Apex Legends Gun Recommendation
Apex Legends has always placed an emphasis on legend abilities and weapon usage to differentiate itself from other shooters. The gunplay has always been great, and the devs implement plenty of changes each season that affect the relative power of each weapon and overall gun meta.
While it’s not always easy to say what the best gun in Apex Legends is, there are usually some contenders for the strongest weapons in a given meta. For season 8, the meta has skewed toward having a close-range weapon and a mid- to long-range weapon in your kit. The exception to this is if you have insane recoil control and can just run the R-99 at all ranges.
I surveyed the Average Gamer community to help determine the strongest weapon combos in season 8 of Apex Legends. Here are our picks for viable weapon combinations to help you climb the ranked ladder!
Best Close-Range Weapons in Season 8 of Apex Legends
Mastiff
The mastiff became floor loot in season 6, with plenty of nerfs to tone down the power of the devastating shotgun. Even with the reduced power, the Mastiff still tops the charts when it comes to close-range combat.
In season 8, the mastiff is an overwhelming favorite for dealing massive amounts of burst damage. With a purple bolt on this shotgun, you can wipe entire squads yourself in just one clip of ammo!
Average Gamers agree that legends should prioritize grabbing the mastiff in season 8. As with any weapon, you need to hit your shots in order to be effective, but this is especially the case for the mastiff since it has the slowest fire rate in the game. If you miss more than one shot, you’ll likely end a fight against one of the other close-range weapons on this list.
However, if you have good crosshair placement and can use cover in between shots, you can do a max of 288 damage in a single headshot. While max damage hits are rare, you’ll still be able to two-tap most enemies with one headshot and one body shot.
Do yourself a favor and pick up the mastiff in season 8 of Apex Legends!
R-99
The R-99 reigned supreme for several seasons and is still a highly rated weapon in season 8. Most legends in the AG community ranked the R-99 at number 2, but it still received some 1st place votes given the incredible fire rate of the SMG.
In Apex, the R-99 has one of the most straightforward recoil patterns out of any guns in the game. This makes it viable even up to mid-range fights and can do some poke damage at longer ranges if you burst fire the weapon.
Additionally, the R-99 has a quick reload time, meaning your effective uptime in a fight is higher than if you were using another weapon. Combine all these factors with good hip-fire accuracy and you’ve got a versatile SMG that should definitely be in your loadout in season 8!
Volt
Even though the volt recently got a nerf, it’s still a top 3 weapon when it comes to close-range fights. It’s the only energy weapon that showed up in the top guns for this season, so you shouldn’t be hurting for ammo when you pick this up.
With energy rounds, you also benefit from reduced bullet drop-off. This allows the volt to almost function as an assault rifle in the mid-range fight!
While the volt fires slightly fewer rounds per minute than the R-99, it has a higher body shot DPS than the #2 close-range weapon. It also has a faster reload time its light ammo counterpart.
If you’ve got good aim, the small clip size of the volt won’t be too much of an issue. Make sure to pick up a decent barrel stabilizer for this weapon!
Best Mid- to Long-Range Weapons in Season 8 of Apex Legends
R-301
The 301 has been near the top of the chart since the early days of Apex Legends. It can work at many different ranges and essentially becomes a G7 Scout when modded with an Anvil Receiver.
The majority of the AG community rated this assault rifle as the top mid-range weapon, with others putting it at the #2 spot. Light ammo is bountiful in Apex and you can quickly find an assortment of attachments that make the 301 shine on the battlefield. Additionally, you can share ammo with the R-99 if you want to only carry one ammo type in your inventory.
There are definitely snipers that will have an edge at long-range over the R-301, but it remains the weapon of choice for fighting from a distance in Apex.
Flatline/Hemlok
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This one was almost a tie, with several top-3 votes coming in for either weapon. On this list, they’ll share the #2 spot for mid-range weapons.
Like the 301, the Flatline can use an Anvil Receiver to increase single-fire damage. The Flatline also has great hip-fire accuracy, making it a nice option at close-range.
While the Hemlok single-fire mode does less damage than the Flatline, you can fire significantly faster with the Hemmy. At mid-range, the 3-round burst can take down an opposing legend in seconds!
Really, it comes down to personal preference between these two heavy ammo assault rifles. Either one is a great choice in season 8 and you should test both to see which you prefer.
30-30 Repeater
Sniping from distance is a great way to build up levels on your Evo shield in Apex, but the snipers lack speed when it comes to reload time and fire rate. The newly introduced 30-30 addresses these two issues with an impressive DPS and an option to reload a single bullet at a time.
People are still figuring out how to use the 30-30 effectively, but many Average Gamers agreed that it deserves a spot in the top 3 for mid- to long-range weapons. Charged shots will deal up to 35% more damage than normal, recoil is moderate, and it fires faster than a Longbow.
The versatility of the 30-30 isn’t as high as the previously mentioned assault rifles, but it is definitely a more punishing option for long-range encounters.
Best Loadout Options for Season 8 of Apex Legends
Now that you know the top guns for Season 8, let’s get into some great combination of weapons to help you get more wins!
Mastiff + R-301
It’s a no-brainer to combine the top two season 8 weapons for maximum damage. With this loadout, you can often get away with only carrying one slot of shotgun ammo. This means plenty of space to carry light ammo, explosives, and healing items.
Ideally, you can find a purple bolt for the Mastiff and an extended clip for the 301, but this combination is stellar in the early game without any additional attachments. Use the R-301 to strip shields from mid-range, then close the distance and use your Mastiff to finish off the fight!
R-99 + R-301
Often dubbed the “R-400” this combination is one of the most preferred loadouts for gamers who don’t enjoy using shotguns. Since the majority of your opponents will have at least one light gun on them, you can be aggressive with this kit and just restock from death boxes.
Volt + 30-30
The Volt requires a painful amount of energy ammo in your inventory. The 30-30 isn’t nearly as bullet-hungry. This is a match made in heaven!
Dealing poke damage at range with the 30-30 will often give you the armor advantage in fights. If you’re able to level up your armor faster than your enemies, you can become the aggressor and put pressure on other teams. I like to use a 3X scope on the 30-30, but I’ve also seen it work well with a 2-4X.
It’s also imperative that you find an extended energy mag for your Volt. These are easy to find in Explosive Holds, so reserve an explosive to open these containers.
Flatline + Hemlok
I know I said to have a close-range weapon in your kit, but this heavy-hitting combo works really well for people who can control the hip fire. You’ll lose more than half of your matchups against any close-range weapon, but you’ll deal an absurd amount of damage out in the open.
Heavy ammo benefits from not having as much bullet drop as light ammo. This gives the Flatline and Hemlok a slight edge at long-range vs the R-301.
What Weapons you Should Grab in Apex Legends Season 8
I debated making a tier list but quickly realized the same 4-6 guns are showing up on the kill feed of my games. The community confirmed these suspicions and, thus, we arrived at our Apex Legends Season 8 gun meta!
As will always be the case, any gun can be strong in the right hands. However, if you want to give yourself the best chance of winning a 1v1 matchup in Apex, you should focus on these weapons.
Are there any weapons you would add or remove from the list? Let us know in the comments section which weapons you think are best in Season 8 of Apex Legends!
