Summary
Fallout: New Vegasoffers Couriers a vast array of different weapons to help you carve your way through the sun-blasted Mojave Wasteland. Some of the weapons you’ll find on your journey will be classified as unique. These are variants of ordinary weapons found throughout the game, boasting better stats, unique effects, and eye-catching textures.
While many of these special weapons are found in mid-to-late game areas, you may easily get your hands on a few unique armaments just a short while into the game. Whether you’re a dashing gunslinger using a revolver or more focused on brute force with melee weapons, these unique weapons will give you the edge before you even reach the Strip.
Updated Jun 03, 2025 by Roland Martinez:Fallout: New Vegas is full of fun and unique weapons. While many are hidden behind DLCs and difficult areas, we included three more that are easy to obtain fresh out of Doc Mitchell’s house. These weapons should make your experience in the Mojave much more enjoyable if not a bit easier.
13Chance’s Knife
A unique weapon can be found on the outskirts of Goodsprings and acquired as soon as you leave Doc Mitchell’s. The only catch is that you’ll need a shovel to get to it so make sure to buy one from Chet in the general store.
Head north out of Goodsprings, going into the mountains. As you head northward, you’ll want to look for a grave, marked by a single cross. Dig up this grave to find some Great Kahn armor and Chance’s Knife.
Chance’s Knife shines as an early in-game weapon thanks to its base damage of 22, critical multiplier of 2x, a bonus critical chance effect, a low action point cost, and a fast attack speed. Many enemies you’ll meet early on wear light or no armor, so you won’t have any trouble dispatching them with Chance’s Knife.
12Lucky
Arriving in Primm, you’ll likely find yourself inside the Bison Steve Hotel in the center of town. It’s in the hotel’s gift shop that you’ll find a locked floor safe, in which lies the unique weapon known as Lucky.
Lucky is a variant of the .357 magnum revolver, decked out in a stylish silver, ivory, and gold motif. This flashy little pistol shines with not just higher base damage and damage per second but also with an impressively high 2.5 critical chance multiplier. The only catch, however, is that the safe Lucky is locked in can only be unlocked if you have a lockpick skill of 75.
11Chopper
If you find that your arsenal needs something that can cause a little more limb damage, then the Chopper is the right call for you. To find this unique kitchen cleaver, you’re going to head east of Nipton, until you come across the Wolfhorn Ranch. Head inside the ramshackle farmhouse and, on a disused kitchen stove, you’ll find the Chopper.
With a gritty, rusty appearance, Chopper boasts a higher base damage and critical chance than the average cleaver, which alone makes it a useful tool. As the name implies, the Chopper also does 1.5x bonus damages to enemy limbs, meaning that you’ll find yourself chopping through enemies as if they were wet paper.
10That Gun
What gun? That Gun! This variant of the 5.56mm pistol combines style and stopping power in one nifty little revolver. Featuring base damage of 30, faster reloading, and a critical chance of 2.5x, this gun will certainly make for an impressive sidearm for any gunslinger build.
To get That Gun, you’ll need to locate Cliff Briscoe in the Dino Bite Gift Shop in Novac. As far as unique weapons go, That Gun can be purchased for a relatively modest thousand or so caps. Alternatively, you can pick the very easy lock on the storage room door or pickpocket the key from Cliff. No matter how you get into the storage room, you’ll find That Gun waiting for you on a table.
9Big Boomer
Just a brisk walk north of Novac, you’ll find the Gibson Scrap Yard, occupied by the sweet Old Lady Gibson and her band of junkyard dogs. Miss Gibson is the proud owner of the Big Boomer, a unique sawed-off shotgun. Compared to the normal sawed-off shotgun, the Big Boomer deals 20 points more damage, has a tighter spread, a faster firing rate, and uses fewer action points in VATS.
The problem is that, while Old Lady Gibson will happily sell you all manner of junk, her shotgun isn’t for sale. This means that the only way to acquire Big Boomer is to steal it or loot it off her corpse. One manner of getting Big Boomer without killing Old Lady Gibson is to pickpocket all of Gibson’s ammo, fast-travel to another location, and then return to the scrapyard. You can then pickpocket the Big Boomer from her.
8Love and Hate
Nothing quite says post-apocalyptic desert wasteland than wielding a set of spiked knuckles, right? Love and Hate is the unique variant of your average spiked knuckles. They deal 30 points of damage per hit and have a low action point cost, allowing you to get more than a few whacks in with VATS.
The Viper Gang Leader is very powerful, so you’ll want to bring powerful weapons and a good companion like Boone. The leader also has backup with them.
You’ll find these knuckles on a Viper gang leader located in the town of Bonnie Springs, north of Goodsprings Cemetery. Be careful, as the Viper gang leader in question not only has a few goons to back them up but also wears combat armor and wields a trail carbine and plasma grenades. You’ll want to plan a course of attack first or find a companion to help even the odds.
7Paladin Toaster
If you travel to Black Rock Cave just northwest of the HELIOS One power facility, you’ll find the body of an unfortunate prospector who met their end at the hands of some Nightkin. Once you deal with the Nightkin, you can loot the prospector to find the Paladin Toaster.
Being that it’s especially useful against Power Armor, it’s good to have on hand in case you decide to wipe out the Brotherhood of Steel. It’s also great for fighting the Securitrons in the Lucky 38.
The Paladin Toaster is a unique variant of the zap glove, dealing 41 points of base damage compared to the zap glove’s 35. However, its true power shines when used against robots and enemies in power armor, dealing an incredible 50 points of bonus damage against any type of robot and a sweet 20 points of bonus damage to enemies in power armor.
6Q-35 Matter Modulator
If you find yourself wanting to turn enemies into glowing green goo as soon as possible, then you’ll need to head to the REPCONN Headquarters, located near the road heading to Boulder City. Look for an office building that’s surrounded by Mr. Handy units. It’s here you’ll findone of New Vegas’s many energy weapons: the Q-35 Matter Modulator.
To get this plasma rifle, you’ll either need a lockpick or a Science skill of 100, or you’ll have to journey through the building’s three floors to find a security keycard. Whichever method you choose, you’ll find the Q-35 Matter Modular behind a locked security door on the first floor. Compared to the regular plasma rifle, this gun uses less ammo, deals more critical damage, has a faster rate of fire, is lighter, uses fewer action points in VATS, and has a much higher damage-per-second.
5Annabelle
Even early in-game you’ll develop an appreciation for weapons that pack a hefty punch – and what packs a punch more so than a missile launcher? you’re able to find this unique missile launcher wielded by a Nightkin sniper on top of Black Mountain.
The area of Black Mountain is full of Nightkin and Super Mutants, which can prove to be quite formidable at low levels. Bring a companion to make the fight simpler and not so dangerous.
Not only does Annabelle deal more damage than the regular launcher, but it’s also more accurate, and has a lower Strength requirement to wield. If the drawings on the weapon are any indication, Annabelle has seen combat in China and the annexation of Canada, owing to the weapon’s durability and usefulness.
4Ratslayer
If you’re planninga sniper-type of characterfor this run, you’ll be thrilled to know that you can get your hands on a powerful sniper rifle fairly early in-game. Simply head to the Broc Flower Cave, south of Highway 95 Viper’s Encampment, and traverse the giant rat-filled cave to find an abandoned laboratory. The Ratslayer should be lying under or near a desk.
Decked out in black synthetic material, this varmint rifle deals more damage than its regular counterpart, is lighter, has a higher magazine, and comes pre-equipped with a silencer and scope. But the cherry on top is that the Ratslayer has a very high 5x critical chance multiplier, making it perfect for scoring critical hits whether you’re sniping or going in guns blazing.
