Finding the right one among the diverse weapon ranges in Payday 2 can be an overwhelming choice for new players. Though there are many great weapons, we have compiled 7 of the best among them in terms of damage, rate of fire, stability, and accuracy.
If you’re unsure about the weapon to equip, this Payday 2 guide helps you choose the best weapon to aid your heist and character build.
7. Akimbo CR 805B
| Magazine | 60 |
| Total Ammo | 120 |
| Rate of Fire | 750 |
| Damage | 99 x2 |
| Accuracy | 72 |
| Stability | 68 (32) |
| Cost | $81,200 |
Let’s start with one of the most powerful SMG primary guns, Akimbo CR 805B. The fun part about owning this weapon is that you can pair it with the same weapon and get increased damage output, but it requires precision aiming and stability.
The weapon outperforms in close-range combat due to its high damage output per second. You can use Medium Barrel and Short Barrel mods to maximize the damage, but it does reduce accuracy. However, you can use barrel extension to improve the accuracy. Note that with modification, you can reach around 100 stability and accuracy.
6. Lion’s Roar
| Magazine | 30 |
| Total Ammo | 180 |
| Rate of Fire | 857 |
| Damage | 78 |
| Accuracy | 60 |
| Stability | 60 |
| Cost | $629,000 |
The Lion’s Roar is an assault rifle that has a great rate of fire and does decent damage. When you merge the weapon with mods, skills, and a good secondary weapon, the gun can reach a 30% crit chance with low blow aced and ideal performance.
If high recoil is managed, the weapon offers long range. It has a good fire rate and offers high damage output, accuracy, and stability. Moreover, the weapon has higher ammo pickup compared to other assault rifles.
5. Arbiter
| Magazine | 5 |
| Total Ammo | 15 |
| Rate of Fire | 80 |
| Damage | 480 |
| Accuracy | 96 |
| Stability | 96 |
| Cost | $921,000 |
Let’s move to grenade launchers now. The Arbiter is a semi-automatic weapon with a higher fire rate and ammo capacity. Compared to other grenade launchers, it has the second largest magazine and the highest reserve capacity.
Moreover, it has fast projectile speed and can equip sight modifications and gadgets to improve accuracy.
4. Compact 40mm
| Magazine | 1 |
| Total Ammo | 6 |
| Rate of Fire | 30 |
| Damage | 1,300 |
| Accuracy | 84 |
| Stability | 84 |
| Cost | $441,000 |
The one-shot grenade launcher, Compact 40, shares almost similar stats to that of the GL40 Grenade Launcher; the only difference is that it has a faster reload rate and good base concealment. Also, the pickup percentage is twice compared to GL.
The high damage rate of the weapon can wipe out entire groups of enemies with a single well-placed shot. Lastly, this is the only explosive weapon that can be obtained without DLC.
3. Akimbo Stryker 18c
| Magazine | 40 |
| Total Ammo | 200 |
| Rate of Fire | 909 |
| Damage | 35 x2 |
| Accuracy | 52 |
| Stability | 56 |
| Cost | $912,000 |
Semi-automatic pistols can be wielded as primary weapons and have increased damage but require precise aiming. If you’re in close-quarter combat, this should be your go-to weapon, as it can even take down armored enemies.
This is the only weapon in the game with largest magazine, which players perfect specially during longer missions when you need to focus on clearing out the field rather than finding ammo.
2. Akimbo Krinkovs
| Magazine | 60 |
| Total Ammo | 180 |
| Rate of Fire | 822 |
| Damage | 99 x2 |
| Accuracy | 60 |
| Stability | 44 (6) |
| Cost | $60,200 |
If you love using SMGs, playing with dual-wielded SMGs with increased damage sounds fun! The Krinkov has a good fire rate and ammo pickup compared to CR 508bs, but it does require aiming precision with reduced stability.
If you’re playing in close-range battles, it can take down enemies quickly, and you can always improve the accuracy and concealments with modifications.
1. Buzzsaw 42
| Magazine | 150 |
| Total Ammo | 450 |
| Rate of Fire | 1,200 |
| Damage | 80 |
| Accuracy | 48 |
| Stability | 28 |
| Cost | $920,000 |
Saving the best for the last! The Buzzsaw is a light machine gun and the best DPS weapon. Buzzsaw delivers the highest damage per magazine compared to other weapons and is perfect for close to mid-range combats.
As for the insane fire rate of 1,200 with good base damage makes it a perfect choice for a single player to clear out the entire battlefield. Lastly, this is the only weapon that offers ideal accuracy and stability in Payday 2.
