Rust Weapon Tier List 2025: What Really Wins Fights

By Slick — September 10, 2025 - leadballoon.gg

Every wipe in Rust is a race for firepower. From rocks and bows to AKs and M249s, the weapons you choose shape your fights and decide whether you’re a loot piñata or a server warlord. But with new balance tweaks and the ever-shifting meta, not every gun holds the same weight in 2025.

Here’s the definitive leadballoon tier list of Rust’s weapons right now — what’s trash, what’s underrated, and what absolutely dominates.

S-Tier: The Kings of Rust

AK-47

• Still the gold standard of Rust PVP.

• If you can master the recoil, nothing competes at medium-to-long range.

• Craftable, deadly, and a must-have for clans.

M249

• The raid-breaker.

• 100-round box mags erase squads, turrets, and even raid bases.

• Rare drop, but game-changing when it shows up.

Double Barrel Shotgun (DB)

• The great equalizer.

• Early, mid, and even late wipe — a DB in the right hands can delete full kits.

• Cheap, easy to craft, and terrifying indoors.

  
  

A-Tier: The Workhorses

LR-300

• Easier recoil than the AK, strong DPS, and reliable for mid-game fights.

• Lacks the ceiling of the AK in pro hands, but perfect for consistency.

MP5

• The SMG meta king.

• Dominates tunnels, compounds, and close-quarters.

• Low recoil, fast fire rate, but burns ammo fast.

Bolt-Action Rifle (Bolt)

• Still the sniper’s dream.

• A well-placed headshot flips fights and deletes kits worth hours.

• Slow fire rate keeps it situational, but its impact is massive.

  
  

B-Tier: The Solid Picks

Semi-Automatic Rifle (SAR)

• The budget king.

• Accurate, cheap, and deadly in the hands of a good shot.

• Outgunned by rifles, but solos can still farm AK kids with it.

Pump Shotgun

• Overshadowed by the DB but still reliable indoors.

• Great for base defense, less for roaming.

Thompson

• The classic SMG.

• Fun to use, decent DPS, but overshadowed by the MP5 in serious fights.

  
  

C-Tier: The Situational Weapons

Revolver & Python

• Decent for early game, but quickly fall off.

• Python’s damage is solid, but its reload speed is punishing.

Crossbow & Compound Bow

• The bows still shine early wipe, but they’re stepping stones.

• Great for ambushes, but irrelevant once rifles come out.

Eoka

• The meme cannon.

• Devastating in the right situation, but 90% of the time it’s a gamble.

  
  

D-Tier: Leave It in the Box

M92 Pistol

• Craftable, accurate, but underwhelming compared to rifles and SMGs.

Waterpipe Shotgun

• Only good for day one cheese. After that, it’s just scrap.

SMG (Custom)

• Sprays fast but feels like a pea shooter compared to the Thompson or MP5.

  
  

Final Word

The Rust weapon meta in 2025 hasn’t flipped the table, but the balance is sharper than ever. AKs, M249s, and DBs still run the game, but workhorses like the LR and MP5 give every group a fighting chance.

The real key? Adaptation. A solo with a SAR can still wreck a clan member with an AK, and a DB ambush can flip a raid on its head. That’s the magic of Rust — the right gun in the right moment changes everything.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not about stats or charts — it’s about who pulls the trigger first. And when leadballoon pulls it, we don’t miss.