How to Fish Best Gun Tier List

I do not think the strongest gun in How to Fish is automatically the one with the biggest damage number. What matters more to me is how much damage I can consistently land while moving, whether the weapon needs expensive upgrades before it feels useful, and how many different fights it can handle.

That is why my list looks different from a ranking based purely on raw power. I have the SMG and Shotgun at the top, while the Rocket Launcher drops considerably because its huge burst damage does not make up for its limited ammunition and punishing misses. The Assault Rifle is still excellent, but I see it as the safer choice rather than the gun with the highest overall potential.

Jump To Section:
How I Ranked Every Gun
Complete Gun Tier List
S-Tier Guns
A-Tier Guns
B-Tier Guns
C-Tier Guns
Best Guns For Each Situation
My Recommended Upgrade Order

How I Ranked Every Gun

I am ranking these weapons by how useful they are across the whole game, not by the largest number they can produce in one perfect moment. My main considerations are sustained damage, handling, effective range, ammunition, upgrade cost, and how safely the gun can be used against a moving boss.

I also care about damage that actually reaches the target. A rapid-fire gun can look incredible on paper, but that means very little if recoil sends half the magazine into the trees. At the same time, I will take a controllable automatic weapon over a launcher that deals enormous damage but punishes one missed shot with a lengthy recovery and lost ammunition.

My tiers consequently represent practical value. S-tier guns are weapons I would comfortably build around. A-tier guns are strong but either safer or more specialized. B-tier weapons still have a useful role, although I would not want them as my only serious option. C tier is reserved for equipment I intend to replace rather than upgrade.

My Complete How To Fish Gun Tier List

My S tier contains the SMG and Shotgun. The Assault Rifle and Grenade Launcher sit in A tier. I have the Rocket Launcher, Pistol, and Harpoon Gun in B tier, while the Slingshot is the only weapon I place in C tier.

The biggest difference in my ranking is the Rocket Launcher. I understand why its damage makes it look like an obvious top-tier weapon, but I value consistency more than spectacle. I would rather use a gun that gives me several opportunities to correct my aim than bet an important boss opening on one explosive projectile.

S Tier: SMG And Shotgun

The SMG is my pick for the best overall gun in How to Fish, but I would not call it the best immediately after buying it. Its fast fire rate gives it excellent potential against bosses, yet recoil can waste a surprising amount of that damage. The weapon costs 650, and buying it without addressing its handling can leave it feeling much worse than expected.

For me, the Compensator is what makes the SMG worth building around. It costs 600, but recoil control is more valuable here than an attachment that only changes the sight picture. Once I can keep the stream of bullets on a moving enemy, the SMG becomes much easier to justify as my primary gun.

I especially like it for encounters where I need to move backward or circle an obstacle while continuing to fire. I am not waiting for one perfect shot or forcing myself into close range. I can maintain pressure, reposition, reload when the boss loses its route to me, and immediately resume firing.

The Shotgun earns the other S-tier position because it solves the opposite problem. Instead of asking me to maintain accuracy through an entire magazine, it converts a brief close-range opening into immediate burst damage. If a boss keeps approaching me anyway, I would rather punish that approach with the Shotgun than treat close range as purely a disadvantage.

I do have to respect its range. The Shotgun loses much of its appeal if I am firing from too far away or chasing an enemy just to force a shot. I use it when the fight naturally creates close opportunities, then switch back to something automatic when remaining nearby becomes unsafe.

The SMG and Shotgun also complement each other better than any other two weapons on the list. I can use the Shotgun during controlled close-range openings and rely on the SMG when the fight becomes faster or forces more distance. That pairing is particularly useful for the game’s third major encounter, which I cover separately in the How to Fish Pufferfish boss guide.

A Tier: Assault Rifle And Grenade Launcher

The Assault Rifle is probably the easiest gun for me to recommend without adding several conditions. It provides strong sustained damage, works at a comfortable range, and does not force me into the Shotgun’s close positioning or the launchers’ all-or-nothing firing rhythm.

I still place it below the SMG because I think the upgraded SMG has a better ceiling. Once recoil is controlled, its fire rate is better suited to pouring damage into a boss whenever an opening appears. The Assault Rifle is more forgiving, though, and I would choose it over the SMG if I did not want to spend heavily on fixing weapon control.

That makes it my favorite general-purpose option. I can use it against ordinary enemies without feeling like I am wasting a specialized explosive, then carry the same weapon into a boss encounter without immediately needing to change my entire setup.

The Grenade Launcher sits beside it in A tier, although the two weapons serve completely different purposes. I use the Grenade Launcher when the arena itself is becoming the problem. If smaller enemies are surrounding a boss or several targets are approaching together, area damage saves me from clearing everything individually.

I do not rank it in S tier because I would not carry it as my only dependable weapon. Its value falls sharply against isolated enemies, and missing one explosive projectile costs more than losing a few bullets from an automatic gun. I see it as an excellent secondary weapon that can completely change a crowded fight, not as the gun I want equipped every minute.

B Tier: Rocket Launcher, Pistol, And Harpoon Gun

The Rocket Launcher has the most impressive burst damage in the arsenal, but I do not think that automatically makes it one of the best guns. Its limited ammunition makes every projectile important, and boss fights rarely remain clean enough for every shot to land exactly when I want.

I would bring it when I already understand the target and know when a large, predictable opening is coming. I would not use it while learning an encounter, fighting scattered smaller enemies, or moving through areas where several weaker shots would be more efficient.

That is why I have the Rocket Launcher in B tier rather than S. It is outstanding at one job, but its mistakes are expensive and its value depends heavily on the situation. I treat it as stored burst damage, not as my default gun.

The Pistol is far less exciting, but I actually think it has a clearer place in progression. It is reliable enough for early enemies, easy to understand, and does not require me to immediately commit all my money to a late-game setup.

I would use the Pistol while saving for the weapon I actually want. I would not pour upgrades into it with the expectation that it will compete with a finished SMG, Shotgun, or Assault Rifle. Its strength is getting me through the early game without creating an unnecessary spending detour.

The Harpoon Gun is my precision pick. Its slower, heavier shots work best when the target is predictable and I am confident in my aim. It can make an exposed enemy pay without requiring me to stand nearby or sustain fire for several seconds.

The downside is that a missed Harpoon shot feels much worse than a missed automatic round. Its low firing rate gives me fewer opportunities to recover before the target attacks again, so I would not choose it against erratic enemies or large groups. It is useful enough for B tier, but too matchup-dependent for me to move it higher.

C Tier: Slingshot

I view the Slingshot as temporary equipment rather than the beginning of a serious build. It provides ranged damage when better choices are unavailable and can handle the earliest threats, but I do not see a convincing reason to keep investing in it once firearms become affordable.

The problem is not that the Slingshot can never kill anything. It is that nearly every Coin spent preserving its relevance could instead move me closer to a weapon with better damage, range, or boss potential. I would use it for as long as necessary, replace it, and avoid looking back.

Which Gun Is Best For Each Situation?

For overall use, I choose the SMG. It has the combination of mobility, sustained damage, and boss potential that I value most, provided I also invest in recoil control.

For close-range boss damage, I choose the Shotgun. It does not require a long firing window, and it makes aggressive enemies regret entering my space. I just would not force it into a ranged fight where most of its damage cannot connect properly.

For a simple all-purpose setup, I choose the Assault Rifle. It is my recommendation for anyone who wants a strong gun without planning every purchase around recoil, ammunition scarcity, or extremely close positioning.

For groups, I choose the Grenade Launcher. The ability to damage several creatures at once becomes much more valuable when a fight is difficult because of everything surrounding the main target.

For pure burst, I choose the Rocket Launcher, but only when I already know the encounter. I would rather learn a boss with a forgiving weapon and bring the launcher once I understand exactly when it is safe to fire.

For early progression, I stick with the Pistol. It does what I need without pretending to be my finished build. The Harpoon Gun is my choice for deliberate precision, while the Slingshot remains something I replace as soon as my money allows.

The Gun Upgrade Order I Recommend

I would not upgrade every gun a little. I would first decide whether I prefer automatic damage, close-range burst, or a balanced weapon, then commit my money to the option that supports that playstyle.

My preferred route is to use the Pistol during the early game, move to either the Shotgun or Assault Rifle, and eventually buy the SMG once I can also afford to improve its recoil. Buying the SMG without enough money to make it controllable risks spending 650 on a weapon whose best feature I cannot consistently use.

I also choose attachments based on the problem I am having rather than buying whatever unlocks next. If recoil is pulling my shots away from the target, I prioritize the Compensator. If my aim is already stable, I start looking at damage or magazine improvements. If the boss is killing me because of positioning, I stop spending and change how I move around the arena.

Achievement hunting can change that order because some unlocks require specific combat actions or fully upgrading a weapon. Anyone planning a completion run should check the How to Fish achievements guide before spending everything on a single setup.

If the game opens to a black screen before you can test any of these guns, the How to Fish black screen fix guide covers both startup failures and the separate black screen that can appear when joining friends.

If I had to choose one finished loadout, I would take a recoil-controlled SMG as my primary gun and keep the Shotgun available for close-range openings. The Assault Rifle is the safer alternative, and I would keep a launcher in reserve rather than trying to make it carry every encounter. That setup gives me sustained damage, immediate burst, and enough flexibility to change tactics when a boss stops behaving the way I expected.