I picked up Apex Legends again for Marked expecting the usual season shuffle. Instead I got a season that quietly rewrote how looting works, then patched half the guns again two days ago. Here’s where things actually stand.
What Actually Changed This Season
Three things matter more than any single weapon number.
Energy ammo is gone. Not nerfed, gone. Energy weapons now regenerate a magazine on their own every 18 seconds instead of eating a shared ammo pool. That means the L-STAR, HAVOC, Nemesis, Devotion, RE-45, Volt, and Triple Take don’t compete with each other for bullets anymore. It also means double energy loadouts used to be a trap (zero backup ammo) and now they’re not.
Loot got scarce, then got walked back a little. Purple items spawn less, gold attachments and gold bins are gone, Mythic bins are gone, and Arsenals stay locked until you charge an Evo Harvester. The Split 2 patch from September 15 quietly reversed part of this. Healing spawns more often now and loot bins carry more items on average. Ammo is still tighter than it used to be, so don’t expect old habits to work.
Corrupted attachments replaced the old gold attachment slot. There are five of them, each a real buff paired with a real drawback, and you can only run one per weapon. This is the biggest gameplay change in the patch and it’s the reason half this tier list moved.
The Corrupted Attachments, Quick Reference
- Overflowing Magazine. Bigger mag, slower reload. Best on Prowler, Devotion, Nemesis, and R-301.
- Headseeker Barrel. More headshot damage and better recoil, worse hipfire.
- Tactical Laser. Faster reload and better hipfire, worse ADS recoil. Only worth it on the Wingman and akimbo P2020.
- Agile Standard Stock. No ADS movement penalty and faster handling, smaller mag.
- Rapid Sniper Stock. Higher fire rate and faster reload, smaller mag. Best in slot on the G7 Scout.
One heads up if you’re chasing a combo you saw in a clip from last month. Agile Standard Stock used to stack with Gibraltar’s Fast Shotties upgrade and with Maggie’s passive, which made for a genuinely broken fast shotgun build. Respawn patched that stacking out in Split 2. It still works, it’s just not absurd anymore.
S+ Tier, Care Package
30-30 Repeater. This gun got moved into the care package at season launch and it earned the spot. Damage went from 43 to 51, ADS charge time dropped to 0.25 seconds, and the new Shattercaps hop-up turns it into a seven pellet shotgun round for close range. It replaced the G7 Scout as the care package marksman rifle and it’s not close.
Kraber and L-STAR EMG. Both untouched, both still the reason you fight over a care package the second it lands.
S Tier
Charge Rifle. This is the biggest riser of the patch. Max range damage jumped from 99 to 110 past 200 meters, and the selectfire damage penalty got cut from 40% to 25%. Respawn announced even more tuning to this gun today on top of the Split 2 changes. A weapon that used to be a niche pick for chip damage is now a real fight-winner at range.
Triple Take. Buffed in Split 2 with a faster ADS fire rate and a magazine bump from 8 to 9 rounds. In a season where ammo is tighter than usual, a sniper that doesn’t miss and doesn’t reload every two shots is worth grabbing.
Bocek Compound Bow. Arrow stockpile went from 40 to 60, and explosive arrows per energize went from 7 to 10 (Sparrow players get an even bigger bump). Arrows aren’t part of the general ammo economy, so this gun stopped competing with your other loadout for bullets. That matters a lot this season.
A+ Tier
R-301, Prowler, Devotion, Nemesis. The Overflowing Magazine corrupted attachment is built for these four. Bigger mags cover for the slower reload, and all four were already solid before the patch.
G7 Scout. Got knocked out of the care package (damage down, no more Double Tap, no sniper optics, smaller mags across the board), but paired with the Rapid Sniper Stock it’s still a real pick as floor loot. Just don’t expect care package numbers from it anymore.
A Tier
Wingman and akimbo P2020. The Tactical Laser corrupted attachment is basically built for these two. Faster reload and better hipfire on a gun you’re already firing from the hip half the time is a clean trade for worse ADS recoil.
RE-45. This one’s been on a rollercoaster. Nerfed at season launch, then nerfed harder than intended in a follow-up patch, and Respawn walked part of that back today along with more tuning to the Charge Rifle and 30-30. It’s an energy weapon now too, so the ammo regen system helps it more than most. Worth another look if you wrote it off a few weeks ago.
B+ Tier, Niche But Playable
Hemlok. Damage dropped slightly and structure damage got cut in half, so it’s a worse tool against Newcastle walls and Rampart Sheilas specifically. Still fine at mid range.
Alternator. Smaller mags across every rarity and a small damage cut. It’s not bad, it’s just not what it was.
R-99. A one point damage cut that mostly matters at the pro level. Still a fine early fight SMG for everyone else.
The Real Theme This Season
Every Apex season has a headline change, and this one isn’t really about any single gun. It’s that Respawn removed a whole category of decision making (which ammo type to prioritize) and replaced it with a new one (which corrupted attachment fits your playstyle). That’s a bigger design swing than a damage number going up or down, and it’s why loadouts that felt automatic in Overclocked need a second look now.
If you only take one thing from this list, take this. Check what corrupted attachment your gun rolled before you commit to a fight. A Prowler with Overflowing Magazine plays completely differently than a Prowler with Headseeker Barrel, and picking the wrong one for your range is going to lose you fights that have nothing to do with aim.
FAQ
What’s in the Season 30 care package? Kraber, L-STAR EMG, and the 30-30 Repeater. The 30-30 replaced the G7 Scout at season launch.
Did Apex actually remove energy ammo? Yes. Energy weapons regenerate their own magazine over time instead of using a shared ammo pool. No more carrying double energy stacks.
What changed in the September 15 Split 2 patch? Buffs to the Triple Take, Bocek Compound Bow, and Charge Rifle, plus legend changes to Catalyst, Conduit, Fuse, and Bloodhound, and a nerf to Axle. Loot bins also got more generous with healing and general item spawns.
Is the Gibraltar and Agile Standard Stock combo still good? It still works, but the stacking bug that made it absurd with Fast Shotties and Maggie’s passive got patched out in Split 2.
For the full Season 29 breakdown before all this changed, here’s the Season 29 weapon tier list.
Got a loadout you’re running that isn’t on this list? Come argue about it in the TAG Discord, we’re there most nights.
