Vampire The Masquerade Bloodhunt: Best Weapons

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt is a new free-to-play battle royale game for the PS5 after an early release on PC. The game pits you as one of four archetypal vampires as you seek to eliminate others, feed on mortals, and return the vampires to their former glory they had prior to their betrayal that resulted in the final death of Prince Markus, who had been leading the vampires.

Below, you will find a list of Outsider Gaming’s ten best weapons to use. While it’s focused on solo play, the weapons listed are also the best to use in trios battles, particularly when paired with complimentary weapons. Some weapons require specific ammo: low caliber, high caliber, precision, bolts, etc.

Also, remember that there are four item rarities in Bloodhunt: Common (green), Rare (blue), Epic (purple), Legendary (gold). You’ll most likely run into the first two rarities quickly when playing, but the Epic and Legendary weapons will have better stats across the board. The only drawback is these weapons are usually found in heavily fortified areas by the Entity.

Note that as of April 28th, the second day of the game’s full release, there are four melee weapons and 17 ranged weapons. Don’t be surprised to see more weapons added, especially with the first Battle Pass of Season One beginning shortly. Of the ten weapons below, one will be a melee weapon. The list will be in alphabetical order.

1. 9-Barrel

The 9-Barrel is an interesting gun. It has a stabilizing grip on the back for better recoil, which is necessary considering it uses high caliber rounds and is fully automatic. What makes the 9-Barrel stand out is that the rate of fire increases while holding down the trigger and it still maintains great accuracy even at longer ranges. Higher rarities increase the reload and fire rate. All in all, the 9-Barrel is a great weapon for beginners and those who don’t like to get too close to their enemies.

2. Burst Rifle

The Burst Rifle is the only gun on this list that fires in, well, bursts. The Burst Rifle shoots in bursts of three. It’s best at long range and when paired with the three-round bursts, it’s an ideal gun to hunt from the shadows and damage enemies stealthily. The three-round bursts should help with ammo conservation as well. At higher rarities, the Burst Rifle gains a larger magazine, faster reload, and a longer range. The only issue is that without a scope, it may be difficult to snipe enemies.

3. Double Crossbows

An interesting weapon, the Dual Crossbows have a different function than the standard Crossbow. The standard releases bolts that have a toxic gas that blinds enemies and slightly damages them. The Dual Crossbow instead has bolts that have an area of effect with exploding bolts. With the slow rate of fire and the speed of the bolts, it’s not ideal for rapid fire. However, that area of effect means you can damage enemies without actually hitting them. Keep in mind that bolts follow an arching trajectory. At higher rarities, the Dual Crossbows receive faster reloads and extended magazines. It may be best to use the Dual Crossbows from the rooftops.

4. Katana

The only melee weapon on this list, the Katana gets the nod over the Scourge Blades because of the Katana’s special ability: it can deflect bullets back at the attacker. The Scourge Blades’ special ability is a lunging slash, which is nice, but being able to deflect bullets for damage can help turn the tide of battle. On the plus side, both weapons restore some health when damage is dealt. The Katana also seems to have the longest reach of the four melee weapons. The other melee weapons, the Fire Axe and the Spiked Bat, do not have any special abilities.

5. Light Machine Gun (LMG)

This LMG is a “water-cooled” gun from the era of World War I. It is fully automatic and unlike the 9-Barrel, where the rate of fire increases while holding down the trigger, the LMG’s accuracy improves with sustained fire. Luckily, it holds a good amount of ammo – and if you have the Bandolier perk, you start with extra ammo! The LMG is best at mid-range (which is probably where you want to be most times, anyway), but it’s accuracy from the constant firing could make it useful in close-quarters. At higher rarities, the LMG gains a larger magazine, faster reload, and a longer range.

6. Minigun

The Minigun is a staple for shooter games, the high caliber ammo wreaking havoc on enemies. Like with most games with Miniguns, the gun takes a second or two to start up as you hold the trigger, the barrel rotating in anticipation of firing. Of course, it’s fully automatic with probably the highest rate of fire in the game. The Minigun doesn’t appear to have any upgrades according to the Journal, and there is one big drawback to the Minigun: once you finish off the 300 rounds, you cannot reload the Minigun and must discard the weapon. Still, if you can put those 300 rounds to good use, you may not need another gun.

7. Silenced SMG (Submachine Gun)

The SMG has always been a go-to in shooting games because of its rate of fire, damage, and range while also not being a heavy, bulky gun like the Minigun. Even better, the SMG in Bloodhunt is silenced, making it easier to prowl and assassinate your enemies without drawing much attention. However, thanks to the silencer, the range is shortened, so the Silenced SMG is best at close- and mid-ranges. The fully automatic weapon does have a limited magazine, but at higher rarities, the magazine capacity increases, the already high rate of fire increases, and the range is elongated so you don’t have to get too close to your enemies to deal damage.

8. Sniper Rifle

The Sniper Rifle is probably best for those who prefer stealthy, long-range hunting. This might be best for those with one of the two Nosferatu archetypes, particularly the Prowler and its archetype ability, Scouting Famulus. As expected, the Sniper Rifle is extremely effective at very long distances. It’s one of the few, if not only gun, in the game with a scope for better accuracy. The Sniper Rifle requires precision ammo. It is a semi-automatic that increases headshot damage. At higher rarities, the Sniper Rifle gains faster reload, better recoil recovery, an increased magazine, and a longer range. However, be wary of being caught at close range with only a Sniper Rifle; always have a secondary gun on hand!

9. Toggleable Machine Gun

Possibly the most unique gun in the game, the Toggleable Machine Gun is named as such because you can toggle between higher accuracy or a higher fire rate. You probably want the former at longer range and the latter at closer range with the loss in accuracy. Aside from the toggleable aspect, this gun is similar to other machine guns on this list in terms of damage and magazine capacity. At higher rarities, the Toggleable Machine Gun gains a larger magazine, faster reloads, and a longer range.

10. Tommy Gun

A classic gun made popular by early Hollywood films that featured it as the most prominent weapon, the Tommy Gun is still a handy gun to have in Bloodhunt. The fully automatic gun has an ammo drum unlike most of the other guns in the game. While it does have a drum, you can reload the Tommy Gun (unlike the Minigun). The Tommy Gun is best at medium-range, but anything beyond that greatly diminishes its effectiveness. At higher rarities, the Tommy Gun gains faster reloads, a larger ammo drum, and a longer effective range.

There you have it, Outsider Gaming’s ranking of the ten best weapons (thus far) in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt. Which weapons will you pair with your archetype? Don’t forget to use your clan and archetype powers as well!