Necromunda: Hired Gun has been met with a mixed reception upon release. While the game is certainly not without its flaws, there are few games better for leaping headfirst and guns blazing into the Grimdark setting of Warhammer 40k.
One area where Hired Gun truly excels is its weapons. There are 18 guns for players to find in total, and while some are just standard FPS firearms, there are also plenty of unique guns from the Warhammer universe to choose from as well. With powerful plasma incinerators, Grav guns, and bolters that fire explosive rounds, the weapons in Necromunda are both devastating and viscerally fun to use.
10 Hashin's Eye, A Long Range Laser Sniper
Best Upgrades For This Weapon:
- Modulator
- Hunter Stock
- Concentrator
- Overloaded Cell
- Long Range Scope
Hired Gun's sister game, Necromunda: Underhive wars was released for consoles last year, and offers a more tactical experience reminiscent of the original board game. Obviously, there is less scope for strategizing in a first-person shooter, but sniping can still be a useful way of eliminating priority targets without drawing enemy fire.
Hashin's Eye is one of the few guns in the game that works well at long range. This gun struggles against hordes due to its lack of automatic fire. It can still be used very effectively alongside the Cyber mastiff to take down unaware enemies. The enhanced version of this gun can even be overcharged to deliver devastating headshots from far away.
9 Scars Machina, A High Damage Bolt Pistol
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Best Upgrades For This Weapon:
- HV Muzzle
- Drum Magazine
- Magnetic Barrel
- Long Range Scope
Pistols are easy to overlook when playing Necromunda: Hired Gun. In the heat of the moment, players will often fall back on assault rifles or heavy weapons to deal with large groups of targets.
While the Scars Machina doesn't have automatic firing, it's a high damage pistol that's effective over long distances. This makes it a viable sniping alternative to the Hashin's eye, with the extra bonus that it doesn't take up a primary weapons slot. If the player runs out of ammo and doesn't have the time to reload, switching to a strong pistol can often help buy enough time to reach cover.
8 Burning Sun, A Devastating Plasma Rifle
Best Upgrades For This Weapon:
- Merc Stock
- Concentrator
- Overloaded Cell
- Mid Range Scope
- Modulator Assault
Plasma guns are far from the most deadly weapons in Warhammer 40k, but they are some of the most iconic. The Burning Sun isn't as satisfying to use as the bolters, but it is a lethal energy weapon capable of incinerating any who stands in its way.
This weapon is very effective at thinning large crowds of enemies. Its main drawbacks are the small mag and the fact that looking down the sight obscures a large portion of the screen. An upgraded Burning Sun can overcharge its attacks to deal extra damage, although some 40k fans may be disappointed that there is no possibility of blowing themselves up by doing so.
7 Wrath, A Grav Gun With Homing Projectiles
Best Upgrades For This Weapon:
- Modulator
- Hunter Stock
- Concentrator
- Overloaded Cell
- Long Range Scope
The Grav Gun in Necromunda: Hired Gun is meant to work like a grenade launcher by devastating enemies with large area-of-effect explosions. Sadly the shots from this gun only explode after a small delay, making it difficult to use against hordes.
What Wrath is good at is dealing with large monsters or armored targets. The green lasers fired by this gun can be overcharged for extra damage and will home in on moving targets. Once upgraded, this gun is very effective at dealing with tougher enemies, such as Ogryns (who feature prominently in the trailer for Warhammer 40k: Darktide.)
6 VPanther, A Fast And Reliable Assault Rifle
Best Upgrades For This Weapon:
- Suppressor
- Stalker Stock
- Drum Magazine
- Magnetic Barrel
- Mid-Range Scope
- Stalker Foregrip
While it is a lot of fun to experiment with the classic 40k weapons, some players may prefer a more familiar style of firearm. The VPanther is a great all-purpose weapon that is most effective against oncoming groups of enemies.
The is the closest gun in the game to a standard assault rifle. It is far from the most effective killing machine but still deals decent damage and has very little recoil. This makes the VPanther easy to aim and useful for stressful situations where consistent firepower is needed to thin the enemy ranks.
5 Funeral Ball, Obliterate Clusters Of Enemies With Grenades
Best Upgrades For This Weapon:
- Stalker Stock
- Hi-explosive Ammo
One pro tip for those just starting Necromunda: Hired Gun is to keep moving. Not only does this make the player harder to hit, but it also prevents enemies from swarming their positions to overwhelm them.
This advice is especially pertinent when using the Funeral Ball, a heavy grenade launcher that fires explosive rounds capable of destroying whole groups of enemies. However, this weapon requires precision to use as if the player is too close to their target, they will also be damaged by the explosion.
4 Firebird, A Lightweight Plasma Pistol
Best Upgrades For This Weapon:
- Combat Sight
- Concentrator
- Overloaded Cell
Pistols can be useful for ambushing unsuspecting enemies, especially if they have good damage stats. A much-touted feature of Necromunda in its release trailer was the ability to wall run and grapple onto ledges for increased mobility.
The Firebird is a plasma pistol that works well for players who want to sprint along walls to flank their opponents and deal a killing blow. This gun has the highest base damage of any pistol in the game and is capable of one-shotting most weaker enemies without even being overcharged.
3 Striker, A Powerful Early Game Autogun
Best Upgrades For This Weapon:
- HV Muzzle
- Long Barrel
- Combat Sight
- Custom Stock
- Drum Magazine
- Custom Foregrip
The striker is one of the first weapons players can access in the game. Surprisingly it is a very solid weapon that remains viable for most of the game. While it isn't the best choice to bring for the final mission, the striker is a consistent rapid-fire weapon that makes short work of enemy hordes.
With very little recoil, and high damage the striker is great for tense situations. Its only significant weakness is its lack of AP which makes it ineffective against heavily armored opponents.
2 Escher's Kiss, The Best Weapon For Crowd Control
Best Upgrades For This Weapon:
- Long Barrel
- Suppressor
- Combat Sight
- Hi Cap Magazine
When it comes to dealing with the endless hordes of enemies encountered in Necromunda: Hired Gun, the Escher's Kiss is the ideal choice. This gun has the fastest reload animation in the whole game, making it perfect for hectic firefights where every second counts.
Players who want to make this weapon their main firearm should collect as many archeotechs for it as possible. For the Escher's Kiss, many of these upgrades offer a flat damage boost that makes the gun even more effective at mowing down whole rooms of enemies.
1 Death Bringer, A Classic Warhammer 40K Boltgun
Best Upgrades For This Weapon:
- Long Barrel
- Custom Stock
- Hi Cap Magazine
- Precision Muzzle
- Mid-Range Scope
- Regular Foregrip
Those who aren't dedicated 40k fans may not know much about the Space Marines, except that they have exceptionally large pauldrons and are Mankind's strongest warriors. However, one instantly recognizable feature of these genetically enhanced super-soldiers is their iconic wargear, including the mighty bolter.
It will come as little surprise that the Death bringer is one of the best weapons in Necromunda: Hired Gun. Like the bolters from the lore, this weapon fires large shells that explode on contact offering high damage and low recoil. Once upgraded, the Death Bringer also has high armor penetration, making it the perfect weapon for defeating tougher enemies and boss fights.