What is a marksman rifle in Fortnite?

Fortnite’s diverse pool of weapons is always changing between chapters and seasons, with new categories being introduced, powerful weapons being vaulted, and weak weapons receiving buffs. This thankfully keeps the game feeling fresh, with no single meta dominating the game for an extended period of time.

There are numerous categories of weapons to pick up across the island, from short-range options like SMGs and shotguns to long-range snipers and everything else in between. One weapon type that’s exceptionally viable to the best aimers and the most patient players is the marksman rifle.

What is the marksman rifle?

The marksman rifle is a medium to long-range weapon, existing as a medium between medium-range weapons like assault rifles and purely long-range weapons like snipers. The marksman rifle has a faster fire rate than most snipers but with reduced damage per shot, and the marksman rifle has a longer range than most assault rifles along with optics that allow for more accurate long-distance shots. There’s also no damage falloff for marksman rifles.

Because of their poor hip fire accuracy and their zoomed-in aim, marksman rifles are not recommended for short-range fights. They take medium bullets. For fights at long range, players must take into account bullet drop when they use marksman rifles.

There are currently two types of marksman rifles available to use in-game: the DMR and the Cobra DMR. DMR stands for designated marksman rifle. The DMR deals more damage per shot, but the Cobra DMR deals more damage per second due to a much faster firing rate. The Cobra DMR also has twice as large a magazine size with 20 shots compared to the DMR’s 10, but the Cobra DMR also takes longer to reload.

Mythic versions of both weapons can be found from Reality Saplings. Epic and Legendary versions can be found from Reality Saplings, fishing holes, supply drops, and chests.