Best FPS Weapons in Star Citizen 4.10.1
Applies to: Alpha 4.10.1 LIVE · Researched:
For general-purpose PvE in Star Citizen 4.10.1, use the Parallax Energy Assault Rifle if you can get one. Its 80-shot battery and strong stock output suit long NPC clears.
When you want to buy a rifle off the rack and get moving, take the CQ7. It is the best stock ballistic assault rifle when shop availability and easy replacement matter.
There is no universal winner for every role. A bunker weapon can become awkward across open terrain, while burst fire may become unreliable when the server is struggling. This guide separates the best guns by job instead of forcing them into one tier list.
Quick picks
| Role | Current pick | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| General-purpose PvE | Parallax Energy Assault Rifle | Strong stock output and an 80-shot battery |
| Purchasable assault rifle | CQ7 Rifle | Strong stock damage, full-auto fire and broad shop availability |
| SMG | Lumin V | High-output burst fire and a 45-round magazine |
| Shotgun | No universal winner | No clear all-purpose edge across pellets, spread and range |
| LMG | FS-9 | Controllable conventional LMG with a 75-round magazine |
| Sniper rifle | P6-LR | High per-shot damage for deliberate long-range PvE |
| Precision sidearm | Coda | 60 base damage when you can make six rounds count |
| Practical backup pistol | S-38 | Twenty rounds and easy replacement |
| Beginner primary | P4-AR | Widely available with straightforward full-auto fire |
| PvP | No universal winner | Armor, movement and server conditions change the result |
What "best" means here
These picks compare standard-quality weapons in Alpha 4.10.1 LIVE. Crafted quality can change how the same weapon behaves, so a crafted roll is a separate comparison.
Raw damage per second is only one part of the decision. Magazine capacity, fire mode, attachment support, ammunition and replacement all matter once a mission runs longer than expected.
Best assault rifles
Parallax for long PvE clears
The Parallax Energy Assault Rifle is the general-purpose PvE pick if you can get one. It deals 21 base damage at 600 rounds per minute and holds 80 shots. It accepts an optic and underbarrel attachment, but not a conventional barrel attachment.
Capacity is the main advantage. The larger battery means fewer reloads and fewer spares taking up inventory space during a long facility or platform run. Players also report controllable handling across common PvE distances.
Acquisition and heat are the tradeoffs. The Parallax is a loot or crafting weapon rather than a reliably stocked retail rifle, and environmental temperature affects its overheating behavior. Carry a CQ7 instead when replacing the weapon matters more than its battery capacity.
CQ7 for a rifle you can buy
Choose the CQ7 when you want a stock ballistic rifle you can buy and replace. It deals 18 base damage at 650 rounds per minute and carries 40 rounds.
In a close-range model using a 100 HP target with medium torso armor, the CQ7 needs fewer torso hits than the stock P4-AR. Its damage also begins falling off later. This is a narrow comparison between the stock weapons under those conditions, not a guarantee for every crafted build or live encounter.
The CQ7 also gives you full-auto fire plus optic, barrel and underbarrel attachment slots. Weapon stores list it across Stanton, Pyro and Nyx, although exact stock is crowdsourced and can change.
P4-AR for easy replacement
The P4-AR remains the beginner-friendly choice even though it is not the strongest stock rifle. It deals 12 base damage at 810 rounds per minute, carries 40 rounds and accepts a full conventional attachment set.
Keep the P4-AR when familiar handling and easy replacement matter most. Move to the CQ7 when you want stronger stock performance from another store-bought ballistic rifle. Crafted quality can change that comparison.
Close quarters and heavy fire
Lumin V for deliberate bursts
The Lumin V is the SMG pick if you are comfortable with burst fire. It combines 21 base damage with a 45-round magazine, but the pause between bursts lowers its sustained output.
A missed volley costs more than a few missed rounds from a continuous full-auto weapon. Players have also reported burst weapons behaving like single-shot weapons on badly desynced shards. On a struggling server, a full-auto rifle such as the CQ7 may be more forgiving.
If continuous full-auto fire matters more than burst output, choose another SMG. No full-auto alternative has a clear enough all-around edge in 4.10.1 to name as the fallback winner.
No universal shotgun winner
No shotgun earns a universal recommendation in 4.10.1. Pellet, spread and distance results conflict across the available comparisons, leaving the BR-2, R97, Devastator and Ravager as situational choices.
A shotgun makes the most sense when you expect room-to-room fighting and can accept less flexibility outside that range. Take the CQ7 or an SMG when one mission may move between interiors and open ground.
FS-9 for a conventional LMG
The FS-9 is the practical conventional LMG pick. It carries 75 rounds, fires at 650 rounds per minute and is reported to stay controllable during long PvE clears where uninterrupted fire matters more than fast movement.
The alternatives carry more ammunition without producing a better all-purpose pick. The Demeco holds 100 rounds. The Pulverizer holds 120 and hits harder per shot, but players report that its stock recoil can force slower fire. The F55 pushes capacity and fire rate higher again, but is harder to recommend as a general-purpose LMG.
The FS-9 is heavier than an assault rifle, and its retail listings are concentrated in Pyro. It is a role pick, not a default beginner weapon.
Alpha 4.10 also added the Apocalypse Arms Vendetta HMG. It is built for super-heavy equipment and sustained fire rather than an ordinary LMG loadout. Use the FS-9 for a standard combat kit; treat the Vendetta as a specialist squad weapon. The Siege of Orison loot and blueprints guide covers the Vendetta, related super-heavy equipment, keycards and weapon caches.
Precision weapons and sidearms
P6-LR for conventional sniping
The P6-LR is the best conventional sniper for deliberate long-range PvE. It deals 100 base damage, carries eight rounds and favors careful shots over rapid follow-up fire.
Do not assume every hit will down an armored NPC. The result changes with hit location, armor, target type, crafted quality and server behavior. Current Atzkav damage reports conflict, so it is not ranked here.
The other new specialist weapon is the HDGW Arlington Rifle. This lever-action rifle switches between a precision mode and a shotgun mode. It suits players who want deliberate shots with an emergency close-range option, but it does not replace the P6-LR as the conventional sniper pick or settle the shotgun category.
Coda or S-38: precision versus forgiveness
The Coda is the precision sidearm. Its 60 base damage gives it a clear per-shot advantage, but the six-round cylinder leaves little room for missed shots.
The S-38 is the practical backup. It carries 20 rounds and is broadly sold across Stanton, Pyro and Nyx. Choose the Coda when you trust your shots; choose the S-38 when capacity and replacement matter more.
PvE versus PvP
PvE rewards capacity and replaceability. An 80-shot Parallax battery or a 75-round FS-9 magazine can save more time during a long NPC clear than a small theoretical output advantage.
It can also make sense to carry a weapon used by the NPC faction you are fighting. Recoverable magazines reduce how much ammunition you must bring and leave more inventory space for loot.
PvP is less predictable. Movement, armor, server conditions and hit registration can override small differences in paper output. Full-auto weapons may be more forgiving than burst or deliberate-fire alternatives when a shard is performing poorly, but no universal PvP winner is defensible for 4.10.1.
How to choose ammo and attachments
Buy spare magazines or batteries with the weapon. Do not assume the next station or settlement stocks the matching ammunition, especially when travelling between systems.
Capacity affects each role more reliably than disputed reload timings: the Parallax holds 80 shots, the FS-9 holds 75, the Lumin V holds 45, and the CQ7 and P4-AR hold 40. The P6-LR carries eight rounds and the Coda carries six.
Attachments involve real tradeoffs. A suppressor is not automatically an upgrade:
- Quell and Stoic suppressors reduce sound, flash and recoil, but can change spread or aim speed.
- The Tacit Suppressor provides stronger sound reduction at the cost of damage.
- The Sion compensator reduces recoil but makes the weapon louder.
- The Torrent compensator raises damage and projectile speed while worsening recoil, spread and aim-down-sight time.
Use a low-magnification optic for interiors. Move to 4× or 8× only when the engagement distance justifies the narrower sight picture. Check the exact modifiers before adding a barrel attachment; the name alone does not tell you whether it fits your loadout.
Where to obtain these weapons
Shop inventories and stock can change. Check a current item finder before making a long trip.
| Weapon | Practical acquisition |
|---|---|
| Parallax | Loot or craft. No dependable standard retailer is listed for 4.10.1. |
| CQ7 | Broadly sold across Stanton, Pyro and Nyx, including multiple Lagrange-point and gateway weapon stores. |
| P4-AR | Widely sold at stations and cities, including ARC-L1, HUR-L2, Everus Harbor, Tammany & Sons and MIC-L1 in current listings. |
| Lumin V | Listed at Area18 CenterMass, Seraphim Live Fire, Grim HEX, Checkmate and other weapon stores. |
| FS-9 | Primarily listed at Pyro weapon shops. |
| P6-LR | Listed at Sharp Shooters on Checkmate. |
| Coda | Broadly sold across Stanton, Pyro and Nyx. |
| S-38 | Broadly sold across Stanton, Pyro and Nyx. |
| SecondWind variants | Earned through the Orison Relief Support reward track and attributed directly to the player's account. |
Orison Relief reward guns in 4.10.1
The Orison Relief Support reward track includes three SecondWind weapon rewards:
- S-38 SecondWind: a practical 20-round backup pistol
- P4-AR SecondWind: a replaceable, beginner-friendly automatic rifle
- Lumin V SecondWind: a high-output burst SMG for close quarters
These are themed variants of existing weapons, not new weapon families. No mechanical advantage is shown over the standard S-38, P4-AR or Lumin V. Earn them for the SecondWind finish and account attribution, not for a performance upgrade.
Early PTU information described the weapon rewards as blueprints. That changed before LIVE. In Alpha 4.10.1, the rewards are attributed directly to the player's RSI Platform account and should appear in My Hangar.
The event is scheduled to run until Alpha 4.10.2. The linked Guide covers the contract choices, progression requirements and reward thresholds.
RSI currently lists an attribution issue affecting some FPS weapons and equipment. If a completed reward is missing in-game, check My Hangar before assuming the contract failed.
Current-build limits
These recommendations apply to Alpha 4.10.1 LIVE and compare base-quality weapons.
The damage and output figures are game-data values or theoretical calculations. They do not reproduce live-server hit registration, movement, latency or every target's health and armor.
Crafted quality can change weapon behavior. The UI may also hide crafted stat improvements until the item is equipped. Retail locations are crowdsourced, so treat every store listing as current guidance rather than a permanent guarantee.