What are the recommended weapons for each class?

[River Victor]

Topic. I have about 11000 credits and is doing my first playthrough solo. I think I can afford a high-end weapon with that and a bit of mods. I've got the flamethrower that drops gobs of flames in arc, single shot, not continuous fire, and I like that one for CQW.

Another I'm using is the Smart Heavy Cannon that comes with the class that can equip heavy and modded for carrying extra ammo and has 20% chance to slow enemies by 50%. Brainless, and I'm not afraid to admit it. Works wonders on Drones that like to run away.

I think I've maxxed them out with money now. The rest is more about using them, so I'm good for the moment, but if I want to move on, what other weapons would you suggest?

I feel that Gunner's rapid fire rifles are so shaky though. Kicks so damn much and not particularly effective either. Can't keep them on target. Suggestions on replacements welcomed.

Would rocket launchers or minigun or carpet bomb launcher be good as a more brainy heavy replacement later?

Handgun feels awful for me. Recommendations are gladly appreciated.

[LoganEX]

The game actually gives you really good weapons to begin with like the smart gun and pump shotgun. Many veteran players still use the pump shotgun on gunner unless they got the DLC shotgun.

Plasma Rifle (feels like a LMG) or heavy Kramer Assault Rifle and bring pump shotgun or tactical shotgun for the CQW. You should be using overclock with your shotgun if you see big enemy.

Demo's Smart gun is good for intense or below. But you can bring a heavy auto launcher once you get better and ready for higher difficulties. Just need to watch FF.

[[FR] Crimson]

AR's arent too great in general, but Gunner makes them somewhat decent; I'd recommend Kramer and Halberd, which have the highest dps amongst ARs. Type 88 heavy assault is pretty good too. On a side note, Astra is great for slows and bleed dmg (karachi overwatch + hollow points) but works better on support classes/loadouts like Doc or full CC demo.

On other classes that have access to rifles, or if you simply don't like ARs, Twilight (DMR) is a very strong all rounder and will do great in most situations. For synth missions you could try the Ballista Flechette; it's especially good on doc and recon. In fact, you should definitely use a DMR/Sniper rifle on Recon in order to benefit from your passive and Threat Neutralized. Like I said, Twilight, Ballista, but also Scout rifle are all great choices.

For CQW you're better off using a shotgun. The reason for that is almost any shotgun can one shot runners on insane, while SMGs and Fireball/Incinerator (obviously) cant. Pump Shotgun and Heirloom are the best overall, but Tactical works great on recon, and some people enjoy the Medved on phalanx and lancer. The auto shotty is a niche pick for Gunner, it'll do amazing against elites but worse against trash.

For pistols, it depends what class you're playing. As Tech, you should prioritize investing into your CQW and wont have room for pistol perks, so you want a good all rounder that has good enough base stats; The best one for that is probably the type 95, which also procs deep levarage + resonating impact very consistently.
As Doc however, pistols are your main damage weapons. With pistol perks, Type 78, Misha and Mark7 are crazy strong. Some ppl like the Rapid Responder too.

As for heavies, it really depends what you're going for. If you want CC, Vajra is good for slows, Smartgun is good for stuns and Minigun is good for knockdowns. If you want good AoE to clear hordes of trash, M94 and M12 RPG are incredibly strong, as long as you don't shoot your teamates or yourself. If you want single target damage, Minigun and Heavy pulse have the highest single target dps amongst heavies, if set up accordingly with the correct attachments.

With all that being said, most weapons in the game are viable and your loadout doesnt really matter below extreme/insane. So until then you should play whatever you want and find what works best for you. I'd encourage trying different loadouts instead of maining one thing.

[My Name Is Mud]

I use Twinhammer pistol on extreme

It melts