Legendary ATK1,587

CSituational

Heavy Assault RifleAssault RifleHeadshotsMid ammoDPS #814,379Legendary ATK1,938

DWeak

Beam ScatterShotgunNo headshotsCostly ammoDPS #315,203Legendary ATK609
Fires as fast as you can click, so an auto-clicker raises its real DPS. Huge magazine, but the pellet spread means it never crits.
Prototype ShotgunShotgunNo headshotsCheap ammoDPS #614,483Legendary ATK1,400
Beam LauncherRocket LauncherCostly ammoDPS #912,393Legendary ATK16,800
Three shots, then it overheats. Both 1.0 testers dropped it from their loadouts despite the per-shot number.

ESkip

Overheat RifleAssault RifleCostly ammoDPS #107,190Legendary ATK1,470
No reload at all, but it burns through ammo faster than anything else in its class.
Plasma CannonRocket LauncherHeadshotsCostly ammoDPS #116,695Legendary ATK13,000
Laser SwordMeleeNo headshotsNo ammoDPS #125,106Legendary ATK2,400
Melee cannot trigger weak point hits, so it gets no crit multiplier whatsoever — the reason melee builds collapsed in 1.0.
Enhanced Lily's SpearMeleeNo headshotsNo ammoDPS #134,500Legendary ATK1,500

What actually multiplies your damage

The DPS chart above is only the first term of the damage formula: weapon power × attack stat × crit × partner skill bonuses × conditional multipliers. Two players holding the same weapon can be four to five times apart on this layer alone.

Gear alone

Legendary body armour + Attack Pendant + Dogen Emblem = +47% attack

Gear plus food

Attack stat at 367 — roughly 3.7× a fresh player, before a single partner skill

Plasma Rifle, headshots + booster Pals

55,000 to 60,000 per hit, against about 12,000 with no setup

Attack stat

Everything in this block feeds one number on your inventory screen. 100 attack is 100% damage, 200 attack is double.

Skill points + potions: Up to 200 permanent attack, a +100% multiplier on its own
Body armour rarity: Attack Boost Lv1 (green) through Lv4 (legendary). Body slot only — helmets and the rest give nothing
Attack Pendant: Attack Up Lv3. Hack terminal in the desert biome
Dogen Emblem: Attack Up Lv4 plus Pal Attack Up Lv4. Hack terminal in Sunreach
Mammorest Curry: +25% attack for the duration — re-eat on loop to keep it permanent
Vanguard (Pal passive): +10% attack per Pal carrying it, so four Pals give +40%

Weak point hits

The dominant endgame multiplier, and the one the PPS chart deliberately excludes.

Landing a weak point hit: Roughly +100% by default — double a body shot
Vanwyrm: Up to +40% weak point damage at max condense
Vanwyrm Cryst: Up to +50%, and it stacks with the base Vanwyrm for +90% total
Cryolinx Terra: +60% on your next weak point hit, applied as a separate multiplier at the end of the calculation — the strongest single source in the game

Flat player damage (partner skills)

These ADD to each other instead of multiplying: 80% and 20% make 100%, not 116%.

Celaray: Up to +80% player damage at max condense
Robbin: Up to +20%, added on top of Celaray rather than multiplied
Solaren / Suzaku: +80% attack while every Pal in the party is a different species
Gobfin: +20% attack power, but with diminishing returns

Weapon-type boosters

Flat bonuses with no diminishing returns — the best value per party slot once you have settled on a weapon.

Xenogard: +35% to energy weapons: Plasma Rifle, Beam Scatter, Beam Launcher, Overheat Rifle, Plasma Cannon. Does NOT boost the Drone Launcher
Nyafia: +35% shotgun damage
Robinquill: +35% bow damage
Robinquill Terra: +35% bow charge speed — this is what takes the Mechanical Bow from 14,719 to 17,391 PPS
Lumen: Arrows explode on contact for an extra 30% of your attack
Loupmoon: +30% melee attack speed. Variants stack even when the tooltip claims they do not
Pupperai: Increases melee weapon damage
Frostplume: Much faster reload — biggest gain on the Combat SMG, which empties its magazine constantly

Status combos

One Pal applies the status, a second punishes it. This is the layer that scales hardest in mob clear.

Ophidia + Jormuntide: Soak on your attacks, then +65% damage against soaked targets
Hellzephyr Lux / Pringster Lux: Convert your damage to electric, which deals double into soak
Dazzi Lord + Pyrinzer: Poison on your attacks, then +65% against poisoned targets. Poison stacks with soak and electrify
Relaxaurus + Jormuntide Ignis: Burn on your attacks, then +65% against burning targets
Snoc + Slow Rod: Electrify on your attacks, then an electric explosion worth +60%
Magestrix / Flurris: A flame aura around you on burning targets, and a +60% explosion for mobbing

What you cannot control

Two invisible factors behind most "why is my damage so low" moments.

Level gap: Scaling is harsh in both directions — under-levelled makes a fight far harder than it looks, over-levelled trivialises it
Enemy defence stat: A flat reduction with nothing you can do to prepare for it

Which weapon to aim for at your level

Tier lists rank what you can hold at level 80. This is what you can actually build now. Every weapon below is placed by its technology unlock level, so the pick for your bracket is the strongest thing the tech tree will let you craft — not the strongest thing in the game.

Early gameLv 1–20

CrossbowLv 13 · 280 base ATK

Also here: Primitive Sword (Lv 17), Metal Spear (Lv 13), Old Bow (Lv 3)

9 weapons unlock in this bracket

Mid-earlyLv 21–35

MusketLv 21 · 1,000 base ATK

Also here: Frag Grenade (Lv 25), Shock Grenade (Lv 27), Ice Grenade (Lv 29)

19 weapons unlock in this bracket

Mid gameLv 36–50

Meteor LauncherLv 38 · 2,000 base ATK

Also here: Semi-Auto Rifle (Lv 41), Single-Shot Rifle (Lv 36), Compound Bow (Lv 42)

14 weapons unlock in this bracket

Late gameLv 51–65

Charge RifleLv 65 · 12,500 base ATK

Also here: Rocket Launcher (Lv 65), Plasma Cannon (Lv 61), Guided Missile Launcher (Lv 56)

18 weapons unlock in this bracket

EndgameLv 66–80

Mechanical BowLv 67 · 20,000 base ATK

Also here: Beam Launcher (Lv 80), Tactical Grenade Launcher (Lv 72), Laser Sword (Lv 73)

11 weapons unlock in this bracket

Base attack at the lowest rarity, from the same datamined table as the list below — higher rarities scale it up. Weapons handed out as quest or boss rewards sit outside the technology tree and carry no unlock level, so they are not placed here. See the full technology tree for what else each level opens.

All 81 weapons by base attack

Every weapon in Palworld 1.0 at its lowest rarity (datamined), with its technology unlock level. Higher rarities scale attack up on a per-weapon ladder — usually 1.2× to Legendary, but the Combat SMG gains 1.75× and the Plasma Cannon 1.3× — which is why the tier list above shows bigger numbers for the same weapons. Anything outside the tier list has no measured fire rate, so it carries no DPS here rather than a guessed one.

#	Weapon	Type	Base ATK	Tech	Mag	DPS-tested
1	Mechanical Bow17,391 PPS once Robinquill Terra adds +35% charge speed. Ammo is sulfur ingots only, the cheapest endgame weapon to feed.	Bow	20,000	67	1	✓
2	Beam LauncherThree shots, then it overheats. Both 1.0 testers dropped it from their loadouts despite the per-shot number.	Rocket Launcher	14,000	80	—	✓
3	Charge RifleDouble impact — the 15,000 shown at Legendary lands 30,000. Two-second wind-up, standing still. Schematic drops from Neptilius at 3%.	Assault Rifle	12,500	65	6	—
4	Rocket Launcher	Rocket Launcher	10,000	65	1	—
5	Plasma Cannon	Rocket Launcher	10,000	61	2	✓
6	Tactical Grenade LauncherClicking too fast makes it fire SLOWER — find the rhythm. The explosion frequently registers away from the impact point, so headshots rarely land.	Grenade Launcher	6,722	72	8	✓
7	Guided Missile Launcher	Rocket Launcher	5,900	56	1	—
8	Multi Guided Missile Launcher	Rocket Launcher	5,900	—	4	—
9	Advanced Bow	Bow	5,800	57	1	—
10	Frag Grenade Mk2	Throwable	4,000	53	—	—
11	Grenade Launcher	Grenade Launcher	3,000	53	5	—
12	Laser SwordMelee cannot trigger weak point hits, so it gets no crit multiplier whatsoever — the reason melee builds collapsed in 1.0.	Melee	2,000	73	—	✓
13	Meteor Launcher	Rocket Launcher	2,000	38	1	—
14	Plasma RifleChains to nearby enemies and ricochets off the ground — the best mob clear in the game, and the easiest weapon to land headshots with in a boss fight.	Assault Rifle	1,860	78	38	✓
15	Heavy Assault Rifle	Assault Rifle	1,615	70	30	✓
16	Laser Rifle	Assault Rifle	1,250	51	30	—
17	Overheat RifleNo reload at all, but it burns through ammo faster than anything else in its class.	Assault Rifle	1,225	64	—	✓
18	Enhanced Lily's Spear	Melee	1,200	68	—	✓
19	Prototype Shotgun	Shotgun	1,167	69	12	✓
20	Semi-Auto Rifle	Assault Rifle	1,150	41	8	—
21	Single-Shot Rifle	Assault Rifle	1,100	36	1	—
22	Compound Bow	Bow	1,100	42	1	—
23	Musket	Assault Rifle	1,000	21	1	—
24	Beam Sword	Melee	930	57	—	—
25	Combat SMG	Assault Rifle	907	68	42	✓
26	Lily's Spear	Melee	860	55	—	—
27	Katana	Melee	780	44	—	—
28	Frag Grenade	Throwable	750	25	—	—
29	Shock Grenade	Throwable	750	27	—	—
30	Ice Grenade	Throwable	750	29	—	—
31	Incendiary Grenade	Throwable	750	31	—	—
32	Water Grenade	Throwable	750	33	—	—
33	Grass Grenade	Throwable	750	35	—	—
34	Ground Grenade	Throwable	750	38	—	—
35	Dark Grenade	Throwable	750	40	—	—
36	Dragon Grenade	Throwable	750	42	—	—
37	Flamethrower	Flamethrower	636	52	100	—
38	Old Revolver	Handgun	600	33	6	—
39	Laser Gatling Gun	Gatling Gun	530	59	100	—
40	Beam ScatterFires as fast as you can click, so an auto-clicker raises its real DPS. Huge magazine, but the pellet spread means it never crits.	Shotgun	508	75	30	✓
41	Metal Bat	Melee	500	40	—	—
42	Terra Blade	Melee	425	—	—	—
43	Energy Shotgun	Shotgun	402	63	10	—
44	Gatling Gun	Gatling Gun	375	54	100	—
45	Sword	Melee	360	29	—	—
46	Excalibur	Melee	360	—	—	—
47	Assault Rifle	Assault Rifle	320	45	20	—
48	Makeshift Handgun	Handgun	320	24	6	—
49	Refined Metal Spear	Melee	310	34	—	—
50	Vortex Beater	Assault Rifle	300	—	—	—
51	Crossbow	Crossbow	280	13	1	—
52	Handgun	Handgun	250	28	8	—
53	Boost Gun	Support	250	25	—	—
54	Megaboost Gun	Support	250	63	—	—
55	Marksman Revolver	Handgun	250	32	—	—
56	Plasma Multicutter	Melee	250	54	—	—
57	Ballistic Shield	Shield	250	—	—	—
58	Core Eject Shotgun	Shotgun	230	56	—	—
59	Pump-Action Shotgun	Shotgun	220	43	8	—
60	Makeshift Shotgun	Shotgun	215	30	1	—
61	Meowmere	Melee	200	30	—	—
62	Drone LauncherSummon weapon: fire nine drones, swap weapons, they keep attacking. A permanent second slot from level 77 onward. Not boosted by Xenogard.	Summon	200	77	—	✓
63	Semi-Auto Shotgun	Shotgun	195	47	10	—
64	Double-Barreled Shotgun	Shotgun	190	39	2	—
65	Primitive Sword	Melee	180	17	—	—
66	Makeshift Assault Rifle	Assault Rifle	170	31	15	—
67	Elizabee's Staff	Melee	150	—	—	—
68	Beegarde's Spear	Melee	150	—	—	—
69	SMG	Assault Rifle	130	37	—	—
70	Makeshift SMG	Assault Rifle	100	26	—	—
71	TerraprismaSummon weapon, recipe found in the level 45 Terraria dungeon. Shares the nine-summon cap with the Drone Launcher, which replaces it at level 77.	Summon	90	—	—	—
72	Metal Spear	Melee	80	13	—	—
73	Old Bow	Bow	65	3	—	—
74	Bat	Melee	50	7	—	—
75	Nightglow	Melee	50	—	—	—
76	Three Shot Bow	Bow	40	10	—	—
77	Stone Spear	Melee	35	3	—	—
78	Five Shot Bow	Bow	30	—	—	—
79	Wooden Club	Melee	25	1	—	—
80	Meat Cleaver	Melee	25	12	—	—
81	Stun Baton	Melee	10	22	—	—

Weapon tier list FAQ

01What is the best weapon in Palworld?

Plasma Rifle tops the tested DPS chart (16,126 power per second) and is one of the easiest weapons to headshot with, which is what actually decides endgame damage. The Mechanical Bow beats it on paper once you run Robinquill Terra (17,391 PPS), but only if you land your headshots consistently.

02How is this weapon tier list ranked?

Three axes, not one: tested DPS (PPS — power per second, measured in-game with the reload cycle included), whether the weapon can land weak point hits, and what its ammo costs to sustain. Raw per-shot power is the worst predictor of the three — the Beam Launcher has the second-highest power in the game and still lands in D.

03Why is the DPS ranking different from the tier?

The PPS chart is measured without headshots. Weak point hits are roughly a +100% multiplier before any Pal booster, so a weapon that physically cannot land them — shotguns, grenade launchers, all melee — drops well below its PPS rank the moment you play a crit build. That is why the Beam Scatter is 3rd on PPS and still D-tier.

04Which Palworld weapons can land headshots?

Reliably: Plasma Rifle, Combat SMG, Mechanical Bow, Heavy Assault Rifle, Plasma Cannon. Not reliably: Tactical Grenade Launcher, Beam Scatter, Prototype Shotgun, Drone Launcher, Laser Sword, Enhanced Lily's Spear — shotgun pellets spread off the head, grenade explosions register somewhere other than the impact point, and melee has no weak point system at all.

05Why is the Beam Launcher only D-tier despite huge damage?

It fires three shots and overheats. Per-shot power is second-highest in the game, but the burst is small enough that every sustained weapon out-damages it in any fight longer than a few seconds. Both 1.0 testers dropped it from their loadouts entirely.

06Are guns or melee better in Palworld?

Ranged, by a wide margin. Melee weapons cannot trigger weak point hits, so they miss the single largest damage multiplier in 1.0 — the Laser Sword sits at 5,106 PPS against 16,126 for the Plasma Rifle, and the gap only widens once you build for crits.

07Why do two players deal completely different damage with the same weapon?

Because weapon power is only the first term of the formula. Attack stat, weak point multipliers, partner skills, weapon-type boosters and status combos stack on top. Measured endgame: a Plasma Rifle hits for ~12,000 with no setup and 55,000–60,000 with headshots plus booster Pals.

08What is the best weapon early in Palworld?

Aim for what the technology tree actually lets you build: Crossbow at level 13 (280 base attack), then Musket at level 21 (1,000 base attack). Tier lists rank endgame weapons you cannot craft yet — the strongest gun in the game stays locked until level 78.

09Is this weapon data still current?

Yes. The DPS tests were run at 1.0 launch and the latest patch is 1.0.2.101103 (2026-07-30). Versions 1.0.1, 1.0.2 and both 30 July hotfixes are bug fixes — no weapon has been rebalanced since release.

Sources

Fire rate and reload live in each weapon's blueprint code rather than in the game's data tables, so no datamine can produce a DPS figure. Everything on this page that is a rate comes from in-game 1.0 testing; everything that is a flat stat comes from the datamined tables.

The Pal Professor — Best Weapons in 1.0, Full DPS Test10 July 2026 — PPS chart, tiers, headshot ability, booster Pals.
RageGamingVideos — Player Damage Guide22 July 2026 — damage formula, attack stat sources, weak point multipliers, summon weapons.
Jay Dunna — Top 5 Best Weapons in 1.021 July 2026 — ammo costs, weapon quirks, damage per magazine.
paldb.ccDatamined base attack, magazine size and technology level.
Palworld patch notesVersion history — confirms no weapon rebalance between 1.0 and 1.0.2.101103 (2026-07-30).

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Palworld Weapon Tier List

Game 1.100.427 · verified against 1.0.2.101103 (2026-07-30) — no weapon rebalance since 1.0 launch.

Weapon

Type

Base ATK

Tech

Mag

DPS-tested

Mechanical Bow17,391 PPS once Robinquill Terra adds +35% charge speed. Ammo is sulfur ingots only, the cheapest endgame weapon to feed.

Bow

20,000

✓

Beam LauncherThree shots, then it overheats. Both 1.0 testers dropped it from their loadouts despite the per-shot number.

Rocket Launcher

14,000

—

✓

Charge RifleDouble impact — the 15,000 shown at Legendary lands 30,000. Two-second wind-up, standing still. Schematic drops from Neptilius at 3%.

Assault Rifle

12,500

—

Rocket Launcher

10,000

—

Plasma Cannon

Rocket Launcher

10,000

✓

Tactical Grenade LauncherClicking too fast makes it fire SLOWER — find the rhythm. The explosion frequently registers away from the impact point, so headshots rarely land.

Grenade Launcher

6,722

✓

Guided Missile Launcher

Rocket Launcher

5,900

—

Multi Guided Missile Launcher

Rocket Launcher

5,900

—

Advanced Bow

Bow

5,800

—

Frag Grenade Mk2

Throwable

4,000

—

Grenade Launcher

3,000

—

Laser SwordMelee cannot trigger weak point hits, so it gets no crit multiplier whatsoever — the reason melee builds collapsed in 1.0.

Melee

2,000

—

✓

Meteor Launcher

Rocket Launcher

2,000

—

Plasma RifleChains to nearby enemies and ricochets off the ground — the best mob clear in the game, and the easiest weapon to land headshots with in a boss fight.

Assault Rifle

1,860

✓

Heavy Assault Rifle

Assault Rifle

1,615

✓

Laser Rifle

Assault Rifle

1,250

—

Overheat RifleNo reload at all, but it burns through ammo faster than anything else in its class.

Assault Rifle

1,225

—

✓

Enhanced Lily's Spear

Melee

1,200

—

✓

Prototype Shotgun

Shotgun

1,167

✓

Semi-Auto Rifle

Assault Rifle

1,150

—

Single-Shot Rifle

Assault Rifle

1,100

—

Compound Bow

Bow

1,100

—

Musket

Assault Rifle

1,000

—

Beam Sword

Melee

930

—

Combat SMG

Assault Rifle

907

✓

Lily's Spear

Melee

860

—

Katana

Melee

780

—

Frag Grenade

Throwable

750

—

Shock Grenade

Throwable

750

—

Ice Grenade

Throwable

750

—

Incendiary Grenade

Throwable

750

—

Water Grenade

Throwable

750

—

Grass Grenade

Throwable

750

—

Ground Grenade

Throwable

750

—

Dark Grenade

Throwable

750

—

Dragon Grenade

Throwable

750

—

Flamethrower

636

100

—

Old Revolver

Handgun

600

—

Laser Gatling Gun

Gatling Gun

530

100

—

Beam ScatterFires as fast as you can click, so an auto-clicker raises its real DPS. Huge magazine, but the pellet spread means it never crits.

Shotgun

508

✓

Metal Bat

Melee

500

—

Terra Blade

Melee

425

—

Energy Shotgun

Shotgun

402

—

Gatling Gun

375

100

—

Sword

Melee

360

—

Excalibur

Melee

360

—

Assault Rifle

320

—

Makeshift Handgun

Handgun

320

—

Refined Metal Spear

Melee

310

—

Vortex Beater

Assault Rifle

300

—

Crossbow

280

—

Handgun

250

—

Boost Gun

Support

250

—

Megaboost Gun

Support

250

—

Marksman Revolver

Handgun

250

—

Plasma Multicutter

Melee

250

—

Ballistic Shield

Shield

250

—

Core Eject Shotgun

Shotgun

230

—

Pump-Action Shotgun

Shotgun

220

—

Makeshift Shotgun

Shotgun

215

—

Meowmere

Melee

200

—

Drone LauncherSummon weapon: fire nine drones, swap weapons, they keep attacking. A permanent second slot from level 77 onward. Not boosted by Xenogard.

Summon

200

—

✓

Semi-Auto Shotgun

Shotgun

195

—

Double-Barreled Shotgun

Shotgun

190

—

Primitive Sword

Melee

180

—

Makeshift Assault Rifle

Assault Rifle

170

—

Elizabee's Staff

Melee

150

—

Beegarde's Spear

Melee

150

—

SMG

Assault Rifle

130

—

Makeshift SMG

Assault Rifle

100

—

TerraprismaSummon weapon, recipe found in the level 45 Terraria dungeon. Shares the nine-summon cap with the Drone Launcher, which replaces it at level 77.

Summon

—

Metal Spear

Melee

—

Old Bow

Bow

—

Bat

Melee

—

Nightglow

Melee

—

Three Shot Bow

Bow

—

Stone Spear

Melee

—

Five Shot Bow

Bow

—

Wooden Club

Melee

—

Meat Cleaver

Melee

—

Stun Baton

Melee

—