Outfitting a character with the right gear helps them perform at optimal levels. However, a lot of games will give you vehicles or a similar feature that has its own level of customization. These can range from cosmetic choices to performance-enhancing options such as shields and weaponry.
Starfield will offer you your own ship to sail through the stars on your journey of exploration and adventure from planet to planet. However, there is always the looming threat of enemy spacecraft, and if you are not armed with the right weapons, they will shoot you down. Whether you built your ship yourself or got it for free, having a strategic array of weapons on your ship will defend you from many of the threats you’ll face.
Updated by Chad Thesen on November 3rd, 2023: This article has been updated with improved formatting and additional information to help our readers.
10 Obliterator 250MeV Alpha Turret
Well Balanced Particle Weapon For Both Shield And Hull Damage
- Value of 35,100 credits.
- Weapon level requirement of 60.
- This weapon has a Shield and hull DPS of 32.
Particle weapons, for both ships and the hands of the player, deal damage to both hull and shield alike. This makes them a great choice for players who enjoy how these weapons play and don’t necessarily want to switch between alternate weapons to meet the circumstances. However, this also means they do not perform as well as the right dedicated weapon for the job at hand.
This is a class C ship weapon with a maximum power consumption of 4. Its Hull Damage and Shield Damage per shot is 86, with a rate of fire of 1.5. This gives it a DPS of 129 damage against both hulls and shields.
9 Exterminator 95MeV Auto Helion Beam
Advanced Particle Weapon For Both Shield And Hull Damage
- Value of 35,500 credits.
- Weapon level requirement of 60.
- This weapon has a Shield and hull DPS of 33.
This is another, more valuable, particle weapon. This weapon has a significantly higher fire rate with a lower amount of damage. This culminates in a higher total DPS, explaining why its value is higher. This means you can be more liberal with your shots, and it doesn’t matter if some of the shots spray past your target.
This is a class B ship weapon with a maximum power consumption of 4. Its Hull Damage and Shield Damage per shot is 26, with a rate of fire of 5. This gives it a DPS of 130 damage against both hulls and shields.
8 MKE-9A Auto Gauss Gun
Ballistic Weapon Best Used After Shields Are Down
- Value of 44,200 credits.
- Weapon level requirement of 57.
- This weapon has a hull DPS of 37.
A ballistic gun is all about Hull Damage, meaning it is made for shredding down an enemy ship the moment its shields go down. This weapon outperforms any particle weapon in Hull Damage but has abysmal shield damage by comparison. You will want to take down their shields with a laser weapon and then switch to this one to finish the job.
This is a class C ship weapon with a maximum power consumption of 4. Its Hull Damage comes in at 37 damage per hit and 11 Shield Damage per hit. It has a rate of fire of 4, which brings its DPS numbers to 148 for Hull Damage and 44 for Shield Damage.
7 Reza 10 PHz Pulse Laser Turret
Shatters Enemy Shields In Seconds
- Value of 35,000 credits.
- Weapon level requirement of 60.
- This weapon has a shield DPS of 38.
Before you can even tear into an enemy ship’s hull, you will first need to take down those pesky shields protecting it. This is where a dedicated laser weapon comes in handy. When you first encounter an enemy ship, use your lasers to decimate its shields and then switch to the highest-hull damaging weapons you have afterward.
This is a class B ship weapon with a maximum power consumption of 4. Its Hull Damage comes in at 9 damage per hit and 30 Shield Damage per hit. It has a rate of fire of 5, which brings its DPS numbers to 45 for Hull Damage and 150 for Shield Damage.
6 Reza 300 PHz SX Pulse Laser Turret
More Consistent Shield Damage
- Value of 33,900 credits.
- Weapon has a level requirement of 60.
- This weapon has a shield DPS of 38.
This is another Pulse Laser Turret, and it is by the same manufacturer as the previous one on this list. This weapon has the same level of DPS thanks to higher damage at a reduced fire rate, meaning each connecting hit will be a bit better and will drain enemy shields more consistently. This lets you switch to your dedicated hull-damaging weapon and finish them off. Alternating between taking out shields and hulls with different weapons really adds to the experience of a high-octane space battle between pilots.
This is a class C ship weapon with a maximum power consumption of 4. Its Hull Damage comes in at 11 damage per hit and 38 Shield Damage per hit. It has a rate of fire of 4, which brings its DPS numbers to 44 for Hull Damage and 152 for Shield Damage.
5 Supaku 250GC Suppressor
Forget Damage, Just Stun And Board Them
- Value of 47,800 credits.
- Weapon level requirement of 51.
- This weapon has an EM damage of 54 with a 1.50 ROF.
Your ships can have 3 weapons on them, so make sure one of them can handle all of your EM needs. This is not just the best class A EM ship weapon, but it has the highest value of any ship weapon in the entire game. Its DPS versus hulls and shields is only a 2, but this is because EM weapons cause an electromagnetic surge and take out their systems for easy boarding.
This is a class A ship weapon with a maximum power consumption of 6. Its Hull Damage and Shield Damage per shot is 1, but its EM Damage is 54. This is the highest EM damage for any class A EM weapon for ships. Its rate of fire comes in at 1.50 which has it outperforming the Tatsu 500EM Suppressor, but not the Tatsu 501EM Suppressor.
4 Tatsu 501EM Suppressor
Faster Stuns Means Faster Boarding
- Value of 24,600 credits.
- Weapon level requirement of 60.
- This weapon has an EM damage of 108 with a 0.8 ROF.
Just like the previous entry, this is an EM weapon for your ship. However, its value is almost half of the Supaku 250GC Suppressor, but its damage is exactly double. It fires shots much slower, so make sure they all connect. Due to its slower fire rate, it has a lower DPS compared to others. However, making every shot connect can have enemy ships’ systems going down quicker than the Supaku 250GC Suppressor due to its higher EM damage.
This is a class C ship weapon with a maximum power consumption of 6. Its Hull Damage and Shield Damage per shot is 1, but its EM Damage is 108. This is the highest EM damage for any class C EM weapon for ships.
3 CE-59 Missile Launcher
No Need To Switch Or Manage Weapons, All In One Package
- Value of 25,200 credits.
- Weapon level requirement of 49
- This weapon has a Shield and hull DPS of 51.
Sometimes, you want to pack a bigger punch with a larger explosion; that is where missiles come in. Just like particle weapons, these will deal a decent amount of damage to both hulls and shields. Missiles are incredibly slow by comparison, so make sure every single hit counts to maximum damage. They are also a real treat to watch from your cockpit as they soar towards their targets.
This is a class C ship weapon with a maximum power consumption of 3. Its Hull Damage and Shield Damage per shot is 153, with a DPS to match — due to having an exact rate of fire of 1.
2 Atlatl 280C Missile Launcher
Highest Damage In The Game For Both Shields And Hulls
- Value of 47,500 credits.
- Weapon level requirement of 43.
- This weapon has a Shield and hull DPS of 66.
Another missile weapon, this is the second-highest valued weapon due to its obscenely high damage. Nothing does more damage than this weapon. As such, it has a higher energy consumption than the previous weapon entry. This weapon just blows everything else out of the water with its god-tier damage output, provided you never miss a single shot.
It’s a class C ship weapon with a maximum power consumption of 4. Its Hull Damage and Shield Damage per shot is 264, but a fire rate of exactly 1. The value of this weapon being 47,500 credits makes it something you will want to reserve for a more expensive ship.
1 Vanguard Hellfire Autocannon
Highest Hull DPS In The Game
- Value of 2,750 credits.
- Weapon level requirement of 1.
- This weapon has a Shield and hull DPS of 68.
Jumping back to ballistic weapons for the Vanguard Hellfire Autocannon, this high-rate-of-fire weapon might not have the same raw damage numbers as the Atlatl 280C Missile Launcher, but it is something that you will be able to make use of very early in the game. It has the highest hull DPS of any ballistic weapon and will give you a great experience playing the game until you can afford something like the Atlatl 280C Missile Launcher. Do not sleep on trying this weapon out, as it is incredibly fun. However, you may also enjoy the unique weapons featured on the Starborn Guardian ship when you get to New Game Plus.
The Vanguard Hellfire Autocannon is a class B ship weapon with a maximum power consumption of 2. Its Hull Damage comes in at 18 damage per hit and 5 Shield Damage per hit. It has a rate of fire of 7.5, which brings its DPS numbers to 68 for Hull Damage and 19 for Shield Damage. This means the moment those shields go down, start firing this gun to decimate your enemy’s hull.