Season 12 of Apex Legends is well-underway, and players are busy trying out Mad Maggie and her shotgun-focused kit. Season 12 does not feature any shiny new weapons to try out, but it does feature some balance changes to existing weapons, as well as some changes to Olympus that will allow different weapons to shine in the modified floating city. As with the start of every season, it's time to gauge where the weapons lie on the weapon tier list for Season 12.
As always with the Apex Legends weapon tier lists, weapons are placed into their tiers based on performance without attachments or hop-ups. Once they are in their tiers, the tiers are then sorted alphabetically.
S-Tier
C.A.R - The C.A.R SMG is one of the most versatile weapons in Apex Legends thanks to the unique ability for this weapon to use either Light or Heavy ammo, as well as either Light or Heavy magazine attachments. It features an incredibly short TTK compared to other weapons, and is all-around great for burst-DPS. The recoil can be a bit of a pain to control at times, especially when reaching the end of a magazine, but it's hard to argue that it ruins the C.A.R's power by any stretch of the imagination. The C.A.R is easily one of the top weapons in the game, so long as the fighting stays in relatively close-range.
Kraber - The Kraber has the highest single-shot damage of any weapon in Apex Legends. While it has a dreadfully low ammo capacity being a care package weapon, it can take down any character in the game, except for Gibraltar behind his arm shield, regardless of helmet tier. Because of this, it is hard to not put the Kraber in S-Tier. The only drawback to the Kraber, outside of the limited ammo, is that most of the animations for the Kraber are painfully slow, including reload and rechambering. The bullet drop for the Kraber is aggressive, so it takes some practice getting used to, but in the right hands it can turn the tides of a combat engagement.
Peacekeeper - Much like how the Triple Take is a sniper that doubles as a shotgun, the Peacekeeper is a shotgun that doubles as a sniper. The Peacekeeper features the Precision Choke feature, which allows players to aim down sights to condense the spread of the pellets for more concentrated damage, that hits like a truck from a surprising range. The spread of the Peacekeeper is easy to understand and allows for high burst damage. It's easily the strongest shotgun in Apex Legends, especially since it transcends across two different gun archetypes at once.
Prowler - This Heavy SMG is unique in the sense that it features a 5-round burst which should not be underestimated. This 5-round burst fires faster than the R-99, which is the fastest full-auto weapon in the game. The recoil is easy to control, and the damage is solid overall. Even when firing from the hip, the Prowler maintains remarkable accuracy, allowing players to use it well even without aiming down sights. It's a phenomenal weapon that many players overlook since the removal of the Selectfire Receiver.
R-99 - This Light SMG is infamous in Apex Legends. It can function as a bullet hose, pouring rounds out quickly, and it also features a quick reload to help keep the action going. There are two things that users of the R-99 need to be careful of: missing shots and heavy recoil. If players can aim well with this weapon, and they can get a hang of the strong recoil, the R-99 is nearly impossible to compete against.
Volt - The Volt is essentially the energy counterpart to the R-99, featuring an incredibly fast rate of fire, and a quick time-to-kill assuming the user can hit most of their shots. While it is in the care package, it features low ammo reserves which players can burn through quickly if not careful. However, the Volt features low bullet drop (as it is an Energy weapon), high reload speed, and great performance both close and at range in the right hands. It's no surprise it consistently ranks at the top of Apex Legends tier lists.
A-Tier
EVA-8 - The EVA is a reliable, powerful, full-auto shotgun that can be devastating to opponents in close-range. It is one of the best secondary weapons in the game, with little downside outside of its poor performance at range, which comes with the territory being a shotgun. The spread for the EVA does not change much when aiming down sights unlike most other shotguns in the game, but the pattern is generally consistent at dealing solid damage across the body and head to targets within decent range.
Flatline - When it comes to reliable weapons, there are few more reliable than the Flatline. This Heavy assault rifle features strong damage and close-to-mid range, a solid magazine size, and a recoil that can be controlled once players get used to it. While it cannot take barrel attachments to make it more stable, the Flatline deals solid damage to make up for the loss of recoil control. It is hard not to recommend the Flatline to those looking for a good, work-horse weapon. The wide range-of-use for the weapon makes it great for maps with both close and long-range engagements like Kings Canyon.
Hemlok - The Hemlok is a three-round burst assault rifle that can be toggled between burst-fire and single-fire at any given time. This flexibility allows it to perform incredibly well at medium-to-long ranges to compete with weapons like the Scout, 30-30, and even some snipers if the player can hit shots reliably. The only drawback to the Hemlok is that it tends to be overshadowed at close-range by full-auto weapons, though if players can pull the trigger fast enough, then it may still be a contender there, too.
R-301 - The R-301 is the Light Ammo counterpart to the Flatline, and it features a more stable recoil at the cost of some damage. However, many players prefer ease-of-use to damage in the long run - granted, players can't really go wrong picking up either. The single-fire mode can be used to take pot-shots at far-off enemies, though the damage is relatively low and more for poking rather than dealing consistent damage. It's one of the easiest weapons to master, and it can perform well enough all the way into late game, so it's hard not to recommend.
Rampage - The Rampage is another member of the LMG family that features high damage, slower rate of fire compared to other assault rifles or SMGs, and a unique 'Revved Up' mechanic that can be activated by consuming a Thermite Grenade - though that is not factored into the placement here. This LMG can be deadly at medium-to-long ranges in the right hands, with the only real drawback being the slow reload which is more on-par with the Spitfire. The Rampage can be an absolute menace to fight against and can easily rip through Evo Shields in the right hands, but it is less dangerous at close-range compared to other, faster-firing weapons.
Spitfire - The Spitfire has gone up and down in the weapon tier lists since the launch of Apex Legends, as it has gone from being absolutely broken to absolutely unusable and back over the course of the game's lifetime. As it stands currently, it is an LMG that can only be found in care packages, and it features a large magazine, steady rate-of-fire, and solid damage both at close and medium-to-long ranges. While it is slow to ready and reload (unless playing as Rampart who makes excellent use of LMGs), it can deal constant damage over a solid amount of time, perfect for dealing damage or pressuring foes who are trying to get aggressive. It is a solid weapon for sustained damage, and is one of the more reliable weapons in the game.
Wingman - Despite being designed as a sidearm, this hand cannon is the primary weapon for many players. While the Wingman is a pistol and features a low magazine size without attachments, players who have decent aim will see solid results from it. It has a higher headshot multiplier than the other pistols in the game, even without the Skullpiercer Hop-up, so in the right hands it can be quite deadly. Players can be punished by the low magazine size and slower reload speed, however.
B-Tier
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30-30 Repeater - The 30-30 Repeater fills a unique role in the weapon meta of Apex Legends. It acts as a middle-ground between long-range weapons like snipers and closer range weapons like assault rifles. The 30-30 features an impressive effective range, and a decent fire-rate from the hip for closer targets. Its unique charge shot mechanic when aiming allows it to keep good pressure on far targets without sacrificing effectiveness when at close range. While it is not the best-in-slot for close-range engagements, it can certainly perform better under pressure in those situations than something like a Longbow.
Alternator - The Alternator has the problem of being an SMG that uses light ammo, so it will always inevitably be compared to the R-99. However, the Alternator is a weapon good enough to stand on its own. It is more reliable and will burn through less ammo compared to the R-99, though it trades this for lower potential damage. Players who can reliably hit more shots will get more value from the R-99, but the Alternator is a decent work-horse weapon that can still deal decent damage on its own. The Alternator returns to the ground loot pool in Season 12, being replaced by the Volt.
Bocek - The Bocek suffers from the same problem that all other sniper-style weapons do in Apex Legends. From a distance, the Bocek can deal solid damage, especially if landing headshots. The trick with the Bocek is that it has a draw time for each arrow, and to maximize damage, an arrow should be fully drawn. It can deal devastating damage with headshots, but once enemies start pushing, it can be hard to get a fully drawn arrow while also landing headshots. It's a solid marksman weapon, but players will live and die by their accuracy with it.
Charge Rifle - The Charge Rifle was infamous when it first launched back in Season 3. It is the only hitscan weapon in Apex Legends and can deal damage to anywhere the players can accurately see. It has pinpoint accuracy when aiming, though the damage falloff can be an issue at exceptionally long ranges. It is perfect for dealing chip damage at a distance, but will be incredibly hard to use when teams are pushing up. However, on maps with long sightlines, a Charge Rifle with a decent sniper scope can help a player rack up a lot of damage.
Devotion - The Devotion is one of the few weapons in Apex Legends that features a spin-up mechanic, where the rate-of-fire ramps up the longer the trigger is being held. Because of this, the Devotion is a great weapon for getting the drop on enemies, and punishing to the user if they are the ones being pushed. As hop-ups are not factored into weapon ratings, the Devotion sans Turbocharger is a tough weapon to use. It deals high damage when ramped up, but it eats through ammo and can be detrimental when players have to wait on the spin-up - though a good defensive Legend like the upcoming Newcastle could perhaps get by with it easier than other Legends.
G7 Scout - The G7 fills quite an odd place in the weapon meta of Apex Legends. Much like the 30-30 Repeater, the G7 is a fast-firing, semi-auto marksman rifle that is great at dealing chip damage to opponents at a distance and can be rapid-fired to targets pushing up. It excels at medium range but tends to suffer at close range. Being a care package weapon as of Season 11 also means that it has limited ammo reserves, which is a big drawback for a weapon like the Scout. However, the Warrior's Collection Event brings a slight buff to the Scouts ammo reserves to help compensate a bit.
HAVOC - Much like the Devotion, the HAVOC features a spin-up, though not as punishing as the Devotion due to the smaller magazine size. The HAVOC can deal a lot of damage and has low damage falloff considering it is an Energy weapon. However, the HAVOC has a heavy recoil that can be hard to control, making it incredibly hard to use a longer ranges. It is most effective at close-to-mid range at best, where the HAVOC can land more of its shots - and there are a lot of them as it does have the largest default magazine out of all assault rifles.
L-STAR - The L-STAR is an Energy LMG, though it shares little similarities with the Devotion. This LMG does not need to reload, but it does have an overheating mechanic that must be monitored, so the gun cannot be fired infinitely. The weapon fires larger projectiles in place of standard bullets, meaning that it acts like an LMG/Shotgun hybrid. It can deal massive damage to close-range targets, though it gets a bit more unwieldy at longer ranges. The projectiles travel slower than standard shots, so it also requires a bit of a lead-in with shots to hit targets in an effective time.
Longbow - The Longbow features a fast fire rate for a sniper rifle, allowing players to use it both for long-range damage and to counter enemies who push into closer range. However, as with most snipers, the Longbow tends to struggle more when enemies get too close. It features a strong headshot multiplier, but it still is better served at longer ranges and suffers up-close for the most part.
Mozambique - What was once Apex Legends' resident meme weapon, the Mozambique has risen up through the tiers to be an actually solid weapon to run as a secondary. Since it features a larger magazine than it used to, the Mozambique has turned into a great weapon for finishing off targets who have their body shields broken, especially if players happen to have Hammerpoint Rounds which returned this season - though that is not factored into the rating here. The spread for the weapon is ideal for those who can consistently hit headshots, as it spreads for one pellet to the head and two to the body, dealing solid damage overall and at a surprising range.
Sentinel - The Sentinel is like the poor man's Kraber. It features a slow rate of fire, a rechamber mechanic, but high damage - which can be increased by consuming two shield cells to grant an Amped bonus for a time. For long-range engagements, the Sentinel is great. Its high damage can be devastating to targets far off, but the painfully slow rate of fire causes it to struggle more at closer engagements compared to the other snipers. It is a great weapon, but it is hard to rely on if enemies start to push up.
Triple Take - The Triple Take is an interesting blend of both shotgun and sniper rifle, featuring a shot that spreads out into three as it travels. Much like the Peacekeeper, players can toggle the Precision Choke feature to condense the three shots into a more consistent shot if they do not want the spread. However, having three shots makes it a bit more effective at closer range when firing from the hip or with a close-range sight, something that is harder for the other sniper rifles to do successfully.
C-Tier
Mastiff - This shotgun features a horizontal spread that can be tightened by aiming down sights, though the horizontal spread means that it may not hit as many pellets as other shotguns like the EVA or Peacekeeper. It also features a slow reload, though players can reload between each shell. The Mastiff's big issue is that it feels less reliable than the other shotguns in the game, even when compared to the Mozambique.
RE-45 - The RE-45 is an R-99 and condensed into a pistol. This pistol fires bullets very quickly, but has a low magazine size, low damage-per-shot, and overall low DPS when compared to other Light Ammo weapons. While the RE-45 can be fun to use, it is more likely that players will want to swap over to at least an Alternator for more consistent and sustained damage if they want to continue using a light weapon, or an R-99 if they wish to stay in the fast-firing family.
D-Tier
P2020 - Rounding out the bottom of the list is the P2020, which is not a terrible sidearm, but it's just so heavily outclassed by all other weapons in the game. It needs a buff of some degree to keep it competitive into the mid-to-late game.
And that brings the Apex Legends Season 12 Weapon Tier list to a close. Season 12 brought some minor balancing to the current roster of weapons, but no new weapon so the list remains largely unchanged from Season 11. The constant rotation between the active maps means that each archetype of weapon gets their time to shine, both in close quarters like Olympus and long-range like on World's Edge. Perhaps Season 13 will bring about a new weapon again so the meta gets shaken up a bit more.
Apex Legends is available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
