Starfield Best Laser Weapons [Pistols & Rifles]

Laser Weapons are unique in a few aspects, fun to play with, and also deal heavy damage, but the ideal ones ensure you stand out victorious in battles. You will find most of them as some quest’s reward or lying in a storage box. Here, I will review the best laser weapons in Starfield with decent damage and other stats.

Best Laser Pistols

Solstice

Best Laser Weapon for Early-game.

Solstice takes this point as one of the best early weapons you can scavenge from spacer enemies. Although the damage is only 10, it proves to be decent enough for the beginning missions. If you are lucky, you may find its upgraded version as well.

Looking into the other stats, it uses the standard 1.5KV LZR ammo and has a fire rate of 25 with 69.3% accuracy. Since it’s a pistol, it’s pretty lightweight to carry around. You will find it fruitful for close to mid-range combats.

How To Unlock:

One way to obtain this is to find it in the weapon boxes, storage boxes, crates, or enemies’ hands in Abandoned Mines, Abandoned Hangers, and Deserted UC Listening Posts. You may require Digipick or Security Skill to unlock these. Another workaround is to buy it by spending credits from the shops in New Atlantis, Neon, and other major places.

There is a chance that you might find some rare mod on it. Its various variants include many useful effects like Radioactive, Furious, and much more, greatly increasing its effectiveness in battles.

Ember

Best Laser Weapon for Mid-game Firepower.

Ember comes out to be one of the decent Laser Weapons in Starfield, surpassing Solstice in terms of damage and accuracy. However, the cost for these improvements is the shorter range and more mass. Nonetheless, it still comes out to be an adequate firearm and has a great value of 2735.

Ember is a modified version of Solstice; hence, it works on the same 1.5KV LZR ammo. Their differences aren’t much, but it is better than its successor in combat.

How To Unlock:

The first method is to complete the Ryujin Industries Quest Line, giving this weapon as a reward. In this quest, choose the “Tell me about this side job” option when talking to Simon while convincing him.

Later on, engage in peaceful talks with Malai to make her board the ship, and then you retrieve Ember from her by killing or persuading her.

You can also obtain it from the Deadrock Mining Outpost, which is present in the New Atlantis.

Best Laser Rifles

Unmitigated Violence

Best Laser Weapon for Devastating Firepower.

Turning towards the Laser rifles, Unmitigated Violence, also known as the Hunter’s Rifle, is surely the best weapon in every aspect of Starfield. The primary characteristic that makes it stand on top is the immense damage of ENGY 125, which no other firearm of this category comes close to. Additionally, it has an exceptional range of 52m combined with an accuracy of 77%.

This gun’s value is also very high because of its insane stats, but it’s not wise to sell it. The major drawback of Unmitigated Violence is the enormous mass of 10.65, which makes it a heavy weapon. Hence, it greatly affects the player’s movement, but the merits are worth it.

How To Unlock:

Unlocking Unmitigated Violence is a bit tricky as it requires you to complete a difficult mission, and it’s the only way. To get it, kill the Hunter in the Revelation Main Quest. For this, you must take the side of The Emissary in the Unearthed Main Quest, which will eventually lead to your battle with the Hunter.

If you skip this fight, you will not be able to get this later on. Move forward and start the battle straightforward. Once you defeat him, you will get the unique gun.

Orion

Best Laser Weapon for Precision Marksmanship.

In my opinion, I will rank the Orion second to Unmitigated Violence with the only major downside of damage. This gun shoots lasers with a high accuracy of 78.7% and does 27 damage. You can get an upper hand in long-range battles thanks to its peak effective range of 60m.

Considering rifles, this one has a decent mass, making it neither too heavy nor too light and easy to carry around. It uses the same 3KV LZR ammo as the other laser rifles, and you can add up to 7 mods. It is a semi-automatic rifle, while others in this guide are fully auto.

How To Unlock:

Orion is obtainable by exploring the planets and their sites. You can find it on any level or part of the game’s story. It may be present in storage crates and loot boxes, or it may even be dropped by enemies when you will them. Depending on your character’s level, you might come across several variants with different mods.

Equinox

Best Laser Weapon for Aggressive Mid-range Assaults.

Equinox is a high fire rate weapon, with reasonable damage of 13 only. However, you will dominate any mid-range fight when these two aspects are together. Considering its accuracy of 70.2%, it might not be as useful in long-range combats.

The magazine size is the only thing keeping it from becoming the second best. With the ammo capacity of just 20 bullets and a high fire rate, you will quickly end up reloading it. Therefore, it is advisable to play it mostly at close or mid-range rather than spraying and trying your luck at far-away enemies.

How To Unlock?

The two primary ways to get Equinox include defeating enemies and buying it at shops. Va’Ruun Zealots and Spacer enemies are your main target if you go hunting for this gun in outer space.

You can buy it from various shops such as Neon Tactical, Trade Authority, UC Surplus, Centurion Arsenal, and others.

If you are lucky, you can find this lying in weapon crates, racks, storage boxes, and safes. The variant you might get depends entirely on your character’s level and might have additional mods attached.

Best Laser Weapons Comparison Table

Here is a comparison table of my best Laser Weapons in Starfield . Each stat can be sorted to view the highest and lowest values, which has been done for your convenience:

Weapon	Type	Damage	Fire Rate	Range	Accuracy	Ammo	Mag. Size	Mass	Value	Mod Slots	How To Acquire
Unmitigated Violence	Laser Rifle	ENGY 125	33	52	77%	3KV LZR	50	10.65	22750	7	Beat the Hunter in the "Unearthed" Main Quest by taking side of The Emissary.
Orion	Laser Rifle	ENGY 27	33	60	78.70%	3KV LZR	50	6.75	7532	7	Dropped by enemies
Equinox	Laser Rifle	ENGY 13	50	50	70.2%	3KV LZR	20	3.20	2408	7	- Dropped by Enemies - Explore Kreet Research Lab
Unrestrained Vengeance	Laser Rifle	ENGY 24	33	66	81.5%	3KV LZR	30	6.55	8056	7	Given by the Hunter after completing the "High Price to Pay" Main Quest .
Brawler's Equinox	Laser Rifle	2 EM	180	50	66.5%	3KV LZR	20	2.90	9429	7	Can be bought from Apex Electronics in The Well.
Ember	Laser Pistol	ENGY 12	25	24	73.6%	1.5KV LZR	16	2.90	2735	7	Complete Simon's Side Job in the "Top Secrets" Quest.
Solstice	Laser Pistol	ENGY 10	25	30	69.3%	1.5KV LZR	16	1.30	1960	7	Can be bought from shops in: - New Atlantis - Akila City - Neon City
Short Circuit	Laser Pistol	ENGY 10	29	32	66.5%	1.5KV LZR	22	4.50	7282	7	Can be bought from Best Defense in Polvo.

Comparison Table.

What Would I Recommend?

As an experienced Starfield player, I would strongly recommend considering the Unmitigated Violence Laser Rifle for its unparalleled damage output. This top-tier laser rifle not only boasts an impressive ENGY 125 damage but also offers a substantial range and accuracy, making it a game-changer in battles.

While its heavy mass might impact your mobility, the unique quest reward adds a rewarding and challenging dimension to your overall gaming experience, making it a valuable asset for seasoned players seeking devastating firepower.

Additionally, for those seeking a reliable and powerful laser pistol, the Ember Laser Pistol stands out as a commendable choice, especially for mid-game encounters. Surpassing its predecessor, Solstice, in terms of damage and accuracy, Ember strikes a balance between effectiveness and versatility. 

Read these other guides for more help on Starfield:

• Starfield: Mantis Puzzle
• Starfield Best Builds
• Starfield All Companions