[Top 10] Apex Legends Best Guns (Ranked)

Apex Legends Best Guns (Ranked)


10. Volt SMG

Despite all of the SMG nerfs in season 18 of Apex Legends, the Volt stands strong as one of the best guns in the entire game. Known for its extremely low recoil, easy bullet spread and high damage, the Volt is a fantastic gun for all situations.

Many energy guns have now been added to Apex’s floor loot, so the Volt doesn't lack ammunition anymore either, so it's just a great gun to pick up and use.

The gun can destroy at close, medium and longer ranges in the right hands. Overall, the Volt is a great choice for any legend but does extremely well in the hands of more established players.

What the Volt SMG Excels In:

  • The Volt has low recoil, meaning it's great at medium to long range.
  • The damage on this gun is fantastic combined with its fire rate, so it's a great gun all around.
  • Finally, the Volt excels in close-range fights like any other SMG, so get in your enemies’ faces.

Volt Stats

  • 15 Body Shot
  • 19 Head Shot
  • 12 Leg Shot
  • 180 DPS

 

9. Spitfire

The Spitfire is another one of Apex’s easy-to-use guns, but that doesn't mean its bad. The Spitfire is one of the best guns right now, especially after its recent season 18 buffs. The barrel attachment was finally added back onto the Spitfire, meaning this already low recoil gun has none with a purple attachment. 

Because of this, the strengths of the Spitfire are amplified even further. This gun is insane at just spraying and praying thanks to its massive magazine size and low recoil pattern. With this in mind, you can aim at an enemy and just keep firing as long as you can.

The damage isn't that bad either, so it's a great gun for just mowing down enemy teams. 

What the Spitfire Excels In:

  • Having little to no recoil means that the Spitfire can deal with enemies at all ranges
  • This gun has a massive magazine, so you can just spray as long as you want
  • Finally, the Spitfire can be used to hold attachments for other guns if you need to.

Spitfire Stats

  • 18 Body Shot
  • 27 Head Shot
  • 15 Leg Shot
  • 162 DPS

 

8. Flatline

Next up is the Flatline, a pretty simple gun in the grand scheme of things, but one that still packs a punch. The Flatline is a slow-firing assault rifle that takes heavy ammo. This gun can deal high damage very quickly and consistently, at the cost of relatively high recoil for a gun in Apex Legends. If you can master the spread and recoil, then the Flatline can produce some insane damage.

This thing also doesn't need many attachments to kit it out, so you can get a perfect gun relatively quickly in a match. Overall this gun is a great choice for any part of an Apex match, but is outmatched by the big meta hitters.

What the Flatline Excels In:

  • Having high damage means you can destroy enemies very quickly, so use that to your advantage for peaking fights.
  • The slow fire rate means it's not extremely hard to hit all your shots but that recoil might cause some problems
  • Finally, the gun is easy to kit out so you can get that advantage over enemies using guns with no attachments. Just a good magazine and a stock will do for the Flatline

Flatline Stats

  • 18 Body Shot
  • 32 Head Shot
  • 14 Leg Shot
  • 180 DPS

 

7. Wingman

What was once the best gun in the game, now sits a little lower down thanks to the insane ease of use of most guns in the game. The Wingman is a beast of a gun but needs a skilled player to make it work correctly. This thing is a miniature sniper rifle, dealing insane body shots and headshot damage, especially with the Skullpiercer Hop-up attachment.

The reason why the Wingman does so well is that it doesn't need many attachments to get going and can destroy at all ranges. Sadly, other guns are just easier to use in Apex so it's hard to place the Wingman any higher than this. Don't feel bad for using it though, the Wingman is a beast.

What the Wingman Excels In:

  • The wingman can deal insane damage at longer ranges, so get sniping.
  • Don't forget that the wingman can be used in closer ranges as well, especially if you hit those high-damage head shots.
  • Finally, this thing pairs extremely well with any other gun we are about to talk about, so use it as a secondary if you so desire.

Wingman Stats

  • 45 Body Shot
  • 97 Head Shot
  • 41 Leg Shot
  • 117 DPS

 

6. R-301

Another gun that was once near the top spot is the R-301, but it has seen a fall from grace in the last few seasons. Despite not being one of the most used guns anymore, the R-301 is still extremely powerful and quite underrated. This thing has no recoil, amazing damage, a fast fire rate and a great magazine size even at lower magazine levels.

Overall this thing is easy to use, suits any playstyle and can destroy enemies with relative ease. Pick this thing up for a fun and easy time, but maybe check some other guns out if you want a better time in this meta.

What the R-301 Excels In:

  • The R-301 is extremely easy to use because of its low recoil and high damage, so use this at any range for a high-powered gun.
  • This gun might need lots of attachments to make it perfect, but even at lower attachment levels, it does well.
  • Finally, Light Ammo is extremely common so you should always have more than enough to keep going.

R-301 Stats

  • 13 Body Shot
  • 23 Head Shot
  • 10 Leg Shot
  • 176 DPS

 

5. Peacekeeper

Now into the top 5, with the ever-popular Peacekeeper. This gun is extremely powerful and easily the best shotgun in the game. Though the Mastiff recently got some buffs, the Peacekeeper got even more love in season 18.

This thing was already a demon in season 17 with its high damage, excellent fire rate and great attachments, but in season 18 they added the Disruptor Rounds to it for the first time.

This Hop-Up gives the Peacekeeper more damage against shields, making the playstyle of breaking enemies with a Peacekeeper even more viable. This gun is insane, and should honestly be used as much as possible.

What the Peacekeeper Excels In:

  • High damage in close-range situations in the name of the game for the Peacekeeper
  • Use this gun to break shields after popping around a corner, then swap to another gun to clean up the kill.
  • Finally, the Peacekeeper is great for door fights as you can instantly do high damage to destroy your enemies.

Peacekeeper Stats

  • 9x11 Body Shot
  • 11x11 Head Shot
  • 9x11 Leg Shot
  • 73 DPS base no bolt

 

4. R-99

Ah, the R-99, a beast of a gun. This thing has always been fantastic and is still great now even after its most recent nerfs. It's the second-best SMG in the game for a reason, and that's its fire rate and damage combined. The R-99 expends its magazine so quickly, and the damage makes it a near-instant kill if you hit every bullet at lower armour levels.

It's also great to just instantly beam enemies as the damage is so great on this little fire starter. There isn't much else to say about the R-99, aside from using this thing at close ranges to destroy your enemies.

What the R-99 Excels In:

  • Close-range situations are the best time to use the R-99 thanks to its high fire rate, insane damage and low magazine size.
  • This gun doesn't need that many attachments to destroy, as the magazine and stock are the most important ones to grab early.
  • Using the R-99 as your main weapon is a great idea as most legends want to be up close and personal anyway.

R-99 Stats

  • 12 Body Shot
  • 15 Head Shot
  • 10 Leg Shot
  • 216 DPS

 

3. Alternator

The best SMG in the game has to be the Alternator in season 18, and that's for a good few reasons. One is that this thing got little to no changes this season, and it was already powerful in season 17. It wasn't hit with any of the SMG nerfs, and got buffed.

The Alternator has little to no recoil, a high magazine count and a slow fire rate so it's easy to hit all of your shots.

The cherry on top was the recent addition of the Disruptor Rounds back to the loot pool for this weapon. In the early days of Apex Legends, the Alternator with this Hop-Up was a broken meta-defying gun, but now it's still pretty great even all these years later.

Just like the Peacekeeper it does more damage to Shielded enemies, making it the perfect middle-ground gun and the best SMG in the game.

What the Alternator Excels In:

  • The Alternator is a great range gun thanks to its amazing attachments and use of medium-ranged sights.
  • The slow fire rate makes it great for pacing your shots and making sure you can land every bullet on your enemies.
  • Finally, you can also use other guns to hold attachments for this thing, making it the best weapon in a pinch.

Alternator Stats

  • 16 Body Shot
  • 20 Headshot
  • 13 Leg Shot
  • 160 DPS

 

2. Hemlock

These next-to-guns could easily be swapped around, as they are both fantastic and in the same class. First of all, is the Hemlock at the number 2 spot. Ever since this gun left the care package at the beginning of season 18, players have flocked to it. Its low recoil, high damage and great magazine size make the Hemlock a fantastic gun in any situation.

The Hemlock would be the best gun in the game, if it wasn't floor loot, making it a random chance to come across. However, that doesn't stop it from being an insanely powerful and demonic gun in the current state of Apex Legends.

What the Hemlock Excels In:

  • Long-range fights are fantastic for the Hemlock as its burst-fire nature makes it easy to hit those shots.
  • You can use this gun in peaking battles as well, as that one burst of damage should deal more damage than any other assault rifle can output.
  • Finally, the Hemlock has a great Hop-Up, the Boosted Loader, that gives it more ammo in the mag and a faster reload. This just makes it even better and more fluid to use.

Hemlock Stats

  • 22 Body Shot
  • 39 Head Shot
  • 17 Leg Shot
  • 139 DPS Burst Profile

 

1. Nemesis

Finally, the best gun in the game right now has to be the Nemesis. The Nemesis isn't a gun you see all too much this season, and that's because it's in the crafter. Though many think this makes the Nemesis impossible to get, it makes it guaranteed for every match you load into. The gun got little to no changes between seasons, aside from it being taken off of floor loot.

This means that the demonic presence of the Nemesis can and should still be felt in the game, it's just that people forgot about it. Do yourself a favour and craft the Nemesis, it's just a better Hemlock.

What the Nemesis Excels In:

  • The Nemesis can speed up its fire rate by holding down the trigger, meaning it can destroy enemies super quickly.
  • Long-range fights are fantastic for the Nemesis as its burst-fire nature makes it easy to hit those shots.
  • You can use this gun in peaking battles as well, as that one burst of damage should deal more damage than any other assault rifle can output.

Nemesis Stats

  • 17 Body Shot
  • 30 Headshot
  • 13 Leg Shot
  • 128-165 DPS

You may also be interested in:

More on this topic:


My love for gaming extends beyond just the pixels on the screen. I also have a deep appreciation for the culture and community that surrounds it.
Gamer Since: 2006
Favorite Genre: FPS
Currently Playing: Apex Legends
Top 3 Favorite Games:Borderlands 2, SMITE, Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 3: The Last Place You Look


More Top Stories