Best Apex Legends Weapons: Tier List Rankings (Season 21)

Apex Legends Best Weapons Tier List Rankings

In this tier list, we rank the best weapons in Apex Legends across four tiers.

Remember that player comfort and playstyle should always come first, but there are always weapons that will rise to the top due to meta conditions and balance changes.

We’ll start off with our rankings and below, you’ll find commentary on each weapon as well as our methodology.

If you found this tier list useful, don’t forget to also check out our list of the best Apex Legends characters.

There’s a good chance you might play it as well, so don’t miss our list of the best weapons in The Finals.

Tier	Apex Legends Weapon Tier List
S	Nemesis, Hemlok, C.A.R SMG, Flatline, R-301
A	Prowler PDW, Sentinel, Volt SMG, Havoc, R-99, Wingman, Peacekeeper, Mastiff, Triple-Take
B	Spitfire, 30-30 Repeater, Alternator, G7 Scout, L-STAR, Rampage
C	Longbow DMR, Charge Rifle, Mozambique
D	RE-45, P2020

Check out our visual infographic version of the tier list below as well:

Weapon Commentary

S-tier Weapons

Nemesis Burst

The Nemesis Burst AR is one of the most effective weapons in Apex Legends. When charged up, the damage output of the Nemesis is unrivaled and can down opponents in no time at range. To get the full potential from this weapon, avoid hip fire as it is difficult to control.

Hemlok

The Hemlok is one of the best burst fire weapons in the game. As a burst fire weapon, this gun excels at medium range fights but can also deal significant damage at close range. The single fire can also be effective at wearing down peeking enemies. Even with the nerfs, this weapon is still an amazing burst weapon.

C.A R SMG

The C.A R deals excellent damage in short and medium range encounters. If you’re able to learn the recoil pattern, you can take down enemies in no time. The versatility of being able to switch between heavy and light ammo cannot be understated.

Flatline

The Flatline is a great assault rifle that deals good damage at most ranges. The R-301 can be easier to handle but the Flatline still packs a punch. We would recommend you get some good optics on this gun, as the iron sights do make it slightly more difficult to use. The damage output of the Flatline is nevertheless very good at most ranges.

R-301

The R-301 is a great choice for assault rifles. The handling of the recoil is one of the easiest in the game, while providing great damage at all ranges. Even with iron sights, the R-301 shines from the first ring through to the final ring.

A-tier Weapons

Prowler P.D.W

The Prowler P.D.W is a great burst SMG that has a very fast time to kill. Even without select fire, this weapon can deal serious damage. The Prowler excels at close range and performs great at medium range.

Sentinel

The Sentinel is a great sniper when engaging in long range fights. The iron sights are good, but the reload times mean you must hit your shots. When charged, this gun puts out consistently high damage.
The Volt is an energy SMG that can deal great damage. The Volt is best used in short to mid-range as the damage tends to drop off at longer distances. This weapon also has great sights, with the main drawback being the use of energy ammo.

Havoc

The Havoc is a great gun, but performs best with a Turbocharger. Even without the hop-up, the Havoc can be strong but the spin-up time does reduce its effectiveness. If you’re able to find a Turbocharger attachment, this weapon becomes very powerful.

R-99

The R-99 is still a good choice for SMGs and can quickly put out great damage in close and mid-range fights. However, it has fierce competition with the Volt and C.A.R also dealing similar or better damage, while being easier to control than the R-99.

Wingman

The Wingman has returned to the floor for season 21. With the removal of the Skullpiercer hop-up and a few nerfs, this gun won’t be as dominant as it has been in past seasons. Nevertheless, it remains a good pick for medium-close range fights.

Peacekeeper

The Peacekeeper is a brilliant shotgun that can put out big damage in close quarters fights. While it has a slower rate of fire compared to other shotguns, it still can be used effectively to peek a corner and down an enemy. With accuracy and a bit of luck, this weapon is difficult to go up against.

Mastiff

The Mastiff can deal huge damage at close ranges. The recoil may take some getting used to, but once you’re familiar with it, this weapon can quickly take down enemies. There are few guns which deal as much rapid damage as the Mastiff.

Triple Take

The Triple Take can be an effective marksman weapon that shoots in a spread or choke pattern. The spread can be useful at medium range engagements, and almost act like a shotgun at closer ranges. The return of the boosted loader hop-up will help to maintain pressure on enemy teams.

B-tier Weapons

Spitfire

The Spitfire can be a viable LMG. The long magazines compensate for the lack of range on this gun. This gun can perform well in short to medium range encounters, as the large magazine size combined with better recoil make this gun easy to use and difficult to fight against. However, there are often better choices.

30-30 Repeater

The 30-30 Repeater is a good marksman rifle which shines in medium to long range battles. This weapon will punish enemies who aren’t in cover and give your team opportunities to push fights. However, the removal of Skullpiercer does reduce the high damage potential from headshots.

Alternator

The Alternator is a good SMG at close ranges, where it’s most effective. This gun can perform well if you are able to keep the fights at close range. For SMGs there are better picks, but it can still perform well in the early game.

G7-Scout

The G7-Scout is a solid marksman weapon, it is good for poking fights to keep the pressure on the enemy. This weapon excels at medium range, but can also perform well at longer ranges. The G7 can provide consistent damage, but there are some better picks.

L-STAR

The L-STAR can be a good choice for overpowering an enemy at close to medium range. Due to the spread of this gun, it can be inaccurate at longer ranges. However, at a close range the L-STAR can deal great damage.

Rampage

The Rampage is an LMG that can be amped up with a thermite grenade. This gun is effective at dealing consistent damage at medium range but there are better choices for close range fights. The rampage is most effective at punishing enemy teams peeking and out in the open.

C-tier Weapons

Longbow DMR

The Longbow DMR can be a great weapon at medium-long range but is poor at close ranges. As a sniper, this weapon deals good damage and offers a higher rate of fire than other snipers. The buffs to this gun will make it more effective at its niche of sniping the enemy, but is unlikely to be effective outside of this.

Charge Rifle

The Charge Rifle being a hold and release weapon, is less than previous iterations of this gun. Though it has seen a slight buff to recoil and control this season. This weapon can do well in medium range situations, however there are better choices that are both easier to control and offer more effective damage.

Mozambique

The Mozambique can be an effective shotgun at close to medium ranges. Outside of this, the damage falls out significantly. While this may not be the best shotgun, it is not a bad choice in early game.

D-tier Weapons

RE-45

The RE-45 unfortunately has poor damage compared to most other weapons. While this weapon can be effective in early game, it has poor DPS and range. At close quarters it is decently effective but most other light ammo weapons are significantly better.

P2020

The P2020 deals little damage and has poor range, even with attachments the gun does not significantly improve. This weapon is generally unremarkable and is overshadowed by practically every weapon in the game.

Ranking Methodology

S-tier

These weapons are easy to control and provide great damage against enemies in nearly all situations. You’ll want to grab these guns if you see them.

A-tier

A-tier weapons are fairly easy to control, while giving good damage in most situations. They are a great choice of weapon and should be taken when you spot them.

B-tier

B-tier weapons are okay to control and give reasonable damage in a few areas. There are better guns out there, but these weapons can perform well.

C-tier

C-tier weapons can be poor to control and provide reasonable damage in niche circumstances. Outside of this, they aren’t a good choice – only pick these guns up if you have no other choices.

D-tier

D-tier weapons are usually a poor choice and should only be picked up if you have no other choices to loot. These weapons have bad handling, low damage, and are generally weak across all ranges.

Thanks for checking out our list of the best characters in Apex Legends. Be sure to also check out all our other Mobalytics tier lists.