Cyberpunk 2077: Best assault rifles

Go loud.

An armored character holding an assault rifle with the Night City skyline behind them in Cyberpunk 2077.
Screenshot by Dot Esports.

If you’re playing a game with guns, there’s no more reliable category of firearm than assault rifles. In Cyberpunk 2077, there’s no shortage of excellent choices for this elegant and efficient weapon.

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While any assault rifle will do in your capable hands, a few to find and acquire in Night City are a step above the rest. Here are the best assault rifles in Cyberpunk 2077.

Best ARs in Cyberpunk 2077

Psalm 11:6

Psalm 11:6 is an Iconic assault rifle you can craft if you find its specs. It has enhanced headshot damage and armor penetration, but it’s precious for the 30 percent Burn chance it has on enemies you hit with it.

To get Psalm 11:6, you will need to get the crafting specs for it. These can be looted from the leader’s body of suspected organized crime activity in Northside. To access this activity, you may have to do another nearby. The crime activity you’re looking for is near the Big 12 building, with a barricaded ramp leading up to the bad guys.

Hawk

An assault rifle pointed forward in Cyberpunk 2077.
Thank you Madam President. Screenshot by Dot Esports.

Hawk is an Iconic assault rifle that you can acquire at the end of the Lucretia My Reflection quest, which is effectively the last mission in the Phantom Liberty expansion prologue. Naturally, you must own the Phantom Liberty expansion to get Hawk, the weapon of choice for President Myers. Towards the end of the Lucretia My Reflection quest, you can pick up Hawk on your way out as you leave the apartment after talking to Myers and Reed.

The Hawk rifle is for the slower, more precise assault rifle enthusiast, as it has a slower and semi-automatic fire rate but deals more significant damage and has the highest headshot multiplier percentage at 175 percent. Headshots with Hawk will also temporarily weaken and mark enemies; weakened enemies are slowed, deal less damage, cannot use abilities, and can lose their balance. As a fan of the Asiimov skin in Counter-Strike, I love the color scheme.

Ajax

An armored character holding an assault rifle in Cyberpunk 2077.
A classic. Screenshot by Dot Esports.

Ajax isn’t an Iconic weapon, but at its highest rarity tier at Legendary, it’s still one of the best assault rifles in the game. Like Hawk, it’s higher on the damaging side and slower on the fire rate than other assault rifles, but unlike Hawk, it has an automatic fire rate.

The Rare version of Ajax can be a reward for several side quests, gigs, or police scanner activities. It can also drop from specific enemies. If you want the Legendary version, you can purchase it from Marty, the gun vendor at the Fuel Station in Biotechnica Fields in the southern Badlands. There is a fast-travel point right next to him. If he doesn’t have it at first, wait 24 hours or check back to see if it’s in stock, but it will come with a hefty price tag of over 110,000 credits.

Tip: Recommended faceware for assault rifles

In terms of faceware, Fortuna, Bully, or Deadeye mods further boost V’s critical hit stats.

Best stats and perks for assault rifles in Cyberpunk 2077

In Cyberpunk 2077, a character that maximizes their Reflexes attribute can become a maestro with the assault rifle. Just putting points into Reflexes alone increases your AR proficiency and your crit change, but the perks in the Reflexes tree are where the real fun is to be had.

Your range, accuracy, aim speed, and critical damage with the AR can all be improved with perks. You become an unstoppable killing machine when you combine your AR proficiency with things like the Air Dash ability and the Kerenzikov upgrade.


Well, there you have it. Now you know everything you need to know to maximize the best assault rifles in Cyberpunk 2077.

Author
Image of Scott Robertson
Scott Robertson
VALORANT lead staff writer, also covering CS:GO, FPS games, other titles, and the wider esports industry. Watching and writing esports since 2014. Previously wrote for Dexerto, Upcomer, Splyce, and somehow MySpace. Jack of all games, master of none.