The best weapons in Apex Legends

There are a tremendous amount of weapons in Apex Legends, making it one of the most difficult to find the weapon that is the absolute best. Would you prefer to use a sniper? Or maybe an assault rifle? Because there are so many choices and combinations of weapons, narrowing down what will work best for your play style can prove to be tricky.

To narrow down the scope of weapons, we have cataloged and categorized every weapon in the game. This way, you’ll be able to tell which weapon works best for you and what weapon would work best for different situations.

Further reading

• Apex Legends character guide: Classes, abilities, and tier list
• Everything you need to know about Apex Legends season 5
• Apex Legends tips and tricks

Before getting into it, here’s a quick key to understanding the stats that accompany each weapon:

• Ammo: the type of ammo used
• Mag: the mag size for the base weapon
• Reload: the time it takes to reload
• DPS: the damage per second on body shots
• B/H/L: single-shot damage to body, head, and legs
• Fire rate: the number of rounds fired per second
• Modes: the different fire modes the weapon supports

Assault rifles

Assault rifles are what you should look out for first. They’re highly flexible, decent in both long-range and close-quarters encounters, and can pile on damage quickly. All rifles in the game have a draw time of 0.6 seconds and a movement speed of 50%.

1. R-301 Carbine

The R-301 has been the go-to assault rifle in Apex Legends since launch, and after every update the game has seen, it’s still the best option. Outside of a slight boost in Season 3, the weapon has remained unchanged, which is a good thing. It fires fast, has little recoil, and can be outfitted with a slew of attachments.

2. Hemlock

The Hemlock is the bigger, badder version of the R-301. It’s not as agile but makes up for it when it comes to damage. You’re looking at nearly twice the damage as the R-301 with the same mag size. That said, it isn’t full auto, which makes the overall fire rate lower.

3. Flatline

The VK-47 Flatline, when used correctly, can be a very powerful weapon. The damage is better than the R-301 and it features a full auto mode. It suffers from intense recoil, though, so make sure to switch over to single-shot mode if you need to pick off an enemy at range.

4. G7 Scout

The G7 Scout is a serviceable early game weapon, but it quickly becomes outclassed. With a small mag size and single-shot fire rate, the G7 simply plays the role of a bad sniper rifle. That said, it has the highest damage out of any assault rifle, so consider picking one up if you want to snap off a few headshots.

5. Havoc

Respawn removed the Turbocharger hop-up in Season 4, making the Havoc significantly worse. It’s a great weapon that piles on damage, but without a way to circumvent the long wind-up time, it’s fairly useless. Unless you fancy waiting a few seconds before sending your bullets out, stick with another assault rifle.

SMGs

SMGs are more agile than assault rifles, with a short draw time of 0.35 seconds and a minor movement penalty of 14%. That said, they don’t deal nearly as much damage.

1. R-99

A quick look at the stats shows how powerful the R-99 is. Although each bullet deals little damage, the extra-fast fire rate means you can take down a foe quickly. Still, it has a limited magazine size and high recoil rate, so it’s best used in short bursts.

2. Prowler

The Prowler deals more damage than the R-99 but at a slower rate. Five-shot burst fire means that this weapon deals significantly less damage per second. If you can get your hands on a Selectfire hop-up, though, you can fire in full auto, making it the best SMG in the game.

3. Alternator

For a brief while in season 3, the Alternator wasn’t just the best SMG, but one of the best weapons in the game. Disruptor Rounds multiplied the damage by 1.55, making the slow fire rate much more acceptable. That hop-up has since been removed, though, leaving the Alternator in dead last for SMGs.

LMGs

LMGs are slow and clunky, but they can wipe out enemy teams in a matter of seconds. Every LMG in Apex Legends has a draw time of 0.7 seconds and a movement penalty of 59%, though, so it’s best to keep your feet planted while using one.

1. Devotion

The Devotion has long been an excellent LMG, so much so that Respawn moved it to a crate-only status in Season 4. Now, you can only find the weapon in a crate with its own special ammo, meaning the gun is only good for as long as the mag lasts. However, it’s also equipped with the Turbocharger, so you don’t have to deal with the wind-up time.

2. L-Star

The L-Star is an energy weapon without a set mag size. Rather, it fires an energy beam at opponents that will eventually overheat the gun. It’s best used in short bursts, dealing some serious damage to the body or head. Don’t go too far, though, or you’ll have to deal with the L-Star’s lengthy reload time.

3. Spitfire

Without the Devotion being a standard drop, the Spitfire is a much better weapon. Although the L-Star is still better, the Spitfire can spit out some damage quickly. It deals the same amount of damage as the L-Star, though the slightly slower fire rate means the overall DPS is lower.

Shotguns

In close-quarters encounters, there’s nothing like a shotgun. The draw time isn’t bad at 0.45 seconds, and the movement penalty of 9% is basically nonexistent. You’ll want to make sure each pellet hits, however. That’s where shotguns shine. As a note, our B/H/L numbers below are for a single pellet, so multiple the number by 8 to find the full damage for any particular gun.

1. Mastiff

Another crate-only gun, the Mastiff is an insane shotgun. Dealing nearly twice as much damage as the Peacekeeper, the Mastiff can mow down enemies at close range. The Mastiff is especially effective in the close quarters of the late game, able to take out an enemy with a single well-placed shot.

2. Peacekeeper

For standard drops, it doesn’t get better than the Peacekeeper. A fan-favorite since the launch of Apex Legends, the Peacekeeper is still a great weapon in season 4, able to take down an enemy at close range while whittling down health at medium range. Ignoring crate drops, the Peacekeeper should be the shotgun you aim for.

3. EVA-8

The EVA-8 doesn’t pack a lot of damage per shot, but it’s fully automatic. Sticking the barrel in an opponent’s chest and emptying the mag is the best use case for this gun, allowing you to work your way through high-tier loot areas with ease. Keep the high recoil in mind, though.

4. Mozambique

It’s often crowned as the worst weapon in the game, so you should only use the Mozambique as a last resort. The damage is decent, and we like that the weapon is full auto, but a limited mag size means it’s hard to deal damage quickly. If you pick it up, make sure to keep an eye out for Hammerpoint Rounds to deal extra damage to unshielded targets.

Sniper rifles

Sniper rifles are best for players who want to spend some time in an area before moving on. With a draw time of anywhere between 0.6 seconds up to 1.2 seconds and a movement penalty of 64%, sniper rifles are slow. With how much damage each shot deals, though, that hardly matters.

1. Kraber

The last crate-only weapon, the Kraber .50 Cal deals the most single-shot damage out of any weapon in the game. Even a leg shot is enough to take down an unshielded enemy, while a headshot can deal with the toughest armor in the game. You only get a few shots with the Kraber, though, so use them wisely.

2. Sentinel

The Sentinel is the newest weapon in Apex Legends, and although the new characters aren’t too great, this gun is. A headshot can deal with most enemies in a single blow, and it better, as the bolt-action nature of the Sentinel means you won’t be firing rounds quickly. If you’re going up against a heavily shielded opponent, the Sentinel can consume one of your Shield Batteries to charge up, destroying armor in a single shot.

3. Charge Rifle

The Charge Rifle doesn’t deal a lot of damage per shot but makes up for it with an incredibly powerful charge shot that can deal an extra 45 damage when fully charged. If your aim is solid, the Charge Rifle is even better than the Sentinel. The Sentinel is more forgiving when it some to single shots, though, and doesn’t require a charge-up time.

4. Longbow

The Longbow is a straight-up powerful weapon, pulling no punches when it comes to extra abilities. It’s a highly versatile gun that’s as good in medium-range encounters as it is in long ones. With high head damage and a forgiving mag size, the Longbow stretches the skills of the player holding it, so if you’re up for the task, it’s a great sniper rifle.

5. Triple Take

The Triple Take tries to be a shotgun and sniper rifle, and plays both roles poorly. Shooting three rounds out when trying to pick off enemies at long range is a joke, and in close-quarters situations, the Triple Take becomes unwieldy quickly. It’s not a bad gun, with solid damage across the three shots and a large mag, just not a particularly good one.

Pistols

Pistols are best in the early game, allowing you to move around quickly with no movement penalty and a draw time of 0.25 seconds. They quickly become outclassed, though, so be on the look out for more powerful weapons.

1. Wingman

The Wingman is an honorary shotgun, though its technical title is a pistol. It deals massive damage with each shot. Sure, the mag size is limited, and the recoil is high. But with how much damage each shot deals, that hardly matters. A pistol is usually handier in a sidearm slot. But we’d be comfortable going into battle with a Wingman as our main.

2. P2020

It may be a basic handgun, but the P2020 is only slightly better than the Mozambique, which isn’t saying much. The P2020 has rapid-fire capabilities, but rounds are puny and ineffective. This handgun should never be your primary weapon once you move past the first level of the game, but you can keep it on hand as you advance for extra ammo.  If your main weapon runs out of ammo, you can also use this as a last resort to kill the enemy. However, once you start facing opponents with more powerful weapons and upgrades, you need to find something far more potent to be competitive. When up against larger, higher-quality guns, the P2020 doesn’t stand a chance.

3. RE-45

Though it is technically a fully automatic handgun, the RE-45 functions much like a tiny SMG. It is fitted with both fast firing speeds and automatic firing. The RE-45 utilizes the highest capacity magazine of all of the pistols, but it is too small to be competitive against true SMGs. Don’t be fooled by pro specs and high-quality feel this weapon has because when you use it during gameplay you’ll see it doesn’t measure up. The stats argue that it may feel like a good weapon, but it is not ideal for gameplay. The RE-45 does not deal a lot of damage, even with a straight headshot. It is a good sidearm to utilize throughout many modes of the game.

While a lot of players choose weapons on Apex Legends according to the level they find themselves in, knowing the features each weapon offers will give you a better advantage. Sometimes a quick change can make the biggest difference in a game. You may choose to utilize specific guns in specific scenarios if you are an avid player. With our cheat sheet on the best Apex Legends weapons, you can determine the best courses of action to take when you feel cornered by an enemy.