Paladins is Hi-Rez Studios' free-to-play team hero shooter, out of beta since May 2018, and it is no longer being developed. Hi-Rez halted active work on Paladins and the original SMITE on 6 February 2025 during a restructuring that cut a large share of its staff, and the game has been in maintenance mode since. Servers are still up: Steam concurrents in August 2026 average roughly 900 over a rolling 30 days with 24-hour peaks near 1,500, against an all-time high of 60,712. Balance is frozen, so any tier list from 2025 onward is still accurate.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cassie's Crossbow | S | New Damage players who want consistent output without projectile leading. | A hitscan-feeling crossbow with solid mid-range damage and a small magazine. |
| Viktor's Assault Rifle | A | Players transferring aim skill from another shooter. | A hitscan rifle with a large magazine and the most conventional first-person shooter feel on the roster. |
| Maeve's Daggers | A | Diving isolated Supports and finishing low targets. | Fast-firing thrown daggers with short effective range and a brutal falloff curve. |
| Barik's Blunderbuss | B | Point defence on Siege maps with tight capture areas. | A short-range spread weapon on a Front Line champion who deploys turrets and a Barricade. |
| Grover's Throwing Axe | B | Supports who want to influence a fight beyond healing output. | A heavy thrown axe that does real damage for a Support weapon and rewards prediction rather than tracking. |
S-Tier: Cassie's Crossbow
A hitscan-feeling crossbow with solid mid-range damage and a small magazine. It rewards steady tracking rather than flicks, and its damage falloff means she wants an elevated angle within the mid third of the map.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | S |
| Best For | New Damage players who want consistent output without projectile leading. |
| Key Mechanic | Five-card loadouts capped at 15 points |
| Recommended Role | Damage: hitscan poke |
How to get it: Available from mid-game onward. See our walkthrough for the exact progression point.
Best builds using Cassie's Crossbow: Pairs naturally with Damage: hitscan poke thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: Viktor's Assault Rifle
A hitscan rifle with a large magazine and the most conventional first-person shooter feel on the roster. Viktor is the champion most often recommended to players coming from other shooters because nothing about the aiming is exotic.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Players transferring aim skill from another shooter. |
| Key Mechanic | Talents chosen before the match starts |
| Recommended Role | Damage: projectile burst |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Viktor's Assault Rifle: Pairs naturally with Damage: projectile burst thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: Maeve's Daggers
Fast-firing thrown daggers with short effective range and a brutal falloff curve. Her damage only exists inside about a dozen metres, which is why her whole kit is built around closing that gap and leaving again.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Diving isolated Supports and finishing low targets. |
| Key Mechanic | The in-match credit shop |
| Recommended Role | Flank: dive assassin |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Maeve's Daggers: Pairs naturally with Flank: dive assassin thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Barik's Blunderbuss
A short-range spread weapon on a Front Line champion who deploys turrets and a Barricade. Barik holds ground rather than shielding a team, so his weapon exists to punish anyone who walks into the space he has fortified.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Point defence on Siege maps with tight capture areas. |
| Key Mechanic | Four champion classes |
| Recommended Role | Front Line: shield anchor |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Barik's Blunderbuss: Pairs naturally with Front Line: shield anchor thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Grover's Throwing Axe
A heavy thrown axe that does real damage for a Support weapon and rewards prediction rather than tracking. Grover is the Support who can genuinely contest a Damage champion in a straight fight if the axes land.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Supports who want to influence a fight beyond healing output. |
| Key Mechanic | Siege point-and-payload rounds |
| Recommended Role | Support: main healer |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Grover's Throwing Axe: Pairs naturally with Support: main healer 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 Frog Isle
- Viktor's Assault Rifle → Your first real upgrade, available early
- Maeve's Daggers → Mid-game upgrade with good scaling
- Cassie's Crossbow → 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.
- Buy Cauterize by the second team fight in every single match. Anti-healing is the item that decides whether your damage sticks, and a team that skips it will out-damage the enemy all game and still lose the point.
- Check our tier list for how weapons rankings affect overall build effectiveness.
More Paladins Guides
- Paladins Paladins Overview
- Paladins Best Builds
- Paladins Tier List
- Paladins Walkthrough
- Paladins Beginner's Guide
- Paladins Tips & Tricks
- Paladins Combat Guide
- Paladins Boss Guide
- Paladins Maps & Locations
- Paladins Crafting Guide
- Paladins Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy Paladins, check out these related guides:
- Counter-Strike 2 Weapons Guide: fps game with similar mechanics
- Apex Legends Weapons Guide: fps game with similar mechanics
- Rainbow Six Siege Weapons Guide: fps game with similar mechanics
