In the relentless, neon-drenched sprawl of Night City, hesitation is a luxury no one can afford. The city's rhythm is a frantic, pulsing heartbeat, and those who fail to keep pace are quickly consumed by its merciless machinery. Open combat is a whirlwind of chrome and carnage, where enemies swarm like agitated hornets from a shattered hive. To survive such chaos, one must embrace it, becoming a storm of controlled violence. The submachine gun (SMG) is the perfect instrument for this philosophy—a tool not for weathering the onslaught, but for becoming the onslaught itself. For the discerning mercenary, the unique Iconic SMGs represent the pinnacle of this aggressive art form. Since the transformative Phantom Liberty expansion and the comprehensive 2.0 update, the arsenal has been refreshed and expanded, offering new tools of destruction for V's arsenal in 2026.
🔟 #10: Problem Solver
Base Weapon: M221 Saratoga (Power)
Iconic Effect: Features an 85-round magazine with a greatly increased fire rate, but suffers from extreme recoil and terrible bullet spread.
Location: Dropped by the Wraiths boss, Hunter, during the mission "Riders on the Storm."
The Problem Solver is a weapon of ironic contradictions. Its name suggests efficiency, but its performance is more akin to trying to control a firehose connected to a ruptured dam. The ludicrous recoil and atrocious bullet spread create more problems than they solve at any meaningful range. However, its massive magazine and blistering fire rate (especially when upgraded to Legendary) carve out a niche. In the claustrophobic confines of indoor combat, where reloading is a death sentence and aiming is a secondary concern, the Problem Solver transforms into a potent, if wildly inaccurate, bullet hose.
9️⃣ #9: Guillotine X-MOD2
Base Weapon: Budget Arms Guillotine (Power)
Iconic Effect: Offers improved weapon handling and, crucially, two empty mod slots for customization.
Location: Found in a container home near the Longshore Stacks fast travel point in Dogtown. Requires 20 Body to force entry.
The standard Guillotine is hardly a standout weapon, and even with enhanced stats and handling, the X-MOD2 variant doesn't fundamentally reinvent it. Its true value lies in its flexibility as a platform. The two empty tier-five mod slots allow a player to tailor its performance significantly, turning a reliable but unremarkable tool into a bespoke instrument of war. Think of it as a dependable but plain chassis awaiting a master tuner's touch. While it offers solid reliability, those blessed by RNG may find superior raw power in a Tier 5++ Saratoga, Warden, or Shingen.
8️⃣ #8: Yinglong
Base Weapon: G-58 Dian (Smart)
Iconic Effect: Deals additional electrical damage and has a small chance to apply an EMP effect on hit.
Location: Loot spec from the leader of a Suspected Organized Crime Activity in Wellsprings. Requires the Edgerunner Artisan Perk to craft.
Smart technology seems a perfect marriage for the spray-and-pray nature of SMGs. The Yinglong solves the fundamental accuracy issue by ensuring its homing rounds rarely miss. It supplements this with electrical damage that can stun and a chance to trigger an EMP, making it a solid choice against cybernetically enhanced foes. Its major drawback is a significantly lower Damage Per Second (DPS) compared to other top-tier SMGs, a likely balancing act for its smart-targeting convenience. For players who find traditional SMGs too unwieldy, the Yinglong is a forgiving and effective entry point.
7️⃣ #7: Buzzsaw
Base Weapon: DS1 Pulsar (Power)
Iconic Effect: Fires piercing projectiles that ignore cover.
Location: Dropped by the Wraiths boss, Hunter, during the mission "Riders on the Storm."
The Buzzsaw's utility is beautifully straightforward: it turns cover into a suggestion rather than a defense. When enemies instinctively dive behind walls or barriers, the Buzzsaw's rounds pass through unimpeded, riddling them as if they were standing in the open. As a Power weapon, missed shots can also ricochet, creating deadly angles. Combining these armor-piercing rounds with strategic bounces makes the Buzzsaw a devastating tool for flushing out entrenched opponents, functioning like a sonic scalpel that cuts through the city's concrete flesh.
6️⃣ #6: Chesapeake
Base Weapon: HA-7 Warden (Smart)
Iconic Effect: Increases movement speed by 4% after each kill or dismemberment (stacks up to 5 times). Also deals increased damage (up to 25%) based on the user's movement speed.
Location: Originally an Amazon Prime Gaming promotional drop. In 2026, it is assumed to be available through in-game events or vendors.
The Chesapeake transforms V into a blur of hyper-lethal motion. Building on the Warden's intrinsic trait of increasing fire rate the longer the trigger is held, it adds a powerful kinetic feedback loop: kill to move faster, move faster to deal more damage. This creates the quintessential run-and-gun weapon. Aiming at high speed is nearly impossible, but as a smart gun, it doesn't require precision—just point in the enemy's general direction and focus on maintaining your murderous momentum, dodging fire like a data-stream flowing through a congested network node.
5️⃣ #5: Fenrir
Base Weapon: M221 Saratoga (Power)
Iconic Effect: Deals electrical damage with an increased chance to cause EMP. Rapid hits upload the Cyberware Malfunction quickhack.
Location: Found on a table next to a captive monk during the job "Losing My Religion."
The reworked Fenrir has traded flames for lightning. While its raw burning power has diminished, it now offers exceptional utility alongside strong DPS. Its electrical damage stuns enemies, and sustained fire will rapidly upload the Cyberware Malfunction quickhack, crippling augmented foes. It retains the benefits of a Power weapon, allowing for lethal ricochets around corners. Its greatest advantage is accessibility; this cyberware-disrupting powerhouse can be acquired very early in a playthrough, serving as a loyal companion throughout V's journey.
4️⃣ #4: Pizdets
Base Weapon: HA-7 Warden (Smart)
Iconic Effect: Fires silent rounds. Critical hit chance increases the longer the weapon is fired continuously.
Location: Looted from the corpse of Boris Ribakov during the "Spy in the Jungle" gig in Dogtown.
Pizdets fulfills a unique and coveted role: it is the only smart SMG that fires silent rounds. This provides netrunners and stealth-focused builds with a powerful, automatic option beyond quickhacks and single-shot weapons. It allows for aggressive, quiet eliminations. However, users must exercise discipline; while individual rounds are silent, sustained fire can alert nearby enemies. Its escalating critical chance rewards bold, calculated bursts, making it perfect for swiftly and quietly dismantling small groups before they can raise an alarm.
🥉 #3: Raiju
Base Weapon: Arasaka Senkoh LX (Tech)
Iconic Effect: Shots penetrate cover even when not fully charged. Headshots gain a 33% bonus critical chance. Increases critical damage by 33%.
Location: Found in a gated cache during the "Increased Criminal Activity: BARGHEST" event. The key is obtained from Ross Ulmer.
Raiju shares the cover-penetrating quality of the Buzzsaw but specializes in precision decapitations. Where the Buzzsaw is a blunt instrument, Raiju is a surgical strike. Its massive bonuses to critical hit chance and damage on headshots make it a monster for players with good aim. The strategy is simple yet devastating: use the Ping quickhack to highlight enemies through walls, then use Raiju's tech-powered rounds to deliver fatal headshots from behind total safety. It turns combat into a methodical shooting gallery.
🥈 #2: Prototype Shingen: Mark V
Base Weapon: TKI-20 Shingen (Smart)
Iconic Effect: Can track up to three targets simultaneously and fires explosive rounds with a chance to burn.
Location: Inside shipping container #667 at the Arasaka Industrial Park.
The Prototype Shingen: Mark V is crowd control incarnate. This smart SMG doesn't just kill enemies; it dominates the battlefield. Its explosive rounds knock foes off their feet and spread incendiary chaos, while its ability to lock onto three targets at once allows it to manage entire groups. Its raw DPS is lower than some alternatives, but its area denial and disruptive power are unparalleled. The old adage of "spray and pray" is obsolete here; with the Shingen Mark V, you simply spray and watch the chaos unfold as enemies are thrown into the air like ragdolls caught in a localized tornado.
🥇 #1: Erebus
Base Weapon: Unique (Power)
Iconic Effect: Fires rounds that split into six projectiles. Instantly kills any enemy below 33% health via the Blackwall Gateway quickhack. Each hit has a 5% chance to upload Cyberware Malfunction.
Location: Obtain the crafting spec in the Cynosure Facility during "Somewhat Damaged," then craft it using a behavioral system component in "This Corrosion."
As befits a forbidden weapon powered by a sliver of Blackwall AI, Erebus stands alone at the apex of SMGs. It is not merely a gun; it is an event. Its primary fire unleashes a devastating stream of shotgun-like projectiles. Any enemy unfortunate enough to be worn down below one-third health is instantly and utterly deleted from existence. Those with higher health pools must contend with a relentless barrage that also frequently induces crippling cyberware malfunctions. The only downsides are its late-game acquisition, after the climax of Phantom Liberty, and the opportunity cost of forgoing the powerful Militech Canto cyberdeck. For any build not centered on pure netrunning, however, Erebus is the ultimate choice—a weapon that doesn't just win fights, but annihilates the very concept of a fair fight. It is the final argument in Night City's endless debate of violence, a pocket-sized supernova of destruction.