Apex Legends Weapons Tier List [Aug. 2023]

Apex Legends season 8: Mayhem is in full stride and the game has enjoyed a host of major improvements from the last seasons. We’ve already ranked the best Legends to play this season (found here!), so this time the focus is on weapons.

Whether you’re a beginner or an Apex veteran, this Apex Legends tier list will surely help you gain insight into which weapons are the best to use in ranked matches.

Do remember that the weapon you use won’t carry you to a sure victory. Top tier weapons may only provide a slight advantage over the worst ones, but in a game as tightly competitive as Apex, you’ll take every little bit of advantage you can get.

Now that’s more than enough of an introduction so let’s dive right into the list.

Table of ContentsShow

Care Package Weapons

These three guns are S-tier weapons by default because the developers intended them that way.

We’re separating them from the rest of the list so they can’t be confused by the normal weapons that spawn on the ground.

Weapon	Class	Quick Stats	Description
Prowler	SMG	Ammo: Heavy Fire Modes: Burst, Auto Hop-up: Already fully upgraded	Pros: The Prowler has always been a great weapon regardless if you use it on burst or auto. Its recoil is easy to manage especially during burst fire, where, a well-placed shot lands three guaranteed hits. Moving the Prowler to the care package pool seems to be a good move by the developers. It has a better ammo economy than the R-99, meaning players get much more use out of it.
Kraber	Sniper Rifle	Ammo: Special Fire Modes: Single Hop-up: Already fully upgraded	Pros: There’s nothing more satisfying than landing a shot with the Kraber. It has the most single-shot damage out of all the weapons, and it guarantees a knockdown on every headshot. Its scope covers a significant distance so you can get some easy kills on unsuspecting opponents. The best thing about the Kraber is that its bullets go through multiple enemies, meaning it’s possible to eliminate a whole squad with just one bullet (and extreme skill of course).
Peacekeeper	Shotgun	Ammo: Special Fire Modes: Single Hop-up: Already fully upgraded	Pros: The Peacekeeper was overpowered when it spawned off normal loot. It’s no surprise the developers put it in the care package rotation because it has tremendous killing potential coupled with ease of use. The Peacekeeper is a shotgun that has extended range because of the Precision Choke that comes equipped with it. The Choke helps in shorter ranges too because you can charge it up to make sure all of your bullets land on the target. The Digital Threat scope equipped on this gun also helps with visibility, especially when there are Caustics and Bangalore’s in the enemy squads.

S-Tier

These are the best weapons in the game and will rival Care Package weapons in terms of killing potential.

Landing on these will guarantee you an advantage throughout the match, especially if you find attachments that would further improve them.

Weapon	Class	Quick Stats	Description
Volt	SMG	Ammo: Energy Fire Modes: Auto Hop-up: None	Pros: The Volt is nearly on par with the R-99 in terms of damage and killing potential. It has a slower rate of fire than the R-99 but compensates with nearly non-existent recoil. Cons: The Volt as an energy weapon means that it doesn’t have bullet drop so it can be deadly even at long ranges. On the other hand, energy ammo spawns less frequently so you’ll have to stock up if you don’t want to have trouble near the end of the match.
Hemlok	Assault Rifle	Ammo: Heavy Fire Modes: Single, Burst Hop-up: None	Pros: The Hemlok has seen itself in the hands of more players this Season 7 because of its performance in close and long-ranged fights. A single-fire Hemlok with a decent scope is the best “sniper rifle” in the game because of its great firing rate and damage. If you have precise aim, you could forego the single-fire and go directly into burst to down an enemy with just three pulls of the trigger. Cons: The Hemlok suffers from low magazine size which means you’ll often find yourself reloading. It also drastically slows you down while in ADS so it’s not good against shift players with SMGs.
R-99	SMG	Ammo: Light Fire Modes: Auto Hop-up: None	Pros: Now that the R-99 is back in the ground loot pool, players can once again enjoy beaming opponents from mid to short-range with one clip. Getting an R-99 in a ranked match is a blessing. It has an insanely high rate of fire and very decent recoil. You can strafe quickly even while on ADS, making it harder for enemies to hit you.
R301		Ammo: Light Fire Modes: Auto, Single Hop-up: Anvil Receiver	Pros: The R301 has an amazing iron sight and good damage even on its base form. It has decent recoil in short to mid-ranges. It’s a good alternative to the Flatline, but with a faster firing rate. Cons: The R301 suffers from low ammo capacity in a single magazine. With its fast rate of fire, you’ll often reload in gunfights. Getting a purple or gold magazine fixes this problem, though.

A-Tier

These weapons along with the higher-tiered ones constitute most of Apex’s ranked meta. A-tier weapons are very effective overall or for their specialized uses while offering little flaws.

Weapon	Class	Quick Stats	Description
Mastiff	Shotgun	Ammo: Shotgun Fire Modes: Single Hop-up: None	Pros: The Mastiff is a powerful short-ranged weapon capable of destroying an opponent in a single magazine. It has high damage coupled with a horizontal spread which increases the chance of hitting an enemy. Skilled players ADS on the Mastiff before firing to reduce the spread and increase damage. Cons: The Mastiff takes some time to master; meaning you’ll have inconsistent damage most of the time if you’re not completely focused. It takes a long time to reload and performs poorly without a shotgun bolt.
Wingman	Pistol	Ammo: Heavy Fire Modes: Single Hop-up: Skullpiercer, Quickdraw Holster	Pros: The Wingman has one of the highest skill caps to be able to use effectively. Once you do master it, it’s hard to ignore it in matches because it’s so good. A Skullpiercer massively increases headshot damage, making the Wingman a good choice for pro players. It makes you choose between the Quickdraw Holster though. With the latter designed to lessen the punishment of whiffing your shots. Cons: Mastering the Wingman takes a lot of time and dedication. There will be times that you won’t land a single hit on an enemy and you’ll be open to counterattacks because of the Wingman’s slow reload speed.
Flatline	Assault Rifle	Ammo: Heavy Fire Modes: Auto, Single Hop-up: Anvil Receiver	Pros: The Flatline has one of the best hip fire recoils in the game. It’s perfect at varying ranges in ADS or from the hip. It has a great magazine size while having good damage per bullet. It’s also versatile: you can use it with a 1x or a 2x scope and it will be a problem for opponents either way. Cons: The only nitpick we have on the Flatline are its slow firing rate and the heavy movement penalty while on ADS. Its Pros far outweigh the Cons, however, which is why it sits comfortably in S-tier.
Triple Take	Sniper Rifle	Ammo: Sniper Fire Modes: Single Hop-up: Comes with a Precision Choke on spawn	Pros: The Triple Take is the sniper to use when the ring is closing and there are many teams left. It has a fast fire rate for a sniper so you can do a lot of poke damage with it. It also has one of the best iron sights in the game, making it effective even without picking up a scope. The Triple Take also has decent accuracy because a single shot fires three projectiles in a horizontal spread. Cons: When rocking a Triple Take in ranked matches, be mindful of your ammo. Since there are only a handful of players who use snipers, you’ll have a hard time looting sniper ammo during the late game.

B-Tier

B-tiers are great weapons with no glaring downsides. They are only slightly beneath A-tiers in viability for ranked matches, but that gap can easily close with player skill and familiarity with the weapon.

Weapon	Class	Quick Stats	Description
30-30 Repeater		Ammo: Heavy Fire Modes: Single Hop-up: None	Pros: Under the right hands, the Repeater is like a Wingman on steroids. It charges as you ADS, so the damage potential increases the better position you have. Cons: The Repeater seems made for mid and long-ranged combat only. It slows you down while on ADS, so you can’t strafe properly when opponents are in your face.
Havoc	Assault Rifle	Ammo: Energy Fire Modes: Auto, Single Hop-up: Selectfire Receiver, Turbocharger	Pros: The Havoc deals significant damage after charging it up for a second. It’s good for fights at close range because of its superb handling when firing from the hip. Its ammo capacity is also big enough to handle most fights. If you manage to find a turbocharger for it, then it’s one of the best guns in the game. Cons: The Havoc used to be an S-tier weapon before its horizontal recoil was nerfed. It does feel better since its buff in Season 7, though. Now it sits in B-tier with the arrival of the Volt SMG. Additionally, the single-fire option for the Havoc is far inferior to its automatic configuration.
Sentinel	Sniper Rifle	Ammo: Sniper Fire Modes: Single Hop-up: None	Pros: The Sentinel enjoyed arguably the biggest weapon buff in Season 7. Its charge mechanic is now a straight bonus to damage. This means that you can potentially hit 150+ damage with this beast (that’s almost like a Kraber!). The Sentinel is also one of the few weapons that can blast through multiple opponents with one shot. Cons: The Sentinel is a bolt-action rifle which means that you do an animation every time you fire a shot. This animation takes you out of zoom as well so you get heavily punished for missing a shot. Its charge mechanic also uses 2 shield cells every time and is active only for a limited time.
Spitfire	LMG	Ammo: Heavy Fire Modes: Auto Hop-up: Double Tap Trigger	Pros: The Spitfire can wipe out an entire squad because of its high ammo capacity per magazine and relatively weak recoil. Its rate of fire matches perfectly with the slow movement you’ll get while on ADS with it. Cons: Firing the Spitfire from the hip isn’t reliable at all. It suffers in close range where it is easily outclassed by lighter weapons.
L-Star	LMG	Ammo: Energy Fire Modes: Auto Hop-up: None	Pros: Rather than run out of bullets in a magazine, the L-Star overheats when used in sustained fire. Skilled players abuse this mechanic to bully opponents without having significant time lost to reloading. The L-Star also has minimal bullet drop, making it easier to hit opponents at varying ranges. The L-Star’s projectiles are no longer a firework display in gunfights, and its much easier to “feather” the trigger now. Cons: The L-Star has slow movement when in ADS, it’s a gun that’s better for hip-firing. The problem with this is that it has one of the worst recoils in the game with no way to equip a Barrel Stabilizer mod on it.
Eva-8	Shotgun	Ammo: Shotgun Fire Modes: Auto, Double Hop-up: Double Tap Trigger	Pros: The Eva-8 is the easiest shotgun to use on account of its automatic rate of fire and fast reload speeds. It is very powerful with a shotgun bolt and the Double Tap Trigger hop-up, which leverages its high rate of fire. It’s spread is also straightforward, allowing beginners to do decent damage, and experienced players to tear through the enemy’s health. Cons: The Eva-8 performs poorly without a decent shotgun bolt. It’s also a one-dimensional weapon – only effective at close range.

C-Tier

C-tier weapons have average potential when compared to the other guns on the list.

They have one or two flaws that hamper their damage potential, so we won’t advise using them in high-ranked matches.

Weapon	Class	Quick Stats	Description
G7 Scout	Assault Rifle	Ammo: Light Fire Modes: Single, Double Hop-up: Double Tap Trigger	Pros: The G7 Scout is amazing in mid to long-ranged fights because it is easy to use, has high damage, and has a huge magazine capacity. It’s perfect for dealing potshots from a distance and then rushing the enemy squad with an assault rifle or SMG. Cons: The G7’s iron sights can hamper the player’s vision. You need to find a scope ASAP to remedy this. You also need to compensate for bullet drop in longer ranges because it uses light ammo.
Devotion	LMG	Ammo: Energy Fire Modes: Auto Hop-up: Turbocharger	Pros: The Devotion didn’t suffer much even after being pulled out of the Care Package rotation. It has insane damage potential because of its fast fire rate and high magazine capacity. Cons: Without a Turbocharger, the Devotion takes a second to ramp up its fire rate. It also has heavy recoil, putting you at a disadvantage in close-ranged, chaotic gunfights.
Re-45	Pistol	Ammo: Light Fire Modes: Auto Hop-up: Quickdraw Holster	Pros: The Re-45 is great as a secondary tool to finish off enemies at close range. There’s almost no speed penalty because it’s a pistol – even when in ADS. It also has very little recoil, which, adds to its overall accuracy. The new Quickdraw Holster makes switching to it even faster – perfect for a secondary weapon. Cons: The Re-45’s rate of fire is so fast, and its magazine size is so small that you’ll almost always be reloading in gunfights. It’s also hard to one-clip opponents because of its low damage output.

D-Tier

These are close to falling off the meta completely because of their lackluster performance.

You’ll only need to use these if you have no other choice during the early parts of the match.

Weapon	Class	Quick Stats	Description
Longbow	Sniper Rifle	Ammo: Sniper Fire Modes: Single Hop-up: Skullpiercer	Pros: The Longbow is perfect for good snipers because it can deal massive damage with headshots (even more with a Skullpiercer). It almost has the same rate of fire as the Triple Take, but with a very small bullet spread. Cons: The Longbow’s iron sights are almost useless. Look for a replacement scope at once.
Charge Rifle	Sniper Rifle	Ammo: Sniper Fire Modes: Single but sustained damage Hop-up: None	Pros: The Charge Rifle can melt opponents from far away if you’re a good sniper. It damages in ticks so that adds to its potential to deal damage on every bullet. It has the longest range out of all the weapons because it doesn’t suffer from bullet drop at all. Cons: The Charge Rifle is only viable at extremely long ranges. You can only fire it twice per magazine before suffering from the lengthy reload animation. Also, the Charge Rifle’s beam gives away your position, so your team is more susceptible to third-party ambushes.
Alternator	SMG	Ammo: Light Fire Modes: Auto Hop-up: None	Pros: The Alternator has low recoil to improve overall accuracy. It also has a large clip size even on its base configuration. ADS with the Alternator is also very fast. Cons: For an SMG, the Alternator has a slow rate of fire and even less damage per bullet. It is another gun that suffers from the Volt SMG’s dominance.

F-Tier

Most players discard these weapons as soon as they encounter any other ones. F-tiers have low viability in 1 v 1 or team fights so it’s no surprise that only a few people ever use them in ranked matches.

Weapon	Class	Quick Stats	Description
Mozambique	Shotgun	Ammo: Shotgun Fire Modes: Single Hop-up: Hammerpoint Rounds	Pros: The Mozambique is the other automatic shotgun in the armory. It has good accuracy when firing from the hip and doesn’t have a speed penalty while in ADS. The Mozambique can tear through the enemies’ health with Hammerpoints equipped, but you have to make sure their shields are down first. Cons: The main drawbacks of the Mozambique are its very small magazine size and notoriously poor damage on enemies with shields. Even with Hammerpoint Rounds equipped there’s not much merit in using this weapon in ranked matches.
P2020	Pistol	Ammo: Light Fire Modes: Single Hop-up: Hammerpoint Rounds, Quickdraw Holster	Pros: The P2020 has almost no recoil and speed penalties when equipped. It has a fast fire rate with a decent magazine size, and an even faster reload speed. It’s also slightly better than the Mozambique when using Hammerpoint Rounds because of the reduced penalties from missing a shot. Cons: Like the Mozambique, the P2020 suffers from poor damage output to enemies with shields. It also has a clunkier accuracy than the other pistols in the game, so you’re better off with other guns.