Cyberpunk 2077: Best Unique Sniper Rifles (& Where to Find Them)
The players who want to get really good at Cyberpunk 2077 will first need to understand exactly what kinds of weapons they want to use. There are several different weapon classes in the game and each one has its own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to combat. Players will need to decide early on in the game if they want to be a sneaky hacker who uses silenced weapons, a monstrous brute who cracks skulls with the Gold-Plated Bat, or some combination of the two.
Once players have decided what kind of build they are going for in Cyberpunk 2077, they then need to decide what weapon types suit their new skill sets. One weapon type that almost all players should consider looking into though is the sniper rifle class. When it comes to long-ranged fighting there is nothing out there that tops the sniper rifle, and this is even more true when the unique weapon types come into play. This guide shows players what the best unique sniper rifles are and where they can be found.
Sniper rifles are some of the most powerful weapons in the game, with the only things coming close to matching them in raw damage output being shotguns. The difference though is that while the shotgun is perfect for close-range encounters, the sniper rifle is most effective at incredibly far distances. These weapons pack a serious punch but do have several downsides that players will need to keep in mind. They typically have a very low rate of fire, take a long time to reload, and are very unwieldy. This means using them at close range is incredibly difficult to do, so players will need to have other effective weapons to help handle enemies closer to them. The unique sniper rifles have a vast amount of surprises in store for players though, so players will for sure want to check all of them out. This is especially true for players who don't enjoy fighting enemies face to face. Here are all of the best sniper rifles in the game:
- O' Five - This may not be the most powerful or most versatile of the sniper rifles, but it can't be argued that this weapon isn't a ridiculous amount of fun to use. It's a Power rifle so this already means that it ricochets off of any surface that it comes in contact with, but additionally it comes packed with more firepower due to having explosive rounds. This makes the O' Five incredibly effective at taking down vehicles as well as enemies, which makes it the perfect gun to keep in the player's inventory while roaming Night City. The downsides to the O' Five though are that its recoil is very high, which means that every shot will throw the player way off target. It also has a very limited ammo capacity and low rate of fire, which can make firefights pretty dicey. However the explosive ammo can still make it pretty useful for crowd control, so it isn't all bad. In order to acquire it, players will need to participate in Beat on the Brat at Arroyo. By defeating everyone in unarmed combat the player will earn the O'Five.
- Breakthrough - This is another very interesting one in that its unique ability allows the player to do some very interesting things to their enemies. It is listed as a Tech weapon, but instead, it would be better characterized as both a Tech and Power weapon simultaneously. This is because like all Tech weapons it can be charged up and fired through cover to hit enemies, but like Power weapons, it will ricochet off of harder surfaces. This means that players are able to dish out a massive amount of damage, but also bounce bullets of surfaces to hit enemies from different angles. It is the best of both worlds when it comes to weapon archetypes. On top of all of this though the Breakthrough also just happens to be a very strong rifle, so even uncharged it can take out most standard enemies. The charged shot however is capable of killing basically every enemy in the game with a well-placed headshot. Players can craft it after collecting the blueprint from the Rancho Coronado Suspected Organized Crime Activity mission.
- Ashura Smart Rifle - The Ashura Smart Rifle is just so powerful that it honestly feels a little unfair to use it in the game frankly. Like all other Smart weapons it allows the player to fire the weapon without aiming directly at something and the bullets will home in on the closest enemy. This means that players are able to fire at enemies with a sniper rifle without having to be in the sights of their enemies. It also means that one of the biggest downsides to sniper rifles (taking the time to properly line up a shot) is nonexistent with this weapon. On top of this, the Ashura Smart Rifle can also deal 4.6x its standard damage on a headshot, which will absolutely demolish almost every single enemy in the game. The biggest downside though is that this sniper rifle can only carry one round at a time, so players will need to reload after every shot. It does however have four modification slots, so players can alter it to fit whatever scenario they need it for. Players can actually get this rifle early on in the game by searching a room off of Royce's office in the "The Pickup" mission.
- Overwatch - This is one of the best sniper rifles in the game because it has all of the best aspects of a good sniper rifle. It has a high damage stat, a decent rate of fire, and solid accuracy, which are all things that players want if they are going to use a rifle fairly often. On top of this though it also has increased reload speed, which makes using it to dispatch several enemies in a row very simple. Reload speed is one of the places that most rifles suffer, so this ability almost completely negates that problem. By far the biggest upside to this weapon though is that it comes with a silencer already on the rifle, but it doesn't impact its damage capabilities. This means that players basically have access to one of the most damaging weapons in the game, but it doesn't make a single sound to alert other enemies. Those who are stealthy and good at lining up shots quickly can effectively completely decimate whole areas full of enemies without ever being caught. This is the ultimate sniper rifle and one that should be acquired by those who want to make a stealthy Netrunner build or for those who are tired of getting found out while trying to snipe their enemies from afar. Collecting the Overwatch is also ridiculously easy as well though because all players have to do is save Saul during the course of the Riders of the Storm side quest.
Cyberpunk 2077 can be played on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 5.