Tier list of Apex Legends weapons by type
We have already presented our tier list of season 12 weapons, regardless of type or ammunition. In this article, we present you with a tier list of weapons according to their type. Which is the best shotgun or the best machine gun? Find out more in this article.
Assault rifles
R-301 R-301: It's no surprise that the R-301 is in the S rank. It is currently one of the best weapons in the game and totally outperforms the other assault rifles. Very dominant in short and medium range combat, it has a high damage output that will quickly break down opponents. On top of that, it is relatively easy to use, whether you are a beginner or an experienced player.
VK-47 Flatline The VK-47 is without doubt the best assault rifle after the R-301. It is a very good weapon, with a high rate of fire and high damage. Be careful though, the recoil can be surprising and we advise you to take a tour of the training ground to learn how to control it.
Hemlok Burst AR The Hemlok is far from being a bad weapon, but if you have the opportunity to play with an R-301 or a VK-47 don't hesitate. If you choose the Hemlok, or if you have nothing else at hand, be aware that you will have to reload quite often. Indeed, the size of its magazine means that it can only hold a few bullets, which can quickly become a problem. Nevertheless, its damage is good and it remains effective at medium to long range.
Havoc : Unlike the other assault rifles, the Havoc is an energy weapon and is clearly not the brightest in the game, or even in its class as it sits at the bottom of this ranking. Its reload time is very long, which can quickly become a problem during a fight. Moreover, if you are not equipped with a turbo charger, the delay between the moment you pull the trigger and the moment the shot is fired is relatively high. Finally, its high recoil and high rate of fire make it complex to use. All in all, opt for other assault rifles or a Volt if you want to play with an energy weapon.
The machine guns
Spitfire The Spitfire is one of the most effective weapons in Season 12, but also one of the most difficult to find. Nevertheless, if you can get your hands on it, you can quickly dominate a game. Its damage is high and it has high accuracy at medium and long range, as well as low recoil. This makes it easy to handle and allows you to kill your opponents in no time. Be aware, however, that it has a slow loading time and a lower rate of fire than other automatic weapons.
L-Star If you decide to play the L-Star, don't be surprised by its lack of a magazine. In fact, it uses the ammunition in your backpack directly. It's a good weapon with high damage, but it will tend to overheat if you shoot continuously. Yes, sometimes you need a break! Not necessarily obvious when you're in the middle of a fight, and that's why it's important to equip a secondary weapon capable of taking over from the L-Star.
Rampage LMG : If you play with the Rampage and use it at long range, then you will see that the weapon is not bad, especially with its low recoil. However, it's clearly not the same at short range. Also, its DPS was nerfed at the beginning of Season 12, and coupled with its fairly slow rate of fire, this makes the Rampage an acceptable weapon but far from dominant.
Devotion : First of all, you can be impressed by the Devotion's rate of fire, which is unquestionably the fastest in the game if you manage to get it to its maximum speed. To do this, you simply need to equip yourself with a turbocharger, which will give you the opportunity to exploit its full potential and do some serious damage. However, the speed of acceleration of the shots is very slow which can cause problems during a fight. In addition, this weapon is very complex to handle and is penalized by a large recoil and a very slow reload time. It is therefore clearly not the best weapon to have on you to win a game.
Guns
Wingman : The Wingman is the most powerful gun in the game, so it's no surprise that it takes the top spot in this ranking. However, don't think that it will be easy to pick up, quite the contrary. If you want to play it, you will have to spend some time on the training ground. Indeed, although its damage is high, you will need to be very precise to be fully effective. Furthermore, its recoil is high and the speed of the projectiles is rather slow, which makes enemies more difficult to hit, hence the need to be precise.
RE-45 Auto : Far from being at the same level as the Wingman, the RE-45 is therefore in rank B. It's not bad, but it will be useful at the beginning of the game if you can't find anything else during your first loot phase. Although its rate of fire is high and its recoil is easy to control, its damage is still quite low, which is why it is important to find a replacement weapon quickly.
P2020 There's not much to say about the P2020, except that it's probably the weakest and most useless weapon in the game. So sure, it's still a firearm and it's better than nothing if you arrive in an area with little interesting loot. Nevertheless, we doubt you'll enjoy playing with this gun and finding another weapon will be your number one priority.
Shotguns
Peacekeeper : The Peacekeeper is the most powerful shotgun in Season 12 and if you can get your hands on a Precision Choke, equip it on your Peacekeeper and you'll get much better accuracy. It does a lot of damage and works very well with Gibraltar to hold a position in its protective dome. Be aware, however, that it has a high recoil, a slow rate of fire and a long loading time. It is therefore a very good weapon but not to be used by everyone.
EVA-8 : The EVA-8 is also a very good shotgun, especially appreciated by professional players. It has a high DPS and a high rate of fire, so it is a very good weapon to start a game with, although it is a little weaker than the Peacekeeper. Be careful though, you will incur a rate-of-fire penalty if you aim downwards.
Mastiff : For a long time the Mastiff was considered one of the best short-range weapons. This is no longer the case as its damage has been reduced and its rate of fire is still slow. Nevertheless, you can reload quickly. It is effective at close range, but its horizontal firing pattern can make it more complex to handle than other weapons.
Mozambique : Mozambique is roughly equivalent to a P2020. Both weapons are weak and relatively ineffective. Unless you are shooting at close range, the Mozambique is completely useless as it has the slowest projectile velocity in the game. Also, its DPS is low and you'll be lucky if you manage to kill someone with it.
Machine guns
Volt : Like the Spitfire and the R-301, the Volt is one of the best weapons of this season 12. With a very low recoil, this gun is easy to master and will be the ideal weapon for beginners. The Volt has the highest DPS in the game and the fastest reload time of all the guns, so don't hesitate to play it if you can get your hands on it.
Prowler : Like the Volt, the Prowler is particularly effective at short to medium range. Its DPS is high and its recoil is still easy to control for novice players. However, you will have a speed penalty if you aim downwards, as is already the case with other weapons.
R-99 : The R-99 is the weapon with the highest rate of fire in the game. So why isn't it S-rank? Well, this high rate of fire will require a lot of precision to play with. Indeed, this machine gun uses 20 bullets in a single shot. In short, if you are not accurate, you can quickly empty a magazine without hitting anything. Moreover, the weapon does the lowest damage in the game, so it can quickly become a problem if you don't hit your targets. It is still a very powerful weapon once you get the hang of it.
CAR SMG : The CAR SMG has the shortest Time to Kill (TTK) of any weapon in the game, making it a formidable machine gun. Although it is primarily played with heavy ammunition, it is versatile and can also be played with light ammunition. Its main drawback is that its recoil becomes much more complex to control as you fire it, and a short trip to the training ground will be necessary to learn how to control it.
Alternator : Although it is last in this ranking, the Alternator is still a B-ranked machine gun. It is very similar to the R-99, but has a lower rate of fire and a lower DPS. Its recoil is fairly easy to control and, like almost all weapons in its class, the Alternator will be easy for a beginner to master.
Precision rifles
Kraber : The Kraber dominates this season 12 and is probably the most powerful weapon available. A single well-placed shot will take out any Legend, no matter how well equipped they are or how far away you are from them. A body shot deals 145 damage and 435 if your target is hit in the head. The only drawback with the Kraber is that its reload time is particularly long. Furthermore, you cannot pick it up from the ground or from loot boxes. It's only available in the supply area and will therefore not be easy to find.
Loaded rifle Next to the Kraber, all the sniper rifles look much less effective, which is why the charge rifle is only positioned in row B. It is the only sweeping weapon in the game, which means that your shots will go precisely where you point your rifle. Its range is therefore infinite and its accuracy is 100%. Of course, there had to be some drawbacks to compensate. For example, the charge rifle has a fairly long reload time and the greater the distance, the less damage it will do. Also be aware that this weapon, although it uses sniper ammunition, shoots a light beam that is far from discreet and can easily reveal your position.
Longbow DMR : Although the Longbow is a sniper rifle, it is not that accurate, unlike the Kraber or the charge rifle. However, its bullets can pierce several enemies at once, which makes it formidable. It is also the sniper with the highest ammunition capacity and the best rate of fire, although the speed of its bullets remains slow. Finally, it has a high recoil, which means that a little practice is required to master it.
Sentinel : Last in the ranking, the Sentinel doesn't really stand out from the other weapons and won't particularly give you the opportunity to dominate a game. It certainly does good damage, but its high recoil and low rate of fire make it an uninteresting weapon to play, unlike the other snipers.
Long-range weapons
G7 Scout : The G7 Scout is the best long-range weapon. If you want to play with it, you must equip it with a scope, otherwise its efficiency will be considerably reduced. It is a medium to long range weapon, which can be equipped with a Double Tap Trigger from season 12. This hop-up allows it to fire two shots with each trigger pull and is almost indispensable if you want to do big damage.
Triple rifle : The Triple Rifle is a high damage weapon that can fire 3 projectiles horizontally, increasing your chances of hitting enemies. However, it is still much weaker than the G7 Scout, especially since its damage was nerfed at the beginning of Season 12. It is also the longest-range weapon with the slowest rate of fire, which does not make it a top weapon.
30-30 : The 30-30 is not a bad weapon, but its performance is nowhere near that of other long-range weapons. At close range, it is very quickly overtaken by shotguns and machine guns. On the other handIf you are using the gun at a longer distance, you will have a harder time hitting your enemies because of the slow speed of its bullets. Moreover, its reloading speed is also rather slow and its magazine rather small, so you will have to equip yourself with an extended heavy magazine. Despite this, its rate of fire is not bad and its recoil is low, making the 30-30 an acceptable weapon if you have nothing else on hand.
Bocek : The Bocek is the only bow in the game, so it has its own ammunition, which is obviously arrows. It can do a lot of damage, but you'll need to be very accurate to do so. The Bocek's shots are very quiet, but that is about the only advantage it has. Nevertheless, in the hands of an experienced player, it can be formidable. But it is clearly not accessible to everyone and, if not played properly, it will be useless.
This ranking remains subjective and was made following the analysis of several tier lists. It is however there to offer you some keys to start or improve your game, by choosing your weapons at best.
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