The Finals tier list - the best weapons to choose

This weapon tier list for The Finals outlines all 21 weapons in the game, so you know which ones to prioritise unlocking and using first. However, if you've played more than a couple of games of this fast-paced FPS game, you'll know that weapons are locked to the three specific classes: light, medium, or heavy.

That means if you want to use any of these weapons, you must use the class it belongs to. Each class also has different abilities, but the weapons available are the primary factor in deciding which class to use, so let this guide you. It's also worth taking into account the other classes and weapons on your team - if you're yet to get some pals on board, read up on our guide on how to play with friends in The Finals. Here is our The Finals weapon tier list to determine what the best weapons are:

S Tier

Here are all of The Finals weapons in S Tier:

V9S (Light)

Anyone who has ever played another FPS game before may be surprised to see a silenced semi-automatic pistol in S Tier, but you should not underestimate this handgun. It has been nerfed very slightly in the latest patch, but combined with the light build's ability to go invisible, this is the ultimate ninja gun. Just a few hits with this gun will take down enemies, and it's pretty accurate to boot.

R. 357 (Medium)

Another pistol? That's right; The Finals is a game that heavily favours pistols and this hand cannon is the opposite to the V9S in that it can't fire as quickly, nor is it stealthy in any sense of the word, but it deals a much bigger punch. As long as you're accurate, you can kill players up close quicker than most automatic guns, and it'll retain its damage quite well at range too.

SA1216 (Heavy)

For the Heavy, the best gun here is the SA1216 automatic shotgun. It has four barrels which means you must reload after every four shots, but each of those shots is so powerful, if you can get yourself into a good position then you're practically unkillable. Of course, this means it's not quite as handy on a map like Las Vegas, which is a little more open, but in the buildings of Monaco? You can run riot, especially with the Heavy's Charge 'N' Slam ability.

M11 (Light)

Another gun that absolutely excels up close, the M11 is a machine pistol that has some wild recoil. However, as long as you don't try and use it from afar, it will decemate enemies up close, and it pairs well with any of the three Light specialisations as they're all movement-based. Most of the time you won't even need to aim down the sights - hip firing is a godsend when you're close enough.

A Tier

Here are all of The Finals weapons in A Tier:

AKM (Medium)

The AKM, as you've probably guessed from its appearance, is a standard AK-47, and it's pretty good in The Finals! The recoil leaves a little to be desired, but it packs a punch and is probably the best automatic mid-range gun in lieu of not much else shining through. It's as reliable as ever, but can be outperformed by something a little more specialised in S Tier.

XP-54 (Light)

The XP-54 is basically an MP5, and much like the AKM, performs similarly to its real-life counterpart. It comes with an optic sight which helps with accuracy, and is essentially the short-mid range gun for the Light class that operates in a similar manner to the AKM for the Medium class. Opt for this over the M11 if you have someone else on your team also playing that up-close-and-personal role.

Lewis Gun (Heavy)

The Heavy class has two light machine guns, and unfortunately the better of the pair is the one you must spend 800 VRs on. The Lewis Gun is a little more powerful, plus it has more manageable recoil. The downside is the much smaller magazine size, but when all your enemies are dead, that doesn't matter as much.

Model 1887 (Medium)

OG Modern Warfare 2 players from the 2009 game will be disappointed you can't dual wield and shoot enemies from across the map with the Model 1887 shotgun in The Finals, but it's still a very decent weapon. Its range is much further than other shotguns in the game, but it shoots quite slowly. However, if you can hit your shots, you'll be obliterating enemies in no time.

B Tier

Here are all of The Finals weapons in B Tier:

Flamethrower (Heavy)

In the right hands, the Flamethrower can single-handedly wipe entire squads. The only issue is that most players aren't the right hands. It's extremely easy to set fire to practically everything in the vicinity and while friendly fire isn't a thing in The Finals, environmental damage absolutely is so you can set fire to your teammates quite easily. Use it if your teammates are playing with weapons that excel at range, or if you're a well-rehearsed, cohesive unit as opposed to playing with randoms via matchmaking.

FCAR (Medium)

Where the AKM is the best assault rifle for the Medium class, the FCAR is almost as good were it not for its slightly underwhelming damage and smaller magazine size. The FCAR has much better recoil and you'll be able to pick enemies off from much further than the AKM, but you'll probably need to reload before you actually kill them. If this gets buffed, it could quickly jump up to A or even S Tier.

Sword (Light)

One of the most entertaining playstyles in The Finals comes when you equip the Cloaking Device specialisation and the Sword, then run around killing enemies and going invisible constantly. However, as fun as it might be, it quite obviously isn't the most effective way of playing, though it is perfectly viable. Make sure you also equip Smoke Grenades.

LH1 (Light)

The LH1 is a very solid weapon at range, but it has one major downside: recoil. If you can consistently hit your shots, this can outperform any AKM or FCAR, but you need to master the weapon first, and if you're playing as the Light class, the abilities available also don't really fit the playstyle required for the LH1.

MGL32 (Heavy)

When I first equipped the MGL32, I was expecting each shot to explode upon impact. However, that is not the case; each shot you fire will take a moment or two before blowing up. This means it's not as effective as you may have hoped at simply killing enemies and taking them off the objective, but it does still deal a serious amount of damage and is excellent at destroying the environment, which causes pure chaos.

C Tier

Here are all of The Finals weapons in C Tier:

CL-40 (Medium)

Take everything good about the MGL32 - its destructive capabilities, relatively fast fire rate, and ability to kill multiple enemies at once - and dial them all very slightly back for the CL-40. This gun is fine, but if you really want to use a grenade launcher, there's no reason to play as the Medium class when you could play as a Heavy with a better weapon.

Sledgehammer (Heavy)

Much like the Sword for the Light class, the Sledgehammer is a lot of fun to use as a Heavy, but it's a little less viable thanks to the Heavy class being much slower. It deals some serious damage, especially from its secondary overhead attack, and since it can destroy the environment, it's useful on a map such as Monaco. But since it's so situational, C Tier is where it sits.

M60 (Heavy)

For the final Heavy weapon, we have the M60, which is the aforementioned second light machine gun after the Lewis Gun. This is the first weapon you have unlocked for the class, so you'll likely start using it at least for a short while, but its damage and recoil is second-rate to that of the Lewis Gun. If you enjoy the playstyle at least, you can prioritise unlocking the other LMG as soon as possible.

D Tier

Here are all of The Finals weapons in D Tier:

SR-84 (Light)

The SR-84 is, surprisingly, the only sniper rifle in The Finals. However, there's a reason for this. Sniping simply isn't very effective in this game, where the speed of play is incredibly fast and you constantly need to be moving around the map. If you decide to snipe, chances are you're not helping your team secure the bag and deposit the cash, because you'll probably be sat back. And kills mean nothing if they don't contribute to the objective.

Dagger (Light)

The Dagger exists solely to give you a bit more challenge compared to using the Sword. The same playstyle - Cloaking Device and Smoke Grenades - is still the best way of utilising the Dagger, but because it has a much shorter range, it's tricky to use as effectively.

Throwing Knives (Light)

The Throwing Knives are certainly fun to use, but again, fall into a similar category as the Sword and Dagger. You must be up close to use them effectively (though not quite melee range), at which point you may as well opt for the M11 or XP-54.

SH1900 (Light)

Not another one! The SH1900 is also for the Light class, and it also is best used up close and personal. But with only two shots available before you need to reload, it's arguably the worst of the bunch, especially when the Heavy's shotgun option is so, so much better.

Riot Shield (Medium)

As is the case in other FPS games that feature a Riot Shield, it's more of a meme weapon here. Sure, you might stay alive for a while, but you're certainly not going to be killing many enemies, and it is safe to say this is a weapon for more… unorthodox tactics.