You can’t survive the horrors of outer space in Starfield without maintaining a significant weapon arsenal. While the game offers a plethora of deadly, laser, futuristic, and fast weapons, your choice will depend on several factors. For instance, you must choose a suitable background, pick the best traits, and even upgrade your skills according to your weapons. In this regard, Bethesda doesn’t offer too many choices when it comes to picking a sniper rifle.
You can find countless weapons with scopes and suppressors, but not all of them qualify as sniper rifles. As per the latest update, there are only three official sniper rifles in Starfield. However, acquiring each of them requires serious dedication on your end. So, it is best to take a pick and dedicate your efforts to that particular weapon. Therefore, this article will discuss all Starfield sniper rifles and the best option to consider.
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All Starfield Sniper Rifles:
At the time of writing this article, there are only three official sniper rifles in Starfield. While you can still attach scopes and grips to other rifles, not all of them qualify as the official ones. The benefit of acquiring an official sniper rifle is that some of the best stealth builds are based on these weapons.
Here is a list of all Starfield sniper rifles, their stats, benefits, and disadvantages:
The Mag Sniper:
- Physical Damage: 268
- Ammo: 6.5mm
- Magazine: 12
- Fire Rate: 17
- Accuracy: 86.1%
- Mod Slots: 6
- Range: 100
Coming at number one is that all-time favorite, The Mag Sniper. It is a semi-automatic sniper rifle with the best physical damage in the game. Basically, this beast of a weapon is powerful enough to down any enemy with a single shot. Moreover, it offers far better accuracy than other options and has room for up to 6 mod slots.
The only problem with this weapon is that it has a low fire rate compared to the remaining sniper rifles. However, if you pick this bad boy, you won’t need to fire as many rounds unless you are completely surrounded by foes. Lastly, it has a mass of 10, but you won’t need any extra weapons as long as you maintain your distance from the enemy.
You can purchase The Mag Sniper from the following merchants after you reach character level 30:
- Centaurion Arsenal: New Atlantis
- Kore Kinetics: Neon
- Neon Tactical: Neon
- Rowland Arms: Akila City
Note: The sniper will randomly appear in these shops. So, if you can’t find it, you can always restock the vendors to refresh their inventory.
The Hard Target:
- Physical Damage: 139
- Ammo: .50 Caliber
- Magazine: 5
- Fire Rate: 25
- Accuracy: 74.2%
- Mod Slots: 7
- Range: 100
Next up on the list is The Hard Target sniper rifle. It is again a semi-automatic weapon with almost half the base damage as The Mag. However, the plus point is that you can easily find it without spending too much time. Moreover, this weapon has a considerably higher fire rate and deals enough damage to down any foe with just a couple of shots.
Secondly, you can attach up to 7 mods to this weapon. So, take out your grips, suppressors, and laser assist to end up with a deadly weapon. The only drawback of The Hard Target is its lower magazine count. However, it is the next best sniper rifle, especially if you are going for a stealthy build.
You can purchase The Hard Target from the following vendors after reaching character level 25:
- Centaurion Arsenal: New Atlantis
- Neon Tactical: Neon
- Rowland Arms: Akila City
- UC Exchange: Cydonia
Alternatively, you can also loot it from various bosses and captains. Another major benefit is that the .50 caliber ammo is commonly available throughout the universe.
Old Earth Hunting Rifle:
- Physical Damage: 36
- Ammo: 9 x 29 mm
- Magazine: 20
- Fire Rate: 40
- Accuracy: 86.8%
- Mod Slots: 3
- Range: 100
The last sniper rifle in this list is the Old Earth Hunting. It is an automatic rifle with the highest fire rate in the sniper rifle category. You can compare it to the VSS from PUBG and other modern FPS games. While the base damage isn’t comparable to its competitors, it is fast enough to kill multiple foes in a single attack.
Secondly, this sniper has the highest accuracy in the game. So, you won’t miss your shots unless you aim from the moon. Similarly, the higher clip size ensures that you won’t need to take your eyes off the target to reload after every shot. While the drawbacks seem higher than the first two entries, its advantages certainly make up for all those flaws.
You can purchase The Old Earth Hunting Rifle from the following vendors at any character level:
- Best Defense
- Centaurion Clint’s Collectibles
- Rowland Arms
Alternatively, you can also get it for free by stealing it from the United Colonies Surplus. However, you must join the Crimson Fleet as an undercover agent to unlock that part of the colony.
The Best Sniper Rifle in Starfield:
While all three sniper rifles add some value to your build or even help in defending the outposts, you must pick only one of them.
Judging from the stats, The Mag Sniper seems like the best sniper rifle in Starfield for all play styles. It boasts the highest damage in Starfield and has six mod slots to add plenty of customization to your sniper.
However, if you like close combat, you should carry a secondary weapon to make up for the lower fire rate.
Make it your habit to loot all corpses, as the 6.5 mm ammo is a bit hard to find.
However, you can’t install a suppressor, so if stealth is your priority, you should go for The Hard Target. Don’t worry about the lower damage; you will find the Advanced Hard Target in the later portion of the story.
Conclusion:
Snipers are among the best weapons in Starfield. You can use these weapons to kill several enemies from a distance without exposing your location. While you can find several rifles with scopes and suppressors, only three of them qualify as snipers.
Furthermore, acquiring any of these weapons requires serious dedication on your end. Therefore, this article discusses all snipers in Starfield to help you choose the best sniper rifle for your build.
