Weapons

Hell Let Loose: Vietnam Weapons Guide — Full Arsenal

A guide to the Hell Let Loose: Vietnam arsenal — US rifles, machine guns and launchers versus NVA and Viet Cong small arms, all era-accurate and scanned with the Royal Armouries.

By HLL Vietnam Wiki Team 6 min read

The arsenal in Hell Let Loose: Vietnam recreates the era-accurate small arms of the 1960s, with weapons scanned, photographed and audio-recorded in partnership with the UK’s Royal Armouries Museum. This guide covers how each side is armed and how to think about loadouts. Full stat pages live in the weapons codex.

United States

American infantry favour flexibility and firepower:

  • M16 — the standard assault rifle and all-round backbone.
  • M14 — a battle rifle with long-range punch.
  • M60 — belt-fed suppression for the squad.
  • M79 — lob explosives into cover.
  • Trench shotgun and the M1911 sidearm round out close-quarters work.

North Vietnam

Communist forces favour rugged, ambush-friendly arms:

  • AK-47 — hard-hitting and reliable, the mainstay.
  • SKS — accurate semi-auto for measured shooting.
  • RPD — portable light machine gun.
  • Mosin-Nagant — bolt-action reach for marksmen.
  • RPG-7 — the answer to US armour and helicopters, with the TT-33 as backup.

Choosing a loadout

Match your weapon to your role and the map:

  • Close terrain (jungle, tunnels, urban) favours automatic rifles and shotguns.
  • Open terrain (paddies, valleys, highlands) rewards battle rifles and marksman weapons.
  • Anti-vehicle duty — especially countering helicopters — means carrying an RPG and picking your ambush.

Exact in-game stats are confirmed closer to launch, so we mark loadout details expected and update the codex as they’re locked in.

Frequently asked questions

Are the weapons in Hell Let Loose: Vietnam historically accurate?

Yes. Team17 and Expression Games partnered with the UK's Royal Armouries Museum to scan, photograph and audio-record Vietnam-era weapons for the game.

What weapons do each side use?

The US carries arms like the M16, M14, M60 and M79; the North Vietnamese carry the AK-47, SKS, RPD, Mosin-Nagant and RPG. Exact loadouts are confirmed closer to launch.

Sources