Empulse Weapon Tier List: Best Guns for Grappling, Sliding Speed Builds
Empulse plays fast and furious, with grappling, sliding, and speed-focused movement that turns every encounter into a scramble for positioning. As a result, the weapons you bring aren’t just damage tools—they shape your entire build, including how you handle perks and gear. After spending several hours with the game, we put together a tier list of the best weapon choices and what they do best.
Checklists
There are multiple weapons available in Empulse that you can use while grappling, sliding, and sprinting across maps at high speed. Your selection matters because it directly affects how effectively you can leverage your character’s kit, along with whatever perks and equipment you equip. The tiers below break down which weapons tend to perform strongest, and where each one fits in different match situations.
Best Weapons in Empulse
Below is a complete look at the weapons you can equip in Empulse. Some options are built for specific scenarios and come with a distinct feel and playstyle. Since match goals and pacing vary by mode, you’ll generally want several separate loadouts so you can swap weapon types quickly based on what the match asks of you.
- S-Rank: Coda, Echo, Modulator
- A-Rank: Compressor, Opus, Resonance
- B-Rank: Percussion, Requiem, Volta
- C-Rank: Oscillator, Triad
S-Rank Weapons
- Coda
- Echo
- Modulator
Coda
The Coda is one of the weapons you start with, and it plays like a strong submachine gun that works across a variety of situations. Like you’d expect from an SMG, it brings an excellent rate of fire. Its base damage and headshot damage are solid, but the real strength comes from the sheer number of bullets you can land—making it easier to overwhelm targets.
It performs especially well at close range, though closing distance usually isn’t too difficult thanks to Empulse’s movement. Your Grapple or a Speed P.A.I.N.T grenade helps you move quickly around the map to reach targets. The main drawback is when you’re caught out in open space—at that point, a weapon with better reach can punish you quickly. Still, the Coda remains a versatile pick and a strong go-to for many builds.
Echo
The Echo stands out for having some of the best base damage and headshot damage in Empulse. The trade-off is mobility: the game encourages frantic movement, including sliding left and right, and that can cause missed shots even when you’re technically in range. Still, when the Echo connects, it leaves opponents with very little health—assuming they don’t get taken out right away.
It’s a powerful weapon you can pair effectively with your Grapple and Jumppack. You have multiple ways to get into effective engagement range, which makes it useful across different maps and modes. If you run the Echo, prioritize improving reload speed—being stuck reloading while exposed is something that happens often in a fast-paced game.
Modulator
The Modulator is another starting weapon that feels like an oversized machine gun. It sits at slightly higher damage and offers better ideal range than the Coda-style options. It’s also a good answer to players who master the Coda, because you can hit them from longer distances before they close in on you. Even though they may still reach you quickly, the Modulator’s rate of fire isn’t as high—yet the matchup can still be tight enough that both weapons remain highly effective in practice.
In feel, the Coda and Modulator are nearly the same category of gun, with the Modulator acting more like an assault rifle than a submachine gun. If you don’t like the feeling of being exposed while racing around the outside of a map, the Modulator can be a reliable compromise.
A-Rank Weapons
- Compressor
- Opus
- Resonance
Compressor
If the Coda and Modulator are related, then the Compressor and the Modulator are even closer—playing in a similar family. The Compressor lands slightly behind the Modulator mainly because it lacks as high a rate of fire. However, that can be offset by the damage it delivers when your shots connect, especially when you’re engaging at longer distances.
The Compressor’s downsides are real. You’ll deal with a slower firing rhythm and a smaller magazine. Upgrades can help, but putting resources into magazine or damage doesn’t always leave room for other improvements like boosting optimal range or making it harder for enemies to regain health. Even with those limitations, it’s still a strong weapon. Depending on your preferences, it may feel better than the Modulator—though the Modulator tends to appeal to a wider range of players, since it often requires fewer upgrades to feel effective.
Opus
If you want a punchy battle rifle style, Empulse has you covered with the Opus—though it comes specifically as a pistol. The Opus is a medium-range sidearm that surprisingly holds up in damage and is great for hitting opponents from farther away. It shoots a bit faster than the Resonance (the actual battle rifle), but it deals less damage and comes with a wider spread.
It’s still a worthwhile option if you want a heavier pistol. Close-range fights may be where it struggles, since shotguns and submachine guns can outclass you easily. Even so, it’s a solid choice for players who want a more damaging sidearm without fully committing to the slower battle rifle category.
Resonance
The Resonance is a dependable battle rifle that fires heavy single shots. Every time you land a hit, opponents feel it, and with follow-up shots they’re likely to drop soon after. Like the Opus, it demands reliable accuracy because it uses a limited magazine and doesn’t fire as quickly as options such as the Compressor, Modulator, or the Coda. The payoff is that the damage is strong enough to justify that slower pace.
You can use the Resonance across many maps by leaning on its strong range to strike targets as they approach. But missing several shots in a row becomes increasingly punishing due to limited ammo. This weapon gives you less margin for error, and in a game where players constantly reposition, that limitation becomes noticeable unless you’re able to lock onto opponents or find a way to neutralize their speed.
B-Rank Weapons
- Percussion
- Requiem
- Volta
Percussion
Percussion earns its spot as a great submachine gun largely because it comes with explosive rounds. Whenever a bullet lands, it triggers a small area-of-effect blast that deals a respectable amount of damage. The big advantage is that you don’t always need direct hits. Instead, you can aim slightly around your target and let the explosion catch nearby enemies.
Those blasts don’t hit as hard as landing shots directly on a character, but missed shots have less severe consequences. If the weapon’s blast effect created enough upside, it could rank higher—but in practice, anyone with strong aim using nearly any other gun can still out-damage and out-finish you. You should consider bringing Percussion when opponents are moving too quickly for your preferred weapon to track effectively, or when they’re lingering in one place. In those situations, the explosive rounds can help you tag multiple targets or keep consistent pressure. It’s always a viable option, but players using conventional weapons that reward accuracy may outperform you if they can consistently land their shots.
Requiem
Requiem is a sniper rifle, and you get the most out of it only when you’re aiming down sights. During matches, players using it can be shockingly effective, while in other games the weapon barely gets touched at all. That split makes it a lower tier despite its high damage—precision requirements are simply too demanding for many players.
The core issue is dependable accuracy and the ability to land on target consistently. You might choose it if you’re hunting mechs, or if opponents are trying to control—or defend—a particular objective area. Outside of those roles, it won’t fit everyone, but for players who can use it well, it’s a standout weapon.
Volta
Volta is an interesting weapon concept. It’s built to lock onto and chase a target you aim at, and when you fire, the shot races toward other players you designate. However, it doesn’t feel especially powerful when used against human opponents. It doesn’t deliver as much damage as you’d expect in player-versus-player fights, so it likely won’t be worth building around if your goal is to fight other players directly.
Against mechs, though, Volta becomes extremely useful. It shines as a mech-destroying tool, and it’s worth including when an enemy brings a mech against you or when you need to break an enemy mech as part of an objective. If you’re planning to “go mech hunting,” make sure Volta is in at least one of your loadouts, since it’s designed to tear through those heavy machines.
C-Rank Weapons
- Oscillator
- Triad
Oscillator
Finally, there’s Oscillator. It’s a heavy light machine gun that fires in two-shot bursts at a decent rate of fire. The bullets sound and feel weighty, but they don’t deliver as much damage as other weapons. Some guns can deal slightly more, and Oscillator also has a major limitation: it’s unwieldy and only works reliably when targets stay still.
Even though Oscillator can be decent, it’s held back by the fact that better options exist. It sits too much in the middle of the pack. If you want a higher fire rate, the Coda is the direction to go. If you want slightly better reach and damage, Compressor, Modulator, or the next options in that family are the better bets.
Triad
Triad is a burst rifle you can use in Empulse, but it lands at the bottom because it doesn’t really stand out as a top performer. Its damage is in the mid-range, and since it fires three-round bursts, it can connect on opponents when your aim is solid. Still, reliably landing multiple hits becomes harder and harder as everyone moves quickly. You’re unlikely to string together enough accurate burst hits to down a target, which makes it difficult to fully eliminate enemies with Triad alone.
The range is acceptable, and recoil isn’t too severe, but the rate of fire between shots drags it down. It ends up below both the Compressor and the Modulator. You can feel the weapon’s limitations while using it, and not everything clicks the way you’d want. Overall, you’ll generally get better results with weapons that more directly match what Triad wants to do.
Check out our other Empulse guides:
- Best Loadouts
- Best Settings
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Top Guide Sections
- Best Loadouts
- Best Settings
- Weapon Tier List
