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With Fortnite Save the World‘s extensive collection book offering hundreds of schematics to reclaim, it can be tricky knowing which guns are actually worth investing your precious flux and other resources into. I‘ve played through all of STW‘s zones and challenging end-game modes like MSK countless times, so allow me to provide my expert take on the top weaponry currently available from the collection book in 2023.
The Surround Pound: Your Go-To Melee Option
Let‘s kick things off with one of the best melee choices out there – the mythic Surround Pound hardware weapon. As many high-level players can attest, once you make it to the Mythic Storm King, securing one of his mythic weapon caches should become priority number one, as these uniquely overpowered schematics can‘t be obtained anywhere else.
Of the close-combat variants on offer, the Surround Pound stands head-and-shoulders above the rest, thanks to its devastating 360 degree slam attack which can wipe out crowds of lesser husks with ease. It also packs a serious punch against tougher targets like mini-bosses, dealing very respectable damage numbers even to elemental enemies.
In Twine Peaks and especially the Mythic Storm King showdown itself, I‘d consider the Surround Pound to be an essential piece of kit, and mandatory if you don‘t already have another mythic melee schematic in your inventory. It may be energy by default instead of physical, but perked up correctly this weapon will serve you extremely well in the MSK and beyond.
The Plasmic Discharger: All-Round Powerhouse
Shifting our focus to firearms, the sci-fi Plasmic Discharger assault weapon has become a community favorite thanks to its versatility and reliability across nearly all Save the World content.
Unafraid of close combat but equally deadly at mid-long range, the Discharger packs a shocking punch against all sizes of husks. Its innate Chain Lighting 6th perk is great for piercing tightly packed groups, while the high critical rating mean it can pump out savage spike damage on top.
I regularly wield my own maxed out Discharger in 160 zone missions and high level Ventures seasons to melt down crowds and cut through bigger targets like blasters. Paired with a hero loadout to boost assault damage and criticals, this gun rarely lets me down regardless of the power level. Definitely consider reclaiming it from the sci-fi set – you won‘t regret having this electric beast in your schematic loadout.
The Atomizer 9000: Built for Mass Destruction
Let‘s crank things up a notch with the ear-splitting Atomizer 9000 shotgun. When it comes to dealing obscene area damage at point blank range, few schematics come close to what this monster can unleash. Up against tightly grouped minions, miss monsters, and mini boss hordes, the Atomizer absolutely decimates everything caught in its cone of carnage.
I break out my Atomizer whenever the combat loop requires lots of demand destruction – think Repair the Shelter or Eliminate and Collect missions. Kiting charging smashers and blasters towards ambush rooms or trap funnels then unloading the full clip into them is extremely effective. For pure stopping power against the hardest targets, nothing melts a smasher faster at close quarters. It‘s also my "delete" button for sudden miniboss spawns.
Just be wary that the A9K eats through energy cells rapidly, so I recommend pairing it with a hero or two that generates shotgun ammo to keep it spraying pain indefinitely. Some well-chosen damage and reload speed perks should serve you well too. But kitted out appropriately, this mighty mangler is barrels of fun to wield against STW‘s biggest baddies.
The Obliterator: Long Range Sniper Supreme
When it comes to putting husks on ice from a distance, Fortnite Save the World has no deadlier ballistic weapon than the legendary Obliterator sniper rifle. Don‘t let the suppressed look deceive you – each high caliber round this schematic unleashes can nearly one-shot even elemental smashers.
The sheer stopping power and terrifying impact rating means weaker husks simply vanish outright with a clean headshot. Smash the weakness point on a blaster and it‘ll crumple mid beam. One round to stagger a charging smasher, the second to finish it off. Extreme long distance damage in compact semi-automatic form – this gun is as surgical as it is savage.
The Obliterator has long been a community darling, and for very good reason. As far as raw damage output per hit at range this hot little number is in a class of its own. Load up with two reload and damage buffs like I do and simply erase waves of encroaching husks with overwhelming prejudice. It rarely leaves my quick item slots – particularly for storm shield defenses or late wave objectives. Between this and my trusty Neon sniper, nothing gets close for long.
The Neon Sniper/Bow: Pinpoint Precision
On that note, the sci-fi neon ranged weapon set also offers an excellent sniper rifle and bow option that shouldn‘t be overlooked, each filling a similar role to the Obliterator but with some notable twists.
In full auto rifle form the Neon Sniper spits a three round high-velocity burst on every trigger pull, making it a very viable option for mid range damage and headshot streaking lighter targets. Racking up +60% damage with the Crackshot hero supports has this weapon one-burst blasters if you nail the crit.
But switch to the Neon Bow and it enters a class of its own. The highest base damage and impact rating of any non-explosive bow schematic combines with natural armor piercing, shooting through the toughest husks and mist monsters for massive damage. Charge fully and virtually nothing withstands a headshot from this beast.
For myflux, supercharging the Neon Bow first and pairing it with Totally Rocking Out makes short work of the MSK. Slap on some impact rating and reload/damage perks and you‘ve got yourself Save the World‘s supreme single-target precision destroyer. Husks, smashers, blasters, and bosses all fall before this masterwork of neon domination!
The Pulsar 9000 – Be Good or Be Gone!
I couldn‘t wrap up this list without mentioning Fortnite‘s signature sci-fi laser, a weapon so iconic developers even incorporated a nerfed variant into Battle Royale itself. Yes, I‘m talking about the devastating Pulsar 9000, which remains a top tier choice for any Twine commander‘s arsenal.
When it comes to sheer ability to melt monsters and bad guys, few energy weapons feel as brutally powerful as this fusion blaster. Lay into a smasher with a sustained beam or full charge shot and its healthbar stands zero chance. Blasters? Barely an inconvenience for the 9K. Cut down entire spawns of lesser husks without even needing to aim. It‘s raw extermination in energy form, hence the flavor text.
While shredding individual targets has always been this gun‘s specialty, post-buff the Pulsar got some crowd control potential too. The bonus projectiles can now pierce enemies, making encamped groups very sad indeed. Hose a rift full of emerging husks or obliterate a miniboss posse – it‘s all purified ash moments later.
The shared 6th perk slot also offers interesting builds between default Affliction or Chain Lighting for mass clear. Boosted by Totally Rocking Out‘s damage buff, my max level 9K chews through anything, anywhere. It‘s been a Plankerton best friend and carried me to TP endurance wins too many times to count. An icon for good reason!
Putting it All Together
There are certainly plenty more gems to uncover across STW‘s labyrinth collection book categories. I didn‘t even touch on legendary hardware smashes like the Surround Pound or fantasy sword blender the Spectral Blade here. But the above weapons give a great overview of the evergreen top tier schematics I find myself returning to daily.
Matching your weaponry wisely to enemy types, plus the mission parameters and biome, remains important however. A nature vacuum tube bow absolutely destroys water elemental husks, while my fire Grave Digger tears up nature minions with ease. This is where the beauty of elements and energy as an all-purpose neutral option comes into play.
It‘s also crucial that you focus your flux, PERK-UP, and supercharger investment selectively based on actual utility. I only upgrade weapons I actively rely on for challenging content to 144, otherwise stopping at 130 is fine while I push key guns higher. You don‘t need rows of unused 130 weapons when a few key guns pumped to the max will serve you better.
Lastly, make the most of your hero loadout support slots passively enhancing weapons via damage type bonuses, crit rating, or adding armor destruction. Combined with major boosts from Rockin‘ Rio‘s Totally Rocking Out team perk, you can transform reliable base game weapons into absolute monsters that decimate everything. This allows lower tier schematics to still shred later zones.
The Fortnite STW arsenal offers such variation that every commander will ultimately settle on their own preferences over time. But what I‘ve covered today provide a robust framework covering close quarters, mid-range and long distance engagements. Combined intelligently they‘ll serve you beautifully from Stonewood shields to the Twine tyrant himself.
I hope this breakdown gives newer players a great starting point for weapon selection, while perhaps reminding veterans of a few old favorites to pull back out of the book. Let me know your own cherished collection gems not mentioned here too – there‘s always room for another STW great in my armory! Either way, keep those trap tunnels sprinkled with dakka and enjoy mowing down those husks.