Best Weapon Modifiers Tier List

Weapon Modifiers are unique perks that looted weapons may randomly have in Starfield. Check out our article for a list of Weapon Modifiers, a tier list of the best weapon modifiers and their combat applications, as well as where to get them!

List of Weapon Modifiers

Best Weapon Modifiers

Weapon Modifier Tier List Ranking

Tier	Trait	Explanation
S Tier	Rapid	・Versatile weapon modifier that increases the damage of any kind of weapon.
	Instigating	・The best weapon modifier for Sniper Rifles.
	Explosive	・Adds AOE splash damage to ranged weapons.
A Tier	Shattering	・Allows weapons to bypass enemy armor.
	Extended Magazine	・Increases the magazine capacity of weapons.
	Hitman	・A great weapon modifier for weapons with scopes.
B Tier	Furious	・One of the best weapon modifiers for Assault Rifles.
	Lacerate	・A great weapon modifier to use against enemies with high HP.
	Incendiary	・Can set enemies on fire and is great on automatic weapons.
C Tier	Med Theft	・Can help increases your survivability when fighting Spacers and Crimson Fleet.
	Anti-Personnel	・Increases your damage against human enemies.
	Demoralizing	・A niche weapon modifier that has a chance to cause enemies to panic and flee.

Weapon Modifiers that are not included in the list are considered niche. They are only useful within a specific playstyle or are outclassed by the listed modifiers.

Rapid

The Rapid Weapon Modifier is the most versatile weapon perk in the game since it benefits all kinds of weapons and essentially increases your damage thanks to the +25% attack speed increase.

This weapon modifier is great on guns that have a slow fire rate such as shotguns and can drastically increase the damage you deal with these weapons.

Instigating

The Instigating Weapon Modifier doubles the damage your weapon inflicts when used against an enemy at full HP.

While this may seem like a niche situation, the weapon perk makes it the best modifier for Snipers since you always want to stealth kill enemies, which means you're always dealing double damage with stealth headshots!

Explosive

The Explosive Weapon Modifier causes your gun to randomly fire an explosive shell that slightly bypasses armor and shields, and has a relatively large splash damage.

Guns that have a high fire rate such as automatic weapons benefit greatly from this weapon mod since the perk affects every individual bullet fired.

Shattering

The Shattering Weapon Modifier grants weapons the ability to bypass armor, damaging the enemy's HP directly.

Both semi-automatic and automatic weapons greatly benefit from this weapon mod and allows you to easily take down armored enemies.

Extended Magazine

While not necessarily a damage increasing weapon mod, the Extended Magazine allowing you to fire more rounds with your gun essentially doubles your damage output since your weapon can fire more rounds.

Hitman

The Hitman weapon mod is another versatile perk that grants your gun +15% damage whenever you fire while aiming down the sights.

Keep in mind that since this perk requires you to aim down the sights to get the damage boost, you can't take advantage of the Targeting skill's effects.

Furious

The Furious weapon mod increases the damage your weapon inflicts with each consecutive hit.

Although a gun with this weapon modifier potentially has a higher damage than similar mods with Instigating or Explosive weapon perks, only guns that have a high fire rate can really take advantage of the Furious weapon mod.

Lacerate

The Lacerate weapon mod has a chance to cause your weapon to apply a bleed on an enemy.

Weapons that have a high fire or attack rate such as automatic weapons and knives benefit greatly from this perk since you can deal out more attacks to potentially inflict the bleed.

Incendiary

Weapons with the Incendiary weapon mod causes your weapon to randomly deal incendiary damage. While the perk does increase the damage output of your weapon, it's outclassed by the Explosive modification since incendiary rounds don't have splash damage.

Med Theft

The Med Theft weapon modification is a great perk for builds that rely on the Medicine skill to heal damage.

Keep in mind that Med Packs only have a chance to drop from human enemies, so the weapon mod may not be as useful when facing against alien fauna.

Anti-Personnel

The Anti-Personnel weapon mod adds a flat 10% damage increase to your weapon when targeting human enemies, such as Spacers and Crimson Fleet.

With majority of the enemies in the game being humans, this weapon perk is very useful to have on your main weapon or sidearm.

Demoralizing

Weapons with the Demoralizing weapon modification have a small chance to demoralize an enemy hit, causing them to stop attacking your character and even flee.

Although it has its applications, the weapon mod is not as useful as others on this list since the demoralized enemy will eventually start attacking you again. You may also lose track of the enemy when it's fleeing, which can prove troublesome if it starts attacking you again.

What are Weapon Modifiers?

Special Weapon Perks that Have Unique Effects

Weapon Modifiers are unique weapon perks that give weapons additional effects. Unlike weapon mods, you can't remove weapon modifiers although you can still mod the weapon with the unique modifier.

Weapons Can Have More than One Modifier

It's possible to find weapons that have two or more weapon modifiers, though these are rarer and it's still random what kind of weapon modifier you'll get.

The rarity of the Unique Weapon you loot will depend on how many weapon modifiers it has.

Where to Get Weapons with Modifiers

Obtained as Random Loot from Strong Enemies

The only way to get weapons with unique modifiers is from killing strong enemies and looting them.

Keep in mind that the unique weapon modifier that you'll obtain from looting them is randomized, so it's a good idea to save before killing the strong enemy if you want to soft reset and get a particular weapon drop from them.

How to Farm Legendary Weapons and Armor

Starfield Related Guides

Best Weapons: Weapon Tier List

All Best Weapons Guides