As you leave Vault 111 and head out to explore the vast Commonwealth wasteland of Fallout 4, you’re going to need some protection from all the thieving raiders and deadly mutated creatures out there. However, in the early stages of the game, it can be pretty tough to find good reliable weapons, let alone enough ammo to fire them more than once or twice. The good news is that, if you look in the right places, there are several highly useful weapons you can pick up relatively early on that should help you stay alive long enough to find some of the more devastating guns. Find out where to locate them in this article featuring 12 of the best weapons from Fallout 4.

12. Kellogg’s Pistol

Even though you come across this handgun pretty early in the game, it’s a powerful sidearm that will likely stay with you well into the mid and even late stages. The excellent stopping power of Kellogg’s Pistol combined with its good range and accuracy make it a good all-purpose weapon. And since every critical hit you land with it refreshes your AP, it’s a great weapon for you to be using with VATS. The only drawback is that the gun uses .44 ammo which is initially pretty hard to come by. For this reason, the ammo scavenging perk is good to have unless you plan on only using it for special occasions like sneak attacks.

To find Kellogg’s Pistol, go to Diamond City and look for Nick Valentine. Your conversation with him should lead to a quest called “Reunion,” and Dogmeat will then take you to Kellogg using the scent from his cigars. You’ll find Kellogg at the western edge of the Commonwealth in Fort Hagen, but be prepared for a fight, he’s got a few synth buddies and makes use of a stealth boy. If you can defeat him, you can take his pistol and armor—both of which are quite useful in the early game.

11. Righteous Authority

This is another powerful weapon that can be found earlier in the game. But, unlike Kellogg’s Pistol, Righteous Authority uses the fusion cell as its source of ammunition. This means you don’t have to use it quite as sparingly because fusion cells are much more common than some of the other ammo types. In fact, once you start taking out synth enemies you’ll probably be picking up fusion cells hand over fist.

The thing that really makes Righteous Authority effective is the double damage it deals on critical hits, which is why it’s another weapon that’s great with VATS. To find it, approach Diamond City from the south and you should pick up a radio distress beacon from the Cambridge Police Department. Follow the beacon to get to a Brotherhood of Steel platoon in the midst of fending off a horde of feral ghouls. After you assist them in the fight, you’ll speak with their leader, Paladin Danse, who will ask you to help him retrieve some equipment. If you then go with him to ArcJet labs and help him take out the synths that have infested it, he’ll reward you with his personal gun, Righteous Authority, and invite you to join the Brotherhood of Steel.

10. Grognak’s Axe

Just in case your ammo reserves should ever get depleted, it’s always good to carry a trusty melee weapon with you at all times. Grognak’s Axe is a useful weapon to have in tight situations because, not only does it deal a lot of damage, hitting enemies with it can cause them to stagger. The stagger effect will often give you the time you need to follow up with the killing blow, or, if the fight doesn’t seem like it’s in your favor, just get the hell out of there.

You can find Gorgnak’s Axe on the first floor of Hubris Comics in a locked case behind the counter. It’s a good idea to bring a couple molotov cocktails with you when you go though. There are a bunch of feral ghouls hiding in wait at the location.

9. Furious Power Fist

Another handy melee weapon that does even more damage that Grognak’s Axe is the Furious Power Fist. This is also a great weapon to use for sneak attacks because it deals increasing damage the more times you hit the same target.

To acquire it, you’ll need to go to the pond in the middle of Boston Common. There, you should see what looks like a dead swan but, if you approach it, you’ll quickly learn that it’s actually the headdress of giant super mutant appropriately named Swan. He’s a pretty tough baddie, so make sure to bring explosives and ranged weapons so you can battle him from a distance. Once you’ve defeated Swan, you can steal the Power Fist from his lifeless corpse

8. Laser Rifle

Although the Laser Rifle is pretty similar to the Laser Musket, it has faster reload and better accuracy. It’s great for sniping enemy appendages and its high rate of fire more than makes up for its slightly weaker damage when compared to the Laser Musket.

There are a number of enemies who carry laser rifles in the game so, if you can kill one, you should be able to loot it from their corpse. Keep in mind that Righteous Authority is also a Laser Rifle, so if you already have that then you’re golden.

7. Deliverer

In terms of guns that utilize 10mm ammo, the Deliverer is surely among the best. This pistol features increased accuracy and better AP than most other hand guns, making it ideal for use with VATS. The suppressor is also nice to have if you’re the type of person that likes to sneak around and kill without arousing too much suspicion.

To get the Deliverer, take the Freedom Trail to the Railroad and complete the Tradecraft quest with Deacon. After you complete the quest, Deacon will give you the Deliverer to show his thanks.

6. Le Fusil Terribles

For the most part, Shotguns in Fallout 4 aren’t the overpowered weapons of domination they are in other post-apocalyptic games. They have a slow rate of fire, small ammon capacity, long reload times, and terrible range. The exception, of course, is Le Fusil Terribles, which is actually one of the best guns you can get your hands on. It holds 32 shells and can deal devastating damage even at medium range. It’s also especially good at disarming foes—and by that we mean blowing the arms off of things.

The place to find Le Fusil Terribles is at the raider settlement Libertalia, located on the water to the northeast of the airport. Just fight your way across the boat bridge and you’ll find it in the captain’s quarters on top of a crate.

5. Cryolator

This weapon uses cryogenic technology to freeze enemies right in their tracks. It can be used in short- and medium-range situations, but keep in mind that tougher targets will take longer to freeze and some enemies will be immune to its effects altogether. It also uses cryo cell ammo which is extremely rare, so you should try and use it in moderation.

This gun is actually located right where you started in Vault 111. Don’t worry, you wouldn’t have been able to get access to it when you were there the first time, since it’s inside a locked case in the overseer’s office and requires master lock picking to get at.

4. Lorenzo’s Artifact Gun

Since a lot of enemies in Fallout 4 have radiation resistance, using gamma weapons can sometimes be a crap shoot in terms of their effectiveness. Lorenzo’s Artifact Gun, however, is much more useful than standard gamma guns because it has the added bonus of delivering a kinetic blast that’s strong enough to knock enemies flat on their back.

Lorenzo’s Artifact Gun can be obtained as part of a reward for completing a series of quests for the Cabot family. You’ll find the Cabot House just south of Bunker Hill. During the quest “The Secret of Cabot House,” you’ll venture into the basement of an old insane asylum where, if you choose to help Lorenzo, he’ll make you the Artifact Gun which you can later return to claim.

3. Overseer’s Guardian

This is a great weapon for rifle nuts. Overseer’s Guardian really helps you get the most out of your ammo because it fires two shots for every bullet spent. It can also have all sorts of other modifications added to it since, other than the unique “double-shot” feature, it’s just a normal short-barrelled combat rifle.

If you really want to see this gun tear it up, consider investing some skill points in the Rifleman and Gun Nut perks. With them, you’ll be able to kill just about anything in the Boston Wasteland with a single, well-placed headshot.

Overseer’s Guardian can be purchased from Alexis Combes in Vault 81 for about 3,000 caps. However, in order to gain entry to Vault 81 you’ll first either need to give them three fusion cores or have some decently high charisma.

2. Big Boy

Much like Overseer’s Guardian, the Big Boy is great for ammo conservationists because it fires two shots for the price of one, but, instead of shooting bullets, it fires rare and expensive mini nuclear warheads—so it really gives new meaning to the phrase “more bang for your buck.”

To grab this weapon of mass destruction, head over to Commonwealth Weaponry in the Diamond City market. You best be prepared to spend an arm and a leg though. It’ll probably cost you over 10,000 caps.

1. Alien Blaster Pistol

In every Fallout game there’s an Alien Blaster. This rare and tiny weapon from another world is exceptionally powerful, but relies on special ammunition that might not extend beyond the 400 rounds it comes with. Although, if you happen to have maxed out your Science perk, it’s possible to mod the gun so that it works with fusion cells. Even so, you’ll probably want to save this one for the big bosses.

In order to get the Alien Blaster Pistol, you’ll first need to trigger the event involving the crash of an alien spaceship. Although there’s some debate as to what causes the event, many suggest that you need to have visited Vaul 75 and be at least level 20. In any case, if you see a streak of light in the sky or start hearing NPC’s talking about something falling from the sky, you can safely assume the event in question has occurred. From there you can head over to Beantown Brewery, which is northeast of Oberland Station. Off in the distance you should see some flaming trees and, amongst them, you’ll find the crashed alien ship. Now all you need to do is follow the trail of green blood to the wounded alien pilot so you can kill him and take his gun. It’s easier than taking candy from a baby.