Respawn’s Apex Legends is off to a great start, amassing millions of players in its first week available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. And that’s for good reason. The team-oriented battle royale has one of the more interesting loops we’ve seen in the genre because of its ping system and varied hero list. It’s easily one of the best free-to-play games around. Like most battle royale games, though, you put yourself in a position to win based on the weapons you have.
The best guns in Apex Legends
In Apex Legends, you have to scavenge for all of your gear, as you start out with nothing but an empty backpack. You can carry two guns at one time, but if you stay alive through multiple phases, you’re likely to come across many, many more. That means you have a decision to make about the weapons you bring into battle. To help, we’ve put together a guide detailing each of the guns currently available in Apex Legends and offer our recommendations within each gun class.
Pistols
Apex Legends currently has three pistols. Generally, pistols are available in excess and they’re often the first weapon you’ll find when you drop. Obviously, you’ll want to pick them up when you don’t have any other weapons, but they’re typically the first to be replaced when finding a different class of weapon.
That said, the Wingman is quite a bit more powerful than the other two. The Wingman uses heavy ammo and deals a whopping 45 damage with each body shot and double that if you strike the head. It’s not the easiest gun to use because if it’s slow, deliberate firing, but if you attach an Optic scope you can have an easier time with it.
The Mozambique, meanwhile, fires shotgun shells, meaning it only works up close and only has a three-round magazine by default. Again, it deals 45 damage with body shots. So if you land three shots on an opponent, you can drop them in a hurry.
Apex Legends‘ more conventional pistols, the RE-45 and P2020, carry more ammunition per magazine but do measly damage (less than 20 even if you get a headshot). Unlike the Mozambique and Wingman, you’ll most certainly want to swap the RE-45 and P2020 once you find a long gun.
SMGs
There are three submachine guns to be found, and one of them you should pay particular attention to. The Prowler Burst PDW is technically an SMG but it also doesn’t spray as wildly as the other two, making it better for longer ranges. The PDW deals the most damage of the SMGs (thanks to heavy ammo) and can be fitted with scopes and extended mags. Each trigger pull shoots five rounds. With a steady hand, you can take down enemies really quick with the PDW.
The other two SMGs, the Alternator and R-99, are more equipped for mid to short range encounters. Both boast a fast rate of fire and adequate damage. But neither will take down an opponent with a single clip unless you have great aim. The main benefit of the Alternator and R-99 is that they use light ammo, which is the most easily found type of bullets in Apex Legends.
LMGs
Apex Legends currently has two light machine guns. If you’re deciding between LMGs or SMGs, we recommend going with either LMG due to the hefty magazines and increased damage. Our favorite is Devotion, which also happened to be one of the best guns in Titanfall 2. Devotion has a huge 44-round magazine that empties quicker the longer you hold the trigger. It uses energy ammo, which can be hard to find.
The M600 Spitfire actually does more damage per bullet than Devotion and is easier to handle. The Spitfire fires slower, though. You can’t go wrong with either LMG but we prefer the Devotion overall.
Assault Rifles
You’ll encounter three different assault rifles in Kings Canyon. You can’t really go wrong with any of them, but our personal favorite so far is the VK-47 Flatline. It uses heavy rounds and has a 20-round magazine. Like other rifles and machine guns, it helps to get an extended magazine and attach a scope for accuracy. It’s fully automatic, so it’s great for shooting at both moving and stagnant targets.
The R-301 Carbine uses light rounds and isn’t as powerful as the other two assault rifles, but it is highly accurate and easy to use. The Hemlok Burst AR is the most powerful assault rifle you can find. With a burst firing pattern, the Hemlok shoots three rounds in quick succession. Some might prefer the Hemlok over the Flatline, especially if you have great aim.
Shotguns
There are four shotguns in Kings Canyon. All of the shotguns, by nature, are meant for close quarters combat, so you should always have a weapon for mid to long range firing to complement the shotgun.
The Mastiff, though limited in quantity, is by far the most powerful shotgun in the game. If you run into a player close range with the Mastiff, you can take them down in one deadly boom. It only holds four rounds but if you’re close enough to your target, this doesn’t really matter at all — you won’t need all of them.
The Peacekeeper is the mid-tier shotgun that has a wide spray with each trigger pull. It deals a ton of damage as well, but not as much as the Mastiff. Still, the six rounds it holds in its chamber are more than enough to take down even heavily shielded enemies from up close.
The EVA-8 Auto fires faster than the other two shotguns but deals about half as much damage per shot as the Peacekeeper. You’ll want to swap it out for the Peacekeeper or Mastiff if you find them. That said, you can still do plenty of damage with eight rounds before having to reload.
The Mozambique, meanwhile, only has a three-round magazine by default. It’s the least powerful shotgun, but it’s quicker and easier to use than the others due to it being modeled more like a pistol.
Sniper Rifles
There are four sniper rifles in Apex Legends, and your success with each one largely relies on how good you are at picking enemies off at long range. No matter which sniper rifle you use, they are the best weapons for long range combat. So if you find yourself camping in the bushes or atop buildings frequently, having a sniper rifle, especially with a zoom-capable sight, can really come in handy.
The best sniper rifle, the Kraber .50 CAL, is second to only the Mastiff in headshot damage. Less accurate body shots can also take down enemies with just a few hits. The reason why the Kraber .50 CAL is the best, besides the damage, is that what you see is what you get.
Unlike the other snipers, you don’t need to pick up attachable scopes. It already has a sight attached that lets you zoom up to 10x. The only downside of the Kraber is that it only holds a max of eight rounds. Accuracy is key.
Since the Kraber is hard to find, you shouldn’t discount the other three snipers. The Triple Take is sort of like a burst rifle. It fires three shots with one pull, which significantly ups its damage if all three energy ammo bullets hit.
The other two sniper rifles are similar to one another. The Longbow DMR and G7 Scout are easier to find, with the DMR being the better of the two. The Longbow DMR uses heavy ammo and has a decent rate of fire and damage. The G7 Scout is about half as powerful as the Longbow, but it uses the easy to find light ammo and holds more rounds.
For beginners and those who aren’t super accurate, the G7 Scout is probably the better option. Once you start getting on target, though, you’ll want to swap the G7 for the Longbow all day.
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