Far Far West splits its arsenal into primary weapons, sidearms, and throwable utilities, and the gap between the meta picks and the rest of the roster is wide enough to decide whether a Nightmare run ends with a payout or a wipe. The Quad Cylinder, Winchester repeater, Paterson Navy Revolver, and Shotgun sit at the top of the current meta, with each one filling a distinct role in a balanced loadout.
How weapons are categorized
Every loadout slot has a fixed role. Primaries handle the bulk of damage output and dictate how each fight plays out. Sidearms cover gaps the primary cannot, including elemental procs, headshot bursts, and ammo-free options. Utilities are throwables for area control or single-target burst.
Weapons scale through Joker slots, which unlock as the weapon levels and add elemental effects or stat buffs to your shots. Damage dealt drives weapon XP, so equipping a top-tier pick on the highest difficulty you can clear is the fastest way to push it through ranks.
Full weapon list and roles
| Weapon | Slot | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Quad Cylinder | Primary | Hybrid rifle/shotgun with high burst at medium range |
| Winchester (Repeater) | Primary | Balanced rifle with strong fire rate and ammo economy |
| Spitfire Revolving Sniper | Primary | Automatic sniper for picking off priority targets |
| Elephant Gun | Primary | Heavy rifle with a wide damage roll, capable of one-tapping bosses |
| Shotgun | Primary | Close-range pellet spread for wave clearing |
| Horse Bow | Primary | Mounted elemental arrows for mobile builds |
| Minigun | Primary | Sustained heavy fire for held positions |
| Revolver (Starter) | Sidearm | Six-shooter starter pistol with elemental rounds |
| Paterson Navy Revolver | Sidearm | Headshot multiplier sidearm with rapid fanning |
| Lightning Revolver | Sidearm | Electrical damage pistol for shock combos |
| Golden Colt | Sidearm | Reliable handgun for finishing wounded enemies |
| Boomerang | Sidearm | Returning projectile, no ammo required |
| Throwing Stars | Sidearm | Fast silent projectiles |
| Tomahawk | Utility | Throwable axe with retrieval after hit |
| Dynamite | Utility | Explosive for clearing horde clusters |
| Energite Bottle | Utility | Lingering energy field for area denial |
Tier list for Nightmare and high-difficulty runs
Tiering reflects how reliably a weapon performs once Joker slots are filled and you are pushing the highest difficulties. Some weapons that look strong on paper, like the Elephant Gun, fall apart under scrutiny because of inconsistent damage rolls.
| Tier | Weapon | Why it ranks here |
|---|---|---|
| S | Quad Cylinder | Highest sustained burst damage; scales hard with fire rate Jokers |
| S | Winchester (Repeater) | Most ammo-efficient primary; safest pick for long contracts |
| S | Paterson Navy Revolver | Headshot multiplier and fanning speed melt elites in seconds |
| S | Shotgun | Devastating with the pellets-per-missing-bullet perk |
| A | Spitfire Revolving Sniper | Reliable long-range pick for high-threat targets |
| A | Horse Bow | Best fit for West Wizard builds that proc elemental fields |
| A | Lightning Revolver | Stun-locks groups when paired with electrical spells |
| A | Minigun | Top-tier suppression but heavy mobility penalty |
| B | Golden Colt | Consistent damage without the skill ceiling of the Paterson |
| B | Tomahawk | High single-target throw damage, retrievable |
| B | Dynamite | Reliable AoE for emergencies |
| B | Energite Bottle | Strong area denial against armored enemies |
| C | Elephant Gun | 1–400 damage roll is too inconsistent for Nightmare |
| C | Revolver (Starter) | Outclassed by every other sidearm |
| C | Boomerang | Unique playstyle but lacks raw stopping power |
| C | Throwing Stars | Speed-focused but underdamaged for tough fights |
Best primary weapons
The Quad Cylinder is the safest first weapon to commit to and the strongest primary at endgame. It hybridizes rifle accuracy with shotgun-style burst, which means you do not have to commit to a single playstyle to keep its damage uptime high. It also scales aggressively with fire rate Jokers, pushing it past every other primary once both rolls land well.
The Winchester repeater is the dependable counterpart. It does not match the Quad Cylinder's burst, but its ammo efficiency and balanced fire rate make it the cleaner pick for long Nightmare contracts where ammo scarcity becomes the real boss. If your runs keep ending with empty pockets, swap to the Winchester.
The Shotgun moves into S-tier specifically when paired with the pellets-per-missing-bullet perk, which turns a half-empty magazine into a wave-clearing tool. It is the strongest aggressive primary, but it asks for confident positioning. Solo players who cannot rely on a teammate to peel pressure should think twice.
The Spitfire Revolving Sniper is the best ranged option for picking off threats from outside the danger zone, and the Horse Bow is essential if you are running a West Wizard build that leans on elemental fields and mounted mobility. The Minigun is excellent on paper, but eats movement speed, which is why it sits a tier below the meta-defining picks.
Best sidearm
The Paterson Navy Revolver dominates the secondary slot. Its headshot multiplier and rapid fanning speed shred elite enemies that primary weapons would otherwise have to spend half a magazine on. Pair it with any S-tier primary, and you have an answer for everything from horde clusters to armored elites.
The Lightning Revolver is the specialist alternative when your spell loadout leans into electrical procs. It stun-locks grouped enemies cleanly, which makes it a strong pick for crowd-heavy contracts even though it does not match the Paterson's raw damage.
The Golden Colt is a fine baseline choice if you are still learning fanning timing on the Paterson. Skip the starter Revolver as soon as you have the gold to assemble something better, and treat the Boomerang and Throwing Stars as novelty picks rather than serious options for high-difficulty play.
Utility throwables
Dynamite is the standout utility because area damage is what saves runs when the horde collapses on your position. The Tomahawk fills a different niche, dealing heavy single-target impact damage with the bonus of being retrievable, so it never burns through a finite resource the way explosives do.
The Energite Bottle is the support pick. Its lingering energy field denies territory and softens armored targets, making it strong when you want to control the flow of a fight rather than end it outright.
How to unlock weapons
Step 1: Open the Saloon locker and track the weapon you want. Only one weapon can be tracked per mission, so pick something that fits your current build.
Step 2: Run missions until Fragments drop. They come from main objectives, hidden caches, and the final bounty boss. You need 6 Fragments to complete the blueprint.
Step 3: Visit the Weaponsmith and spend 500 Gold to assemble the weapon. The blueprint converts into the finished firearm and lands in your inventory.
How to level weapons fast
Weapon XP is tied directly to damage dealt, so the fastest path is to use the weapon on the highest difficulty you can consistently clear. Missing shots wastes runs, so prioritize accuracy over fire rate while leveling.
Spend Gold at the Weaponsmith to upgrade base stats, and slot Jokers as they unlock to add elemental effects or specialized buffs. A fully Joker-slotted Quad Cylinder or Paterson Navy will outperform a higher-tier weapon that has not been built out yet, which is why it pays to commit to one or two weapons rather than spreading Fragments across the entire roster.
Solo vs co-op loadouts
Solo runs reward consistency. The Quad Cylinder paired with the Paterson Navy is the strongest single-player setup because both weapons keep working at every range without forcing positional commitments. Add Dynamite for emergencies.
Co-op loadouts can specialize. One player can lean on the Shotgun for boss windows while another holds the line with the Minigun. The Horse Bow becomes far stronger when a teammate runs spells that interact with its elemental arrows, and the Spitfire Revolving Sniper picks up the slack on long-range threats while close-range players hold the front.