You've finally reached Sector 8. Your hull is screaming, your oxygen is leaking, and the Rebel Flagship is staring you down with enough missiles to blot out the stars. Honestly, this is where most FTL runs go to die. It’s not because you played poorly; it’s usually because your weapon system is a hot mess of "stuff I found in a box" rather than a coherent strategy.
Winning in FTL: Faster Than Light—especially on Hard mode—isn't about having the biggest, flashiest guns. It’s about power efficiency. You have limited slots and even more limited reactor bars. If you’re lugging around a four-power weapon that takes 25 seconds to charge, you’re basically asking the AI to hull-breach your medbay before you even get a shot off.
After hundreds of hours (and far too many "Game Over" screens), I’ve realized that the community's collective wisdom on the ftl weapon tier list has basically crystallized. Some guns are just objectively better at keeping you alive.
The God Tier: Buy These or Die Trying
If you see these in a shop, sell your soul (or at least that useless Titanium System Casing) to get them.
Burst Laser II
The undisputed king. Three shots for two power. That’s the magic ratio. It’s fast, charging in 12 seconds, which usually lets you fire before the enemy’s heavy hitters can cycle. Because it fires three distinct bolts, it’s a shield-stripping machine. It’s precise, unlike flak, so if you need to hit the enemy’s Piloting to drop their evasion, it actually hits. You’ve probably heard people call it the "BL2," and there’s a reason it’s the gold standard.
Flak I
Basically the BL2’s rowdy cousin. It also costs two power and fires three "chunks," but it charges even faster at 10 seconds. The trade-off is the "spread." You can’t pinpoint a specific system as reliably as a laser, but for taking down shields, it’s arguably better because the projectiles hit almost simultaneously. It’s a common drop, too. If you’re running a beam-heavy build, the Flak I is your best friend.
Halberd Beam
Most beams are a trap. The Glaive Beam is too slow, and the Pike Beam is too weak. The Halberd is the "just right" porridge. It deals two damage per room and can pierce through one layer of shields. If you pair this with a Flak I to drop the shields first, you can easily delete half an enemy ship’s hull in one swipe.
Tier A: The Reliable Workhorses
These won't carry a bad run, but they make a good run feel easy.
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- Small Bomb: One power for two system damage that bypasses shields. It’s the ultimate support weapon. Use it to knock out the enemy’s Medbay or Missiles without having to chew through four shield bubbles.
- Heavy Laser I: Don't sleep on this. One power, one shot, but it does two damage and has a high breach/fire chance. It’s the perfect "finisher" to fire after your main volley has lowered the shields.
- Ion Blast II: If you’re going for an Ion build, this is the only one that can solo-suppress shields. It’s power-hungry (3 bars), but it fires every 4 seconds. It creates an "Ion cascade" that eventually leaves the enemy helpless.
The "Trap" Tier: Why You're Losing
A lot of players see a Glaive Beam or a Chain Vulcan and think they’ve won the lottery. You haven't. These are "win-more" weapons.
The Chain Vulcan is the most famous trap in the game. It takes forever to spool up. In those first 30 seconds of combat, you’re taking a relentless pounding while the Vulcan does... nothing. If your ship’s defenses are already god-tier (Cloaking + 4 Shields + high Engines), the Vulcan is fun. But if you’re struggling, the Vulcan will just get its room hit, reset its charge, and leave you dead in the water.
Then there’s the Burst Laser III. Four power for five shots? Sounds good on paper. But it takes 19 seconds to charge. Two Burst Laser IIs would give you six shots for the same power and fire 7 seconds faster. In FTL, 7 seconds is the difference between life and a "Ship Destroyed" screen.
Strategy: Mixing and Matching for the Flagship
The secret to a high-tier loadout isn't just picking S-tier guns; it's synergy. You need a way to break shields and a way to deal damage.
- The Laser/Flak Volley: The most reliable. Fire your Flak I first, wait half a second, then fire your Burst Lasers. All the shots hit at once, overwhelming the shields and hitting the systems.
- The Hacking + Beam Combo: If you have Hacking, even "bad" weapons become A-tier. Hack the enemy shields, drain them to zero, and then let a Halberd Beam or even a Hull Beam go to town. This is the most consistent way to beat the Flagship on Hard.
- The Ion/Drone Slog: This is risky. You use Ion Blast II to keep shields down and let a Combat Drone I do the work. It’s slow, and if your weapons room takes a hit, the whole plan falls apart.
Real Talk on Missiles
Missiles are generally C-tier because they consume a resource and can be shot down by Defense Drones. However, the Artemis (if you start with it) is actually decent because it only costs one power. Never buy missiles in a shop. Just don't. Use the ones you start with, then transition to lasers or flak as soon as you find a store that isn't selling garbage.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Next Run
To put this ftl weapon tier list into practice, stop looking for the "perfect" setup and start looking for the "efficient" one.
Next time you play:
- Prioritize 2-power weapons. They are easier to keep online when your ship takes damage.
- Check the charge times. Try to sync your weapons so they all fire within 1-2 seconds of each other.
- Don't buy the Glaive Beam unless you already have Hacking and Cloaking. It's a luxury, not a necessity.
- Save 80 scrap for a Burst Laser II or a Flak I. If you see them, buy them. No excuses.
The Rebel Flagship has a fixed layout. It will always have 4 shields. It will always have a missile launcher. If your weapon loadout can't reliably put 4-5 damage into a single room within 15 seconds, you need to rethink your strategy before you hit Sector 7.