Battlefield 1 may be taking us back in time, so to speak, but, according to the developers, the weapons featured in the game are some of the most advanced in the related era. And, despite being assumed rather basic, there will be customization options for most guns.

Down below, we go into further detail about the weaponry that players will be utilizing in BF1.

Battlefield 1 Weapons

As with any FPS title, weapons are one of the core aspects of the game. According to Julian Schimek, the weapon designer for BF1, the guns in this game are highly specialized ⁰¹⁾“The weapons of Battlefield 1 are a bit more specialized. To get the most out of them, you have to be aware of their strengths and weaknesses, and use the right one in the right situation. Putting your weapon to good use will feel more rewarding than ever before.” source . Each one has its own unique strengths and weaknesses. And he also claims that “putting guns to good use” will be more rewarding than in previous titles.

We’re not entirely sure what that means, but it basically sounds like guns are going to be tailored to certain roles and excel when used appropriately. This doesn’t seem far from what we’ve seen in other Battlefield titles, however. It just sounds like snipers will be good at long range, rifles at mid, and smaller weapons will be more ideal for close-quarters combat.

Then again, based on footage from the official teaser trailer and other details that have been mentioned about the game, we’ll likely see a lot more close-quarters, melee-based combat than ever before. This is thanks to the addition of bayonets as gun attachments and various melee tools.

Confirmed Weapons

BIG UPDATE! We’ve actually gotten a hold of a list of CONFIRMED weapons that will be appearing Battlefield 1. Fair warning, though, the developers may alter or change the names of some guns before the final game releases. Nevertheless, below you’ll find the names of every weapon that has been confirmed to exist in-game so far.

Confirmed Rifles

• Lee Enfield SMLE (bolt-action)
• Mauser 1918 T-Gewehr (anti-tank)
• Mauser Gewehr 98 (bolt-action)
• Springfield M1903 (bolt-action)

Confirmed SMGs

• MP 18

Confirmed LMGs

• Lewis Gun
• MG08

Confirmed Shotguns

• Trench Shotgun

Confirmed Pistols

• Colt M1911
• Mauser C96
• P08 Luger

Confirmed Melee Weapons

• Bayonet
• Bolo Knife
• Jambiya Dagger
• Scimitar
• Spiked Mace
• Trench Spade

Other Confirmed Weapons

• Lifebuoy M1 Flamethrower

NOTE: It is highly likely that other weapons exist. We will update this list when we get details of more confirmed weapons in the game.

Weapons, as well as classes, vehicles, and other aspects of the game, are covered in much greater detail in our Battlefield 1 multiplayer guide. We highly recommended reading through it before jumping into the game, but it’ll help a ton afterward as well.

Weapons List

At this time it is unclear exactly what guns we’ll see make an appearance in BF1. It is, however, possible to take educated guesses. The game is based in an “alternate versions” of World War I, but will more than likely stay true to history in terms of weaponry.

In WWI the biggest guns in use were mostly rifles, machine guns, and pistols. There were a few “snipers” and such, but the vast majority of soldiers used one of the aforementioned types.

There were plenty of variations, though. Nearly every country had its own distinct set of guns that were used in the war. Some examples are provided below.

• Lee Enfield .303 – A bolt-action rifle with an effective range of just over 500 yards, a max range of up to 3000 yards, and a 10 round magazine. This gun was used extensively by the British.
• Berthier Rifle – A bolt-action rifle that used 8mm cartridges, typically with a 3 to 5 round magazine. It was used by several countries including France, Germany, and Russia.
• Carcano – Bolt-action rifle with an effective range of more than 1,000 yards. It had a 6-round magazine and came in several variants. It was used by Italy.
• M1903 Springfield – Bolt-action rifle that fired up to 15 rounds per minute and had an effective range of 1,000 yards. It was often fitted with a flip-up sight and bayonet. This was an American weapon used by the United States in WWI.
• Luger – A 9mm pistol that fired at 20 RPM, had an effective range of roughly 55 yards, and was typically fitted with an 8 round magazine. It could also be fitted with a 32-round rum, though. It was used by both Germany and Switzerland.
• Webley Mk I – A powerful revolver that fired .455 cartridges at a rate of ~30 rounds per minute and had an effective range around 50 yards. It was used by both British and Commonwealth troops.
• M1911 – Also referred to as the “Colt .45” this is a pistol that fired .45 ACP cartridges and usually had a 7-round magazine. It was used by a number of countries, but is most commonly associated with the United States.
• Maxim – A heavy machine gun of Russian design. Almost all of the Allied and Central powers used some variant of this exact weapon. While it was capable of firing 450+ rounds per minute, it was not a great weapon due to its high level of inaccuracy.

Rumored Weapons

Some people have already taken the time to slow down and dissect the official Battlefield 1 reveal trailer and analyze the various guns that are used by the characters in the video. These made very brief appearances and are relatively difficult to make out even when the video is paused.

Nevertheless, YouTubers like ShadowsCinema (featured below) have created videos attempting to determine what guns are shown. You can watch his full video below.

Here are the guns he believes are featured in the trailer:

1. Maschinengewehr 08 (MG-08) – A light machine gun used by German militants in WWI. This is actually a smaller variants of the Maxim heavy machine gun mentioned earlier.
2. Winchester Model 1897 (M97) – A pump-action shotgun which came in both 12 and 16 gauge variants. It was used by the United States and referred to as the “trench gun”.
3. Gewehr 98 – Also known as the G98 or M98, this is a bolt-action rifle utilized by the Germans.
4. Lee Enfield MK III – A short-magazine variant of the .303 rifle we mentioned above.
5. Carcano M1891 – We corrected this one. ShadowsCinema states the gun in the video is the “Cavalry” model, but in the WWI era it was the 1891. This is an Italian-made rifle.
6. Mauser 1918 T-Gewehr – This was the world’s very first anti-tank gun and it was used by the Germans. It was literally designed specifically to take out tanks. Should be interesting how a weapon like this would work in-game.
7. M1911 – We already suggested this will likely be in the game. The video still Shadow refers to for this is very blurry and impossible to tell if it’s actually the same, though.
8. Lewis Gun – Yes, the name is so basic it sounds stupidly fake, but this was, indeed, a real firearm used in the first world war. It was an LMG used mostly by British and American forces.
9. MP18 – This was one of the very first functional SMGs ever used. It was of German origin, had a 32-round drum magazine, and could fire up to 500 rounds per minute. Obviously, it was used by the German Empire, but also by Russia and other countries.

Melee Weapons

Yes, there WILL be melee weapon types in BF1! This is historically accurate as soldiers that fought in this war often had to resort to using blunt objects, knives, and a number of other handheld weapons when ammunition was low, firearms weren’t effective at short range, or reloading would be too risky.

Melee-based weaponry used in WW1 included:

• Swords
• Clubs
• Brass Knuckles
• Spades
• Machetes
• Maces
• Knives
• Hatchets

The majority of these weapons were used for “trench raiding” during World War 1 ⁰²⁾“Despite the fact that World War I was the first conflict to be fought by mechanized means, trench raiding was very similar to medieval warfare insofar as it was fought face-to-face with crude weaponry.” via Wikipedia .

NOTE: NONE of these are CONFIRMED to exist in Battlefield 1, but the weapon designers have hinted that there are multiple melee weapon types and have stated that these will have varying speeds and damage capabilities.

The “shovel” that a soldier struck down an enemy with in the official trailer could most definitely be classified as a spade and is assumed to be an included weapon type because of its feature and focus within the cinematic.

Other Weapons

Not all weaponry in the war was centered around portable use by soldiers. Many others, including some

that are now banned from war altogether, were put to use.

This included:

• Flamethrowers – Primarily used by German forces.
• Mortars – Used extensively by the British, German, and American armies.
• Artillery – Depending on who you speak to, many claim that artillery strikes were one of the most lethal attacks in WWI and resulted in more deaths than any other weapon on the battlefield.
• Poison Gas – An attack now considered a crime against humanity, a chlorine-based gas was often used by German artillery units and, subsequently, other countries. It is now against international law to use it. It didn’t often result in death (in the field), but it could burn the eyes, the throat, and cause suffocation.

Weapon Attachments

As mentioned above, there WILL be attachments available to equip on a lot of the guns. The most notable being a bayonet that can be appended to the end of rifles for a forceful stab attack at short distances. That’s not all that’s available, though.

Designers working on the game have stated that there will be other attachments such as:

• Sights
• Varying Sight Magnifications
• Weapon Skins
• Performance Enhancers
• etc

An official list hasn’t been released just yet, but it definitely sounds like players will have the opportunity to customize their weapons more than you would assume from a World War I themed shooter.

Conclusion

All in all, the weapon selection is set to be one of the most interesting in the entire Battlefield series. Couple that with the possible vehicle options and we’re in for a treat once BF1 launches this October.

This page will be updated with the list of confirmed weapons and related details once they’re available. Until then, we can only speculate. All we know is that this is going to be an epic game. It’ll definitely have a familiar feel to it, but there are also new combat elements to consider. It’s going to be awesome.