Apex Legends has a balanced and satisfying spread of weapons, providing more than enough options to keep things fun and varied, but without going overboard and overwhelming us with sheer volume. The gunplay itself is slick, smooth and fast-paced, being more than a little reminiscent of Titanfall’s enjoyable shooting mechanics.

But of course, being limited to two selections at a time, you’re inevitably going to have to make some tough calls as you’re ravenously vacuuming loot into your backpack. So which ones do you take into battle, and which ones get left in the dust? Knowing the answers to this question ahead of time can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Fortunately, that’s the exact question we’re here to answer today. Here are all the weapons currently available for use in Apex Legends, ranked from “I’d rather have a rusty spoon,” to “I’d marry this gun if that were an actual thing I could do.” We’re going to be leaving grenades out of the running here, as they’re more along the lines of support items than anything else, and deserve consideration on their own terms. Anyway, let’s cut the chatter and begin, because we've got some ground to cover.

P2020

Taking the dubious honor of this list's bottom entry is this unremarkable semi-auto pistol. The magazine size is best described as claustrophobic and it has the weakest damage output in the game, barring maybe the melee attack. But even that has redeeming qualities.

This guy shouldn't be considered an option outside of complete and utter desperation, though it is actually proven to be slightly more effective than nothing. But even then, you should swap it out as soon as possible with pretty much anything else.

Alternator

The Alternator SMG really only ranks above the P2020 because it fires in full auto, dishing out a little more damage, and doing it faster. But the damage output is still pretty low and the tiny magazine is likely to leave you unable to finish the job at the most inopportune times.

It's an all-around terrible weapon outside of the initial loot scramble. Replace it, avoid it, leave it for some other unfortunate soul to struggle with. You've got bigger fish to fry if you're not in immediate danger.

Melee

Yeah, yeah. I know, this list is for weapons. And really, the melee option isn't fantastic in terms of damage. But it has a few utility roles that often get overlooked or simply undiscovered by new players, making it largely more useful than the preceding collection of subpar weaponry.

Firstly, you can bash down doors. Since players often use them as cover or as crude "alarm" systems when camping, there are obvious applications here. Next, it's a great way to get past knockdown shields, saving you valuable ammunition. It's also worth noting that you can perform flying kicks while airborne, and uppercuts while sliding. Though being honest, both are pretty impractical.

Mozambique

This strange, triple-barreled shotgun-pistol hybrid handles poorly, and necessitates frequent, sluggish reload animations. The only upside is that if you come face to face with another poorly equipped looter in the early game, you'll be able to kick out surprising amounts of damage.

But that's if, you know, you can actually manage to hit them with the thing.

That really is the summary, unfortunately. It's terribly inaccurate and leaves you with your pants around your ankles way more often than you should be comfortable with. Give this a hard pass as soon as something else comes up, but appreciate its limited charms if you really need it.

Longbow DMR

Generally speaking, some sort of long-range, sniper rifle equivalent would normally be a must-have piece of kit for a battle royale match. But while they're certainly not the worst things to have, sniper rifles are a little unimpressive when it comes to Apex Legends.

A skilled player can do perfectly fine using the Longbow, but it's a bit slow. The damage per shot is very solid, but the DPS suffers greatly from the lag between shots, and it leaves your opponents a lot of room to get into cover for a quick heal. It's not a bad gun, but high DPS, high-pressure weapons result in decisive victories far more often.

Hemlok Burst AR

The Hemlok fulfills the role of the standard, three round burst firing assault rifle that you're probably familiar with from every other FPS game. While it manages to succeed in playing the role, it doesn't tend to do it overly well at any point.

It's not a bad weapon after you've obtained a few upgrades for it, but getting there is going to be a slog. The locked burst fire really drags it down in terms of DPS, limiting its ability to maintain pressure and remain useful inside of mid-range. There are definitely better ways to make use of the heavy ammo it consumes.

Triple Take

One thing to be said is that this is a pretty unique rifle, kicking out a horizontal spread of three simultaneous shots per trigger pull, which can really help with tracking long distance targets. You can tighten the spread a bit with the precision choke hop-up mod. But again, it is still a sniper rifle.

The fact that it takes energy ammunition is both a blessing and a curse. That ammo type tends to get passed up because only two weapons take it, the Devotion and the Triple Take. It also tends to be a little sparse for that very reason, however, so your mileage will vary from match to match.

Prowler SMG

Much like the Hemlok AR, this SMG fires in controlled bursts, but puts out five rounds instead of three. It's incredibly difficult to manage without modifications, as the accuracy isn't great to begin with. Compounding it with an awkward burst setting doesn't do it any favors.

It manages to climb this high on the list due to its select fire hop-up mod, allowing it to fire in full auto, really giving this thing some punch. Back it up by learning how to control the ludicrous recoil and you'll totally dominate close to mid range firefights. However, completely depending on a relatively rare attachment to bring out its potential is a definite hindrance.

RE-45 Auto

Functionally more of an SMG than a pistol, this compact, fully automatic handgun packs a lot of punch into a neat little package. But is it truly enough punch to justify taking up one of your weapon slots?

All things considered, it sits pretty comfortably in the middle of the road. The light ammunition is easy to find, it upgrades very well, shines up close and passes into "workable" once you hit mid range. You could do worse, and you could do better, but I've seen it work a miracle or two in a pinch.

G7 Scout

This lightweight sniper rifle has a few advantages that help to combat the drawbacks of its weapon class, but ultimately still has a difficult time overcoming them. It kicks out bullets faster than its counterparts, keeping a little more utility as you track your shots and the enemy closes in.

But while it's decent at mid-range, it shines at long range, and you'll find that a lot more fights are truly decided in closer quarters. If you absolutely need to have a sniper rifle in your hands, this is a great pick. The ammo's common and you could do a lot worse for DPS. But I'd still suggest something a little more pressure intensive.

Kraber .50 Cal

The Kraber is one of the two legendary weapons currently available in Apex, and as you might guess, it packs an immense amount of stopping power, delivering shield-shattering body shots and being capable of one-shotting fully shielded adversaries with a square hit to the head.

It requires no mods, but it's still going to be a very rare find. The lowest magnification is 6x, making it very unwieldy if the opponent closes with you. You also cannot restock its ammunition - once it's done, it's done. It's a great and powerful weapon, but it requires a fickle combination of luck and skill, and is useless once the small ammo supply dries up.

Devotion LMG

I have mixed feelings here. On one hand, this thing is capable of the highest DPS output in the game, achieving an unreal rate of fire once it warms up. It also utilizes the rarely looted energy ammo type, which can be pretty abundant in the right match.

The issue is that its initial rate of fire is completely abysmal, taking a moment to achieve the rate of fire that makes it so strong.

Since the opening shots of a firefight are usually crucial to determining its outcome, this is a severe drawback. This can be mitigated with the legendary "Turbocharger" hop-up mod, but with that being a very rare find, you don't want to hold your breath for it.

VK-47 Flatline

I really wanted to like this gun more, since it looks great and tends to fit into a run-and-gun playstyle pretty well. But it's really unimpressive in the long run, with its low rate of fire and lack of a barrel attachment slot really hamstringing its usefulness around mid-game.

The per-shot damage is pretty meaty for an assault rifle, and it certainly holds its own when the chips are down. It shouldn't be underestimated by any means, but it tends to be outperformed by the late game. Chances are you'll have already found something better if you make it that far.

EVA-8 Auto

This automatic shotgun is a perfectly average performer. It won't exactly blow you away in terms of performance, but it's rarely going to utterly disappoint you. You'll smash through shields and chunks of health with relative ease, so long as you stay close and on-target.

It does suffer in the DPS department and lacks the outright stopping power of its lever-action cousin, the Peacekeeper, by striking a balance between the two. This has the unfortunate result of preventing it from excelling in either area, but don't let that fool you into thinking it can't carry its own weight if you're lacking a good close combat option.

R-99 SMG

This is undoubtedly the SMG of choice for those inclined towards their versatile style of play, boasting a blistering rate of fire and very high DPS rating as a result. This is one of the safest bets you can make if you're looking for a weapon that'll stick with you for the length of the match.

The high rate of fire means you'll have quite a bit of recoil to contend with, but the ferocity with which this little number will chew through an enemy's shield is more than well worth the effort of mastering the spray pattern.

M600 Spitfire

This is one of a few exceptions that I'll be making to the "DPS is king" rule, because I owe a lot of successful matches to this underrated LMG. The Spitfire's rate of fire is a bit low, and it needs an attachment or two to really stand on its own. The extended magazine modification in particular is a must.

But if you take care of it, it'll take care of you. The extended magazines give this weapon the largest ammo capacity in the game, allowing you to maintain pressure or engage multiple hostiles if the need arises. And you're still kicking out more DPS than the Flatline, along with a full 2X headshot multiplier.

Wingman

This powerful revolver is truly king among the available handguns, providing excellent damage, great accuracy and a remarkable potential for decisive headshots with the Skullpiercer hop-up mod.

One of the primary reasons I rate the Wingman so highly is the fact that it's ready to rock as soon as you pick it up. Yes, the hop-up mod will give you much better headshot damage and the extended magazine helps compensate for its restrictive six-round cylinder. But it still vastly outperforms most other weapons out-of-the-box, and remains incredibly competitive in terms of damage and utility throughout the match's lifetime.

R-301 Carbine

This is easily the best assault rifle, and by extension one of the best weapons in the game. It's incredibly accurate, and the recoil is easy to manage. It also has a high headshot multiplier and kicks out solid baseline DPS numbers. Did we mention that they're fairly easy to find and take the most common ammo type available?

It's simply the most reliable and well-rounded weapon that you can pick up at almost any point during the match.

The magazine size is a little small at first. But AR attachments are everywhere, so that won't hold you back for long. This weapon can sustain you throughout the entire game if you find it early, and reliability goes a long way in a battle royale match.

Mastiff Shotgun

There are probably quite a few of you wondering why the Mastiff isn't solidly holding the top spot. The damage is insane, and the range is absolutely nutty considering it's a shotgun. This thing will absolutely decimate your foes by the entire squad.

The problem is that you can't use a gun that you don't have, and finding this legendary shotgun can be a tall order. Naturally, if you should happen to find one, it needs to immediately replace one of your weapons, no matter what. But it's a matter of luck, and luck isn't dependable.

Peacekeeper

The Peacekeeper is by far one of the most commonly encountered pieces of equipment you'll find in a player's ideal inventory, and with good reason. The DPS is actually very low owing to its low rate of fire, but a single blast from one of these babies is often the deciding factor in a scrap.

They're commonly found, ridiculously strong, and shotgun shells are all over the place. It's a beast as soon as you pick it up, but adding the precision choke hop-up mod allows you to tighten the weapon's spread as you aim down the sights, increasing its lethal range exponentially. When you see one, grab it, exchange pleasantries and get acquainted, because it's your new best friend.