5 most underrated weapons in Apex Legends

The Apex Legends meta is constantly shifting and it can be tempting to use the overpowered Legends and weapons. Sometimes, though, it’s best to shake things up with some rather unconventional picks. Here, we break down five of the most underrated weapons you should be using.

Apex Legends’ Season 14 update has brought lots of exciting content to Respawn’s battle royale. Not only is there a new Legend that changes the way players handle combat, but there’s also a bunch of new Kings Canyon map changes. While using the game’s best guns will certainly give you an edge, against your rivals, it won’t always guarantee you a win. 

Those that are willing to master a wide variety of weapons will usually be able to outgun any players that simply stick to meta. After all, every new update brings forward a wave of changes that bring certain guns into the top tier rankings. While the weapons below may not be the best in their individual categories, they do have a great deal of potential if you’re willing to give them a chance. 

L-STAR

The L-STAR is one of the most unique weapons in Apex Legends. It allows you to keep firing as long as you keep under the overheat threshold. This means you can maintain pressure if you simply fire in short bursts and have the necessary ammo reserves.

This low ammo reserve is a downside when picking the weapon up off the ground initially, making it a gun to avoid off a hot drop. But, with enough of an ammo reserve, the L-Star will almost always outlast the competition. Especially when you’re playing Rampart.

Additionally, the Season 14 update patch notes buffed the L-Star, making it much more usable at longer ranges. The large projectile size combined with its now increased speed makes this weapon a monster at close-mid range.

RE-45

The RE-45 is a gun that sees very little use in Apex Legends. However, with how easy it is to access now that it’s craftable and comes with Hammerpoint Rounds, the RE-45 is certainly worth considering as a companion for a long-range weapon.

Shotguns are great and all, but sometimes it’s nice to have something with a little more range. If you’re looking for something to run alongside a Marksman Rifle or a Sniper, the RE-45 is a heavily underutilized and very reliable close-range secondary.

It may not have the range of an Assault Rifle, but the fact that it’s a pistol makes it a very fast weapon to swap to in a pinch. That combined with a speedy reload and the bonus damage of Hammerpoint Rounds makes this machine pistol worth considering.

Alternator

The Alternator has held the top spot as the weakest SMG in the game for a while now as far as DPS goes. While its slow rate of fire may put it behind the R-99 and Volt, it does have the added advantage of being very accurate.

The recoil for this weapon is almost non-existent, and its hipfire is very accurate (even moreso with a laser sight). Additionally, its high damage per shot in the SMG class combined with a low rate of fire gives this gun a massive margin for error that a weapon like the R-99 just doesn’t have.

Not only is the Alternator a great weapon with no attachments in the early game, but it’s fantastic for newer players who are still learning the ropes.

Hemlok

The Hemlok is a weapon you really don’t hear much about. It tends to get outshined by other Assault Rifles like the R-301 and the Flatline, as well as Marksman Rifles like the 30-30 and Longbow.

It has this weird in-between status: Not quite good enough up close like other ARs, not quite good enough at range to be a Marksman Rifle. That is, until you toggle the fire rate to single fire.

The Hemlok on single fire is extremely accurate and fires much faster than the Scout or 30-30, allowing you to put more rounds down-range. 20 damage per shot is nothing to scoff at, either. Additionally, the Hemlok does extremely well up-close with some practice due to its tight hipfire spread.

The Hemlok won’t be winning any awards for ease of use, but, with how strong this weapon is in the right hands, it’s worth taking the time to master the Hemlok.

Prowler

The Prowler is yet another weapon that often gets left on the ground because of its steep learning curve. While its 5-round burst is a bit awkward to get used to and makes the weapon unwieldy at longer ranges, its high DPS and tight hipfire spread puts it in the upper echelon of SMGs.

This weapon absolutely shreds.

Targets with white shields will go down in 3 bursts, making this weapon incredibly powerful on hot drops. Then, once you find a heavy mag and get the magazine size up to 35, this weapon can put down serious DPS without needing to reload.

At the absolute most, it’ll take 5 bursts to take down fortified targets with red armor if you’re landing all your shots. Having that breathing room later on to miss a few shots combined with the tight hipfire spread makes the Prowler an incredibly lethal short range option. What it lacks in versatility, it makes up for with raw damage.

Nickmercs gave the Prowler his seal of approval, and we agree with him.

---

If you add these five underrated weapons to your arsenal, you’ll secure more kills, no matter the meta. Make sure you follow @TitanfallBlog for all the latest Apex Legends news and updates.