Fallout: New Vegas silent weapons

“Most Melee Weapons are completely silent, making them excellent stealth weapons.”— Fallout: New Vegas loading screen

The following is a list of weapons organized by sound level that are used in Fallout: New Vegas.

Overview[]

In this case, sound level does not refer to the actual noise level produced by the weapon when used, but rather to the technical parameter Weapon Detection Sound Level, a variable used in non-player character AI detection calculations. All weapons have one of three Weapon Detection Sound Level values: Silent, Normal, or Loud, with Silent being the lowest value and Loud being the highest.

Silent weapons are most useful for stealth and related actions like attaining Sneak Attack Criticals. Only a few ballistic weapons are silent, and a few more can be made silent through weapon mods. As a rule of thumb, most melee weapons are silent, while no energy weapons are silent. Thrown/placed explosives, with one exception, are silent when used (i.e. thrown or placed by the player), but not silent when they impact a surface and when they explode. Explosive weapons (missile launcher, Fat Man, etc.) have differing sound levels on fire, but the explosion of their projectile is always Loud.

The actual in-game sound produced by a weapon is not tied to its Weapon Detection Sound Level, though silent weapons generally use a quieter fire sound effect than others.

Silent[]

"Silent" does not mean that the weapon generates no noise when used, it means that it is considered silent for detection purposes.

Silent guns[]

These weapons are Silent by default.

Silenceable guns[]

These weapons are not Silent by default, but can be made Silent through weapon mods. Silencer mods reduce the detection sound level by one level from Normal to Silent, while suppressors reduce the sound level by one level from Loud to Normal.

Melee/Unarmed[]

These weapons are silent by default.

Explosives[]

The immediate action of throwing/placing the following explosives is silent. Any subsequent noises are not; the sound level of the projectile hitting a surface is Normal, and the sound level of the explosion is Loud. For example, a grenade makes no noise as it is thrown, but does make a sound when the grenade hits the ground, and makes a loud sound when it explodes.

Silent Other[]

Normal[]

Loud[]

Notes[]

Holdout weapons[]

For reference purposes, this list will also note weapons which are holdout weapons. Almost all regular holdout weapons are silent, with the exception of the police pistol, nuka-grenade (Mad Bomber) (GRA), and Li'l Devil (GRA). The sound level of improved holdout weapons varies.

↑ ^1.00 ^1.01 ^1.02 ^1.03 ^1.04 ^1.05 ^1.06 ^1.07 ^1.08 ^1.09 ^1.10 ^1.11 ^1.12 ^1.13 ^1.14 ^1.15 ^1.16 Normal holdout weapon: May be concealed regardless of Sneak skill.
↑ ^2.00 ^2.01 ^2.02 ^2.03 ^2.04 ^2.05 ^2.06 ^2.07 ^2.08 ^2.09 ^2.10 ^2.11 ^2.12 ^2.13 ^2.14 ^2.15 ^2.16 ^2.17 ^2.18 ^2.19 ^2.20 ^2.21 ^2.22 ^2.23 ^2.24 ^2.25 ^2.26 ^2.27 ^2.28 ^2.29 ^2.30 ^2.31 ^2.32 ^2.33 ^2.34 ^2.35 ^2.36 ^2.37 ^2.38 ^2.39 ^2.40 ^2.41 ^2.42 ^2.43 ^2.44 ^2.45 ^2.46 ^2.47 ^2.48 ^2.49 ^2.50 ^2.51 ^2.52 ^2.53 ^2.54 ^2.55 ^2.56 ^2.57 ^2.58 ^2.59 ^2.60 ^2.61 ^2.62 ^2.63 ^2.64 ^2.65 ^2.66 ^2.67 ^2.68 Improved holdout weapon: May be concealed if Sneak ≥ 50
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 Gun Runners' Arsenal normal holdout weapons are not included in the improved holdout weapon list, and will be confiscated when using the improved holdout option. All other normal holdout weapons, outside of the four GRA weapons, can always be brought into weapons-free areas, regardless of skill.

Weapons in Fallout: New Vegas

Unarmed

Fists		Ballistic fist (Two-Step Goodbye) · Industrial hand · Power fist* (Greased Lightning, GRA, Salt-Upon-Wounds' power fist) · Saturnite fist, Saturnite fist super-heated*

Gauntlets		Bear trap fist · Bladed gauntlet (Cram Opener) · (Fist of Rawr (Fist of the North Rawr )) · Mantis gauntlet (Embrace of the Mantis King!) · Yao guai gauntlet* (She's Embrace*)

Gloves		Boxing gloves (Golden Gloves) · Displacer glove (Pushy) · Scientist Glove* (Corrosive glove, Dr. Klein's glove, Dr. Mobius' glove, sterilizer glove) · Zap glove (Paladin Toaster)

Knuckles		Boxing tape · Brass knuckles* · Dog tag fist (Recompense of the Fallen) · Spiked knuckles* (Love and Hate*)

Melee Weapons

Bladed		Bowie knife* (Blood-Nap) · Bumper Sword (Blade of the East, Blade of the West) · Chainsaw (GRA) · Cleaver (Chopper) · Combat knife (Chance's knife) · Cosmic knife** (Cosmic knife clean, cosmic knife super-heated*) · Fire axe (Knock-Knock) · Hatchet · Katana · Knife* · Knife spear (Knife spear clean) · Machete (Broad machete, Liberator) · Machete gladius · Proton axe (Protonic inversal axe) · Ripper* (GRA) · Shishkebab (Gehenna) · Straight razor (Figaro) · Switchblade · Thermic lance

Blunt		9 iron (Nephi's golf driver) · Baseball bat (GRA) · Cattle prod · Dress cane · Lead pipe* (The Humble Cudgel)* · Nail board · Old Glory · Police baton* · Pool cue · Rebar club (Nuka-Breaker) · Rolling pin ·Shovel · Sledgehammer · Super sledge (Oh, Baby!) · Tire iron* · War club* · X-2 antenna

Thrown		Proton throwing axe (Protonic inversal throwing axe) · Tomahawk · Throwing hatchet · Throwing knife* · Throwing knife spear · Throwing spear

Other		Binoculars

Guns

Pistols		.357 Magnum revolver* (Lucky) · .44 Magnum revolver (Mysterious Magnum) · .45 Auto pistol (A Light Shining in Darkness) · 5.56mm pistol (That Gun) · 9mm pistol* (Maria) · 10mm pistol (Weathered 10mm pistol) · 12.7mm pistol (Li'l Devil) · Hunting revolver (GRA, Ranger Sequoia) · Police pistol** · Silenced .22 pistol*

Shotguns		Caravan shotgun (Sturdy caravan shotgun) · Hunting shotgun (Dinner Bell) · Lever-action shotgun · Riot shotgun · Sawed-off shotgun* (Big Boomer) · Single shotgun

SMGs		.45 Auto submachine gun · 9mm submachine gun (Vance's 9mm submachine gun) · 10mm submachine gun (Sleepytyme) · 12.7mm submachine gun (GRA) · H&H Tools nail gun* · Silenced .22 SMG

Rifles		Anti-materiel rifle (GRA) · Assault carbine (GRA) · Automatic rifle · Battle rifle (This Machine) · BB gun (Abilene Kid LE BB gun) · Brush gun (Medicine Stick) · Cowboy repeater (La Longue Carabine) · Hunting rifle (Paciencia) · Light machine gun (Bozar) · Marksman carbine (All-American) · Service rifle (Survivalist's rifle) · Sniper rifle (Christine's CoS silencer rifle, Gobi Campaign scout rifle) · ‎Trail carbine · Varmint rifle (Ratslayer)

Heavy Weapons		K9000 cyberdog gun (FIDO) · Minigun (CZ57 Avenger) · Shoulder mounted machine gun

Other		Codac R9000

Energy Weapons

Pistols		Alien blaster · Compliance Regulator* · Flare gun* · Laser pistol* (GRA, Pew Pew, missing laser pistol) · Plasma Defender (GRA) · Plasma pistol* (GRA) · Pulse Gun · Recharger pistol (MF Hyperbreeder Alpha) · Sonic emitter - Gabriel's bark* Sonic emitter - opera singer* Sonic emitter - revelation* Sonic emitter - robo-scorpion* Sonic emitter - tarantula*

Rifles		Gauss rifle (YCS/186) · Holorifle · LAER (Elijah's advanced LAER) · Laser RCW · Laser rifle (AER14 prototype, Van Graff laser rifle) · Multiplas rifle · Plasma rifle (Q-35 matter modulator, Van Graff plasma rifle) · Recharger rifle · Tri-beam laser rifle (GRA)

Heavy Weapons		Arc welder · Euclid's C-Finder · Flamer (Cleansing Flame) · Gatling laser (Sprtel-Wood 9700) · Heavy incinerator · Incinerator · Plasma caster (The Smitty Special) · Tesla cannon (Elijah's jury-rigged Tesla cannon, Tesla-Beaton prototype)

Other		Big Mountain Transportalponder! · Laser detonator

Explosives

Thrown		Dynamite* · Fire bomb* · Flash bang* · Frag grenade* (Holy Frag Grenade ) · Incendiary grenade · Long-fuse dynamite* · MFC grenade* · Nuka-grenade* · Plasma grenade* · Pulse grenade* · Tin grenade*

Placed		Bottlecap mine · C-4 plastic explosive* and detonator* (Loyal's detonator)* · Demolition charge · Fat mine* · Frag mine · Gas bomb · MFC cluster* · Plasma mine · Powder charge · Pulse mine · Satchel charge · Time bomb (Time bomb, high yield*)

Projectile		25mm grenade APW · Fat Man (GRA, Esther) · Grenade launcher · Grenade machinegun (Mercy) · Grenade rifle (Great Bear grenade rifle, mercenary's grenade rifle, Red Victory grenade rifle, Thump-Thump) · Missile launcher (Annabelle) · Red Glare

Cut content

In-game		Deathclaw gauntlet · Gas grenade* · Meat mine · Stun grenade · Starlet's hand wraps · X-13 field disruptor pistol

Developmental		Debug megapistol · Plasma rifle always crit · Plasma rifle weak · The Disintegrator · The Faderator · Scorpion rifle · Spider rifle · Slave's Burden · Stun baton

Not in-game		Bug Spray · GP machine gun · Heavy rail cannon · Heavy riveter · Light rail cannon

NPC weapons

Companion		Arcade Gannon's Ripper · Boone's scoped hunting rifle · Follows-Chalk's .45 Auto pistol* · Follows-Chalk's war club · Joshua's Pistol Whippin' .45* · Lily's assault carbine · Lily's gauntlet · Lily's Vertibird blade · Mysterious Stranger's .44 Magnum · Miss Fortune's Bad Luck Bringer · Waking Cloud's yao guai gauntlet*

NPC		Oliver anti-materiel rifle · Poisoned bladed gauntlet · Poisoned cleaver · Poisoned fire axe · Poisoned hatchet · Poisoned machete · Poisoned mantis gauntlet · Poisoned throwing spear

[normal-1] 1.00 ^1.01 ^1.02 ^1.03 ^1.04 ^1.05 ^1.06 ^1.07 ^1.08 ^1.09 ^1.10 ^1.11 ^1.12 ^1.13 ^1.14 ^1.15 ^1.16 Normal holdout weapon: May be concealed regardless of Sneak skill.

[improve-2] 2.00 ^2.01 ^2.02 ^2.03 ^2.04 ^2.05 ^2.06 ^2.07 ^2.08 ^2.09 ^2.10 ^2.11 ^2.12 ^2.13 ^2.14 ^2.15 ^2.16 ^2.17 ^2.18 ^2.19 ^2.20 ^2.21 ^2.22 ^2.23 ^2.24 ^2.25 ^2.26 ^2.27 ^2.28 ^2.29 ^2.30 ^2.31 ^2.32 ^2.33 ^2.34 ^2.35 ^2.36 ^2.37 ^2.38 ^2.39 ^2.40 ^2.41 ^2.42 ^2.43 ^2.44 ^2.45 ^2.46 ^2.47 ^2.48 ^2.49 ^2.50 ^2.51 ^2.52 ^2.53 ^2.54 ^2.55 ^2.56 ^2.57 ^2.58 ^2.59 ^2.60 ^2.61 ^2.62 ^2.63 ^2.64 ^2.65 ^2.66 ^2.67 ^2.68 Improved holdout weapon: May be concealed if Sneak ≥ 50

[gra-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 Gun Runners' Arsenal normal holdout weapons are not included in the improved holdout weapon list, and will be confiscated when using the improved holdout option. All other normal holdout weapons, outside of the four GRA weapons, can always be brought into weapons-free areas, regardless of skill.

[Note 1]