The third mainline iteration of the popular Borderlands franchise is out and has been for about a month now. That's right, Borderlands 3 is here! This time with more characters, more planets, and thousands upon thousands of guns. Well, that last part was a given.

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Whether they're returning favorites, altered versions of old weapons, or even brand new guns altogether, BL3 has the most creative and bombastic versions of these killing machines we've ever seen. However, as always, there are some that stand above the rest, a choice few guns that are the perfect combination of unique effects and absurd damage. That's what we're here to talk about: the ten absolute best weapons we've found so far in Borderlands 3. Which one is your favorite?

10 The Flakker: Seriously, Why Use Anything Else?

We've just got to get this out of the way as quickly as possible, yes the Flakker is on this list. This is the Legendary shotgun that most people spend their first few hours at level 50 grinding for, because it's just that absurd. Basically, it's the equivalent of a carpet bomb after every shot. The Flakker is a Torgue shotgun that sets off a series of explosions in a wide area.

These explosions do some frankly staggering damage and are useful no matter the element or Mayhem Mode. Basically, it's the end-all-be-all shotgun, which is a bit sad, because there are a lot of other fun ones to use but it's harder to switch this one out than we thought it would be.

9 The Lyuda: Three-Pronged Sniper Of Doom

The Lyuda isn't quite as crazy as it was before the first major patch, but it is probably still the strongest sniper out of them all. Unless you count the Monocle on specifically FL4K, which we don't. It might be a sniper, but it can be used as an assault rifle with a small magazine just as easily. This is because the Lyuda has an impressively high fire rate. It fires three projectiles at once for some insane damage, and even more so if it's a critical hit.

Much as the King or Queens Call were the go-to Pistols for a Fade Away FL4K, the Lyuda is the perfect sniper. It's a random world drop, so there's no surefire way to farm it, but a standard version is awarded to the player once they complete all of Zer0's Target of Opprotunity quests.

8 The Cutsman: Big Boy Boss Killer

The Cutsman is a bit of an odd weapon. Honestly, we had one in our bank for a while and didn't use it because it seemed bad, even on Amara. The projectiles were slow, and they split into two with a thread of the element connecting the two orbs. It truly appeared to be another gimmick weapon. In actuality, the Cutsman is an insanely powerful legendary SMG, especially on an Amara focusing on Elemental Damage.

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Basically, because of the nature of BL3, these slow-moving projectiles can hit large bosses multiple times as they pass through them, and can hit multiple enemies at a time with their spread for tons of elemental damage! The only downside is the fact that it's a Maliwan gun with a slow charge time.

7 The Lucian's And Rowan's Call: Two Endlessly Firing Assault Rifles

We grouped these two powerhouses together because they're so similar (their special effects are exactly the same). Upon any critical hit, both of these weapons return two bullets to the magazine and richochet two more bullets to nearby enemies. Of course, they're both Jakobs weapons, but the best part is that they're both assault rifles, meaning these ricochets and ammo returns are happening at a much faster rate than, say, a pistol.

As usual, these guys are insane on a Fade Away FL4K, but that's only one option. They're fantastic with a Phasegrasp Amara who can line up the headshots especially with the Dread Skill. They're fantastic on a Bottomless Mags Moze as well. They're just all-around amazing Legendaries!

6 The Face-Puncher: A Melee Build's Dream Gun

The Face-Puncher is an oddity for sure. On "face" value it doesn't seem to be that great of a shotgun, but once the player understands the red text/special effect, that's when this Hyperion beauty truly shines. The Face-Puncher shoots in a 7 pellet spread, but the crazy part is that each of those 7 pellets is affected by the player's melee damage. This means, on a melee build for any Vault Hunter, this gun shreds almost any enemy.

Melee Amara is, of course, the go-to for this one, but there are other builds! Still, the most absurd part is that the pellets also activate any Melee effects and are modified by any Melee augments as well, meaning this weapon could be purely Kinetic, but actually does elemental damage depending on the Vault Hunter's melee.

5 The One Pump Chump: Saitama Bought It On Sale

One Punch! That's right there's a gun in Borderlands 3 entirely modeled around the most overpowered anime character of all time, Saitama. Unsurprisingly, it's really strong.

This Legendary drops from the One Punch bandit found in a secret area in Lectra City on Promethea. It's a Jakobs shotgun that always has an absurd + to Weapon Damage percentage, as well as a 50% chance not to use any ammo when shot. Players will notice that the magazine size is a gigantic one, so it actually is one pump like the name implies. With Bottomless Mags Moze, Under Cover FL4K, or an Amara with Dread, this Shotgun might just have an infinite magazine! Plus, even though it isn't stated, the OPC keeps the Jakobs perk of ricochet.

4 The Long Musket: Or Should We Say The Elon Musket

The Firesale Long Musket is absolutely a flamethrower. Don't be fooled by it being in the SMG category, this gun literally just spews fire. Even better, it's a Tediore, so reloading it actually releases a devious little sentient flame-hucker into the wild.

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This is another World Drop, but we've had about 5 spawn for us, so it's not insanely hard to find, and most were Anointed with Life Steal. References aside, this Legendary is absolutely awesome against Red Health Bars. Be warned, though, its power falls off astronomically against shields and armored enemies.

3 The Hex Grenade: A Storm Of Tracking Elemental Energy

Surprisingly, this is the only grenade mod on our list! The Grenade Mods in Borderlands 3 are some of the most creative in the franchise, and they deserve to be talked about. However, the best ones all share the same effects, tracking, and the MIRV component. Still, we couldn't possibly ignore the Hex Grenade, considering how low their skill ceiling is for some great damage.

These grenades fly through the air and automatically hover around any enemies they find, chaining elemental damage between them and other enemies in the area. They're so insanely great to spam throw in any big group of enemies, and considering they can come in any elemental variety, there is potential to use them for a multitude of builds.

2 The Alchemist: A Pretty Good Deal, Better Than Trading A Sibling

This gun is a Full Metal Alchemist reference, and the only reason we're saying this upfront is because we just can't think of the series without getting weepy because of Nina Tucker and her dog. People who have watched the show will know exactly what we're talking about. Still, the Alchemist is true to its red text referencing Equivalent Exchange, because it uses some of the player's shield in exchange for some truly outstanding damage.

The Alchemist is a Torgue Assault Rifle, which is pretty rare, but it can only use sticky ammo that pops on reloads. So, that's its biggest flaw for sure. Nevertheless, the best part about this gun is the fact that the self-damage it causes is always Shock, meaning that players who also have the Transformer Shield can literally heal themselves with every single shot.

1 The Crossroad: Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road? To Get Away From This Gun

And finally, we've arrived at our last Crossroad, literally. The Crossroad is another Hyperion weapon that can stand up against some of the best shotguns in the game. Why is that? Well because it shoots 4 bullets at once, and in a vertical line too! Perfect for littering a human body with bullets.

Each shot may fire 4 bullets, but it only uses two. Still, it'll go through ammo faster than most other SMGs. Honestly, the damage on this gun is too high already, even before the extra projectiles. So, while the special effect might not be that bombastic, the Crossroad is absolutely one of the best guns in the game, hands down.

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