Primary

Primary weapons are the main weapon slot in a player's loadout. They are usually the weapon you rely on most of the round, while Secondary weapons, Melee, Equipment, and Grenades and Throwables fill backup or utility roles.

Primary choices depend on class, faction, and game mode. A Gunner does not draw from the same weapon pool as a Sniper, and U.S., VC, and ANZAC loadouts can give different options even when the weapon family is similar. For the full sortable list, see Weapons of Vietnam.

How Primary Weapons Work

• Primary weapons are selected during loadout selection after choosing a team and class.
• Most primary weapons use the main firearm stats shown on weapon pages, including Ammo, Damage, Fire Rate, Bullet Spread °, Range Modifier, and weapon Weight.
• Some primary weapons have extra behavior, such as Bayonets, Rifle Grenades, scopes, suppressors, high-capacity magazines, or launcher attachments.
• Some weapons appear only in Special Loadout, Zombies, or other modes instead of normal class loadouts.

Class Access

The table below follows the regular `vietnam_loadout.txt` primary weapon categories. Special Loadout, year loadouts, and Zombies can change what is available.

Class	U.S. Primary Types	VC Primary Types	Notes
Assault	Assault Rifles, Battle Rifles, Bolt Actions, Carbines, SMGs, Shotguns	Assault Rifles, Battle Rifles, Bolt Actions, Carbines, SMGs, Shotguns	The broadest normal primary pool.
Medic	Carbines, SMGs, Machine Pistols	Carbines, SMGs, Machine Pistols	Carries lighter primary weapons alongside First Aid.
Gunner	LMGs	LMGs	Built around sustained fire and ammo support.
Engineer	SMGs, Machine Pistols, Shotguns	SMGs, Machine Pistols, Shotguns	Pairs close-range primaries with engineer tools and explosives.
Radioman	Carbines, SMGs, Machine Pistols, Shotguns	Assault Rifles, Carbines, SMGs, Machine Pistols, Shotguns	VC Radioman has assault rifles in the normal loadout; U.S. Radioman does not.
Sniper	Sniper Rifles, Bolt Actions, Miscellaneous	Sniper Rifles, Bolt Actions, Miscellaneous	Uses precision rifles with a small misc primary category.

Weapon Families

Weapon Family	Usual Role	Browse
Assault Rifles	General-purpose automatic rifles for medium-range fighting.	Full assault rifle list
Battle Rifles	Full-power rifles that usually trade control for stronger hits.	Full battle rifle list
Bolt-action rifles	Slower rifles with high damage and careful shot placement.	Full bolt-action rifle list
Carbines	Lighter rifles used across several classes and factions.	Full carbine list
Submachine Guns	Close-range automatic weapons common on support classes.	Full submachine gun list
Light Machine Guns	High-capacity support weapons used by the Gunner.	Full light machine gun list
Shotguns	Short-range weapons with pellet damage and strong close-quarters use.	Full shotgun list
Sniper Rifles	Scoped precision weapons used by the Sniper.	Full sniper rifle list
Grenade Launchers and Rocket Launchers	Explosive weapons that may be class-limited, mode-limited, or tied to special loadouts.	Full grenade launcher list / Full rocket launcher list

Related Pages

• Weapons of Vietnam
• Secondary
• Melee
• Equipment
• Special Equipment
• Classes