Guns Galore

Apex Legends mixed up the gun game with all the changes they brought in Season eight. The game has deleted hop-ups, added new weapons, and changed the damage output of several guns, leaving many people wondering: What are the best guns in the game now? Let’s find out! 

Note: I have decided not to include any rare loot items, such as the Peacekeeper or the Prowler. We will be sticking to the standard, everyday guns that you can find lying anywhere. 

10. Havoc Rifle

Get ready to cause HAVOC!

The Havoc is a high-powered assault rifle in the energy ammo category. Although the Havoc has a short charge-up time before shooting the weapon, it is still able to put out large amounts of damage at a quick speed. 

Despite being constantly overlooked, this energy weapon is capable of causing a lot of havoc in battle. (That must be where it gets its name!) Once you have the Havoc in hand, you can start looking for an item called the Turbocharger, a hop-up for the Havoc weapon. This hop-up is hard to find as it’s scarce on the map. Combining the rare hop-up with the fact that the Havoc eats through energy ammo quickly places it in the lowest rank on this list. 

Youtuber and Apex Legends player, Alarmix has recently vouched for this gun in one of his videos. He said that it’s an extremely good weapon that shreds through enemies once it’s revved up. He goes on to warn that two teammates shouldn’t be running energy ammo at the same time and that you should start to charge your Havoc around a corner before being in the line of fire with an enemy team. 

Why the Havoc is great: 

• It can shred enemies quickly
• It has one of the fastest firing rates in the game 
• It puts out a lot of damage

Havoc Details: https://apexlegends.fandom.com/wiki/HAVOC_Rifle

9. Triple Take

Enemies will have to do a TRIPLE TAKE to find you!

Bad at snipers but wanting to learn? Look no further than the Triple Take, which I would describe as the ‘training wheels’ sniper. 

When you shoot this gun, it fires three shots horizontally around where you aimed, so your shot doesn’t have to be perfect each time. The Triple Take also has the benefit of being used as an emergency close-range weapon if needed! It’s almost a two-in-one if a situation becomes dire. 

Chicken9Man, another Youtuber and hardcore Apex player, has made an entire video about the Season 8 Triple Take. In this video, Chicken9Man stated that even though there will be ammo issues due to the Triple Take being a sniper-class weapon it will fry through enemies and do the damage you’re looking for up-close or long-range. 

Why the Triple Take is great: 

• It is the most forgiving sniper in the game
• Each of the three bullets per shot does separate damage 
• It can be used close range like a shotgun 

Triple Take Details: https://apexlegends.fandom.com/wiki/Triple_Take

8. Wingman

Let this pistol be your WINGMAN!

The Wingman is the pistol the gods have sent and then decided needed another buff in Season 8. 

This hand-held pistol will put holes through your enemy’s defenses- and their bodies...if you can aim. While being a heavy hitter, many players find it hard to aim in close-range combat with the Wingman, which seems to be its only downside. 

The Gaming Merchant on Youtube claims that if you can hit your shots up close, it will drastically slow down your enemies and give you an easier time to do more damage with the Wingman, but you have to be able to hit that first shot. He says that he thinks the Wingman is good in short-range, but as people figure out maneuverability in close range, it may be harder to land that first shot. 

Why the Wingman is great: 

• A powerful impact with lots of damage
• Short recoil with a reasonable rate of fire
• Can be used at close range, mid-range, and sometimes even long-range

Wingman Details: https://apexlegends.fandom.com/wiki/Wingman

7. Eva-8 Auto

They can't EVA-de this shotgun!

Coming in slightly higher than the WIngman because the aim isn’t as important is the Eva-8. The Eva-8 is a shotgun class weapon that has always been decent in combat. However, upon losing its hop-up, people had questioned if it would still be good in the meta. I’ll be happy to tell you; it’s doing more than fine. 

The Eva-8 has a magazine clip of 8 rounds, which is more than any other shotgun in the game. This is great if you have trouble landing shots while in a high-stress or close-range situation. The aim is also more forgiving as the hip-fire performance is higher than other shotguns as well.

ImperialHal, a professional Apex Player, stated in one of his streams that many squads grab the EVA-8 because the shots are easy to hit, the recoil and rate of fire times are low, and the EVA-8 destroys through shields like Gibraltar’s arm shields quickly.

Why the EVA-8 Auto is great: 

• Larger Magazine size than other shotguns
• Fast rate of fire
• No ADS aim required!

Eva-8 Auto Details: https://apexlegends.fandom.com/wiki/Eva_8_Auto 

6. Volt SMG

Your enemies will find this gun re-VOLT-ing

The second energy weapon to make it onto this list is the Volt SMG. This high-fire sub-machine gun racks up damage quickly. 

Even after receiving a nerf at the beginning of Season 8, the Volt SMG still ranks in the top ten best guns used in every rank level. It’s a reliable source of damage output and the easiest to control and has no wind-up period as the Devotion and Havoc do. 

Alarmix called the Volt a very accurate weapon in close-up, the recoil control is excellent, and overall it’s a very good weapon in terms of strafing. He warns that you should have a decent secondary weapon for mid or long-range fights if you decide to carry the Volt. 

Why the Volt SMG is great: 

• Easy damage very quickly
• No wind-up time like the Havoc and Devotion
• Eats less ammo than other energy class weapons

Volt SMG Details: https://apexlegends.fandom.com/wiki/Volt_SMG

5. M600 Spitfire

Use this LMG to go on a killing spree!

Chances are, if you’ve played in this newest season, you’ve heard a squadmate point out a Spitfire. If you’ve also played prior seasons of the game, you’ll most likely know that this LMG has never been meta before, not like this. 

I’ve talked about other guns chewing through armor and enemies before, but this gun is the best at it. With its new buffs, this gun is highly versatile as you can use it at close, mid, or long-range distances. The clip sizes are massive, allowing up to 55 bullets in a purple magazine. This weapon also got a slight damage increase this season, making it terrifying to see in battle. It hits hard and doesn’t stop until the 55 bullet clip is empty! 

Youtuber and Apex Player displayed new Spitfire play in a full video and had this to say about it, “The Spitfire got a damage buff in Apex Legends - from 18 to 19 damage per bullet. While the reload speed has been nerfed, I’d say it’s pretty much negligible, especially if you consider that the new golden heavy mags auto-reload for you.” 

Why the Spitfire is great: 

• Large magazine size
• Super practical for mid-range or long-range attacks
• Decent for hip-fire fights

M600 Spitfire Details: https://apexlegends.fandom.com/wiki/M600_Spitfire    

4. VK-47 Flatline

Your enemies will FLATLINE after you empty a clip into them!

The second assault class gun on this list is the VK-47 Flatline! While not as scary to hear in a fight as a Spitfire, this heavy weapon is still very reliable. 

The Flatline has a high fire rate, which can be traded in for damage when you get the Anvil Receiver hop-up. However, even without this hop-up, the Flatline is decently useful. You don’t have as much damage without the Anvil, but you still get an incredible rate of fire, meaning that you do more damage faster.

Youtuber Macro said the Flatline has “Great hip-fire accuracy, decent damage, and a solid close to mid-range game.” He also says it’s what the 30-30 Repeater wishes it could be.

Why the Flatline is great: 

• Highest DPS in-game
• Very versatile weapon
• Good damage per shot

VK-47 Flatline Details: https://apexlegends.fandom.com/wiki/VK-47_Flatline

3. R-301 Carbine

The R-301 is tons of fun!

Another user of the Anvil Receiver hop-up is our third-place weapon, the R-301 Carbine. Honestly, this gun was and has been a great gun in most of the seasons leading up to Season 8, but this new hop-up puts it back in the top 10 list. 

The R-301 is a light ammo weapon with a high rate of fire. It has very low recoil, and unlike the Flatline, it is easier to control during fights. Clip sizes for this gun are standard, as is the damage, but overall it’s an extremely reliable gun when your secondary is something that needs that reliability. 

The Gaming Merchant had a lot to say about R-301, “I think it’s easy to pick up the R-301 and get good with it.” He goes on to say, “You can take the R-301 or Flatline and do really well at mid or long-range distances.” He liked the R-301 for its versatility. 

Why the R-301 is great: 

• Good recoil control 
• Easy to find ammo
• Strong damage output per shot

R-301 Carbine details: https://apexlegends.fandom.com/wiki/R-301_Carbine

2. R-99 SMG

You've got 99 problems, but a gun won't be one!

The highest DPS full-auto weapon in Season 8, the R-99. Another classically reliable gun, like the R-301! 

The R-99 puts out a crazy amount of damage in no time at all. It is the fastest rate of fire in the game. The only downside is that without a proper barrel stabilizer, it’s hard to control your shots, but if you miss a few, it won’t matter at all. If you do hit all of your shots, there is a good chance you can down your enemy with one clip. 

Alarmix has vouched a lot for the R-99 in a few videos. He says that light ammo is easy to find, making the R-99 easy to run. The R-99 will do more damage than the volt but won’t be as accurate. The R-99 shots will also have a rate of travel time due to being light ammo. However, he says that it’s easy to have a good game once you get a first-rate R-99 kit going. 

Why the R-99 is great: 

• Fast damage output 
• Strong DPS rates 
• Able to slow enemies and keep them slowed for a long time

R-99 SMG Details: https://apexlegends.fandom.com/wiki/R-99_SMG

1. Mastiff

A Mastiff improvement over other guns!

Coming in our number one spot for best gun in Apex Legends Season 8 is the Mastiff. Now, those players who have been in the Apex community for a while may remember the Mastiff as a care package rare drop. Well, this season 8 Mastiff feels just like that but everywhere and every squad has one! 

While the recoil and fire rates are much slower than its EVA-8 companion, the Mastiff more than makes up for these flaws with its straight damage output. That’s all it needs to be ranked number one. The raw amount of power behind each shot is enough to make a squad think twice about messing with you. 

The Gaming Merchant had this to say about the Mastiff Shotgun, “The Mastiff is the kind of weapon where you can win a fight when you have 10 HP...It can win you fights, and it can win you games because of its super high damage per shot. No other weapon can do that up close except for snipers, which are super hard to use up-close.” 

Why the Mastiff is great: 

• Super high damage per shot 
• Able to handle Close-range engagements easily
• Able to help you clutch a losing fight.

Mastiff Shotgun details: https://apexlegends.fandom.com/wiki/Mastiff_Shotgun    

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