Presented by Embark Studios

New to The Finals? These are the best weapons to unlock first

What are the best weapons to unlock in The Finals? Now that Season 5 is here, there meta has shifted thanks to the addition of two new weapons—bringing the overall total in the game to 32, split between the three classes. Not to mention the balance changes that a new season brings. The Finals is a fast-paced game, but there are multiple different styles of play, especially when you take into account the various game modes on offer. If you're just booting the game up, or you've been playing for a few hours and you want to know which guns to unlock first and spend your hard-earned VRs on, I'm here to help.

Light: V9S

Kicking things off for the Light class is the V9S, which is a silenced semi-automatic pistol. Once upon a time, the meta in The Finals consisted of most players pairing this with the Cloaking Device and running around invisible while dealing a lot of damage. That has long since been nerfed but the gun itself is still a force to be reckoned with, especially if you put a red dot sight on it to help improve accuracy. Lean into the stealthy playstyle and you'll flourish.

Light: LH1

For some more ranged action, look no further than unlocking the LH1. This is a semi-automatic battle rifle so you'll likely want to play a little slower than you would with the V9S and keep your distance more. It's better suited to modes such as Power Shift and Terminal Attack as opposed to Cashout and Bank It, simply because there's more opportunities to take a backseat and skirt around the edges, shooting from vantage points as opposed to always being in the middle of the action. Again, make sure you unlock the red dot sight too for the best version of the gun.

The Finals solo bank it

(Image credit: Embark Studios)

Medium: FCAR

The Medium build has a plethora of weapon options and while the AKM is a solid choice, especially since it's unlocked by default, the FCAR is the best assault rifle to spend your VRs on. While it has a slower fire rate and a smaller magazine, it has much higher damage and better accuracy, so if you can hit your shots, you'll shred opponents from afar.

Medium: Model 1887

While, while the Medium is spoiled for choice with automatic weapons, the Model 1887 shotgun is the next best option. This is the pick if you want to be in the action constantly—much like the V9S for the Light build. Since it's a shotgun, the range isn't great, but it makes up for it with sheer firepower. As long as you rely on your movement to get closer to enemies, you'll be able to drop them in an instant.

the finals

(Image credit: Embark Studios)

Heavy: Lewis Gun

The M60 and the Lewis Gun go toe-to-toe in the Heavy class for the title of the best LMG, but my vote goes to the Lewis Gun. While the M60 excels with suppressive fire, the Lewis Gun actually kills enemies much quicker, as it has more manageable recoil out of the gate and is a little more mobile. You can pick up any sort of playstyle with this: Charge in and mow enemies down up close, or sit back and pick them off from afar.

Heavy: ShAK-50

The brand new ShAK-50 is my other recommended weapon for the Heavy class because it's essentially an SMG that deals a heck of a lot of damage. It fires slow and has a small magazine, but it's so much more mobile than most of the other weapon offerings in this class that it truly enables a more run-and-gun style of play for the Heavy. The only downside is the fact it currently costs 2,000 VRs, so it's not cheap!