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Reviewed by Jeffrey Hsu
In Wayfinder, the weapon you wield has a big impact on your playstyle and an even bigger one on your enemy’s skull. And if we want to talk about big impacts, then we have talk about Rifles. As is the case in most games (and in real life), ranged weapons are incredibly strong and dominate the meta. The Rifle weapon class is no exception, and with that in mind, we’ll be going over what’s the best Rifle in Wayfinder today!
Rifle Playstyle
Before we dive into the top three Rifles in Wayfinder, I want to go over some caveats first.
While Rifles are undeniably strong in Wayfinder, they are by no means the definitive best weapon for every situation. Every weapon in this game is viable and ultimately just comes down to your personal preference, so play what you want to play.
That being said, certain wayfinders can utilize Rifles more effectively than other characters. Silo and Venomess are unsurprisingly the best characters to use a Rifle with in Wayfinder, as they were designed with said weapon in mind. Both their kits incorporate ranged and defensive abilities that benefit from the ranged playstyle of Rifle.
Niss and Kyros also fit this description and can wield Rifles effectively. However, I would advise against using Rifles with Windgrave or Senja, as their kits are designed more for up-close melee.
The 3 Best Rifle Weapons in Wayfinder
Which Rifle will be the best for you will depend on the situation you find yourself in. Sometimes you have to worry about enemies reaching you, while other times you can freely pick them off without any worries. Regardless, these 3 Rifles are always top-tier picks.
Hellswarm (Best for Survival)
Do you want to be Doom Guy? If you correctly answered yes, then the Hellswarm is the weapon for you.
The Hellswarm’s special ability is Volcano, a DoT effect that takes the form of a slow moving fire vortex that gets bigger and bigger as it moves forward. This is just a big nasty AoE, and it’s pretty great. While it is a bit slow, the sheer size and damage output more than make up for it.
The stats for Hellswarm are as follows:
- Instinct: Gives 119 Weapon Power and 191 Resilience
- Discipline: Gives 119 Crit Rating and 159 Max Health
- Focus: Gives 239 Ability Power and 208 Physical Defense
Unsurprisingly, Focus is the best pick here, as those stats are just too nice to pass up. Following that, I would suggest Instinct as your secondary affinity. Despite being a ranged weapon, Hellswarm has a fair bit of defensive stats, as it’s more suited for mid-range combat.
But don’t think this stat breakdown means you’re sacrificing your DPS. Your Ability Power and Weapon Power are still solid. And remember Volcano? With that 239 starting Ability Power, we can let loose the fire storms like it’s 2020 and party like it’s 1999.
Arcstorm (Best for Damage/DPS)
Arcstorm is the next Rifle we’ll cover. Let’s be honest, this is just a laser cannon, fit for a Bond villain.
Arcstorm’s special ability is (fittingly) Arcbeam. which is a line AoE that deals high damage, ignores defenses, and consumes a locked and loaded charge. Yes, resource management is annoying, but the amount of DPS you get in return is more than worth it.
This Rifle is the embodiment of pure DPS, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a weapon that can perform better in Wayfinder. The stats you can get for it only further cement its role.
The stats for Arcstorm are as follows:
- Instinct: Gives 119 Break Power and 239 Crit Rating
- Discipline: Gives 119 Weapon Power and 239 Ability Power
- Focus: Gives 95 Resilience and 159 Max Health
We obviously want Instinct and Discipline here. We get Break Power, Crit Rating, Weapon Power, and Ability Power. These are just pure DPS stats, and it’s beautiful. Not only that, but it also means we can get a 239 base Crit Rating and Ability Power for our Arcbeam! My mouth’s watering just thinking about the damage numbers.
If you want to run and gun, it doesn’t get much better than the Arcstorm. But arguably it might, as the storm hasn’t passed yet.
Tempest (Best for Crit/Burst)
The final Rifle we’ll be looking at is Tempest, and this electric Rifle has certainly earned its name.
Tempest’s special ability is Bullet Storm, which consumes all of your locked and loaded charges to fire two rapid blasts for each charge consumed. At max charge, this means you can hit your opponents six times with Bullet Storm. Aptly named and super deadly. And of course, the base stats for Tempest make Bullet Storm even better.
The stats for Tempest are as follows:
- Instinct: Gives 180 Crit Rating and 180 Crit Power
- Discipline: Gives 159 Max Health and 198 Physical Defense
- Focus: Gives 239 Weapon Power and 119 Ability Power
These stat breakdowns lead Tempest to having a very interesting build. By going for Instinct and Focus, you can make a rather nasty Crit build. You also get Ability Power and a very sizeable 239 Weapon Power.
Crit builds are a fun way to play in Wayfinder and can be quite strong, but especially so in the case of Tempest. Remember, Bullet Storm is a multi-hit special ability that has up to six hits if fully charged. I don’t have to tell you how insane that can be with super high Crit stats.
With the right echoes and accessories, you can boost your Crit Rating and Crit Power even higher. Thanks to this crazy damage potential, Tempest is known as one of the strongest weapons in Wayfinder.
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