Treyarch shipped Black Ops III in November 2015 with three games in one box: a four player co-op campaign, a Specialist driven multiplayer suite, and the Zombies arc that opens in Shadows of Evil. Movement is the through line, because thrust jumps, wall runs and power slides all stay available while you fire and reload. A decade later the PC version still fills lobbies, mostly for Zombies and the Workshop custom maps that came with the mod tools.
Your choice of weapons defines your damage output and playstyle. This guide ranks every major option, explains what makes each one strong, and tells you which builds they pair best with.
Weapons Rankings
| Weapon | Tier | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| KN-44 | S | Any map, any mode, and the safest gun to learn the movement system with. | The first assault rifle you get, and still one of the best. |
| Man-O-War | A | Long sightlines on Redwood and Fringe, and holding a Hardpoint against multiple angles. | A heavy hitting assault rifle with a slow fire rate and hard kick. |
| VMP | A | Flanking routes, Domination flag rushes, and players learning slide cancel timing. | The all round SMG with a big magazine and mild recoil. |
| Vesper | B | Nuk3town, Stronghold and any indoor map where fights start under ten metres. | The fastest firing SMG on the roster with a tight hipfire spread and damage that drops off hard past close range. |
| Drakon | B | Aggressive sniping and players who dislike bolt action rechamber time. | Semi automatic sniper rifle with a one shot kill on upper chest and head hits. |
S-Tier: KN-44
The first assault rifle you get, and still one of the best. Low recoil, a 30 round magazine and a kill speed that holds up indoors made it the default competitive pick for the game's whole life.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | S |
| Best For | Any map, any mode, and the safest gun to learn the movement system with. |
| Key Mechanic | Chain based movement |
| Recommended Role | Ruin |
How to get it: Available from mid-game onward. See our walkthrough for the exact progression point.
Best builds using KN-44: Pairs naturally with Ruin thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: Man-O-War
A heavy hitting assault rifle with a slow fire rate and hard kick. It rewards single target accuracy and punishes spraying, which suits objective defence rather than pushing.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Long sightlines on Redwood and Fringe, and holding a Hardpoint against multiple angles. |
| Key Mechanic | Specialist weapons and abilities |
| Recommended Role | Outrider |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Man-O-War: Pairs naturally with Outrider thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: VMP
The all round SMG with a big magazine and mild recoil. It is the least demanding close range gun in the game and stays usable past the range where most SMGs fall apart.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Flanking routes, Domination flag rushes, and players learning slide cancel timing. |
| Key Mechanic | Pick 10 Create-A-Class |
| Recommended Role | Prophet |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using VMP: Pairs naturally with Prophet thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Vesper
The fastest firing SMG on the roster with a tight hipfire spread and damage that drops off hard past close range. It empties a magazine in a heartbeat, so reload discipline matters.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Nuk3town, Stronghold and any indoor map where fights start under ten metres. |
| Key Mechanic | Gunsmith attachment slots |
| Recommended Role | Battery |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Vesper: Pairs naturally with Battery thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Drakon
Semi automatic sniper rifle with a one shot kill on upper chest and head hits. The follow up shot is quick enough to correct a miss without switching weapons.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Aggressive sniping and players who dislike bolt action rechamber time. |
| Key Mechanic | Zombies GobbleGums |
| Recommended Role | Seraph |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Drakon: Pairs naturally with Seraph thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
Weapons Progression Path
The order you should acquire weapons as you progress:
- Starting gear → Enough to clear Nuk3town
- Man-O-War → Your first real upgrade, available early
- VMP → Mid-game upgrade with good scaling
- KN-44 → Best-in-slot, aim for this by late game
- Upgrade to max → The power spike from max upgrades is enormous
Weapons Tips
- Always upgrade your primary weapon before diversifying. One strong option beats three mediocre ones.
- Match your weapons to your build's stat priorities for maximum scaling.
- Thrust jumping paints a red dot on the enemy minimap unless you run Blast Suppressor. On Search and Destroy either take the perk or stay grounded when you approach a bomb site, because a single jump tells the whole enemy team where you are.
- Check our tier list for how weapons rankings affect overall build effectiveness.
More Call of Duty: Black Ops III Guides
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III Call of Duty: Black Ops III Overview
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III Best Builds
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III Tier List
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III Walkthrough
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III Beginner's Guide
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III Tips & Tricks
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III Combat Guide
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III Boss Guide
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III Maps & Locations
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III Crafting Guide
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III Classes & Characters
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