I’ll do this game, too, but for weapons, instead (well, the ones worth nothing, anyway):
S+
Ballistic Fist: The ultimate in unarmed combat, which once again is better than melee weapons for those invested in it. Deals big-time damage with each hit and even more on a crit. Super Slam + Piercing Strike + Purifier + Paralyzing Palm + Slayer + the usual crit perks = LOL. Even against Deathclaws.
S
Gobi Campaign Scout Rifle: The best member of the sniper rifle family for general use, particularly in mid-range combat. Amazingly low AP cost makes it perfect for VATS combat, the crit damage is insane while still enjoying the 2x crit chance of the standard sniper rifle, fires more quickly than other sniper rifles, has twice the health of a standard sniper rifle, and has a shorter barrel so close-range enemies can’t get past your barrel as easily. Uses the plentiful and powerful .308s, like most of the really awesome guns in the game. Its only downside is the inability to silence the weapon, so for actual sniping you’ll want to use Christine’s COS or a standard Sniper Rifle + Suppressor.
Christine’s COS Silencer Rifle: The ultimate pure sniper rifle, complete with a suppressor, as well as significantly more damage and even higher crit chance (2.5x) than the standard sniper rifle. Grab those .308 JSPs and have fun sniping suckas from afar. The downsides are that its health is only slightly more than the standard sniper rifle, and it fires slower than other sniper rifles, so stick to the Gobi for the mid-to-close combat.
Medicine Stick: The new unique variant of the Brush Gun (which in general belongs to this tier) that came out with the Gun Runners’ Arsenal. Insane damage, particularly with the Cowboy perk, in which case it does almost as much damage in a single shot as the Anti-Materiel Rifle, but with a firing speed that doesn’t suck, thus making it perfect for mid-range combat. The Medicine Stick does slightly more damage than the standard Brush Gun, fires a little faster, has a slightly lower AP cost, and has more health, helping offset the extra condition drain the otherwise lovely .45-70 SWC ammo does. You’ll kill almost everything in the game with one or two shots from this thing, and damage threshold is pretty much never an issue (especially, again, with the SWC ammo). It’s also easier on your sight of the battlefield than members of the sniper rifle family, with no scope getting in the way, and the barrel isn’t so long that close-combat become a serious pain in the ass.
A
Riot Shotgun: The ultimate for those who are dedicated to actually using shotguns (this means taking the perks Shotgun Surgeon and And Stay Back). Insane rate of fire for extremely high DPS, while inflicting the high-powered damage you’d expect from something that uses 12-gauge shells. Use slugs against heavily armored enemies or those with high DTs. Like with pretty much all shotguns, though, you’re going to suck beyond close range, which is why this isn’t S-tier despite the utterly batshit damage it can do.
Sniper Rifle + Suppressor: Basically what you use for stealth sniping until you get Christine’s COS.
Hunting Rifle: Basically this is what you use (a) before you get access to lovely things like the Gobi and the Brush Gun, and (b) if you don’t give a damn about stealth sniping, since you can’t silence it. Does more damage than the standard sniper rifle and has MUCH more health than a standard sniper rifle, thus allowing you to shoot .308 JSPs for extended periods. Enjoys that 2x crit rate that sniper rifles enjoy, too, and you can attach a scope to it to make it function like a sniper rifle. The new variant in the Gun Runner’s Arsenal, Paciencia, has some INSANE crit damage (with the 2x crit chance still) and a somewhat lower AP cost, but you can’t put a scope or extended mag on it, and you get fewer shots per load.
Greased Lightning: New with GRA’s arrival, if you’re looking for an unarmed improved holdout weapon, this is right up your alley. Very respectable damage comparable to the Saturnite Fist, but with insane attack speed for extremely high DPS.
Thermal Lance: Melee weapons in general are quite inferior to Unarmed, but if you’re not fully invested in Unarmed, this is about as good as you’re going to get in melee. Deals a ton of damage with a reasonable speed and ignores damage threshold and resistance. Unfortunately, the crit damage sucks, as with most melee weapons.
B
Assault Carbine: Easily the best rapid-fire weapon in the game, and that’s pretty much strictly because of the fact that it uses 5 mm ammo, all variants of which (except for, obviously, the hollow point) ignore at least 10 DT. Rapid-fire weapons all pretty much suck, otherwise. I still wouldn’t use it against Deathclaws, Super Mutants and heavily-armored foes, but against light- and medium-armored foes this one can do quite nicely.
.45 Auto Pistol + Silencer: Best improved holdout gun in the game. Does very solid damage for a silenced pistol. Once you complete Honest Hearts, .45 ammo is easy to buy in bunches, too.
This Machine: Weak as far as .308-using weapons go, but still pretty solid for the mid levels with its rate of fire and nice, low AP cost.
Tri-beam Laser Rifle: One of the energy weapon “shotguns,” this is helped along with Laser Commander for the damage, and it fires faster than the Multiplas Rifle. The 1.5x crit range is quite welcome, and if multiple beams crit you’re looking at some big damage. Use the better microfusion cells with the DT-lowering effects for best results at high levels. One of the top energy weapons (but that distinction pales in comparison to the best guns in the game).
Multiplas Rifle: More raw damage than the Tri-beam, but only the standard 1x crit chance for its three projectiles per shot, and slower than the Tri-beam. Still uses microfusion cells like all the good energy weapons do. Very good as far as energy weapons go (which, again, ain’t as sexy as guns).
YCS/186: Unique variant of the Gauss Rifle (which in general belongs here). It’s referred to as the “energy weapon sniper rifle,” but it’s definitely not fit for mid-range combat as the Gobi is, or even as suitable as the standard sniper or hunting rifle for mid-range combat, thanks to the 1 shot/reload thing. If you compare it to any gun, a more fit comparison is the Anti-Material Rifle, to which it actually compares very favorably, thanks to lower Strength requirement and the sniper rifle-esque 2x crit chance, along with the comparable damage per shot.
Holorifle: Very roughly the energy weapon equivalent of the Brush Gun (although still not quite as good as that), this one deals very solid damage with a single projectile with a respectable rate of fire, and unlike most energy weapons deals nice crit damage, too. The limited repair options are a drawback (only weapon repair kits can fix it, even with Jury Rigging).
LAER: Another one of the better energy weapons, this one does very solid damage on a single shot (especially with Laser Commander), which is always important as far as overcoming damage threshold goes. Like all the best energy weapons, uses microfusion cells, the best variants of which lower enemy DTs. The crit damage sucks, though.
C
Most of the good explosive weapons and heavy weapons. The effects of things like Fat Man and the Plasma Caster can’t be denied, but they’re situational as far as utility goes.
D and under
Pretty much everything else I didn’t mention. Although it should be noted that some of those weapons aren’t necessarily useless. Yeah, pistols and SMGs are weak, but if you’re facing non-threatening enemies that die with two or three 9 mm or 10 mm rounds, better to use those than waste your precious .308 or .45-70 rounds on them, no?