New player guide: Primary and secondary weapons over-view
Here's a quick run down of all the weapons in this game, hopefully giving newer players an idea what weapon they should be raising/using and how to maximize fire power. It's long so use ctrl+F to find the one you are interested in.
Always get the silenced version available in that tier. In WWZ there's no such thing as the best weapon, there's only the one that's best available for your current situation. Learn the map and grab the most appropriate gun for the phase you are fighting. Example: For Moscow1, I like to start the map with my pump shotty, switch to classic battle rifle for the museum set-piece fight, then swap out to a mid-range gun like the AK or SMG for the run to the ice field, then use Battle rifle or Bullpup for the finale. Class perk often affect the power of the gun you are using and personal style influence your preference.
See this post about stealth
Tier 1:
Scout Rifle: Only fixers can start with this gun. It's pretty basic semi-auto rifle. More power and range than the compact SMG and good at head shots. Prestige 2 version is also a great upgrade with more power. Solid start weapon with penetration available. I am not a fixer main though, so usually I do not use semi-auto rifle a lot.
Compact SMG: Decent. Pretty accurate at medium range but low stopping power and not enough ammo. Gunslinger should look to upgrade to starting AK perk ASAP. Medic/Slasher are unfortunately stuck with it. Short burst works best, go full automatic and you will run dry very quickly. Medic should get ammo per head-shot perk to counter the effects. DO NOT get the snake Prestige2 version, it's weak and you run out of ammo even quicker. Do not get the un-silenced tier5 neither.
Shotgun: Personally I think it's best starter gun. Lots of stopping power and just as powerful as the higher tier shotgun. The slower pump action allow you to aim in-between shots, so aim for head. Get used to its unique firing rhythm and a practiced HR/EXT class should be able to one-shot-one-kill using this gun. Reliable and hardly ever runs out of ammo. I once cleared Jeru2 insane using only this gun plus claymore. This thing can take out a bull from the front with 3 shots if you aim right.
Pistol: Your standard issue pistol, but still very useful even if you are veteran. It's very accurate so use it to pick up head-shots. WWZ has a lot of "silence" areas and some maps have long gaps between ammo boxes, so you do NOT want to run out of primary ammo and then hit a swarm. Whip it out whenever there's only a few loose zekes standing around. The blue coin variant adds +2 Penetration AND +50% dmg vs specials. It's useful if you can line them up for PEN, or if you turn around a corner and see a lurker, a worthy investment since you use this gun a LOT
Machine pistol: A slightly upgraded version to standard pistol. Just as accurate and you are still suppose to aim for the head. I pick this up whenever I see it. DO NOT get the tier 5 upgrade since it's not silenced. The variant turns it into a full auto, it's fun but I don't find it too useful. Don't buy if you are short on blue coin.
Tier II
Assault rifle: My favorite gun for mid-game, it's basically AK. Good amount of ammo and stopping power, first few round is extremely accurate even if you are not a gunslinger. Fire in short burst only for regular encounter and you should get plenty of head-shots, poor handling means continuous fire send bullets everywhere, so only go full auto if zekes are closer. At higher level you WILL run out of ammo fast if you hold down trigger all the time. Gunslinger should start with this gun as a perk, it's good until the finale.
Sport Carbine: Solid upgrade to the scout rifle. Just a bit more than scout at everything. It's nice when I play fixer and can't find a good auto rifle. +2 Penetration make is useful against crowds and pyramids. It's a solid weapon if you are still using a starter scouter or compact SMG.
Classic battle rifle: This is the second best gun for killing pyramids, but it's accuracy is horrendous so don't think you can use it like the AK and pick up long range head shots easily. Always pick this up before you fight pyramids and fence since accuracy isn't a problem there, and the +2 penetration will collapse a pyramid before your magazine is half empty. Best to swap it out once the pyramid fight is done and you move onto silence phase. The relatively low ammo and low accuracy makes it frustrating against small # of zekes. I haven't tested the 1000 blue coin variant, probably won't because I want penetration and I don't play fixer a lot. Fixer main will find this variant to be very powerful when combined with power shot perk. Prestige 2 trade a bit of power for more special killing power, use it, it looks cool LOL.
SMG: A lot of folks don't like it, but I find it decent upgrade to the compact SMG. Use this gun exact same way as the compact SMG, short burst and aim for the head. It's very stable so you can rack up multiple HS in a row even on full auto. Range and power is still an issue, it's not a rifle. SMG in general are in a bad place in this game because shotgun dominate the short game and rifles took the long game, leaving all 3 SMG in a awkward spot. Use it if no other better alternatives or if you are playing medic with good aim.
Combat shotgun: This is NOT your pump shotty, they have very different characteristics. The high fire rate cause the accuracy to go down quite a bit if you fire it fast. I often find the pellets missing zekes at close range if you don't give it a break between shots. It's much better if you have to mow down 10 zekes in a row, but against a few zekes, the pump still does a better job. If you can learn to use it like a pump with pause in between shots, then this is a great upgrade. I wouldn't recommend using Prestige 2 version, the additional range isn't useful since pellets fly everywhere anyway, +penetration is hard to notice, and small 8-round capacity really hurts.
Sniper rifle: A lot of people swear by this gun because it's really that good. Lots of power, super long range, accurate, and you can even use it at close quarter. What's not to like? Fixers can make real good use of this gun. And Yes, there's a extreme only version for the most hard core players; too far away for beginner to reach unless you have a saved game with it. Grab it whenever you don't have to fight in close quarters. It's not as trusty as a shotgun in close range fights.
PDW: Why....does this thing even exit? Even the double barrel at least look cool. No power, no accuracy, lots of ammo but not worth shit if you can't hit anything with it. You can miss zekes that's 5 feet in front of you. Ridiculous piece of crap, just ...don't...use it. (For reasons unknown to me, some people like to use it, it's useful if you are using gunslinger with the gun switch perks. But now we have the automatic machine pistol variant, PDW just seem to be even less significant).
Compact Shotgun: A good secondary to carry especially if you are using a long rifle like the sniper rifle, whip it out when zekes get too close. 4-round capacity is OK and you can get it silenced. Pretty useful when the situation calls for it. It does lack a bit of power unlike the pump shotgun though, but it's a secondary and can't really complain about it.
Tier 3:
Assault Carbine: High fire rate/Ammo of advanced SMG combined with accuracy and power of the AK. If you don't like semi-auto/burst fire guns, then this is the best thing you can get before the full auto battle rifle variant. It's only got +1 penetration so it's not as good at pyramid killing, but great against smaller groups. Not much to be said really, it's a good all around tier 3 gun, generic but definitely gets the job done. This was my go-to weapon before I got the BR upgrade.
Battle rifle: One-shot kill below insane. Very accurate and very powerful, fixer class with perks and this gun gets even better. Shreds single zekes and pyramids alike. It's all good except for the low fire rate and the small ammo count, your finger won't thank you after using it. EXCEPT: THERE'S AN AUTOMATIC VERSION! Cost 1000 blue coin and you can get this gun as full automatic with more ammo. The BR variant is now the best gun except at close range. Absolutely destroys pyramids and any horde that comes at you straight. +2 Penentration and high rate of fire = SAVAGE! You definitely should spend your first 1000 blue coin on this beast. Total ammo is still a little on the low side but it's worth the trouble. So be ready to run out of ammo and pick up another gun on insane/extreme. Having ammo fixer around definitely helps, Gunsligner/HR/slasher can also refill ammo using perks.
Bullpup: one of the best pyramid killer before the full auto battle rifle variant. It's still a great gun all around. Great stopping power due to 3-round burst, +2 penetration kills any horde and pyramid quickly. Extremely accurate at medium range. It's hard to find any fault with this thing except the low firing rate. The burst mode will ask more from the user though, use the gap between the burst to do proper aiming just like the pump shotty for best results. I prefer this when the auto battle rifle is not available and there's going to be pyramid/fences.
Advanced SMG: Standard SMG but with more power and ammo. It still suffers from the same problem as its tier 1/2 brothers. Best used at close/medium range where you can rack up head shot instead of going for body-shots. It can definitely use more total ammo because of its high fire-rate, tend to run out very quickly if you just hold the trigger down. Not bad but not great either, only use it if no better guns are available. I don't love this gun even as a medic.
Assault shotgun: It's extremely good for the narrow situations where it's called for, pretty generic shotgun otherwise. Best used against large # of zekes at close range (think Jeru2 gas station fight), or against pyramid and fences (think Tokyo2 end fight). This thing will absolutely shred Z's to bits if used correctly. Gunslingers can have fun with this thing with LOTs of ammo refill through head shots. Known your maps so you can know the best time to pick it up. Ammo count is high so it's usually not a problem. Just make sure your teammates aren't idiots who lobs explosive at the fences while you are firing next to it. Hell raiser can have perks that reduce reload for constant stream of bullets. I really don't find the prestige 2 version to be worth the trouble. If you have to rely on the bear-arm special ability all the time, you are doing something wrong.
Crossbow: Oh the x-bow, people love it when they are using it but hate it when other people use it. Newbie tip: just stay away because you will cause more harm than good. It has no silent option so this is an horde event battle only weapon against big groups. It has a lot of trouble with single zekes, so you want to have a good secondary handy. AIM AWAY from your teammates and don't try to save your teammate with this thing, because it will blow them up at the same time. If you get the shark skin upgrade at least it won't hurt yourself, but I just don't bother with it most of the time.
Grenade Launcher: The absolute mad-toy for hell raisers. Even though it fires loud grenades, it's considered a silent weapon so you can use it anywhere (it's a bug). One of the most fun gun to use and only one thing prevent it being abused: its 6 round magazine. Refilling it 2-3 times in insane+ and you would have an empty ammo box for your primary weapon unless there's a ammo fixer around. This thing is one of the major reason why ammo box limit was introduced, so people would stop spamming it for easy win. Only hell raiser can start with this gun as a perk and it's hard to find on a map. For hell raisers, MGL perk is better anyway, pick that one instead of starting with launcher. The fire variant is fun to use if you are a support class without explosive upgrade perks, works just like a molotov. If you are lucky to find it, I once used up 4 full boxes of ammo on Tokyo3 insane using this thing and racked up 1400 kills just for shits and giggles.
Unlisted tier: these have no upgrades so they aren't listed in weapon customization menu
Flare gun: Flare guns are LOUD, so do not use it when you are under stealth. But once silence is lifted, it's fun to use and very powerful when used correctly. Usually people fight over each other to grab this thing and the nade launcher, and it's for 2 good reason. When it first land, it attracts all zekes including specials in a small area. The effect is similar to the C4 hello kitty perk but have a lower # of max targets you can attract. Always look to redirect dangerous specials away from your team like those 2 bulls + infector that's going to otherwise wreck your team. A few seconds after landing, it explodes and set zekes around it on fire and killing them. Using this gun in a swarm will direct large # of zekes away from your direction but it's better against smaller groups. It has a lot of ammo but VERY long reloading time, so you are not going to kill a ton of zekes with it. If you are playing as Hellraiser/Exterminator, it's best to let medic/fixer/slasher have this thing because they will keep you safe during the swarm. Don't be a greedy hog because you won't get a lot of kills with it.
Dual-barrel shotgun: It's my personal believe that this gun exist only to fulfill an archetype for zombie games/movie. Extremely short range, 2 rounds capacity, no silencer. You are just asking for trouble using this thing since it break stealth. There's a reason these always gets left behind on opened boxes. Stay away, it has no upgrades anyways so you don't get XP. (Some veterans are pointing out this gun is very useful on extremely when Zekes are in your face and you run out of primary. It's got fast reload so you can reload/hack-slash at the same time. Requires nimble finger work though)
Revolver: Pretty good secondary as long as you are not using it in the silent areas. Packs a ton of stopping power and decent reload time, but low accuracy means you want to use this in close range for max effectiveness. If I am carrying a rifle for swarm fights I'd like to have this thing for close quarter protection. Just go for body shots and it gets the job done, don't bother aiming for the head in a pinch
*Edit: might as well add heavy weapon to this list instead of doing separate shorter guide
Heavy Weapons:
Explosive rifle: Low ammo count and small explosion radius makes it poor for big zeke horde. Better save this thing to snipe specials. It can take down infectors and bulls (aim for his face shield) at range before they becomes dangerous, works great on those screamers that spawn on the other side of the map since it's got scope.
Machine gun: Lower ammo version of the 50-cal. Accuracy is poor so use small burst fire when zeke is at range, and only go full auto with large groups at close range. It's practical but tend to run out of ammo quickly due to fast fire rate. Can kill special quickly if you aim right because it fires explosive ammo. I tend to use this only when zekes get close or bunch together. Gunslinger should pick the AK perk instead of machine gun perk.
Heavy assault shotgun: Regular assault shotgun but full auto with 2.5x ammo. It fire very fast and runs dry fast too. So don't just hold down the trigger, fire in burst and re-aim in between. Range seem to be shorter than tier 3 assault shotgun, so make sure you get close. Whip this out when you need a fast mow-down on fence or when large group break through at close range. Slasher can have an upgraded version but it clashes with the chain saw perk, so pick your preferred weapon.
RPG: Guys please do not pick this up if there's Exterminator on you squad. Highlight it so they can have priority on RPG. I know it's hella cool and shit, but EXT class will do a LOT more kills with it and can start with 2 rounds. It's got a max kill count of 100, but without class perk you won't take out more than 30-40 zekes. Exterminator and hell raiser can get very close to the max count, so let your HR/EXT take it. It's a life saver on higher levels because you will have 50 less zekes in your face. It's got a LARGE hit-box and blast radius so do not fire at zeke close range or with teammates strafing around. You will wipe out your own team in one shot.
MGL: It's a great weapon but same rule as RPG. If there's a hell raiser in the party, LET THE Hell Raiser HAVE THIS THING. All the good HR will have perks on the MGL and they get it with 17 rounds of upgraded grenades (x28 kill max per grenade, you do the math), will easy do 3-4x amount of kills than another class. At higher level the extra kills is the difference between a win and a team wipe. Another common mistake is people unloading the whole chamber like they trying to get their girlfriends pregnant. NO, WRONG!! Fire it one round at a time with gaps in between, and spread out landing zone, otherwise you are just wasting valuable ammo.
Chain-saw: A lot of people doesn't know that Chain saw works on fences, and it doesn't have friendly fire. YES, you can kill zekes on the other side of the fence with it. But remember to walk only one direction, or stick to a small section of fence. Other teammates are firing on the fence too so you don't want to be that guy blocking all the team fire. I see some people strafe left and right with chainsaw on fence, that's guarantee to get you shot in the back cause you are acting like a dumb ass. Use it when things get real dicey and you can keep zekes away. It's got a large push back radius too but only in front of you, so don't get surrounded or you will die from hits in the back. Support class should carry this to protect team at close range. If you see someone using chainsaw, don't use explosives, help him out by shooting the zekes that are trying to go around the front of the chain saw.
Flame Thrower: What's a Zombie game without a flame thrower right? It's pretty awesome once you understood its caveat: The range is extremely short, even shorter than heavy shotgun so you really have to be up-close with it. The hit-box is also not as large as the flame graphics would suggest, it firing more like a bullet type gun and hits zekes directly in front of you. It does have a push back effect and seem to penetrate. I wouldn't burst fire with this thing, just go full auto or long burst, and sweep the field in front of you. Best used against fences (not pyramids due to the short range). Use same rule as chainsaw, don't strafe back and forth, stand still and work on small section of fences. It can also be used against large group of charging zekes but take care not to stand directly in front of the wave. Stand off on the side and fire on the wave as they pass by, or you WILL get knocked down and look like a fool when 50 zekes trample over your body.
Posted Mar 31, 2020, 6:06 AM UTC · edited