Weapons & Armor Guide — Best Loadouts

Los Santos Guide • Updated 2026

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Weapons & Armor Guide

Best loadouts for every situation

Choosing the right weapons in GTA Online can mean the difference between a smooth heist and a respawn screen. With dozens of weapons available at various ranks, it's important to know which ones are worth buying and which are a waste of money.

Essential Weapons by Category

Assault Rifles

Weapon	Rank	Price	Best For
Special Carbine	Rank 1	$16,000	Best all-around, low rank requirement
Carbine Rifle Mk II	Rank 42	$37,500	Best DMR-style rifle, headshot machine
Bullpup Rifle Mk II	Rank 50	$39,500	Best close-mid range DPS
Service Carbine	Rank 0	$115,000	Good stats, expensive, free from Crime Scene mission

Sniper Rifles

Pistol .50 — Best sidearm, high damage
AP Pistol — Drive-by weapon, use in vehicles
Combat PDW — Good for tight spaces
Up-n-Atomizer — Utility tool, pushes vehicles and enemies

Heavy Weapons

Homing Launcher — Anti-air, lock-on missiles
Compact Grenade Launcher — Vehicle destruction, area denial
Minigun — Rank 120, highest DPS in the game

Armor & Utility

Always carry maximum armor and snacks:

Super Heavy Body Armor ($500) — Stack up to 10
Snacks from convenience stores or office assistant
Molotovs — Good for crowd control
Sticky Bombs — Vehicle destruction, heist emergencies

Weapon Locker Setup

Use the weapon locker in your property to hide weapons you don't use:

Keep visible: Special Carbine, Pump Shotgun Mk II, Heavy Sniper Mk II, AP Pistol, Combat MG Mk II, Sticky Bombs, Grenades
Hide: All starting weapons, duplicate weapons, weapons below your level

💡 Pro Tip: Using a weapon locker to hide unwanted weapons significantly improves weapon switching speed during combat.

Final Thoughts

Buy the Special Carbine first, then save for the Carbine Rifle Mk II at rank 42. The Heavy Sniper Mk II with thermal scope is essential for PvP at rank 90+.