Our Apex Legends guns & weapons guide will walk you through all 23 weapons in Respawn’s phenomenal battle royale one by one, along with detailed stats and opinions, and even a tier list ranking all of the best guns within their respective classes. All up to date as of Season 5! Ain’t that swell?

Apex Legends guns (Season 5)

Below we’ll walk you through every weapon currently in the game, with an up-to-date Apex Legends weapons tier list so you know exactly what the best guns in the current meta are. Further down we also answer some frequently asked questions about how gunplay works in Apex.

Apex Legends weapon tier list – best guns in Season 5

Below I’ve created a handy table of our rankings of every gun in Apex Legends within their weapon class for Season 5. I’ve tried to take into account the power levels of each weapon as well as their dependency upon attachments. If you like, think of it as a measure of which gun I’d pick up at the beginning of a match without any attachments, bearing in mind the possibility of augmenting it with attachments later on.

Weapon class From best to worst Assault Rifles R-301 Carbine > Flatline > G7 Scout > Hemlok > Havoc SMGs Prowler > R-99 > Alternator LMGs Devotion > L-Star > Spitfire Shotguns Peacekeeper > Mastiff > EVA-8 > Mozambique Sniper Rifles Charge Rifle > Longbow > Sentinel > Kraber > Triple Take Pistols Wingman > P2020 > RE-45

And before you all go hatin’, bear in mind that just because I’ve ranked a certain gun as the worst in its category, doesn’t mean it’s a bad gun. Good? Good. Now, let’s get stuck into how we came about these rankings, by taking an in-depth look at every weapon’s stats and behaviours in turn.

Assault Rifles – Apex Legends guns & stats

Name R-301 Carbine VK-47 Flatline G7 Scout Hemlok Burst AR Havoc Ammo Light Heavy Light Heavy Energy Mag Size 18/20/25/28 20/25/28/30 10/15/18/20 18/24/27/30 32 Reload 2.40s/3.20s 2.40s/3.10s 2.40s/3.00s 2.40s/2.80s 3.20s/3.20s DPS 189 190 136 180 201.6 B/H/L DMG 14/28/10.5 19/38/14.25 34/68/30.6 22/44/16.5 18/36/13.5 Fire Rate 13.5 10 4 8.2 11.2 Att. Slots Barrel, Mag, Optic, Stock Mag, Optic, Stock Barrel, Mag, Optic, Stock, Hop-Up Barrel, Mag, Optic, Stock Optic, Stock, Hop-Up Modes Single, Auto Single, Auto Single Burst (3-shot), Single Auto Proj. Speed 29000 26000 31500 27500 30500 Draw Time 0.60s 0.60s 0.60s 0.60s 0.60s ADS Move 50% 50% 50% 50% 50%

R-301 Carbine



The R-301 Carbine is the best AR on offer and always has been, trading a bit of damage for a faster rate of fire and a much easier ride in general. Low recoil and a high bullet speed makes the Carbine excellent at most ranges (it can even be used to great effect at long range if you switch to single-shot mode) and with a good extended mag, barrel, and stock, it’s like there’s no recoil at all on this beautiful bastard of a gun.

VK-47 Flatline



The VK-47 Flatline’s consistently decent stats has always been marred somewhat by an unpleasantly high horizontal recoil, which has always prevented it from really taking the top spot from the ever-reliable Carbine. But in hands accustomed to its weighty kick, the Flatline can hold its own against pretty much any other weapon in a mid-to-close-range firefight.

G7 Scout



In case you haven’t played Apex Legends in a while: yes, the Scout is an Assault Rifle now. One of the stranger changes made at the start of Season 4 – but then the Scout has always been a strange weapon, occupying the nebulous space between AR and Sniper Rifle. On its own it’s a reliable and versatile weapon, but lacks the damage of the dedicated sniper rifles. The saving grace of the Scout is the ability to attach a Double Tap Trigger, which allows you to fire twice with each pull of the trigger. That makes for a massive damage boost, and if you can hit your shots your enemy is going to be in a world of hurt.

Hemlok



The Hemlok Burst AR is – you guessed it – a burst weapon, firing 3 bullets in extremely quick succession, which means if you’re accurate with them you can deal over 100 damage in the space of about 0.2 seconds. Many players prefer to use the single-shot mode of the Hemlok and click rapidly, but either way this punchy rifle has the ability to rip apart your enemies with its very high damage-per-shot, which equals the Havoc and exceeds that of most other automatic weapons in Apex Legends. The downside – and it’s a big one – is, quite simply, that it’s not automatic.

Havoc

With the removal of the Turbocharger for Season 4, the Havoc is without a doubt the most finnicky and least useful Assault Rifle in the game. Now, there’s no getting around the crippling wind-up time between pressing the trigger and the gun actually firing. When it finally gets firing it’s pretty powerful, as you can see from the stats above. But it’s a really tough gun to master, and there’s plenty of better options in my book. Or you can attach a Selectfire Receiver and use it as a tenth rate Charge Rifle with its charge-up beam shot, but honestly you’re better off picking up a good strong automatic weapon and then finding a proper sniper for long-range encounters.

SMGs – Apex Legends guns & stats

Name Prowler Burst PDW R-99 Alternator SMG Ammo Heavy Light Light Mag Size 20/25/30/35 20/22/24/27 19/22/25/27 Reload 2.00s/2.60s 1.80s/2.45s 1.90s/2.23s DPS 122.78 198 150 B/H/L DMG 15/22.5/12 11/16.5/8.8 15/22.5/12 Fire Rate 20 18 10 Att. Slots Mag, Optic, Stock, Hop-Up Barrel, Mag, Optic, Stock Barrel, Mag, Optic, Stock Modes Burst (5-shot) Auto Auto Proj. Speed 18000 21000 19500 Draw Time 0.35s 0.35s 0.35s ADS Move 86% 86% 86%

Prowler

This punchy burst SMG is… alright… until you manage to get your hands on an accompanying Selectfire Receiver Hop-Up attachment, after which it becomes one of Apex Legends’ most powerful weapons. Without this, it packs a punch with every 5-shot burst especially if you aim for the head/neck area, but you race through your ammo all the faster for it, and the overall reliability of the gun falls short compared to an R-99. But with the Selectfire, and a good Extended Mag, it’s probably my favourite weapon to take into the final circles.

R-99

Many players prefer the R-99 to the Prowler, and I completely understand where they’re coming from. It’s a fantastic weapon. Hard to control, but with such a blisteringly high fire rate that you can end most fights before they even begin. Unfortunately its high recoil and limited magazine size heightens its difficulty curve and inhibits its versatility, and a slight damage nerf in the Season 4 patch notes means I’d still pick a Prowler over an R-99. But needless to say, both SMGs are tremendously powerful close-range weapons.

Alternator

The Alternator has had higher ups and lower downs than most weapons in the Apex arsenal. It started off unable to hold a candle to either of its sibling SMGs, and then for a brief time became the best weapon in the game with the introduction of the utterly OP Disruptor Rounds. But they’re long gone, and the Alternator is back to being a substandard submachine gun that you’re unlikely to want to take very far beyond the early game.

LMGs – Apex Legends guns & stats

Name Devotion L-Star EMG M600 Spitfire Ammo Unique Energy Heavy Mag Size 54 N/A 35/40/45/55 Reload 2.80s/3.63s 3.26s/3.26s 2.80s/3.33s DPS 255 180 162 B/H/L DMG 17/34/12.75 18/36/14.4 18/36/14.4 Fire Rate 15 (at max) 10 9 Att. Slots N/A Optic, Stock Barrel, Mag, Optic, Stock Modes Auto (Wind-Up) Auto (Overheat) Auto Proj. Speed 33500 18000 27500 Draw Time 0.70s 0.70s 0.70s ADS Move 41% 41% 41%

Devotion

The Devotion’s stupendous fire rate and DPS has always made it one of the strongest guns in Apex Legends – and with Season 4 Respawn acknowledged this by promoting the Devotion to a crate-only weapon. With the removal of the Turbocharger from the game, the Devotion has been altered so that by default it behaves as it used to do with a Turbocharger. Its big drawbacks are still a strong recoil and a wind-up time before the Devotion’s fire rate reaches its maximum. But if you’re lucky enough to find one and skilled enough to land your shots, there’s not much that can match this shredder of an LMG.

L-Star EMG

The L-Star was released with Season 2: Battle Charge, and it’s a hell of a gun. A fast rate of fire and very high damage-per-shot puts its DPS nearly on par with a Devotion, but without the annoying warm-up period before firing. It’s also got a higher mag size and larger bullets, allowing you to hit your target slightly more easily with this powerhouse LMG. The downside to the L-Star is the inclusion of an overheating mechanic which locks you out of firing if you shoot too often in a short space of time. Feather the trigger to fire bursts of 8 or so at a time, and you’ll be able to melt players without having to worry about your gun suddenly failing on you. Season 4 saw fit to nerf the L-Star (as well as moving it out of the crate, effectively swapping places with the Devotion) with reduced damage and rate of fire, lessening the gun’s bite somewhat. But it’s still an LMG worth fearing in the hands of the enemy.

M600 Spitfire

The Spitfire, despite ranking lowest (by a tiny margin, I might add) in our tier list of LMGs, is a hell of a weapon. High base damage and the potential to have the largest magazine of any gun in Apex makes it a real force to be reckoned with. It bucks like a mule when you’re firing, so you should prioritize getting a good Barrel Stabilizer attachment as quickly as possible.

Snipers (Sniper Rifles) – Apex Legends guns & stats

Name Charge Rifle Longbow DMR Sentinel Kraber .50 CAL Triple Take Ammo Sniper Sniper Sniper Unique Sniper Mag Size 4 6/8/10/12 4/5/6/7 4 5/6/7/8 Reload 3.60s/3.60s 2.66s/3.66s 2.50s/3.60s 3.20s/4.30s 2.60s/3.40s DPS 31.5 71.5 70 145 86.25 B/H/L DMG 45/56/40.5

(+45 max) 55/115.5/44 70/63/140 145/297.25/116 23/46/20.7 Fire Rate 0.7 1.3 0.57 0.47 1.25 Att. Slots Optic, Stock Barrel, Mag, Optic, Stock, Hop-Up Mag, Optic, Stock None Mag, Optic, Stock, Hop-Up Modes Single (Beam) Single Single Single Single (3-shot spread) Proj. Speed Hitscan 30500 30500 29500 32000 Draw Time 0.60s 0.90s 0.90s 1.20s 0.90s ADS Move 36% 36% 36% 36% 36%

Charge Rifle

The Charge Rifle was introduced with Season 3 and the arrival of the new map – and it’s sickeningly strong. A world-drop energy-using sniper rifle with a hitscan beam shot that deals 3 damage every tick (to a maximum of 45 total damage) over half a second before dealing 45 additional damage with its final burst of power. It’s hilariously efficient, dealing (potentially) over 100 damage per shot of Energy ammo. It’s quick, easy to use, terrifying to come up against. And honestly, I’m quite surprised Season 5 hasn’t seen a nerf to this overpowered beam-sniper.

Longbow DMR

The Longbow is a big-boy Scout. A slower rate of fire but significantly higher damage allows you to demolish targets from a very safe distance as long as you’re accurate enough. There’s really not much more to say about this punchy rifle other than that it’s just as viable in Season 5 as it was before. This thing hurts.

Sentinel

The newest weapon to be added to the Apex weapons arsenal (Respawn really like their snipers, don’t they?), the Sentinel is a bolt-action weapon that deals the highest damage per single projectile of any weapon except the almighty Kraber. That’s the good news. And it is good, because if you manage to hit, your enemies are going to feel it even more than a Longbow shot. The bad news is its slow rate of fire (welcome to the world of bolt-actions), and – more importantly – the Sentinel’s unique ability to consume a Shield Battery to enter a temporary charged state where you deal bonus damage to shields… it’s just not worth it. The Sentinel already deals enough damage, that’s not the problem. The problem is its fire rate. And I’d rather use a Shield Battery on myself, thanks very much.

Kraber .50-CAL

One of three crate-only weapons in Apex Legends, the Kraber takes no attachments, and sports its own unique ammo – meaning you only get 8 shots, full stop. But it’s a phenomenally powerful bolt-action sniper with the ability to deal over 100 damage with a legshot, and 200 with a headshot. In essence, it’s a big-boy Sentinel. Unfortunately, its rarity and crippling fire rate brings down its overall power, and I would almost always keep my existing sniper rifle rather than switch over to a Kraber.

Triple Take



Again, don’t let the tier list fool you – I really like the Triple Take. Unique and versatile, it can be used to great effect at close range as a makeshift shotgun, and it’s a fantastic mid-range choice if you slap a 3x scope on it. Its three-shot spread makes longer-range shots more difficult – until you get a Precision Choke Hop-Up attachment for it, after which you can charge each shot up to reduce the spread dramatically. It’s still not ideal, because it slows down the rate of fire (even though the Choke tightening speed was increased with Season 2), and a Precision Choke should always go to a Peacekeeper first before a Triple Take. It’s just the unfortunate way of things that a gun can be as good as a Triple Take, and still be outshined by every other weapon in its category.

Shotguns – Apex Legends guns & stats

Name Peacekeeper Mastiff Shotgun EVA-8 Auto Mozambique Shotgun Ammo Unique Shells Shells Shells Mag Size 5 6 8 3 Reload 2.45s/3.35s 1.03s/1.70s 2.75s/3.00s 2.10s/2.60s DPS 122.22 104 126 99 B/H/L DMG 10/15/8

(110/165/88) 13/16.25/13

(104/130/104) 7/10/5.6

(63/90/50.4) 15/22/13.5

(45/66/40.5) Fire Rate 1.11 1 2 2.2 Att. Slots None Optic, Bolt Optic, Bolt, Hop-Up Optic, Bolt, Hop-Up Modes Single Single Auto Auto Proj. Speed 16000 12000 16000 10000 Draw Time 0.45s 0.45s 0.45s 0.45s ADS Move 91% 91% 91% 100%

Peacekeeper

The Peacekeeper has always been one of the best weapons in Apex. Fantastic damage in a large spread pattern, a Hop Up which dramatically increases its effective range, amazingly ammo-efficient… And now, Respawn have done the sensible thing and swapped the Peacekeeper with the Mastiff, so now you can only get your hands on this uber-powerful close-range shredder by snatching it from a care package. Now with its Precision Choke functionality built into the weapon by default, you can deal high damage from ludicrous ranges with this gun.

Mastiff



With Season 5, the venerable Mastiff received its first true meta shift. Now no longer a crate-only weapon, this close-quarters shotgun is nothing like as powerful as it used to be – but thanks to the dominance of shotguns in close-quarters fights in Apex Legends, it’s still a worthy pickup in any match, as long as your other weapon makes up for the Mastiff’s short range.

EVA-8 Auto



Probably the most forgiving shotgun in Apex Legends, a startlingly fast rate of fire is what sets the EVA-8 Auto apart from the rest. Its damage per shot can’t compete with that of the Peacekeeper or the Mastiff, but the EVA’s flexibility allows you to get in more shots than your opponent, often winning you the fight. And if you’re fortunate enough to equip it with a Double Tap Trigger, the EVA-8 can absolutely shred opponents. In certain circumstances, it might even outperform a Peacekeeper.

Mozambique

A similar story to the Alternator here – the lowly old Mozambique has had some serious ups and downs over the past year. Starting off as the clear-cut worst weapon in Apex, its viability was finally increased into positive figures with the introduction of the Hammerpoint Rounds Hop Up, which gives the shotgun-pistol significant bonus damage against unarmoured enemies. But still, if you think a Mozambique is ever going to be as strong as the other three in this category, you’re a very special kind of crazy.

Pistols – Apex Legends guns & stats

Name Wingman P2020 RE 45 Auto Ammo Heavy Light Light Mag Size 5/6/7/8 10/13/15/18 16/19/22/25 Reload 2.10s/2.10s 1.25s/1.25s 1.74s/2.12s DPS 117 110.5 143 B/H/L DMG 45/90/40.5 13/19.5/11.7 11/16/9.9 Fire Rate 2.6 8.5 13 Att. Slots Mag, Optic, Hop-Up Mag, Optic, Hop-Up Barrel, Mag, Optic Modes Single Single Auto Proj. Speed 18000 18500 19500 Draw Time 0.25s 0.25s 0.25s ADS Move 100% 100% 95%

Wingman

The Wingman used to be the clear-cut most powerful weapon in Apex Legends, alongside the Peacekeeper. Now both have been nerfed enough to bring them more or less back in line with the rest of the arsenal – but the Wingman still packs a hell of a punch. This formidable Hand Cannon deals sniper rifle damage with each shot; its only real drawback (and it’s a big one, by necessity) is its very limited magazine size, making an Extended Mag absolutely essential for Wingman users.

P2020



The P2020 used to occupy the very lowest portion of the Apex Legends weapons power curve alongside the Mozambique, but now both weapons have risen from the ashes thanks to the Hammerpoint Rounds Hop-Up, which dramatically increases the gun’s damage against unshielded targets. The P2020’s downfall was always pitifully low damage, but with Hammerpoint Rounds it’s nothing like as useless as it once was. It’s still no Wingman, but it can certainly hold its own in the early-game (and perhaps even the mid-game).

RE-45 Auto

The RE-45 can be thought of as a mini R-99. Very fast-firing, but low damage-per-shot and a very low mag size for an automatic weapon. As with the Alternator, it enjoyed its Season in the sun thanks to the enormously powerful Disruptor Rounds Hop Up, but now that Hop Up is no longer present, and the RE-45 has been relegated back down to the lower rungs of the Apex weapons tier list.

Apex Legends weapons – frequently asked questions

Weapons and bullets in Apex Legends work a little differently from other battle royale games such as PUBG and Fortnite. I know lots of people are going to be asking the below questions, so I’ll just go through them quickly now:

Are any of the guns hitscan? – Just the Havoc and Charge Rifle beams. All other projectiles have travel time.

Just the Havoc and Charge Rifle beams. All other projectiles have travel time. Is there bullet drop? – Yes. The amount of drop is based on the bullet speed of each weapon.

Yes. The amount of drop is based on the bullet speed of each weapon. Is there damage drop-off? – Just the Havoc and Charge Rifle beams. However, there is a different max headshot range for each weapon, beyond which a headshot will no longer deal bonus headshot damage.

Just the Havoc and Charge Rifle beams. However, there is a different max headshot range for each weapon, beyond which a headshot will no longer deal bonus headshot damage. Does each gun have a predictable spray pattern? – Yes. Spend time learning the spray patterns of each gun in the Firing Range, it’ll seriously help you in fights.

Yes. Spend time learning the spray patterns of each gun in the Firing Range, it’ll seriously help you in fights. Is there aim drift? – Yes. There’s a brief moment of stillness when first ADSing, after which you’ll start to drift. Equipping Stock attachments minimizes aim drift. For more info, check out our Apex Legends attachments guide.

Yes. There’s a brief moment of stillness when first ADSing, after which you’ll start to drift. Equipping Stock attachments minimizes aim drift. For more info, check out our Apex Legends attachments guide. Do different guns reduce movement in different ways? – Yes, but only while ADSing. Without ADSing your gun has no bearing on your run speed. But when ADSing, your movement will be reduced based on the class of gun you’re holding.

Yes, but only while ADSing. Without ADSing your gun has no bearing on your run speed. But when ADSing, your movement will be reduced based on the class of gun you’re holding. Does taking damage slow you down? – Yes. Taking damage from any weapon (not just a Heavy Rounds weapon, which many players seem to believe is the case) will cause a brief slowdown. But Legends with the “Fortified” Passive (Gibraltar and Caustic) are immune to this slowdown.

Apex Legends weapons – individual guides

If you’re more interested in getting into the nitty-gritty for a specific weapon such as the R-301 Carbine, the Peacekeeper, or the Sentinel, then just click on any of the links below to head over to our individual weapon guides. These pages go into much more detail about individual stats for each weapon, from damage per second (DPS) and fire rate to the time-to-kill (TTK) against enemies wearing different levels of armour and helmets.

Hopefully this has given you an idea of what to expect no matter what weapon you pick up in your next Apex Legends match of Season 5. But that’s not all we have to offer! Check out our Apex Legends loadouts guide for high-level tips and strategies on putting together the perfect combination of weapons to handle your every need.