Apex Legends Weapons, Season 20's Best Gun Tier List
When it comes to choosing your loadout in Apex Legends Season 20, there are a lot of factors to consider. From the weapon meta to attachments, from what your squad is running to personal weapon preference. What we have listed here in our Apex Legends Season 20 weapon tier list is not the end all be all, but it’s a great place to start.
Apex Legends Full Patch Notes Season 20 Breakout
In Apex Legends Season 20, there are some major changes to weapons, specifically the SMGs, and a care package swap. But remember, when considering your weapons, that in some cases, no matter how great a gun is, it can’t always make up for personal preference and playstyle.
Season 20 Best Gun Tier List
From the S Tier to the bottom of the barrel, this is the best guns tier list for Apex Legends.
S Tier Guns
These Apex Legends guns are must-haves and can be absolute game-changers. You will see the pros running these anytime they see them on the ground or in care packages.
Whenever you have a chance to swap something from lower on their list for one of these, take it as they can turn the tide of a battle very quickly.
Kraber - Care Package Sniper Rifle
The Kraber is every player's dream to grab and a nightmare to face. When you hear that tell-tale crack, you put your head down before it’s taken off. It’s the only weapon in the game with one-shot kill potential and even body shots are deadly if your team or another is taking pot-shots at your target.
Bonus tip: Do NOT peak a Kraber when your squad informs you there is one in play. You're tempting fate.
Bocek Bow - Care Package Marksman Weapon
Since being added, the Bocek bow has been a bit controversial, with constant calls for nerfs over its damage or how silent its shots are. Since going into the care package, it has found a good home, but it’s also even more powerful. If you have the aim for it, you can drop someone before they know what hit them. Plus, hip firing this at close range has a shotgun-like blast pattern, so it’s good at long and short range.
Wingman - Care Package Pistol
An Apex Legends Predator’s best friend, the Wingman is a sturdy sidearm to keep handy. Sweaty Wraiths everywhere run this for its quick 2-3 shot kill potential. It can be extremely effective even at medium to long ranges in the right hands. It takes some practice to get used to, but there’s a reason it has always been on top of every gun tier list in Apex Legends.
In Season 20, the Wingman continues its tenure in the Care Package. With an ammo capacity of 90 shots, its body shots deal 50 damage and its headshot damage is 95. It comes equipped with a skull piercer but has had its digital threat replaced with a 1x that cannot be changed, and it has lost the boosted loader. It's still a threat at close range, but less so at longer range. It is still an S-tier weapon on our list.
EVA-8 - Care Package Shotgun
The EVA-8 has entered the Care Package rotation in Season 20 of Apex Legends and as a result, has shot up to the top of our Apex Legends Gun Tier List. Like all red-tier guns in Apex Legends, and all the Care Package weapons on this list, the EVA-8 deals massive damage. It also has Hammerpoint Rounds, which means it'll deal increased damage against targets with no shields.
Nemesis - Energy Assault Rifle
This energy assault rifle is still the newest addition to the Apex Legends battle royale armory and people are still calling for it to be nerfed. It was created to give some competition to the R-301 and Flatline and it has delivered on that.
Despite being a burst weapon, it’s deadly in almost every pair of hands. The more you fire it, the quicker the rate of fire becomes. The only downside is its long-range potential is harder to control than its siblings in the R-301 and Flatline, but it still deserves an S Tier spot on our gun tier list.
Hemlok - Heavy Assault Rifle
As a burst weapon, it can be difficult for some players to get used to the Hemlock, but if you're on point with your shots it can make quick work of any player. As Bangalore says, "One burst to break the shield, another to break the man."
It does take a lot of attachments to kit out, but is a heavy hitter nonetheless. Even with slight nerfs in Season 20, like the other assault rifles, it stays on top thanks to big nerfs to SMGs.
Flatline - Heavy Assault Rifle
This assault rifle packs the biggest punch in Apex Legends in its weapon class. The firing rate can’t match the R-301 or the Nemesis, but when you need fewer bullets and have more of them, who cares?
The handling will take some time to get used to, but at short to medium range, you can easily knock down any opponent you get the drop on. With the nerfs to SMGs in this season, all of the assault rifles have risen on our weapon tier list for the deadliest guns in Apex Legends.
R-301 Carbine - Light Assault Rifle
When it comes to Apex Legends and your gun choices, the R-301 is ol' reliable. It’s been in the meta for as long as anyone can remember because it’s easy to control, even when it’s bare bones.
It’s been known to quickly and easily laser down its foes with a satisfying one clip in the right hands. It had fallen off a bit with a big reliance on the SMG meta and while it was in the replicator in the past season. Expect to see this gun rise back to the top of other gun tier lists in Apex Legends.
Prowler - Heavy Submachine Gun
The Prowler has fallen down a peg on this season's weapon tier list as it's finally out of the Care Package and back on the floor. From where it once stood, it may seem like a big drop for the Prowler. It loses its select fire receiver, so it can only fire in burst instead of full-auto, but that is a blessing when coupled with the major SMG nerfs that came this season.
Firing the Prowler in bursts instead of going full-auto like with an R-99, allows you more control over the recoil and firing pattern of this gun. Of all the SMGs, the Prowler is still one of the best you can pick up.
A Tier Guns
These weapons in Apex Legends are powerful even without full attachments and can easily win fights off the drop. Be cautious when contesting against these if you don’t have good armor, healing supplies, or decent weapons to contend with.
CAR SMG - Light or Heavy Submachine Gun
The CAR SMG is comparable to the R-99 but edges out better thanks to being able to run either light or heavy ammo, which makes it easier to keep fed and find attachments for.
The other reason it beats out the R-99 is that the hip fire is already deadly, to the point that even the Apex Legends developers decided giving it a laser sight attachment was too much. In Season 20 with the nerf to SMGs and laser sights, the CAR SMG technically avoids the laser sight nerf since it can't equip it, allowing it to stay a bit higher in our weapon tier list.
Peacekeeper - Shotgun
This shotgun has always been a deadly contender for the top gun in Apex Legends. When the game was first released, this and the Wingman dominated loadouts. With weapon stocks compatible with shotguns and a golden shotgun bolt, it’s gotten even better. This gun can two-headshot nearly any combination of armor and helmets except Lv 2\3 helmet with red armor…then it only takes three.
This shotgun is even more deadly with the hop-up, Disruptor Rounds. This makes it deal increased damage to shielded targets, so you can shred armor faster even without all the pellets landing.
L-STAR - Energy LMG
This light machine gun takes a slight nerf this season and drops a bit on our weapon tier list as a result. The L-Star lost the barrel stabilizer attachment which went a very long way in helping with steadying its already erratic fire pattern. This causes it to lose a lot of its efficiency at longer ranges.
The L-Star is still a great gun in mid to close-range fights, or off-the-drop engagements. The biggest strength of this gun is if you master the rate of fire you will never have to reload.
Volt - Energy Submachine Gun
The Volt is a very trustworthy SMG to run. It’s got a stable rate of fire and a decent clip size, and the hip fire is extremely easy to control even without a laser sight.
It's not as strong as it was thanks to the nerfs to the SMG meta in season 20, but still a good choice to pair with a trusty assault rifle or marksman weapon. It was never the best SMG, so when others got over nerfed like the R-99, the Volt stays in a decent spot on our gun tier list.
Sentinel - Sniper Rifle
This Apex Legends Sniper Rifle is scary good in the right hands. It has a slow rate of fire, but when it goes off, you can tell it from any other sniper shot, especially when it’s charged up. Using a single shield cell, you increase the damage this weapon does by 25%. An amped-up Sentinel can one or two-shot any person in the lobby. If you have the precision to run this effectively? Do it, but keep an eye on that shield cell count.
Mastiff - Shotgun
Shotguns in Apex Legends can be a bit deceptive compared to other first-person shooter video games. They don’t have a huge spread, so you can’t just aim in a general direction and expect to hit someone. The Mastiff, egregiously so, as its spread is just a horizontal line.
If you’re using the Mastiff, you need to aim down sights to be effective or have the muzzle directly in the back of your enemies. With digital threats only equipable by shotguns and pistols now, expect to see more Mastiffs and Peacekeepers in play by Bangalores.
30-30 Repeater - Heavy Marksman Weapon
In the right hands, this marksman rifle can be very deadly and make short work of enemies. But it’s only good at long range and you need to get used to the cadence of the firing rate and reloading. If you whiff your entire magazine, make sure you have a backup weapon because this takes forever to reload. The Skullpiercer hop-up increases its effectiveness with headshots and is a must-have if you plan on running it.
Despite seeing major nerfs in Season 20, the 30-30 is still a great weapon to run if you can hit your shots. The damage has been lowered, the clip size lowered and it reloads slower than before. With those changes in mind, it does fall down on our weapon tier list in Season 20.
G7 Scout - Light Marksman Weapon
This Marksman weapon is a great choice early to mid-game, but if you’re fond of keeping yourself at a distance and picking off stragglers to clean up via third party, then any Sniper would be a good alternative. Where the G7 shines is in its rate of fire compared to the Charge Rifle or Sentinel.
B Tier Guns
All of the guns in this weapon tier are great to use and can be very efficient. Don’t take the B Tier to mean they should be looked down upon or ignored. It’s more that the weapons above it are just that much better. But these are great all-around weapons to grab when you see them and attachments only serve to help even more.
Havoc - Energy Assault Rifle
This energy weapon can be extremely dangerous, but due to its long wind-up time, it’s never recommended to go head-to-head with an enemy using it. If you have a Turbocharger, it helps negate that fact, but you should always be looking to get the drop on an unsuspecting enemy squad. If you have even a second of reaction time over them, putting this right in someone's back will yield some quick knocks.
R-99 - Light Submachine Gun
While all submachine guns have suffered through the great SMG nerf of Season 20 in Apex Legends, the R-99 has had it the worst. Once the most popular SMG in the game, it has been getting small, incremental nerfs over the past few seasons. It got a bigger recoil pattern this season and the laser sight nerfs affect it as well.
This SMG is a reliable secondary to carry along with whatever your medium to long-range weapon is. But it spits lead faster than most other weapons in its category and if your aim isn't on point, you'll whiff your entire magazine in the blink of an eye. It is a sad season for R-99 lovers, but it falls pretty far down our gun tier list.
Alternator - Light Submachine Gun
Often overlooked because of the ferocity of other SMGs, the younger sibling in the light ammo SMG category is a good weapon to grab off the drop. It has a slightly lower firing rate, but where it shines is in its ammo capacity. You can catch enemies off early drops reloading and still have more than enough in your clip to finish them off.
This gun is even better because the Disruptor Rounds hop-up increases its effectiveness against shields. It chews through them so quickly your opponents will be terrified of confronting you head-on.
Charge Rifle - Sniper Rifle
The Charge Rifle saw a massive overhaul recently and plays nothing like it did before. It used to be a good starter sniper rifle for new players until they got the hang of bullet drop for other guns, but now it's the exact opposite. It has a charge-up time before it fires, so it's difficult to learn how to aim and predict when to fire with this gun.
It also has a big kick, so it's harder to use the tracer of your last shot to adjust your aim. But the strength of this sniper rifle over the others is that there isn't a damage fall off the further away your target is. The Charge Rifle gets stronger the further away you are. If you can master this Sniper Rifle, you will strike fear into the lobby regardless of where we place it on our weapon tier list.
Longbow DMR - Sniper Rifle
The Longbow is a very good Sniper Rifle, but like a lot of the weapons in this tier, it requires a lot of attachments. The most important is the Skull Piercer hop-up which deals more damage on headshots. It’s got a great rate of fire compared to the Sentinel, though, and if you can hit consecutive shots, you can turn a fight in your favor very quickly.
C Tier Guns
All of the Apex Legends weapons in C Tier are fine in their own right and perfectly suitable for winning early engagements. Some of them with full attachments are even deadly, but most of them require specific conditions to hold a candle against anything in the Weapon Tiers above.
Chances are you’ll do great with these if you already have the upper hand. But you will want to swap them out when you come across something better that shares ammo and attachments.
Spitfire - Light LMG
The Spitfire is a good gun with a massive magazine size that is easy to control. It can be good for keeping pressure on enemies who are waiting for you to reload, or pushing when you know the enemy has exhausted their magazine. But the rate of fire is slow and if you try to take on an SMG or assault rifle head-to-head, you will lose that fight and that puts it near the bottom of our gun tier list.
RE-45 - Light Pistol
The RE-45 is a great weapon to pick up right off the drop, especially if you're contested and need to get into the fight quickly. It chews through ammo though, so try not to run it with another light ammo gun.
Where the RE-45 truly shines is if you can find the golden hop-up for Hammerpoint Rounds. This lets you deal increased damage to unshielded targets. If you manage to crack someone or need to finish off a downed opponent fast then the RE-45 with Hammer Points is a solid choice.
In Season 20, with SMGs no longer capable of using Digi-Threats, the RE-45 can be a handy sidearm for Bangalores or squads with Bangalores in their party.
Devotion - Energy LMG
Similar to the Havoc, the Devotion suffers from the same flaws. It needs a lot of attachments to be really good and the legendary Turbocharger hop-up is a must. But this LMG has a massive magazine size and when you know your enemies are reloading, you can step in and fry them. It's just not enough to bump it higher on our gun tier list.
Rampage - Heavy LMG
There’s been some controversy around the Rampage ever since its introduction because it packs a massive punch. In the right hands, it can be downright scary. It’s formidable at medium and short range but is always outclassed by an assault rifle. However, if you boost it with a Thermite Grenade, it increases its damage and rate of fire for a time, making it even scarier. In addition, while boosted, it can also break doors down. But all that isn't enough to move it much higher on our weapon tier list.
Triple Take - Energy Marksman Weapon
Like other marksman weapons on our gun tier list, if you’re hitting your shots, any of them will get the job done. But if you have a choice between this and a G7 Scout or even a Sniper Rifle, you're off with the others.
The one interesting thing about the Triple Take is that because it fires three projectiles, it can sometimes work as a budget shotgun at close range. But you shouldn't bet your life on it.
D Tier Weapon, P2020 - Light Pistol
It may seem disrespectful to put the P2020 in a category all by itself at the very bottom, and… yeah, it kind of is, but unless you have pinpoint precision with your shots, you're better off picking up anything else. Hammerpoint Rounds can help, but by the time you find them, you’ve likely passed over any number of other weapons that would serve you better in mid to late game. Sorry P2020 but you're at the bottom of the barrel in our Apex Legends Weapon Tier List.
Just avoid picking this up and throw your hands. In the time it takes to whiff an entire clip and reload, you could’ve landed 2 or 3 melee attacks for 30 damage each. Leave the P2020 where it belongs, on the ground.
