Every new season of Apex Legends brings new changes to the game’s weapons. As usual, some guns are going into the care package, but this time around some guns are even leaving the ground loot pool altogether.
On top of all that, Respawn (the game’s developers) has made a couple of tweaks to weapon damage, nerfing a couple of guns while buffing those heading into the care package. Considering that — 12 seasons in — Apex Legends is home to an insane number of guns, new players might not be sure where to start. Here are the best weapons to use in Apex’s twelfth season Defiance.
10 Mozambique (With Hammerpoints)
Long mocked by the Apex community as one of the worst guns (even becoming a legendary April Fool’s joke in-game), the Mozambique is back with a vengeance this season — when players have the Hammerpoint Rounds hop-up, that is. Normally only dealing 45 damage per perfectly placed body shot, Hammerpoints brings that up to 60 damage against unarmored opponents.
While the Mozambique becomes pretty much useless at the intermediate-to-long range, its hopped-up version is a deadly close-quarters beast, especially during the early game. Just don’t run this as your primary weapon; it’s best to use the Mozambique to finish off enemies after emptying your primary weapon's magazine.
9 Hemlock
It’s hard to go wrong with most assault rifles, and the Hemlock is no exception. While it’s a bit bulky while aiming down sights (ADSing), the Hemlock hits hard with its 3-round bursts. The burst — which hits for a maximum of 60 damage on body shots and 96 on headshots — is absolutely savage at close ranges.
When enemies are a bit further away, switching the Hemlock to single-fire mode proves extremely effective. It’s an accurate rifle when equipped with a powerful scope, and players can fire the gun as quickly as they can hit the fire button. Despite a previous nerf in 2021, the Hemlock is still kicking ass and taking names in 2022.
8 Rampage LMG
After many complaints about it being OP, the Rampage LMG got a damage nerf halfway through Season 11. Despite this, it’s still in top form. A quick look at its damage profile reveals a nerf in name only. While Respawn reduced the LMG’s base damage from 28 to 26, it still takes exactly the same number of body shots to down an opponent — even with red armor. What this means is, in a 1v1, nothing has changed: the Rampage still shreds.
To take full advantage of the slow-firing but consistent Rampage, players should ensure they pick up a thermite grenade or two. Loading a thermite into the Rampage will get it revved up, drastically increasing its rate of fire.
7 M600 Spitfire
A direct competitor to the Rampage LMG, the Spitfire — currently a care package weapon — has its own niche compared to its younger brother. While it hits for significantly less per shot compared to the Rampage, its 19 damage body shots place it ahead of the Flatline in damage-per-shot, and its higher rate of fire over the Rampage means its DPS is far higher, too.
Combine all of this with an astounding 55 bullets per magazine (63 if you’re playing as Rampart), and the Spitfire is a force to be reckoned with. If your aim is on point, players can wipe an entire squad without reloading. Deadly in the hands of the pros and forgiving in the hands of a noob, the Spitfire is an all-around beast.
6 Peacekeeper
A long-time favorite of streamers and professional players alike, the Peacekeeper has changed several times over the years. Despite those changes, it still hits like a truck thanks to its built-in Precision Choke. When ADSing, the Peacekeeper virtually becomes a rifle, increasing its effective range drastically. Hitting opponents for a whopping maximum of 99 damage, the Peacekeeper can be a 2-shot kill against blue-armored enemies — even downing red-armored foes with a mere 2 headshots.
Season 12 brings a new hop-up to the Peacekeeper as well: the Kinetic Feeder reloads the shotgun while players are sliding. While this is a niche attachment — only really effective when sliding over long distances — it’s a nice little bonus to an already powerful weapon.
5 C.A.R. SMG
The newest weapon in Apex, the C.A.R. SMG is basically an R-99 that also takes heavy ammo. Just like the R-99, its movement penalty while ADSing is a mere -15%, making it an excellent choice for getting up close and personal while remaining hard-to-hit.
While its rate of fire is just a tad slower than its light ammo cousin (930 compared to 1080 rounds per minute), the C.A.R.’s base damage — 13 per bullet — beats the R-99’s 11, which means players can down their enemies in slightly fewer shots.
4 Wingman
The sniper rifle of pistols, the Wingman seems to either hit extremely hard or not at all. In the hands of a new player, it’s likely to get its wielder killed — but for those who have mastered the Wingman, it’s a deadly piece of machinery. Two headshots will down a freshly spawned opponent, and three headshots can down even red-armored enemies.
And since the gun has no movement penalty when ADSing, the Wingman keeps legends mobile and harder to hit. Throw a 2x Bruiser sight on it, and it can even be effective at long ranges, so long as the player’s aim is up for the challenge.
3 VK-47 Flatline
Getting a damage nerf for the first time since launch, the VK-47 Flatline is down but not out. With each body shot dropping from 19 to 18 damage, the Flatline now takes one extra bullet to down a purple or red-armored opponent with body shots only. But considering there are 30 bullets in a purple magazine, players should still be able to one-clip enemies.
While the Flatline is weaker on paper, the skill of the player remains more important, especially considering the Flatline needs good recoil control to be truly effective. Since the Flatline is no longer in the ground loot pool, players will be able to craft it at a Replicator for 30 easily obtained crafting materials, making the Flatline an even more reliable choice.
2 R-301
The R-301 has been S-Tier since the launch of Apex Legends. It’s an incredibly versatile weapon to use, as it’s effective at pretty much all ranges other than the longest across-the-map shots. The R-301 is one of the best-balanced guns in the game: after all, it has never had a base damage nerf or buff after three years in the game.
As an added bonus, the R-301 takes every type of sight other than sniper optics, making it customizable to suit anyone’s tastes. Easy to pick up but rewarding to master, this carbine likely isn’t leaving the top of anyone’s Apex tier list any time soon. And if the god-like Anvil Receiver hop-up ever comes back, players had better beware the sound of an approaching 301.
1 Volt SMG
The Volt arrived with a bang when it first appeared in Season 6, providing an Energy ammo alternative to the all-powerful R-99. While the R-99 still has a higher rate of fire than the Volt, the Volt has now entered the care package, and with that move comes a buff.
The Volt already hit harder than the R-99, but its base damage has increased in Season 12 from 15 to 17 damage, transforming this already deadly weapon into an absolute unit. With DPS like this, players don’t even need to worry about the occasionally questionable game audio.
Apex Legends is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch, and is coming soon to Mobile.
