Fortnite Snipers Guide: Heavy Sniper Rifle, Boom Sniper Rifle, More

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The sniper rifle is one of the most influential and beloved weapons in Fortnite. There is no better gun of choice in this battle royale game when it comes to long-range gunfights. As you will see in this Fortnite snipers guide, many different types have been released in the game over time.

Throughout the three chapters of Fortnite, Epic Games has occasionally gifted us with new snipers. In this Fortnite snipers guide, we will cover all of them. From the semi-automatics to the bolt-actions to the heavy ones and more, everything you need to know about all of the sniper rifles in Fortnite’s history.

Bottom Line Up Front

A sniper rifle is a heavy-duty, long-range weapon. It is the gun of choice for players who prefer to keep a distance between themselves and the enemy. Sniper rifles emphasize range and power over the speed and recoil of other weapons in Fortnite. You need to have some accurate and quick shots to be an effective sniper in this game.

This is also because there are several different rifles in Fortnite’s history, and each is radically different. Some of them are simple bolt-action rifles and what you would see in other similar games. But then there are unique ones like the rail gun that you must charge up to use in battle. For the complete list of all sniper rifles in Fortnite, including these two and more, be sure to check down below:

  • Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle Explained
  • Hunter Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle
  • Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle
  • Automatic Sniper Rifle
  • Amban Sniper Rifle
  • Boom Sniper Rifle
  • Dragon’s Breath Sniper Rifle
  • Heavy Sniper Rifle
  • Hunting Rifle
  • Lever Action Rifle
  • Rail Gun
  • Storm Scout Sniper Rifle
  • Suppressed Sniper Rifle
  • Zapotron

Fortnite Snipers Explained

The term “snipers” can refer to a couple of different things in Fortnite. The first is it can mean someone who is a sniper or a player who uses sniper rifles in battle. The other possible definition is a shortened form of the sniper rifle phrase. Either way, they generally refer to the same category of guns.

Sniper rifles are unique weaponry in the Fortnite metagame. They exist purely for the long-range fights, though they can be okay when it comes to mid-range. These guns are perfect for the players who like to have some space between them and the opposing team.

Keeping distance can be an intelligent choice in a survival game like battle royale. Being able to take out your opponent without ever letting them touch you is even better. After all, supplies for replenishing your health and shield points are not always readily available.

Suppose someone can end a fight before it gets started, all the better in a Fortnite match. This is where sniper rifles come into play, as they can do just that. There are countless matches where I am running around minding my own business in Fortnite when I suddenly lose all of my shields due to a single, well-placed shot.

This is a common and sometimes frustrating occurrence. I’ve also been on the other end, taking out players before they even realize what direction I’m in. It is a fast and effective way of winning fights in the game. And even if there is more than one player on a team, taking out one will automatically increase your chances of defeating the others.

Snipers also have a versatile role in the game as they are great for solo and team players alike. It can mean picking off enemies one by one from far away for solo players. But for teams, the sniper can be the person far off in the back.

They can either start the engagements or finish them. They can start by picking off one player and then letting the teammates swoop in to take out the rest. Or they can lie in, wait until the gunfight begins, and then surprise the enemy with a devastating blast to finish them off.

As you can see, the use of the sniper rifle is versatile in battle and a great asset. Of course, there are some downsides to these guns as well. For one, there is the fact that it is limited in its range and speed. Don’t bother with it if you are not using it for mid to long-range fights.

The speed will kill off its use in closer ranges. You are better off having another gun like an SMG or shotgun for close-range fights. The other issue is its sometimes complex handling. Not everyone is excellent with a sniper at first, and it can take some serious practice to get used to it.

You have to consider issues like the speed of most sniper bullets. They are not the fastest at times, and you need to plan out ahead where a player is running to and try to get the bullet to meet them there. Doing that takes some serious effort to master and even more so for the coveted headshot. But if you can do it, using a sniper is worth it.

Sniper Rifle Ammo Explained

Sniper Rifle Ammo

When it comes to using sniper rifles, most of them have heavy ammo. Each bullet packs a punch, so the heavy ammo makes the most sense for this class. There are a few notable exceptions to this, but they are few and far between.

The automatic sniper rifle, for instance, uses medium ammo instead of heavy ammo. This is the same ammo type that guns like assault rifles use. This shows the utility of that particular sniper compared to the rest of the class. There is also the Zapotron that uses energy ammo.

Energy ammo generally means that the gun can fire endlessly without a problem. The problem with that gun, though, is that it is not usable in the game (more on that in a bit). But other than these two, players need to worry about heavy ammo.

There is an issue with this, however. Besides rockets for rocket launchers and explosive weapons, heavy ammo is one of the rarest types in the game. You can search several ammo boxes and barely find heavy ammo in them, if any at all.

And when you do find heavy ammo, it is typically in just a handful of bullets. This will only let you shoot a few times besides the default ammo you get with the weapon. Therefore, one of the trickiest parts about the sniper rifle is managing your ammo supply so that you never run out in battle.

All Fortnite Snipers Ever

There are roughly 14 different sniper rifles that have been released in Fortnite before. This is a decent number of guns to choose from, even if it pales in comparison to the variety of other categories. Epic Games makes sure that each sniper rifle is radically different from the next.

To help with this, we will break down every single sniper rifle to ever be released in Fortnite. I will be sure to give you some details about the gun itself and what it is best used for. In addition, I will note the history of the weapon and if it is currently available in the battle royale game today.

Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle Explained

Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle Explained

The bolt-action sniper rifle is the original weapon in this class. It first arrived on the scene before the beginning of the first Fortnite season. It is the most standard gun in the category. This also means that many others in the group take this gun as their basis.

Since it is a bolt-action rifle, it must reload after every single shot fired. It is relatively fast at this, though, so that is not a problem. The gun has a scope on it that you can use to zoom in and line up your shots.

Other than that, though, the bolt-action sniper rifle is nothing special. It is powerful and can take out most foes in just a couple of hits, especially if you land a headshot. Its last appearance in the game was in Chapter 2, Season 7. It is currently in the vault but could return at some point.

Hunter Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle

The hunter bolt-action sniper rifle is the newest on this list. It is much like the regular bolt-action but with some changes in the process. It is a little bit faster at firing than its predecessor. This is because it has a larger magazine than the other one.

It is able to hold up to three shots per magazine clip. This is much higher than the usual one for the regular bolt-action. You can fire off shots a little bit quicker in succession with this gun. The main trade-off is that the damage is a bit weaker.

However, this does not stop it from being a one-hitter on many opponents with a headshot. It is currently available in the game since it was released in Chapter 3, Season 1. It may be seen as a replacement for the regular sniper rifle.

Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle

Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle

The semi-automatic sniper rifle is also one of the oldest guns in the game. It was released alongside the bolt-action as one of the originals. The main difference, though, is how it functions. Unlike bolt-action, the player can fire multiple shots with the same clip.

This does not trade-off the long-distance and scope function of it, either. However, the change comes about because it has much weaker shots than the bolt-action. But with the faster speed, it is a bit more forgiving when it comes to firing it.

If you miss a shot, that is not a problem, as you can do another one almost immediately afterward. It first came out before Season 1 and was last seen in the game in Chapter 1, Season 9. This is possibly due to other similar weapons that have come out since then arguably better.

Automatic Sniper Rifle

The automatic sniper rifle is a gun that you can likely guess the utility of. You have the single fastest sniper rifle in this category with this weapon. It can fire one shot after another by just holding down the trigger. You do not have to reload between every shot or mash the trigger over and over.

Of course, this does come with some downsides. That power is insanely useful so it is balanced by weak damage. The bullet strength of the automatic is a fraction of the strength of others. But if you are able to hit multiple shots on a player in a row, you can down them in no time.

I think of the automatic sniper rifle as one of the group’s best and most accessible guns. It is forgiving due to its speed and a great starter one. It first arrived in Chapter 1, Season X. It has appeared a couple of times since then, and its last appearance was during Chapter 2, Season 8.

Amban Sniper Rifle

Amban Sniper Rifle

The Amban sniper rifle is one of the most unique in the category. It was based around a themed season in the past that Fortnite had. Due to its unique name and origins, it had some features that are wholly its own. For starters, this sniper rifle was based on the one used by The Mandalorian in the titular Disney+ TV show.

The Amban looks and functions a lot like that gun. In many ways, it is a standard sniper rifle. It has the usual ability to aim down the sights and all that. The difference is that it has a thermal scope and is one of the few weapons in all of Fortnite that has this claim.

Taking after its owner, The Mandalorian, the Amban could spot enemies’ heat signatures from far away. In addition, you can use it as a melee weapon in close-range when not aiming. This special crossover themed sniper rifle wa only available in Chapter 2, Season 5 alongside Mando.

Boom Sniper Rifle

The boom sniper rifle is a strange, almost explosive-style sniper rifle. What it does is use a different type of shot when fired. Instead of firing off standard bullets, it fires off a clinger. The clinger, as you may know already, is a sticky explosive that clings onto the target.

It will then explode after a few seconds of sticking. This means that you could stick someone with a clinger from very far away and then blow them up in a few seconds. It is a bizarre weapon but not the most effective, either. That said, it is a unique explosive sniper rifle.

It was introduced at the same time as the Amban in Chapter 2, Season 5. It is actually still available in the game right now in Chapter 3. Players are able to purchase it from certain NPCs on the map with gold bars.

Dragon’s Breath Sniper Rifle

Dragon’s Breath Sniper Rifle

Speaking of sniper rifles from Chapter 2, Season 5, there is another one that we should talk about. This gun is the Dragon’s Breath sniper rifle. Though it shares a name with the similarly interesting Dragon’s Breath shotgun, there are no similarities otherwise.

While that shotgun emphasizes powerful attacks, this sniper rifle is quite different. Actually, it is rather similar to the bolt-action rifle. The only difference here has to do with structures. When you fire off this gun, it is capable of setting certain structures on fire. While rifles are not usually the best for structures, this one is a bit better. It is still available in Chapter 3.

Heavy Sniper Rifle

One of the best sniper rifles, in my opinion, is the heavy sniper rifle. It is the beefiest of all sniper rifles and also the slowest. You can fire off one of these bad boys, and you better have the best accuracy around. This is because reloading it for the next shot will take you a while.

If you learn to use the heavy sniper rifle properly, you are in for a treat. A single shot with this gun will down anyone in a match, especially with a headshot. Perhaps the most exciting purpose for it has to do with structures.

Player-built structures are decimated by the heavy sniper rifle. It can sail through them quickly and hit more than a single wall. While I think the heavy sniper rifle is one of the most difficult to use in this category, it is also one of the most rewarding. It was first released in the original Season 5 and was last seen in Chapter 2, Season 2. It is bound for a return soon.

Hunting Rifle

Hunting Rifle

The hunting rifle is a strange sniper rifle. It operates in this space between a semi-automatic assault rifle and a sniper. It is one of the few examples of a marksman-like rifle in the game. For one, it does not have the standard sniper rifle scope like other rifles do.

Instead, it opts for a larger zoom when you hold down the aim down the sight button. This, in turn, makes it harder to aim at really far away distances like with other rifles. It also has a single bullet in each magazine, so you need to reload with every hit.

The hunting rifle is a somewhat frustrating weapon for me. I’m not a huge fan of it as the lack of scope and its not too great speed make it not worth it for me. It does have decent hip fire capabilities, which cannot be said for almost any other sniper. It was last seen in Chapter 2, Season 3.

Lever Action Rifle

The lever-action rifle is similar to the hunting rifle in that it has no traditional scope. You can just have a more significant magnification than most other non-scoped weapons. It has only a single bullet per magazine and must be reloaded between shots.

Like the hunting rifle, the lever-action rifle is pretty slow and not the best. It still has decent damage, hipfire, and headshot multiplier. This makes it a bit better at mid-range than some sniper rifles. The lever-action rifle made its debut in Chapter 2, Season 5. It was only available in that season.

Rail Gun

Rail Gun

Continuing the train of not that great weapons in this category, we have the rail gun. I don’t hate the rail gun, but it is a weird weapon for me. Introduced in Chapter 2, Season 7, this is one of the strongest sniper rifles in the category.

The rail gun is a devastating rifle that has the charge ability. It takes a good bit to charge up the rail gun to full strength. It is not the best gun for individual fights against other players. Due to the charge up, it is really easy to avoid shots from this gun. Instead, it was meant for vehicles like the flying saucers. It was last seen in Chapter 2, Season 8.

Storm Scout Sniper Rifle

The storm scout sniper rifle is by and large just a bolt-action rifle. The difference is that it has a unique function for it. When you aim down the sights, you are able to locate where the next safe zone is. This is unbelievably impressive and useful in matches.

Since the game is all about surviving until the next circle, the storm scout is a valuable asset in the late game rounds. You can plan ahead and get to the next circle early. This allows you to set up forts and get ready for the onslaught of players later. It came out in Season 9. It was replaced by the storm scout standalone in Chapter 2, Season 5. It was last seen in Season 7.

Suppressed Sniper Rifle

Suppressed Sniper Rifle

The suppressed sniper rifle is just a standard bolt-action with a twist. This one has suppression added to it. This means that firing off your impressive shots will not alert enemies on the compass. In addition, it is hard to hear from far away.

Zapotron

The final sniper is the bizarre and mysterious case of the Zapotron. This is the only energy ammo rifle in the category. However, almost no one has ever used it. Little is known about it other than it had a charge. It is possible that it was a prototype for the rail gun. It was available before Season 1 for only a few minutes. It left the game after and never appeared playable again. It has only been seen in cameos.

FAQs

Question: How do I get better at snipers in Fortnite?

Answer: This is a great question as sniping is an art in Fortnite. Unlike most other weapon types, you need to practice it and get better at it. Doing this ultimately comes down to practice, and that is it. The more you use a sniper rifle, the better you will get at it.
This takes a good bit of patience, too, since you may not be great at it immediately. In my case, I was terrible at sniping in most other shooter-based games. It is something that I have always avoided. However, I found that I strangely had an affinity for the style of sniping in Fortnite.
Perhaps it is the timing-based nature of shots or what you have. If you like that, too, then be sure to put in the time to practice. What you need to know, though, is how to time your shots. Gravity does affect sniper bullets, and they are pretty slow, too.
You need to learn the timing of judging where a person is running, how long it will take the bullet to get to them, and where you should shoot. If someone is running left, fire a little bit ahead of them to make it there in time. Also, shoot a little bit up to make up for the drop-off from gravity. The timing takes time to learn, but it will be natural soon enough.

Question: How do you practice sniping in Fortnite?

Answer: The best place for practicing sniping is not within actual matches. This is a waste of time and will likely end in failure most of the time. Instead, you will want to do it in other modes like Creative or Battle Lab. You can have a private battle royale match of your own in the latter.
You can practice running around the map, finding a sniper rifle, and taking out targets in situations similar to the real deal. Of course, there are some issues with this, like not having other players to fight. That said, it can be a solid place to start.
What I prefer, though, is Creative. You can spawn a rifle in this mode and then have some friends join you. You can practice together and work on sniping one another. This is actually how I learned to snipe in Fortnite, and it was unintentional, too.
My nephew and I like to play together, including online Creative modes like Team Deathmatch. In these cases, you can pick your weapons, and sometimes I would be stuck with a sniper. This would force me to use it repeatedly, and I eventually got better this way. There just aren’t enough opportunities to practice with a sniper in battle royale matches.

Question: What is the best sniper rifle in Fortnite?

Answer: The best sniper rifle is going to come down to personal preference. There are two that I really like: the heavy sniper rifle and the automatic sniper rifle. They couldn’t be more different from one another, but I like them in various situations.
The heavy sniper rifle is the most powerful gun in the category. If you land your shots well, you are almost guaranteed to down someone, but it is insanely slow to reload. The automatic sniper rifle is perfect for when I want to snipe but avoid the slowness of the heavy. It is fast and furious, trading out damage, which is fine given its speed in battle.

Question: Where can you find sniper rifles in Fortnite?

Answer: Sniper rifles can spawn like other normal guns do. You can find them on the floor, in treasure chests, or supply drops. Finding them as floor loot, though, is difficult to do. I recommend opening up treasure chests over and over to find one.
Also, in Chapter 3, Season 1, you can purchase a sniper rifle from the John Llama NPC character at Logjam Lumberyard. It costs 600 gold bars to get the boom sniper rifle from him, but this is a quick guaranteed way of getting one each match if you have the bars for it.

Conclusion

The sniper rifle is one of the most iconic weapons in Fortnite’s history. Though there are not as many of them as SMGs and assault rifles, they still have a lot of variation. Each sniper is radically different from most of the other ones and serves a different function.

Hopefully, with this guide, you have found a sniper rifle that you would like to use in the future. That is, of course, if and when the rifle is ever available in the game again. At the end of the day, though, sniper rifles are just one part of the Fortnite metagame. We’ve also got you covered if you would like to know more about the various other weapons available. Be sure to check out our Fortnite weapons overview guide for details on each of the other gun categories, too.

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