Apex Legends has done a great job of keeping gameplay fresh by constantly tweaking the weapons in the game. They are highly active on social media, constantly interacting with the community to make sure that the game remains balanced based on player feedback. It’s common for their Reddit posts to share upcoming updates from the developers.

One of the things that makes Apex so great is how fluid the firefights feel. The gun mechanics have been great from the start and there has been an impressive number of changes to make each gun viable in a battle.

Given the frequent changes, the strength of any given gun can move up or down the list within a couple of months. We think most people are used to seeing a tier format of ranking so this is how we see the strength of each weapon at this snapshot in time. For reference, here are our tier explanations:

S

S tier weapons are the strongest in the game. 9 times out of 10, you should pick up a gun in this class when you see it. They have high versatility and exceptional kill potential. These include some legendary weapons which are rare to find as well as base guns which are powerful even without an attachment.

A

At a close second, A tier weapons also have a short time to kill (TTK) and often make for a good secondary to a S tier gun. They are typically more common and some of them even move up a level when you find a hop up.

B

Right in the middle are B tier guns. As expected these guns are “okay” but you won’t want to use them in the endgame. You can get through the first couple of team fights with these weapons but will be outgunned after you get 3+ minutes into the game.

C

These guns will make you groan when you see them. You’ll likely pick them up reluctantly in early game when you only have 1 gun.

F

Worst guns in the game. The RNG gods will occasionally bless you with two of these to start the game, then you will die quickly and be mad.

Now that you understand how we scored our tiers, let’s take a look at where each weapon landed. As a reminder, these lists are subjective and you should always feel free to play the weapons that you are most comfortable with!

Shotgun

Yoshyaes – S

It makes sense that this legendary shotgun would be S tier for both of us. With the potential for a 288 damage headshot, you have the chance to down a purple armor opponent even without landing all your shotgun pellets.

Flash – S

S for Showstopper. Whether it’s through hip-fire or ADS, this semi-auto shotgun is devastating at any sniffing range. As long as it has at least 4 rounds left, I’ll pick this up virtually anytime I see it.

Yoshyaes – A

This gun is incredibly powerful, especially early game when few people have a shield. You’ll need to be more careful with your shots given the fire rate but the Peacekeeper is a great gun to have in the late gun for close-range engagements.

Flash – A

The ultimate love-hate weapon. When it’s hitting it could sit at the table with the Mastiff. However, it could just as easily be B tier. Far too often I get 15-30 damage on shots that land flush.

Yoshyaes – B

I haven’t gotten too into the double-tap attachment so maybe that would bump this gun up a notch. I tend to rush my shots with this gun more often than not since it’s semi-automatic.

Flash – B

This gun feels better than last season and not because of the double-tap. For the most part, I’ll only put that on the G7-Scout. For this one just fire at will and favor hip-fire. It’s a solid choice but a charged up peacekeeper shot will remind you it’s place on the totem-pole.

Yoshyaes – F

The Mozambique has been memed to the ends of the Earth and is as bad as advertised. You can pull off some slick plays that the beginning of the game if you grab hammerpoint rounds, otherwise, it’s pretty useless.

Flash – F

“Mozambique here!” Some days, I’m convinced this gun isn’t as bad as its reputation. But then I get killed as I’m reloading. The 3 shot magazine simply isn’t enough to rely on this even with hammerpoints. If the attachment also increased the magazine to 4 or 5, this would be an actual option. For now, avoid this gun in any situation other than the initial drop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWC78wsLf2Y

Pistol

Yoshyaes – A

Even after getting nerfed, the Wingman is still a strong weapon, let alone a strong pistol. The hit box seems to be iffy but you can typically down someone in 3-5 body shots.

Flash – B

The runner-up to the “love-hate” award. There’s something odd about this gun that makes me think I’m shooting blanks. Shots that would otherwise land with any other weapon seem to miss with the Wingman. And as soon as I’m ready to abandon hope, I land some long-distance headshots and come crawling back. Sigh…

Yoshyaes – B

The recoil pattern isn’t too complex but you need to land a bunch of shots to actually down someone. For me, this makes the RE-45 only viable with crazy good aim or if it has several attachments loaded. 

Flash – C

I enjoy using this gun. But, it’s just not powerful enough to make a case for it in anything beyond the early game. Especially now that in season 3 the almighty disruptor rounds have been retired.

Yoshyaes – C

Remember the PP7 from Goldeneye? This reminds me of a slightly better version. Hammerpoint rounds double the effectiveness against unshielded enemies, but you can almost always find a better alternative.

Flash – F

I must not like to use pistols in general. This is another gun I like using but when I want to win gunfights I won’t rely on this. If you can get the jump on someone, you can rapdily fire and eliminate your enemy before they can counter. In a more even engagement and against an SMG, LMG, Rifle, or shotgun, you’ll be wishing you brought more firepower to the fight.

SMG

Yoshyaes – S

R-99 is bae right now. It shreds from close range, you can equip a digi threat on it, and light ammo is everywhere! It needs to be comboed with a mid- to long-range weapon and you are set.

Flash – S

Fully kitted, this is, in my opinion, the best gun in the game. An extended mag is pretty much required in the late game, but this gun erases people from existence in no time at all. As an added bonus, the recoil pattern is so manageable that I usually will put purple or gold on my other light ammo guns.

Yoshyaes – B

Back in season 2, this was an easy S tier pick. With the removal of the disruptor rounds, the Alternator falls gracefully to the middle of the pack. The R-99 does everything the Alternator can do, but better, so there isn’t a good use for it outside of the start of the game.

Flash – C

I think I’ve used this gun twice in season 3. Post-disruptors, there are better options. Everywhere. Not much more to say…

Yoshyaes – C

The prowler is a strange one. It has decent hip-fire accuracy, but I’d never want it in a close-range fight if I can avoid it. Equipping a select fire makes this a little better, but the assault rifles are a more stable option when you want full auto.

Flash – B

I’m slowly starting to become more of a fan of this gun. With select-fire, it’s starting to feel like an R-99 with heavy ammo. Without a barrel stabilizer and considering the recoil pattern regardless, something is a bit off with this gun. 

The jury is still out, but this feels like an A-tier potential gun when it’s in its final form.

LMG

Yoshyaes – A

The devotion is great because of the high number of attachment slots it has and the potential for insane DPS. At mid-range, it’s probably one of the best weapons. However, it takes a lot to get this gun to a place of strength/

Flash – A

I’ve added this monster to my rotation of guns I’ll use throughout entire matches. It is outclassed by some of the other guns in the A tier. However, if you can force close quarter fights, you won’t find better options than the Devotion.

Yoshyaes – B

Spitfire is basically the poor man’s devotion. You can land the first few shots more quickly but the DPS is lower, in addition to a smaller magazine capacity.

Flash – B

This was a beast in season 1 and well into season 2. Nowadays, there are simply better options that are more accurate and has a faster time-to-kill. If you land and find one it is still a great option to drop and entire team before you have to reload once.

Yoshyaes – C

Even though the devs read our Season 3 wishlist and added a digital threat to the L-Star, it still isn’t something that I want in my loadout. It’s got the lowest DPS of the group and overheats after you shoot too much. No thanks.

Flash – C

I’ve read the L-Star has been buffed in season 3. This could be an A or B tier weapon. Honestly, I haven’t had the opportunity to try it yet. I have had the pleasure to be melted by it though. The thing I’ll say about fighting someone with it is the bullets kind of disorient you. Having large red bullets cover your screen makes it difficult to accurately return fire.

Assault Rifle

Yoshyaes – A

The 301 began as my favorite gun then got nerfed to the point that I didn’t use it much in the latter half of season 2. Since the introduction of the Anvil Receiver, the R-301 becomes viable at all ranges. If needed, this can even take the place of a sniper as your long-range gun at the end of a match.

Flash – A

The R-301 has always been one of the best guns in the game. Personally, I stopped using it as much in season 2 due to the R-99 being easier to control. In season 3, the Anvil Receiver has given it better utility to do serious damage in single fire mode.

Yoshyaes – B

Similar to the 301, the Flatline gets stronger with the use of the Anvil Receiver. It also got buffed in season 2, increasing base damage, which means a shorter time to kill. If this had a slot for a barrel stabilizer, I could bump it up one tier.

Flash – A

As Bangalore tells us, it packs a bigger punch than its rival, the aforementioned R-301. I prefer this gun in virtually every scenario. Up close its melts. At range is devastates. It may be slightly more difficult to control but the juice is worth the squeeze… of the trigger.

Yoshyaes – B

The Hemlok feels bad because there aren’t any hop-ups, but its burst isn’t too difficult to control. I’ve seen Youtubers rip people to pieces with this gun but it loses some versatility points as a close range weapon.

Flash – B

Like the Prowler, I’m giving the Hemlok more play in season 3. I believe it has one of the fastest time-to-kills in the game. Of course, that’s if you are hitting all your shots. I’m sure there of those of you who will swear by this gun’s lethalness. Maybe by season’s end, I’ll be part of the group.

Yoshyaes – B

As you can see, most of the assault rifles are about the same for me so far. I’d give the havoc a B- if I could given the need for a turbocharger and a good amount of recoil. It pairs well with the Charge Rifle if you only want to carry energy ammo, but I’m only carrying one of these in the late game if I can find the hop-up.

Flash – B

One of my squadmates said he turned into Superman with the turbocharged Havoc. That was season 2 at least. While I don’t believe the Havoc has been nerfed, a couple factors have led to its usage rate dropping slightly. Energy ammo is usually better used in the Charge Rifle. Also, the Anvil Receiver adding more utility to the competing assault rifles. Still, it has crazy stopping power if you have enough ammo for it.

Sniper

Yoshyaes – S

Everyone knows the Charge Rifle is OP right now. There’s no drop off in damage, tracking people several hundred meters across the map is easy and the weapon is common. I’ll be sad once the nerf gets implemented…

Flash – A

I’m rating this off my squadmates’, mainly Yoshyaes, destruction. A hitscan sniper is practically unheard of. And the damage it does when the beam is at full strength is crazy. Since I prefer close and mid-range battles despite the greater sight lines in this season, I will usually pass this gun up.

Fighting against someone with one of these, who can also aim, can be pretty depressing. I usually completely reposition myself rather than trying to have a sniper battle with them.

Yoshyaes – B

I’ve got a love-hate relationship with the Scout. Double Tap made this incredible at close to medium range, but I’ve never been able to maintain this as my long range weapon. My preference is to have an Anvil on the 301 for long range if I’m running two light weapons in my loadout.

Flash – S

Yes, S tier. My go to loadout some pairing between the R-99, Flatline, and G7-Scout. With the Double Tap hop-up, I feel like getting headshots is routine. The first shot to the chest causes the second shot to bubble up to the head. I’ve laid out a ton of squads with this mechanic. 

Even without the hop-up, it’s great at any range. The only con I have against this gun is th iron sight is pretty difficult to land shots with. But a simple 1x, ideally a 3x, will have you destroying your competition.

Yoshyaes – A

The Kraber does a ridiculous amount of damage – 250 for a headshot – but can only be found in supply drops. Respawn wisely gave this beast of a sniper a long reload time and long draw time to balance out the high damage potential. 

Flash – A

Again, I’m not a big sniper user. I think I’ve only use this gun about 5 times. That’s not to say it doesn’t really sting when you land. In season 2, I prefered the feel of Longbow with the artist formerly known as Skullpiercer. But, even body shots can and will have your opponents cowering in fear.

Yoshyaes – C

Longbow used to be my go-to rifle before the Charge Rifle entered the picture. Now, I rarely pick it up. It received a slight buff to counter the removal of the skull piercer rifle attachment, but the Longbow has fallen several tiers this season.

Flash – B

Even post-Skullpiercer, this gun still can down your enemies rather quickly. But with the rise of the Charge Rifle and other single fire weapon options, I just don’t see this gun being used as much. 

Yoshyaes – F

Not gonna lie, the Tripletake might give the Mozambique a run for its money in Season 3. Without a precision choke, the effectiveness drops significantly beyond about 20m. With the hop up, you need to rely on perfect tracking of a target while the gun reduces its projectile spread. Since there’s 5 snipers in the game, I’m ok with one of them being bad.

Flash – F

I hate this gun.

Recap

We covered a ton of info above so here’s a quick snapshot of where each of the weapons landed:

YOSHYAES

S

• Mastiff
• R-99
• Charge Rifle

A

• Peacekeeper
• Wingman
• Devotion
• R-301
• Kraber

 

B

• Eva-8
• RE-45
• Alternator
• Spitfire
• Flatline
• Hemlok
• G7 Scout

C

• P2020
• Prowler
• L-Star
• Longbow

F

• Mozambique
• Tripletake

FLASH

S

• Mastiff
• R-99
• G7-Scout

A

• Peacekeeper
• Devotion
• R-301
• Flatline
• Charge Rifle
• Kraber

B

• Eva-8
• Wingman
• Prowler
• Spitfire
• Havoc
• Hemlok
• Longbow

C

• RE-45
• Alternator
• L-Star

 

F

• Mozambique
• P2020
• Tripletake

What are your thoughts on the Season 3 weapons? Would you change any of the rankings? Leave us a note below to let us know!

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