Primary and Sidearm

The primary weapon is the pilot’s main armament that pilots will be using the most. These are what dictate the entire loadout around. Since there are so many primary weapons to choose from, this guide will be lengthy.

Pre summary

Grenade Launchers

The grenade launchers contain the best weapons for frontier defense as they can damage titans without the need to hit weak points, they possess AOE damage so they can clear swarms of enemies. Therefore they are the number one weapon to pick.

Light Machine Guns

Light machine guns can kill multiple enemies or reapers per reload and can damage titans considerably if they hit weak points. They are somewhat accurate; they pair well with A-wall. Light machine guns are the 2nd best gun types after grenade launchers.

Sniper Rifles

Sniper rifles are great for killing enemies without being in danger, useful for those who want to avoid tons of parkour. If you plan to be a sniper make sure to equip the charge rifle or archer for utilizing the range. Sniper rifles do deal decent damage to titan weak points.

SubMachine Guns

Submachine guns are pretty much just behind light machine guns in terms of performance, they can be used for run and gun play styles and can even be used for precision shooting, most submachine guns are very accurate but with shorter damage falloff than assault rifles requiring you to be closer. Submachine guns tend to have a higher fire rate and faster reload compared to assault rifles.

Assult Rifles

Assault rifles contain some variance when it comes to how each they perform. Assault rifles offer a mix between run and gunning and taking precision shots. Most assault rifles don’t perform as efficiently as the other weapons that were said above but that doesn’t discredit their strengths though. Assault rifles have a farther damage falloff and they have more damage per bullet. Consider the assault rifles to be a jack of all trades.

Shotguns

Shotguns in frontier defense are one of the weakest class of weapons other than the secondary pistols, they can perform well against none armored targets but other than that, their attacks deal next to nothing to titans and reapers. Since shotguns require pilots to be close in order to deal damage they inherently put the pilot who equips them at considerable risk of dying. Shotguns are very limited in how you can use them, only allowing a run and gun play style. Shotguns should only be used on maps with little to no titans first wave.

Pistols (Primary)

Pistols (of the primary class) are more of a niche class of weapons. They have lower bullet capacity but each bullet will deal way more damage per hit and are accurate. Pistols offer no way to give you kills, you must earn them, being accurate is a must when using the pistol weapons. Pistol weapons generally have a quicker reload and a short bullet fall off distance. Skilled pilots should only use pistols.

Sidearms

Lastly are the sidearms, these should only be used as a backup and not as a primary way of killing enemies, Sidearms have extremely short bullet fall off so distant battles are not viable at all, only use sidearms as a means to finish off enemies if your primary has run out of ammo. After your sidearm you should equip your primary weapon as soon as possible.

To conclude the summary, there will be weapons that are more viable than others but it all comes down to pilot skill. Some weapons will kill everything easier than others, when doing an insane or master difficulty match don’t throw the game by using a weapon you are weak at unless you have a good team. For the maps that contain 1 or less titans on the first wave, these will allow more freedom in what you may choose as a primary.

Each Specific weapon guide

Assault Rifles

R-201 Carbine

R-201 is an automatic rifle that acts like a jack of all trades, its high accuracy and high fire rate make it a decent gun against everything in frontier defense. That being said, the low ammo capacity and pretty high recoil make the R-201 a mid tier gun, pilots should learn how to burst fire to control the bullet spread. Use A-Wall with it to maximize damage and protect yourself. The R-201 is decent but not the best compared to other primaries. R-201 will kill reapers after 1 or 2 mag dump especially if amped. For titans the R-201 will deplete health on titans. Picking the R-201 is a good choice for marksmen who want an automatic weapon just keep in mind the damage falloff, if you decide to pick the carbine; use the mods speedloader and extra ammo.

R-101 Carbine

Exact copy of the R-202 Carbine that has stock scope.

Hemlock BF-R

The Hemlock is a burst fire assault rifle, shooting in three bursts every time the trigger is pulled. The Hemlock when aimed is very accurate, it will always recoil up so compensate for that. Since it has a burst fire, most enemies caught in the crossfire will be killed after each trigger pull unless they are far away or they are a reaper or titan. The Hemlock is a lower tier weapon in frontier defense because of a few reasons, it cannot shoot fast so each burst needs to count, it has very inaccurate hipfire making it one of the worst for run and gun styles. The accuracy while aiming is pinpoint to where the crosshair is, because of its recoil the farther targets are harder to hit, good aim is a must when using this weapon or else nothing will die. For the damage, it doesn’t do much to stalkers so expect to mag dump groups of them, 2 burst shots are needed to kill drones, it can kill reapers after dumping rounds into them. Titan weak points are very hard to hit with the hemlock. Pilots should consider using the speed loader and extra ammo mods. Since the Hemlock is a burst shooter, consider using A-Wall with it. Overall this isn’t the most optimal choice when deciding a primary weapon, even in the assault rifle category this is the weakest one.

G2A5

The G2 is a Semi auto precision rifle, anyone with good aim who doesn’t want to invest into a sniper rifle should consider using the G2. The G2 has perfect accuracy wherever you are aiming and it has a high rate of fire, quite a fast reload and a good amount of bullets in the chamber. It’s only weakness is that the hip fire is very inaccurate and that it has no bullet penetration. It will kill most small enemies in 1 to 2 hits from medium range, longer ranges require more shots from damage fall off so pilots should spam the trigger on far targets. The G2 can kill reapers quite effectively especially if amped. The G2 can also chip titan health as long as the pilot is accurate. An accurate pilot can destroy everything with the G2. Some weakness that the G2 has is that a pilot can be overwhelmed easily if a ton of enemies spawn, you will be aiming for most of its use so consider getting A-Wall to prevent death. Long range battles will also reduce the damage of the G2 considerably so use sniper rifles if that’s the case (such as with angel city). If you equip the G2 just keep in mind that it should not be a replacement for sniper rifles. Use speedloader and extra ammo for mods.

V-47 Flatline

The Flatline is an assault rifle that has stronger bullets with a slower fire rate compared to the R-201. The Flatline has a higher bullet capacity and more damage per bullet meaning that the flatline can kill many enemies with a single magazine. Its accuracy while aiming is pretty good so use it at medium range, pilots should tap fire or burst fire for long distance targets. The Flatline’s recoil is very unique in that it only spreads side to side hence the name Flatline, Flatline can be used for run and gun, if you do go run and gun make sure to get close to your enemies since the accuracy decreases. Overall the flatline can kill everything you come across, Flatline can kill reapers with a mag dump, especially if it’s amped. Flatline can damage a titans weak point moderately compared to other primaries. Even with all of its strengths the flatline is actually a lower mid tier weapon due to its slow fire rate compared to other primaries. The Flatline is a solid choice for those who like automatic rifles. The speedloader is a good mod for the Flatline.

SubMachine Guns

CAR

For those who like a very accurate sub machine gun, the CAR will be your best choice. The Car has very little recoil, in fact so little that you can use the CAR as a rifle. The CAR is the most versatile SMG so you can use it in pretty much every playstyle other than sharpshooting. Since it has a high fire rate and fast reload you can hold down the trigger to kill anything in your way, reapers and titans will be mowed down especially if it’s amped. Pilots who use the CAR should use the speedloader for a very fast reload. The CAR is an upper tier weapon for its accuracy, dps and fast reload. The CAR is a solid choice for a primary if you don’t want a grenade launcher. The extra ammo mod will make the CAR almost have as much ammo as the R-97 while having the insane accuracy. The CAR doesn’t have any big weaknesses other than not being a grenade launcher, pilots can be overrunned but with proper movement and ordnance use this is negated. Overall the CAR is an excellent choice when picking a non grenade launcher primary.

Alternator

The Alternator is a twin barrel submachine gun. Its strengths involve it having the most damaging bullets out of any SMG and a decent fire rate. Pilots who like to run and gun should be coerced into using the Alternator since its high damage allows for multiple enemies to die in a single magazine. Although it is strong with run and gun it is not as efficient when used in other play styles. The Alternator has high recoil so medium to far battles are not favorable, not to mention the damage falloff. Its lack of accuracy is made up by its heavy damage. Another weakness of the alternator is that it has only 20 bullets in a magazine, the lowest magazine compared to any other automatic weapon(except mozambique), equip alternator with the speedloader so it can help with the reload speed. A good quality of the Alternator is that it is accurate while hip firing, pilots should equip the gunrunner mod to benefit most from the Alternator. To conclude, the alternator is the run and gun designed submachine gun.

Volt

The Volt is one of the most accurate and low recoil guns in frontier defense, so accurate in fact that it outperforms the CAR in that respect. The Volt being very accurate, having very fast recoil recovery and having decent damage makes this gun very dominant, it also has one of the fastest reload speeds in the game and has a large size magazine. Pilots who use the Volt can hold down the trigger at most ranges. A unique trait of the volt is that if you tap fire, it will have a near pixel perfect accuracy. The Volt can destroy many enemies in one magazine, if you equip speedloader and extra ammo you will have a more deadly weapon. Arguably one of the best sub machine guns it only has one weakness and that weakness is slower fire rate compared to the other SMGs, it will take a bit longer to kill enemies especially reapers or titans but because it’s so accurate you can destroy them from a further distance unlike the other SMGs. When this weapon is amped you can easily destroy everything on the map. If you don’t decide to run and gun with the Volt, the A-wall pairs very nicely with it. The volt is a hitscan gun, the blue tracers are purely cosmetic. If you are looking for a gun that isn’t a LMG then the volt should be your first choice to consider.

R-97

The R-97 has the highest fire rate out of most guns in the game. The R-97s strength comes from its sheer number of bullets that come out of the barrel and its decent accuracy. Any pilot that is seeking a bullet storm should put the R-97 first on their list. The R-97 will definitely kill anything the fastest out of any SMG. Surprisingly the accuracy is also not the worst considering how fast it fires. Long distance battles are a no go since the recoil and damage falloff are high. Consider the R-97 the CAR but with less accuracy and much higher fire rate. Pilots should have the speedloader mod to give them the most efficiency. Run and gun with the R-97 is viable. A-wall can pair very well with the R-97 because you need to be close. Its only real weakness is that you need to be close to enemies, other than that, holding the trigger of the R-97 will destroy anything in its path especially while amped. Reapers and titans won’t know what hit them with this gun.

Light Machine Gun

Spitfire

Spitfire is the bread and butter for frontier defense, a heavy punching weapon with nearly 100 rounds, this gun can kill swarms of drones, grunts, shields, stalkers and even reapers before reloading. Titan Health can be shredded by constant firing on weak points. The spitfire has moderate recoil that can be controlled. The Spitfire should be used with A-wall to ensure survival. Equip speed loader and extra ammo mods for the best efficiency. This is the best all around gun after grenade launchers. Its only real weakness is its inaccurate hip fire.

L-STAR

L-STAR is the unique light machine gun out of the two. Operating on a battery instead of a magazine allows the L-STAR to effectively perform suppressive fire indefinitely. The L-STAR can overheat causing a very long reload animation so keep an eye out for overheating. Burst fire can be a good way to prevent overheating. Each projectile that is fired from L-STAR has a wider hit box making it easier to hit targets. The L-STAR “bullets” travel slower than normal bullets making it harder to use on longer distance battles, therefore make sure to lead your bullets. L-STAR is a powerful LMG with more damage per bullet than most guns. L-STAR is a good choice over most guns other than Light machine guns or grenade launchers. If you are looking for a LMG to run and gun with the L-STAR is a good pick.

X-55 Devotion

Devotion is a LMG that starts off with a slow fire rate to quickly jumping to a very fast firing speed as long as the trigger is pulled, if the player lets go of the trigger the ramp up will reset and it will start slow again. Devotion is a very strong LMG that can shred grunt shields, reapers and drones, even hitting titan weak spots will deal tons of damage or kill them most of the time. Equip the mods extra ammo and speedloader to make it even more effective. It is heavily recommended that you use A-Wall with devotion even if you bought amped weapons since you will have a slow movement speed while aiming and shooting, this is going to mean that you will need protection. Devotion is best when you can stand still. Devotion has bullet drop so get closer to enemies when you can’t deal as much damage. Devotion, regardless of being a non grenade launcher weapon, will still compete in terms of damage with the grenade launchers. Devotion pretty much has the highest DPS in its category and probably any other gun making the best non grenade launcher weapon. It is aforce to be reckoned with. A good contender with the spitfire.

Sniper Rifles

Kraber-AP Sniper

Kraber is a bolt action heavy sniper rifle,1 bullet is needed to kill anything other than a reaper or titan. That being said, the Kraber can only kill 1 or any targets that are behind it at a time, since rechambering the round and reloading is slow, it has trouble keeping up with other weapons in its category. Use grapple for your pilot tactical to get to places easier and equip speedloader and extra ammo mod for maximum efficiency. Kraber won’t do much to reapers or titans. Kraber will one shot mortar specters so communicate with your team to have you focus on them. If you pick the Kraber just keep in mind that you might have to rely on ordinances to negate any misses and such.

D-2 Double Take

Twin barrel Sniper rifle, will one shot most small enemies, fast reload and it being semi automatic means it has no bolt action. The double take is able to hit two targets at once and any behind them. Double take does have damage drop off but has no bullet drag and will kill reapers fast. This is considered the most efficient frontier defense sniper rifle against groups. The Double take is good at dealing with clumps of enemies and can deal moderate damage to titans weak spots. Equip speedloader and extra ammo mods for more kills.

Longbow DMR

The DMR is a semi auto sniper rifle, the DMR deals just under 100 damage but it makes up for a better and faster option than the Kraber. The DMR has a fast fire rate but slow reload and a small magazine capacity, so getting speedloader and extra ammo will help considerably. The DMR has bullet penetration and can take out most small targets in 1 or 2 bullets, a pilot with good aim can massacre anything that spawns. For titans and reapers, the DMR can take out reapers quite effectively and can damage titans if weak points are hit. The DMR is a 2nd good option for sniper enthusiasts other than the double take.

Shotguns

EVA-8 Auto

EVA Auto is a drum barrel magazine fed shotgun. EVA Auto can deal with grunts and other small ground forces easily at close range. A gun built for run and gun style and ambushing. On frontier defense the EVA Auto is outclassed by pretty much every primary weapon, since the damage falloff is so short, pilots need to get very close to enemies in order to do damage, on top of that, the eva auto does very little damage to reapers and titans making it useless outside of round one on maps that have 1 or less titan. On top of that it will require 2 shots to kill most of the ground forces anyway. Top 5 worst weapons for frontier defense.

Mastiff

The Mastiff is a traditional shotgun with a predictable bullet spread in the shape of a rectangle. For frontier defense the Mastiff only has value when it comes to small targets, being able to hit multiple enemies at once makes it a good grunt, specter and stalker cleaner, it can deal with drones moderately, for reapers and titans it does very little damage to them making the Mastiff a poor choice on maps that contain lots of titans wave 1. The projectiles that the Mastiff shoots move slower than normal bullets so make sure to lead your shots with more distant targets. The mastiff in general is not a good weapon compared to the other choices. The Mastiff only has 4 shots and having to load every round by hand makes it slow to use. Since the Mastiff is a shotgun it’s only viable use is run and gun or ambush playstyles. If you decide to use the Mastiff, use speedloader and/or extra ammo with or without gunrunner (if you decide to run and gun). Since the Mastiff is a shotgun its value in frontier defense is very limited outside of wave 1s.

Grenadier

Sidewinder SMR

Rapid fire missile launcher, Projectiles travel slower than bullets but hit harder. SMR is hands down one of the top 5 guns to use in frontier defense, SMR will do more damage than most anti titan weapons, if it is amped it will shred everything in seconds. Since you unlock it at level 1 any pilot can use it. Aim for titan critical spots for maximum damage. Will destroy gun shields and particle walls efficiently if amped. Only weakness is its small AOE and not hitscan. A Gun to destroy all. SMR is a perfect gun to combine with the A-Wall for titans first wave. Sidewinder can deal some aoe making it a very good stalker/grunt cleanup as well. Sidewinder will do friendly fire to yourself.

EPG-1

Single high damage direct projectile. Does moderate area of effect, slow projectiles make it harder to hit titans with but if criticals are hit it will do serious damage. Good option for those who want accurate high damaging projectiles. 2nd to SMR in terms of direct damage. Better AOE than SMR. Top 5 guns in frontier defense. EPG rockets will harm you.

R-6P Softball

Launcher that shoots sticky grenades, reloads by chambering each missing grenade by hand. Slow reload but huge AOE. Recommended mods are extra ammo and speedloader to negate the long reload, each grenade is reloaded individually, softball has weak direct damage towards reapers and titans. Hard to hit plasma drones and cloaked drones. Softball is the best grunt, stalker, specter and tick killer. Very efficient in killing swarms of enemies. Good for newer players who want an easy killing machine. Your own grenades will harm you.

EM-4 Cold War

The Cold War is a very unique grenade launcher that has a charge up time that can only be canceled by switching weapons. The cold war has a very slow reload so get speedloader and extra ammo mods for more efficiency. Cold war has a very wide AOE so it is good for swarms of enemies. Does very little damage to drones. The cold war does more damage if the projectiles do not hit the target directly. Tip: Aim for ceilings and adjacent walls when dealing with shield grunts or if a line of enemies is approaching. The Cold war will take getting used to. It is very easy for a pilot to kill themselves if they fire upon the floor or wall they are currently at. Make sure your projectiles have a clear way to the target and try not to move back. In general the cold war pales in comparison to the other grenade launchers. Slow firing speed, slow reload speed make the dps very low and the Cold War has a weird mechanic that makes direct shots deal way less damage, do not expect to kill drones with it. Its only comeback is that it has a wider AOE radius than the softball.

Pistol (Primary)

Wingman Elite

Very highly skilled revolver with pixel perfect accuracy to where the crosshair is. Will one shot or 2 shot most enemies if the body is hit. Headshots will kill stalkers, specters and 2 shots for drones. Wingman elite will also penetrate one enemy causing double kills often. Wingman elite leaves little to no room for mistakes, you either hit or miss. I recommend getting the mods: speedloader and extra ammo. Wingman elite can kill reapers effectively especially if it’s amped. Wingman reflects the pilot’s skills. Not effective for some master maps since grenade launchers do better to titans like in rise. Has damage fall off so make sure to get closer if need be. Wingman is a clutch weapon, equip it if you dare. You are a boss if you do.

SA-3 Mozambique

Arguably the strongest of the 3 shotguns in titanfall 2, the Mozambique shoots in a predictable 3 shot pattern with 0 bullet spread making it 100 percent accurate regardless of what the pilot is doing. It has a fast reload and strong damage per bullet making it an excellent run and gun choice. Mozambique has a fast fire rate for a shotgun (can be automatic) making it capable of killing grunts and stalkers alike in 1-2 shots. Surprisingly good at everything but reapers, drones and titans, the mozambique does very little to them so equipping an anti titan weapon is a must when the situation calls for it.

Sidearm

RE-45 Auto

Automatic sidearm pistol. Good for quick burst damage.

Hammond P2016

Semi Automatic handgun, good sidearm for those who want a strong precision pistol. Does. Surprisingly high amount of damage.

B3 Wingman

Wingman secondary pistol is one of the top 5 worst guns in the game, performs mechanically similar to the wingman elite but with a very short damage falloff, inaccurate unless aiming and has less damage, making this gun useless unless you are very close to enemies. Don’t equip this weapon unless you want to specifically level it.