Apex Legends Weapons Ranked From Worst To Best
In your average round of Apex Legends, you might use anywhere from two to five different guns. The beauty of this battle royale lies in its versatility. If you like rushing enemies, you might go for a submachine gun or a shotgun. If you like to be prepared for anything, assault rifles keep your options open. For those who prefer to keep things at a distance, the sniper rifles fill that role.
Regardless of your playstyle, you'll pretty quickly get your bearings and learn what guns are worth your time. After all, Apex Legends is full of split-second decisions, and more information only serves to help you make those choices. Spending another second debating to swap out for that assault rifle could cost you and your squad the round.
If you need help figuring out what the best guns in Apex Legends are, we've got you covered. Bear in mind that your opinion matters in this as well. Our top-ranked weapon might have some of the best stats in the game, but if you don't like using it, those stats are pointless. As long as you feel confident with one of the top five weapons, you'll be golden. Or even legendary.
Mozambique: Fine country, horrible weapon
The Mozambique shotgun straddles the line between shotgun and pistol, holding three shots per clip. Needless to say, if an enemy sits far away from you, don't even bother considering this weapon. Honestly, even if they're in the same room as you, you might be better off with your fists.
The Mozambique can rarely secure a kill. Landing three headshots gives you the best bet, but considering the spread of the weapon and its small clip size, you can't afford to make a mistake. Not securing the kill in three shots leads to a two-second reload time, and realistically, you'll be dead before you can get a fourth shot off.
Practically speaking, the best time to use this weapon is in the first minute or two of the round. But once you find anything else, you can rejoice. Remember, even Respawn itself acknowledged how bad the Mozambique is.
P2020: The forgettable pistol
The P2020, if you even remember it, is a semi-automatic pistol that uses light rounds. Each magazine holds ten rounds, assuming you don't have any mods, but it only performs decently in close quarters. Otherwise, this handgun should make as much of an impression on you as it does on your opponents.
Granted, if you've got incredible aim, this gun can down people early in the game, assuming they don't put up a fight. Almost any other gun gives you a better chance in a one-on-one skirmish. The only gun that might do worse is the Mozambique, and even then, only maybe.
If the P2020 is the first gun you find when you land, it's worth picking up solely because you can't melee faraway enemies. Its range, despite how short it is, makes it better than absolutely nothing. Otherwise, you can drop it for whatever gun you find next.
RE-45 Auto: The slightly better P2020
The RE-45 Auto boasts a higher average DPS stat than the P2020, giving it the slight edge in competition. Bullet for bullet, the RE-45 does less damage, but it more than makes up for it with its automatic fire. It can take all the same mods as the P2020 with an added barrel stabilizer slot, which makes sense considering its fire rate.
Unfortunately, all these improvements over the P2020 don't address one of the biggest concerns with these low-tier guns: range. More often, you'll be fighting someone using a more powerful rifle that can outrange you. In all other scenarios, you'll find someone with a close-quarter weapon that does more damage than these weak pistols.
When it comes down to the wire, the RE-45 just can't match the raw firepower of the other weapons in Apex Legends. It makes for a decent sidearm when your main weapon runs out of ammo. On the other hand, something with higher damage would probably give you a better fighting chance.
Alternator SMG: Not the best alternative
The Alternator SMG, despite being slightly bigger than the RE-45, produces surprisingly similar results. Bullet by bullet, both do roughly the same amount of damage. The Alternator edges out slightly, dealing 13 body and 20 headshot damage. But the RE-45's higher rate of fire keeps it competitive with the SMG.
So what is it about the Alternator that puts it above the automatic pistol? Well, the Alternator has a mod slot for stocks. This means that you can aim down the sights of the SMG much faster, and you can holster it more quickly too. If that sounds like a minor, almost insignificant difference, that's because for the average Apex Legends player, it is. At this point, we're splitting hairs. If you're caught in a fight with either an RE-45 or an Alternator, you might as well start thinking about where you'll drop next round. Hopefully you'll find almost any other gun.
Triple Take: Triple the bullets, a third of the fun
Some of you might be surprised to find a sniper rifle this low on our list. Don't get it twisted: in the hands of a skilled player, any sniper can go a long way. But of the four sniper rifles in the game, the Triple Take easily takes the cake as the worst of the bunch. For one, mobility plays a key role in Apex Legends. Most of your encounters will take place from short to medium ranges, where this weapon's low fire rate will be painfully apparent. In general, using a sniper as a primary weapon forces you to play more strategically if you want to keep engagements far from you.
Yet without the Precision Choke hop-up, the Triple Take loses its reliability across long distances. The gun shoots three bullets per shot in a straight, horizontal pattern. The farther away your target, the wider the bullets spread out. This means at certain distances, even if your crosshairs are perfectly lined up, you'll deal only a fraction of the damage. The whole point of a sniper rifle is to deal consistent, powerful damage at long ranges, and the Triple Take can't. Needing a fairly rare hop-up makes this weapon hard to recommend. And considering the rarity of energy ammo, those bullets might be better off in other energy weapons.
R-99 SMG: A decent weapon
Let's set something straight right off the bat: the R-99 SMG can save your bacon in a tight situation. It offers some respectable firepower, as far as lighter weapons go. It does less damage per bullet compared to the Alternator: body shots do 12 damage, whereas headshots do 18. However, it features a much higher fire rate, nearly double that of the Alternator. If you're up close and can land some headshots, you've got a chance at shredding some health bars.
At the end of the day, the R-99 is a decent weapon. That's it. Champions don't go for "decent," though. On this list, there many other guns that excel in various situations that the R-99 can't handle. We've all had games with terrible loot drops, so sometimes you'll be stuck without any real options. At the very least, this weapon will get you through the dark times.
Longbow DMR: Boom, headshot!
Sniper rifles can be useful in certain situations, but for the most part, you'll be fighting your battles at ranges more suitable for other weapons. However, the Longbow DMR makes a case for itself as a better sniper rifle than the Triple Take.
Take a look at the stats for the Longbow. When it comes to reload times, fire rate, and holster times, it ranks similarly to its energy-using counterpart. Headshots, though, do a solid 110 damage. That's enough to down someone who doesn't have any armor. That damage remains consistent at the same long range as the Triple Take without the risk of your bullets spreading.
The Triple Take technically deals more damage than the Longbow, assuming you land all three bullets per shot. Unfortunately, that isn't guaranteed at longer ranges, which is where sniper rifles should excel. By virtue of its reliability alone, the Longbow is more worth investing in.
Prowler Burst PDW: On the prowl
Halo fans probably get the strangest sense of déjà vu when they pick up the Prowler Burst PDW. With the gun in hand, its triangular viewfinder that counts down your bullets bears a striking resemblance to the MA5 series of assault rifles in Halo. Nonetheless, we're talking about Apex Legends here, and the Prowler stands as the highest-ranking SMG on our list. It can be a powerful weapon in the right scenario.
For one, its five-round burst fire unleashes a controlled blitz of bullets. At 14 damage per body shot and a whopping 21 per headshot, two or three well-aimed bursts can do some serious damage. Still, this weapon has the short range of an SMG, so you'll want to make sure every potential engagement is a close-encounter one.
The Prowler becomes an even deadlier weapon when you find the Selectfire Receiver hop-up. This lets you switch the fire mode from five-round burst to fully automatic. With auto fire at your disposal, you can control your fire better at longer ranges or let loose a hail of flak when things get up close and personal.
HAVOC: And chaos
If you haven't played Apex Legends since the first few weeks of its launch, this gun might not be familiar to you. The HAVOC Rifle uses energy ammo, and as of the time of writing, it's the only weapon compatible with two hop-ups. When you pull the trigger, it has a short delay before firing. The bullets (well, lasers) travel very quickly, and they do some of the highest damage an assault rifle can do.
But it doesn't stop there. With the Turbocharger hop-up, you get rid of that delay, eliminating the weapon's biggest weakness. Additionally, if you're looking to spice up your game, slap on the Selectfire Receiver. The single-shot fire mode turns the HAVOC into a rail gun. You still get the delayed fire, but your next shot becomes a powerful hitscan laser.
Where the HAVOC falls short is its high investment. After finding one, you need to scrounge for what little energy ammo you can find. Considering how quickly it eats through ammo, this can be a constant issue. Furthermore, you'll need an aforementioned hop-up for the gun to truly shine.
G7 Scout: Like a G7
The nature of Apex Legends doesn't inherently favor sniper rifle users. More experienced first-person shooter players can consider using them, but for the average player, investing in almost any other weapon category would go a longer way. However, the G7 Scout makes a case for itself as the easiest sniper to use in the game, making it all the more accessible.
The crucial part here is its semi-automatic fire rate. Unlike the other sniper rifles, the G7 likely won't down anyone in one shot, even if it's to the head. Fortunately, it's the only sniper rifle that fires almost as fast as you can pull the trigger. If you miss your first shot, you've got nine more on the way, and they're coming in fast.
This wider margin of error makes up for the weapon's lack of damage. Without a scope, the G7 works perfectly well as a single-fire assault rifle. Even if you're caught in a fight without optics, this weapon works well in a pinch, and you can't say that about the other sniper rifles in the game.
VK-47 Flatline: Good, not great
The VK-47 Flatline has a cheeky name, considering its goal is to make other players flatline. Unlike the other assault rifles, this weapon can't take a barrel stabilizer mod. This means that its unmanaged recoil is its biggest downfall.
Otherwise, the VK-47 pumps out some respectable DPS. It has a lower fire rate as far as automatics go, but each bullet does considerable damage. Land half a clip into an enemy and you have a good chance of knocking someone down, especially if they have weaker armor.
For weaponry in Apex Legends, this gun gets average, if not slightly above average, marks. It's reliable enough in almost any fight, considering the versatility of an assault rifle. Attach a 2x-4x Variable AOG to this baby and you're more than ready for combat at any range.
EVA-8 Auto: The panic button
As far as shotguns go, the EVA-8 Auto steps up where the Mozambique couldn't. First and foremost, you probably noticed that the EVA-8 has more than three bullets per clip. In fact, it has eight. That alone makes this shotgun better than its pistol-shaped counterpart by a wide margin. As far as damage goes, however, this weapon lacks the oomph that the other two shotguns provide.
Where the EVA-8 excels best is in extremely tight quarters. If you can aim your shots well, this weapon can do some work. Additionally, its automatic nature essentially makes this shotgun the perfect panic button. As long as you know the enemy is close and generally in front of you, you can spray and pray with a decent chance at coming out alive. Sure, that's not exactly a high-level tactic, but it's something that only this weapon can do. No other shotgun can spread as much lead as quickly.
Devotion: The ammo devourer
In Apex Legends, players can find two different light-machine guns: the Devotion and the Spitfire. These two weapons are some of the most powerful guns you can find. For the Devotion, its destructive firepower comes from its high fire rate and bullet damage. Each shot takes away 17 health, while headshots do double that. Pair that damage with 900 rounds per minute and you've got a beefy weapon in your hands.
But there's one big problem with the Devotion: when you pull the trigger, it starts firing very slowly. Over the course of one second, the fire rate ramps up to its full 900 RPM. That one second could be the difference between life and death for you. Granted, the Turbocharger hop-up gets rid of that wind-up time entirely, but then you're relying on one specific mod to make the gun work.
In the grand scheme of things, though, the Turbocharger isn't absolutely essential to the Devotion's success. What is essential, though, is ammo, which this weapon chews through faster than Octane runs. Too bad that this gun requires energy ammo, which isn't as easily found as the other types.
Kraber: Rare but deadly
The Kraber .50-cal Sniper is easily the best sniper rifle in the game. In fact, it's one of the best guns in the game, period. The moment you find one, the question becomes, "Which gun do I swap out for this?" A shot to the body deals a terrifying 125 damage, which is enough to down anyone with weakened armor. And here's the kicker: a headshot doubles that value. That's a terrifying 250 damage. The only way anyone can survive that is with fresh purple body armor and a purple helmet. Anything less than that, and your target goes down.
However, there are a couple reasons we aren't ranking this weapon higher. For one, its fire rate is abysmal. If you aren't the most accurate player, this gun could come back and bite you before the second .50-cal bullet even leaves the barrel. Furthermore, this gun is incredibly rare, as you can only get it from supply drops. Basing your entire round's strategy around finding this rare weapon would be ridiculous, but consider yourself lucky if you do find it.
Mastiff: Click, click, boom
The Mastiff shotgun fills the slot as the other hyper rare gun that can only be found in supply drops. While the Kraber covers long distances, the Mastiff takes the exact opposite approach. This shotgun has an interesting spread pattern, going for eight pellets evenly spaced in a horizontal line. Each one does 18 damage to the body, meaning if you're close enough, you can do a monstrous 144 damage with the pull of a trigger. If any of those pellets hit the head, that's 36 damage each.
When an enemy squad is clumped together, the Mastiff can completely destroy most of them before you need to reload. We can't really rank it much higher, though, because of its rarity. Much like the Kraber, it wouldn't benefit you to center your strategy around finding the Mastiff. Instead, it should be viewed as a welcome surprise, not a necessary piece of the puzzle.
Hemlok burst AR: Power through the recoil
We're getting into the heavy hitters now. At this point, any one of these guns have a great chance of netting you that coveted "Victory" screen. The Hemlok burst AR rivals the previously mentioned HAVOC in damage, but it uses heavy ammo instead of energy, making ammo scarcity less of an issue. Furthermore, the Hemlok doesn't have any delay. Instead, its gimmick is a staccato-style burst fire.
The weapon also gives you the choice to shoot in single-fire mode, providing you with optimal control over your experience. With its high damage — 18 per body shot — it's hard to go wrong with it in hand, considering each three-round burst does 52 damage. As long as you can handle burst- and single-fire weaponry, you'll be mowing down enemies in no time.
R-301 Carbine: Ol' faithful
For all the sci-fi inspiration found in Apex Legends and the Titanfall universe in general, the R-301 Carbine looks like a pretty unassuming gun. Its sleek design gives it a polished look. On the other hand, it definitely looks like the winner of the "most likely to fit in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" award.
Regardless, the R-301 makes a case as the most reliable, straightforward assault rifle in the game. It doesn't do as much damage as the Hemlok, but it makes up for it with its steady, automatic fire rate. When you hold down the trigger, this weapon is relentless. The option to control your automatic fire gives you better handling over the weapon's recoil.
At the end of the day, a fully decked out R-301 can get you very far into the game. With the right optics, the weapon provides you with a perfect mix of damage, range, and trigger control to have the edge in almost any situation.
Peacekeeper: Victory, lever-action style
The Peacekeeper features a futuristic barrel complimented by a classic lever-action mechanism. It's a weird but intriguing mix of the past and future, yet most players will likely remember this gun for its absurd damage output. The barrel fires 11 pellets, which come together to form a star shape. Each one deals ten damage, meaning a shot that lands square on the chest deals 110 damage. Two of those shots can down anyone, and that's not even factoring in headshot damage.
But this gun gets better. With the Precision Choke hop-up, you can aim down your sights to charge up the barrel. The longer you let it charge, the tighter the spread will be. This makes the Peacekeeper lethal at unexpected ranges, letting it rival even assault rifles in terms of damage drop off. However, unlike the Triple Take, the Peacekeeper doesn't need a hop-up to dominate the landscape of Apex Legends.
Wingman: Six shots are all you need
Pistols are some of the worst weapons in the game. You'd think this pistol would continue the trend, but instead, the Wingman soars above and beyond its brethren. This deadly revolver has led many people to victory, and for good reason.
Each shot chunks enemy health bars. Body shots dole out 45 damage, while headshots do 90. With the Skullpiercer hop-up, that damage bumps up to 101. Furthermore, this revolver's bullets go a long way, with nearly seven times more range than the other pistols. We wouldn't necessarily recommend sniping with it, but it's definitely up to the challenge.
Sure, six bullets in a chamber can be a little limiting, especially if you aren't the most accurate player. But with a little bit of practice (and maybe some extended mags), the Wingman could be one your best sidekicks in Kings Canyon.
Spitfire: It might as well spit fire
The M600 Spitfire has it all. High fire rate, great damage, no gimmicks, and plentiful ammo are some of the better qualities of this LMG. You don't need to rely on any hop-ups to make it competitive, and it doesn't have any ramp-up or delay times. You just pull the trigger. Each bullet deals 20 damage, and the gun fires at a deadly 540 RPM. While that's not as fast as the Devotion's top speed, the Spitfire doesn't need a second to really hit its stride.
When this monster is fully modded out, it can't be beat. With the recoil reduction of a good barrel and 60 bullets in a fully extended magazine, the Spitfire practically embodies the concept of suppressing fire. Is it useful in every situation? No. No gun has that level of versatility. But for your average engagement in Apex Legends, the Spitfire can't steer you wrong.