GunZ: The Duel Class Tier List (2026)
Last updated: 2026-08-14
Weapon classes ranked for the Steam remaster based on two decades of community consensus from the classic game and private-server competitive play (StrategyWiki technique docs, r/gunz meta threads). The remaster launched Aug 13, 2026 — rankings will be updated as its balance patches land.
S Tier
| Name | Role | Why |
| Shotguns | Burst damage | The heart of GunZ dueling for 20 years. Slash-shot cancels turn shotgun bursts into the game's highest practical DPS — every serious K-Style loadout carries at least one. |
| Swords | Movement + defense | Not optional: dashes, wall runs, butterfly blocks and flip cancels all run through the sword. Your movement kit as much as your melee weapon. |
A Tier
| Name | Role | Why |
| Revolvers | Precision poke | High per-shot damage that rewards raw aim. Strong mid-range pocket pick alongside a shotgun; harder to cancel effectively than shotguns. |
| Daggers | Rush mobility | Fastest movement profile in the game and a proud niche dueling style, but demands full commitment to close range. |
B Tier
| Name | Role | Why |
| Rifles & SMGs | Sustained spray | Serviceable in team modes and Quest PvE, but sustained-fire weapons historically lose duels to burst cancels. |
| Launchers & Grenades | Situational AoE | Fun in casual team deathmatch and useful in PvE waves; rarely competitive in duels. |
Class Comparison Matrix
The tier above is the verdict; this is the evidence. "Cancel" is which K-Style cancel the
class participates in — the single biggest reason shotguns and swords outrank everything.
| Class | Damage type | Can block | Cancel | Weight | Best mode | K-Style use |
|---|
| Shotguns | Spike (12 pellets, cone) | No | Swap-shot / reload-shot | Medium | Duels, all modes | Slash shot, half step, reload shot |
| Swords | Melee, highest melee damage | Yes | Slash-switch cancel | 2nd heaviest melee | Everything; required for K-Style | Butterfly, wall cancel, flash step |
| Kodachis | Melee, 2nd highest | Yes | Slash-switch cancel | Heaviest melee | Gladiator rooms | Faster 4-hit combos, double/triple slash |
| Revolvers | Spike, highest crit rate | No | Swap-shot | Light | Mid range, duels | Swap-shot streaming |
| Daggers | Melee, lowest | No | None (attacks while dashing) | Lightest | Rush duels | D-Style lunges, not K-Style cancels |
| Rifles | Continuous, highest accuracy | No | Reload-shot only | Medium | TDM, Quest, long range | Poor: must stay out to deal damage |
| SMGs / Pistols | Continuous, low delay | No | Reload-shot only | SMG heavy, pistol light | Close TDM (SMG), sniping (pistol) | Poor |
| Machine guns | Continuous, 120-round clip | No | None practical | Heavy | Quest bosses, suppression | None |
| Rocket launchers | Spike, splash, unblockable | No | Swap-shot (one rocket at a time) | Heavy, slows you | Casual TDM, PvE | Insta-kill follow-ups only |
Balance and Patch Timeline (Official Notes)
Every combat-relevant line from Masangsoft's patch notes since launch, dated as published.
As of the 2026-09-01 notes, no patch has changed a weapon's damage,
delay, spread or ammo — the rankings on this page still rest on the classic balance,
and this table is where a change will appear first.
| Date | Area | Change | Affects | Stat impact |
|---|
| 2026-09-01 | Combat UI | HP/AP, boss HP and remaining-ammo bars fixed on certain GPU models; HP below 1 no longer shows as 0 (from Aug 24). | All weapons (readability only) | No weapon stat change |
| 2026-08-24 | Daggers | Female character dagger animation no longer interrupted when jump-attacking after a charged dagger attack. | Dagger rush sets | Animation fix, damage unchanged |
| 2026-08-24 | Modes | Clan Scrum Match added (designated clans practice clan battles); tutorial-mode key-help UI added. | Loadout choice for clan play | No weapon stat change |
| 2026-08-18 | Economy | Bounty item exploit closed; abnormally purchased items retrieved. | Shop weapons bought with Bounty | No weapon stat change |
| 2026-08-13 | Launch | Remaster ships with classic weapon roster: shotguns, revolvers, pistols, SMGs, rifles, machine guns, rocket launchers, swords, kodachis, daggers, grenades. | Everything | Baseline |
Questions Players Ask
The exact searches that bring people to this page, answered directly.
- Is there a GunZ: The Duel redeem code?
- No — this page is about weapon classes, but the search lands here often enough to answer: the remaster has no code system. Free rewards come from the launch events listed on the FAQ.
Building one of these classes? Start with the K-Style guide
and pick a full loadout on the best weapons page.