The Apex Legends weapon pool has gone through quite a few changes over the last several seasons. With the constant reshuffling of supply drop weapons and the general floor loot pool, it’s tougher than ever to know which gun you should choose.
As such, our tier list has gone through quite a few changes. We’ve placed every gun in the game into a tier and given our reasoning as to why you should—or shouldn’t—use it.
Just like our character tier list, the order of weapons in each tier isn’t as important as the tiers themselves. Supply drop weapons have been placed in their own category near the end and their order does matter—but we’ll get to that later.
Without further ado, here’s every gun in Apex ranked from best to worst.
These rankings are current as of season 12, rank split two.
S tier
R-301 Carbine
The R-301 simply can’t be beat in most situations. Its high rate of fire, strong damage per bullet, high accuracy, and low recoil make it the best assault rifle and the best mid-range gun in the game, bar none. The only thing that tempers it is its rarity. It’s a little harder to find than other light weapons, though light ammo is generally plentiful. Favored by Predators and streamers alike, your teammates will always thank you for pinging an R-301.
C.A.R. SMG
Like the R-301, the C.A.R. SMG is the best in its category. While it isn’t quite as rapid-fire as the R-99, its closest cousin, it doesn’t need to be. It does plenty of damage and is easier to handle without any attachments than the R-99. Its ability to use both light and heavy ammo with no change to the way it shoots is a huge benefit in games where loot is scarce, and it’s a monster both up close and a little farther away. The developers intended for the C.A.R. to be versatile, and their design really paid off.
Wingman
The Wingman is the only pistol in our S tier and it’s the hardest by far to handle. While the recoil isn’t high, the amount of gun motion on fire and the relatively low fire rate can make it difficult to line up your shot. These difficulties make sense in light of the fact that this gun hits like a truck, particularly if you land a headshot. The Boosted Loader hop-up makes its reload speed even faster and its mag even larger, which is a godsend in late-game fights. While its steep learning curve might turn newcomers away, the Wingman is the trusty sidekick of many high-ranking players.
A tier
R-99
The R-99 used to be the best close-range gun in the game… until the C.A.R. was introduced. The R-99’s rapid rate of fire means enemies who get too close are shredded before they can even get a few shots off, particularly if they’re packing a shotgun or a marksman weapon. It’s fairly easy to handle, but it does have stronger recoil and a larger spread than both the C.A.R. and the R-301, so it takes some practice before you can really hit your shots. Like Bangalore says, you’ll need to grab an extended light mag for it, too. Due to its high rate of fire, this gun eats ammo.
Prowler Burst PDW
Even though the Prowler received a few nerfs after coming out of the care package—it no longer has access to the Selectfire Receiver hop-up, depriving it of its auto-fire option, and its per-bullet damage is lower—it’s still a great gun. With a high-damage-per-bullet rate and relatively easy handling, the Prowler is still dangerous in the hands of a skilled player.
Devotion LMG
Even though the Devotion is hampered by its reliance on the Turbocharger, which is one of the rarest attachments in the game, it still makes it into the A tier because of the beast it becomes once you find that shiny hop-up. With the Turbocharger, the Devotion is one of the best guns in the game. Without it, it’s still a usable LMG, especially in the early game when gun diversity is low. An un-Turbocharged Devotion is still better than a P2020 or a Mozambique.
Longbow DMR
The Longbow is currently the best non-supply drop sniper rifle in the game. The faster rate of fire and lack of a bolt to pull make it more user-friendly than the Sentinel, and it can even be used at mid-range with a 2x or 3x scope. It’s currently constrained to Replicators, which is somewhat annoying, but at least it’s not expensive to craft. Unfortunately, its bullet drop is high, meaning if your target is extremely far away, you really have to lead your shot, and the per-bullet damage is lower than the Sentinel. Even so, it’s better to land more shots at low damage than to miss several at high damage.
30-30 Repeater
The 30-30 is a great mid-range early to mid-game gun. In the hands of a player with better-than-average aim, it can be truly dangerous, but its power is tempered by its low rate of fire. It used to be lower on this list due to its long reload time, but the Dual Shell hop-up makes a dramatic difference. Even so, it’s probably not a gun you’ll want to take into the late game. There are better, more consistent options out there.
Mastiff Shotgun
Like the 30-30, the Mastiff got a big buff in the form of the Dual Shell, which takes the edge off of its long reload time. Despite its high inconsistency—even if you’re aiming your sights right at someone’s head, you really don’t know if you’ll hit them or not—the amount of damage it deals makes it worth picking up. Favored by many TTVs, the Mastiff is generally the best shotgun in the game right now.
Peacekeeper
The Peacekeeper is extremely difficult to place. On one hand, it’s more consistent than the Mastiff, which makes it a little more approachable. It also recently received the Kinetic Feeder hop-up, which helps with the long choke and reload times. But on the other hand, it doesn’t do quite as much damage as the Mastiff in most situations, and its rate of fire is slow. At this point, choosing between the Mastiff and the Peacekeeper is a matter of personal preference for most players.
RE-45 Auto
While the RE-45 might be inferior to the R-301 in terms of range, the difference isn’t as much as you’d think, especially with a barrel stabilizer equipped. The RE-45’s best aspect is its almost total lack of recoil and decently large mag size, which make lining up shots easy. The return of Hammerpoint Rounds makes it a great option for a finisher gun after breaking a foe’s shield. While it might not be the flashiest or most high-damage gun out there, the RE-45 is a reliable little sidekick that won’t lead you wrong.
B tier
Sentinel
The Sentinel does more raw damage than the Longbow, but its slower rate of fire and higher amount of recoil makes it a little harder to recommend. It’s generally thought of as a long-range weapon, meaning it doesn’t have quite as much versatility as its cousin. You’ll often see a fair amount of Sentinels left behind as a match progresses.
HAVOC Rifle
Like the Devotion, the HAVOC is much less useful without a Turbocharger. Considering the relative rarity of Turbochargers and the Devotion’s significantly higher rate of fire (and therefore potential damage), the HAVOC just isn’t worth using if you have the option between the two. The HAVOC also has a fairly high amount of recoil and bullet spread, making it hard to handle to boot.
VK-47 Flatline
While the Flatline used to be a consistently great assault rifle, its power has been snuffed a little bit in season 12. The gun was one of two placed within Replicators, making it more difficult to access, and its per-bullet damage was decreased by one. These adjustments, when combined with its recoil and difficult handling, knock it down a little in our rankings. Most of the time, it’s just not worth taking the time to find a Replicator and crafting a Flatline when you could pick up an R-301 from floor loot.
Alternator
The Alternator returned to floor loot with something of a whimper. Robbed of Disruptor Rounds—because having extra shielded damage and extra unshielded damage with Hammerpoint Rounds back in the game would be unfair—there’s no reason to pick it over the C.A.R. or even the RE-45. It’s a perfectly serviceable gun, but its slower rate of fire and chunky handling prove there are much better SMGs in the game.
Hemlok Burst AR
The Hemlock is a decent mid to long-range assault rifle, but the Prowler has it beat in terms of damage output and usability for burst-fire weapons, especially in the short range. The Boosted Loader helps it a little, but players are more likely to look for a Wingman to pair with that hop-up. Few people consider the Hemlok to be their main gun.
Triple Take
The Triple Take has suffered a fair bit since it was nerfed and removed from care packages. Its status as an energy weapon means it lacks bullet travel falloff, making it simple for even amateurs to hit headshots at mid-range. But it doesn’t do enough damage to make it worth picking up over the many other midrange guns. The Kinetic Feeder helps a little, but it doesn’t add much to its potential.
Charge Rifle
The Charge Rifle is just fine. Its aim is more forgiving than other snipers’, its shots are powerful, and it handles well, making it a great gun to test the sniper waters if you’re looking for a new playstyle. But it’s difficult to confirm kills with its slow rate of fire and the energy beam pinpoints your location to every squad in the vicinity.
C tier
Rampage LMG
The Rampage used to be oppressively powerful in the hands of players skilled in medium-range fights, particularly during the time of the infinite charge bug. But it’s since been nerfed to the point where it’s really not worth picking up anymore. There are better, more consistent guns at mid-range, and the Rampage is almost useless at both extreme short range and extreme long range, making its versatility comparatively small.
Bocek Compound Bow
When it was released in season nine, the Bocek was unstoppable. High-ranking players with great aim were using it to destroy people from mid to long range and it became a huge nuisance. Even taking that into consideration, its subsequent nerf really destroyed it. Arrows aren’t common enough on the ground to make it a viable long-term weapon, and its slow rate of fire makes it less than desirable unless you’re a sniper’s distance away from your target.
L-Star EMG
The L-Star has been on a roller coaster for the last several seasons. As recently as season nine, it was laughably bad, to the point where it was becoming the butt of more jokes than the Mozambique. In season 10, the developers brought it closer to existing energy weapons by allowing it to use more attachments and buffing it significantly, which made it way too powerful. The L-Star has been brought back down to size once again, and it’s just as bad as it used to be. There are better LMGs out there.
Mozambique Shotgun
“Mozambique here!”
All jokes aside, the Hammerpoint Rounds hop-up makes this shotgun pistol better than it used to be, but it’s still not good enough to make it above C tier. It’s a good weapon for initial fights, where you’re more likely to get up close and personal with opposing players. It’s hampered by a somewhat long reload time, though. We’d even say it’s better than the terrible EVA-8, but beyond that, its effectiveness is limited.
EVA-8 Auto
The EVA-8 had quite a spectacular fall from our previous tier list, moving from A tier all the way down to C tier. Once the best shotgun in the game by far, the EVA-8 has been nerfed one too many times, rendering it useless in the face of more powerful options like the Mastiff and the Peacekeeper. Even the Mozambique is arguably better with the addition of Hammerpoint Rounds. Its ease of use and higher rate of fire do nothing to offset its very low damage.
P2020
Ah, the P2020. What is there really to say about it? It’s designed to be used as you hit the ground to take out foes in early fights. But if anyone around you finds just about any other gun, you’re in trouble. The addition of Hammerpoint Rounds helps it a little since the P2020 gets a greater buff to unshielded damage than the Mozambique and the RE-45 with the hop-up equipped, but it pales in the face of most other weapons.
Supply drop weapons
As previously mentioned, these weapons are ordered in terms of power and effectiveness.
M600 Spitfire
It’s hard to believe that this version of the Spitfire was ever a ground weapon. When the gun was added to supply drops in season 10, it was “reverted” back to its pre-nerf state from season nine. This thing is a monster: The mag is endless, it’s effective at just about every range, and it comes preloaded a 2x scope, arguably the best scope in the game. You can shoot for days and still not run out of ammo with this powerful LMG.
Volt SMG
The Volt got a big buff when it was moved into the care package: Both its mag size and damage per bullet were increased. Add that to this easy-to-use gun’s great handling and limited bullet travel falloff and you have the makings of an excellent supply drop weapon. If you’re lucky enough to be the first one to grab a care package, the Volt is an instant pick-up for most players.
Kraber .50-Cal Sniper
Easily the strongest sniper rifle in the game, there’s a reason the Kraber hasn’t been touched in several seasons. Though it only has a limited number of shots, hitting a headshot results in an instant down, even for a fully healed player with a red shield. The bullet travel falloff is significant, the reload time is long, and the rate of fire is slow. But these limiting attributes are necessary to balance out the Kraber’s immense power. It ranks lower than the Spitfire and the Volt simply because it’s more situational and takes more skill to land those game-changing headshots.
G7 Scout
The G7 wasn’t very good outside of care packages. Now that it’s inside care packages… it’s still not great. It’s gotten buffed twice since it was turned into a supply drop weapon, yet most people still don’t pick it up. It’s slow, chunky, and not as flashy and fun as the other care package guns. There are better, more freely available midrange and marksman weapons than the G7.
We’ll keep this list updated as guns are buffed and nerfed and the game’s seasons change.
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