Sublight Weapons Tier List
Arc-aware rankings for Early Access arsenals—expect shifts whenever CODEBREW tunes damage types and status rules.
Sublight launches into Early Access with more than sixteen weapon types, passive upgrades, and ship-unique hardpoints that often lock a slot to a category while buffing it. This page ranks weapon families for current learning and push play. It is not an official DPS bible. Demo patch 0.18.0 already proved how fast the ladder can move when chainguns gain pierce, autocannons go explosive, barrage weapons learn to lead targets, and status effects become real stacking systems.
Use this list with the ships tier list, the Ships hub, and practical best builds. A weapon’s letter grade collapses if your hull cannot cover the arcs that weapon needs.
Scoring reminder
- Arcs: cone width, facing, and how often you must rotate the ship to keep DPS online.
- Clear speed: trash delete rate and elite melt without starving boss windows.
- Survivability contribution: soft control (Cold), zone denial (explosions), or pierce lanes that thin flanks before they touch you.
- Unlock / upgrade friction: free early tiers, market prices, and whether a kit needs rare upgrade kits to feel complete.
Family tiers (Early Access snapshot)
| Family | Learning | Push | Snapshot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autocannons (explosive) | S | A–S | Forgiving AoE clear after the explosive retune |
| Chainguns (pierce) | A | S | Line shred when enemies stack; teaches positioning |
| Railguns | A | A–S | Precision and integrated Sabre-style upgrades |
| Barrage weapons | A | A | Stronger with shot leading; loves projectile speed |
| Ship-unique / class-locked hardpoints | A | S (situational) | Buff a slot, lock a category—build defining |
| Status tools (Ignite / Cold) | A | A–S | Climb with passives and freeze setups |
| Pure niche specialists | B–C | B–S | Modifier or hull dependent |
Autocannons — Learning S / Push A–S
After the 0.18 overhaul, autocannons deal explosive damage, which is a gift for captains still learning formation shapes. Explosions forgive imperfect aim cones and help when rebels clump or aliens flood a node. On learning runs, prioritize getting at least one solid autocannon online early—especially while some mid-tier guns rotate through free or discounted armoury states in hotfixes.
Push players still love autocannons for hybrid boards, but may split slots with pierce or missiles depending on the weekly modifier. Watch armoury price hotfixes (such as 0.19.01 style free-tier adjustments); early economy swings change whether autocannons are “always pick” or “buy when free.”
Chainguns — Learning A / Push S
Chainguns that pierce up to their attack range punish lined-up fleets and reward kiting paths that drag enemies through a single beam. They are slightly less forgiving for brand-new players who face the ship the wrong way, which is why learning sits at A. Once you understand arcs, pierce chainguns often lead push clear speed and help delete flanking trails before they wrap your rear turrets.
Pair chainguns with hulls that can present a stable broadside or controlled orbit. Check the ships tier list for platforms that naturally keep enemies in a lane.
Railguns — Learning A / Push A–S
Railguns are the precision spine of many integrated kits (including Sabre-style inbuilt rails that gained mid-run upgrade tiers in demo development). They reward target priority: elites, weapon platforms, and boss weak points. Learning captains should treat rails as “aim your ship so the cone matters,” not as set-and-forget spray.
Push ceiling is high when rail categories receive hardpoint buffs or when boss armor checks appear. If your alt loadout locks a slot to rails, lean into that identity instead of forcing unrelated categories into the buffed hardpoint.
Barrage weapons — Learning A / Push A
Barrage kits improved when they began leading shots and landing more accurately, with projectile-speed interactions called out on ships such as Calliope-related setups in demo notes. Barrage rewards prediction and spacing: you delete packs that enter the lead cone, then reposition.
They rarely feel as brain-off as explosive autocannons for absolute beginners, but they scale cleanly with projectile passives and are excellent mid-board fillers when you already have a primary clear engine.
Ship-unique and class-locked hardpoints — Learning A / Push S (situational)
Unique weapons were reworked into class-locked hardpoints: a slot gains buffs but usually locks to a weapon category. That design makes “best weapon” inseparable from “best ship loadout.” On push runs, playing toward your locked category is often S-tier play even if a floating off-category gun looks stronger on paper.
Learning tip: read the armoury text that shows where upgrades unlock, and do not fill a locked slot with a mismatched category just because it dropped. Rebuild around the lock—see Getting Started for early decision habits and the ship roster for loadout mindset.
Status weapons — Ignite and Cold — Learning A / Push A–S
Status effects now stack. Ignite builds toward five stacks with new supporting passives. Cold stacks toward twenty, then freezes the target and enables bonus damage while frozen. Status weapons climb this list when you can actually finish the stack before enemies leave your arc.
- Ignite: great for sustained pressure and passive synergies; watch performance when too many burn ticks flood the field.
- Cold: excel at control into the Hunter phase and dense alien swarms; freeze setups can outvalue raw DPS on chaotic weeks.
Status is not free power—missed stacks are wasted upgrades. If you cannot keep cones on priority targets, pick explosive or pierce clear first.
Example mid-run priorities
- Secure coverage on front and at least one flank before greed-stacking a single DPS type.
- Grab explosive autocannon or pierce chaingun as your “panic clear” engine.
- Invest in your class-locked hardpoint category whenever the ship offers one.
- Add Ignite or Cold only when passives and arcs support full stacks.
- Respect the Hunter timer: after ~30 minutes, control and mobility matter as much as peak DPS.
What will move these tiers
- Balance and price hotfixes (free tiers, bomber costs, category buffs).
- New boss-drop weapons planned on the roadmap for 2027 Q1.
- Additional factions that change formation shapes and therefore arc value.
- Weekly modifiers that suddenly favor freeze, explosions, or narrow high-DPS cones.
Read patch notes whenever weapons or statuses are mentioned, then return here and to the Tier List Hub methodology.
Related links
- Ships Tier List — which hulls present which arcs
- Ships Hub — integrated weapons and abilities
- Ship Roster — unlock planning
- Best Builds — loadout walkthroughs
- Guides — full guide index
- Updates — roadmap and patches
Bring the right cone to the right fight. In Sublight, a B-tier gun in the correct arc often beats an S-tier gun pointed at empty space.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common Sublight questions.
What weapon should beginners prioritize?
Explosive autocannons are the friendliest learning default after the 0.18 retune, then add pierce chainguns or rails once you control facing.
Do ship-unique hardpoints beat normal turrets?
Often on push runs—locked slots buff a category and define the build. Play into the lock instead of ignoring it for a random drop.
Are Ignite and Cold worth building around?
Yes when you can finish stacks. Ignite caps near five with passives; Cold stacks to twenty for freeze and bonus damage. Incomplete stacks underperform raw clear.
Will this weapon tier list stay accurate?
Only until the next balance pass. Early Access regularly retunes damage types, prices, and status rules—recheck after patch notes.