There are a multitude of weapons in Apex Legends and knowing which ones to use in certain situations isn’t always easy. With this in mind, one players has come up with a tiers list that shows which weapons are best to use in the three stages of each match.
What are the different stages of an Apex Legends match?
While there is no set-in-stone definition for the different stages of a match in Apex Legends, most players would agree that there are three – early-game, mid-game, endgame.
As for knowing which stage of a match you’re in while playing, here is a pretty good description of when each stages starts and ends.
- Early-game: From the start of the match to when the Ring closes on the first safety circle.
- Mid-game: From the end of early-game to when there are 10 or less players left on the map (when the player counter turns to a question mark).
- Late-game: From the start of mid-game to the end of the match.
Most players will vary their style of play from one stage to another, as each phase of a match requires players to show different degrees of risk management, strategy, aggressiveness, and interest in loot.
Which weapons are best to use in each stage?
Because each of the three stages of an Apex Legends match vary in terms of gameplay and the players’ decision making, the viability of weapons also changes from one phase to another.
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To better crystallize this concept, Reddit user ‘Comanglia’ has posted a guide that indicates which weapons from each of the six categories are best to use during the different stage of the game.
The guide is split into three major sections, one for each stage, which are further split into six subsections listing weapons from best to worst to use during that stage.
Apart from the actual list itself, the creator of the guide also provides his closing thoughts for each weapon category, offering an explanation for why he chose certain weapons over others.
What factors were considered for making this guide?
On Reddit, the creator of the guide explained that there were several factors he had in mind when making it, particularly for certain stages and specific weapons.
- Iron sights – Since optical attachments are not easy to find right away, the iron sights of weapons when aiming played a big role in determining the early-game weapon choices.
- Weapon switch speeds – Certain weapons take longer to switch to when swapping weapons, which is why the RE-45 is designated as a good late-game weapon.
- Bullet velocity – How fast bullets travel after being fired does have an impact on longer range gunfights, so having a long-range weapon with fast bullet velocity, such as the G7 Scout, can be a big boost.
- Charge-up time – Energy weapons such as the Havok or Devotion LMG have to charge-up when being fired before they reach their peak fire-rate. This is why, without a Turbocharger Hop-up, the weapons are not really viable.
- Upgrade potential – Weapons that can take on a lot more attachments and hop-ups than others are also more viable, which is why the VK-47 Flatline is not ranked high in the guide.