Best weapons to use in Apex Legends Season 17

These are the best guns to use in Season 17.
Image via EA

Apex Legends Season 17 features a wide range of weapons that you can use to eliminate opponents. Weapon Mastery has been added to the game, and you can increase weapon levels by completing various challenges with them. A new ranked system has also been introduced in Apex Legends Season 17, replacing ranked points with ladder points. Naturally, you need to know the best weapons to use this season to stay a step ahead of your opponents in a fight. Here are the best weapons to use for every gun class in Apex Legends.

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Best Assault Rifles to use in Apex Legends

Nemesis Burst AR

The Nemesis Burst AR is the best Assault Rifle to use in Apex Legends Season 17 for several reasons. This weapon was added in Season 16, and has performed exceptionally since its introduction. The Nemesis Burst AR uses energy ammunition and shoots four bullets with each shot. This weapon's unique burst mechanic allows players to hold down the shoot button to fire a constant stream of bullets. The fire rate of the Nemesis Burst AR also increases with each burst until it reaches 100% charge. However, if you stop firing for five seconds, the fire rate charge comes back down to 0%.

R-301 Carbine

The R-301 Carbine is the long-standing staple Assault Rifle in Apex Legends. This weapon is commonly available as ground loot, and its attachments are also easy to come across while exploring the map. While it stands tall in most categories, the R-301 Carbine is best known for its linear recoil pattern and impeccable stability. The damage dealt by this weapon is consistent, and you can use the 3x HCOG 'Ranger' or the 2x-4x Variable AOG for mid-range combat.

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Best Sniper Rifles to use in Apex Legends

Kraber .50 cal

The Kraber .50 Cal is the best Sniper Rifle in Apex Legends, and this weapon can be acquired from Supply Drops. The Kraber functions similarly to a bolt-action sniper and comes with a customized 6x-10x variable scope. If you are looking to knock down enemies with a single shot, then the Kraber is your best option. This weapon deals over 180 headshot damage, making it the deadliest one-shot weapon in the game. While fighting enemies with red Evo-Shields, you only need to connect a couple of body shots to knock them down. However, the Kraber .50 Cal comes with only 12 bullets, so you need to connect with every shot to maximize the efficiency of this gun.

Charge Rifle

Despite getting nerfed in Season 17, the Charge Rifle is still the best Sniper Rifle to use for farming damage. You can use this weapon to ideally level up your Evo-Shield by damaging enemies throughout the game. In Season 17, the Charge Rifle has six bullets per clip instead of eight, and its spawn rate has also been reduced. Regardless, we recommend using this weapon to level up your Evo-Shield during the early phases of the game. During the end game, the Charge Rifle can feel a little useless, and you can switch it for a close-range weapon for the final fights.

Best SMGs to use in Apex Legends

R-99

The R-99 is the best SMG in Apex Legends Season 17 for several reasons. This weapon received a slight nerf to its magazine size, but that hasn't stopped it from dominating the meta. The R-99 has an easily controlled recoil pattern, and memorizing it will allow you to one-clip opponents easily. Try to negate the recoil by gradually shifting your aim downwards while spraying bullets with this weapon. You can find the R-99 commonly as ground loot, and it requires only four attachments. You will need a laser sight, an extended light magazine, an optic, and a standard stock to fill all the attachment slots.

Volt SMG

The Volt SMG is another top-tier SMG that uses energy ammunition. While it has a slower fire rate than the R-99, the Volt SMG deals more damage to opponents. The Volt SMG deals 15 body shot, and 23 headshot damage to opponents. This weapon has four attachment slots, and you will need a laser sight, an extended energy magazine, an optic, and a standard stock to fill all the slots.

Best Pistol to use in Apex Legends

Wingman

If you have a preference for high-risk high-reward gameplay, then the Wingman is the best Pistol to use in Apex Legends. This semi-auto weapon uses sniper ammo and deals devastating damage to opponents. You can also use the Skullpiercer hop-up to get an additional headshot multiplier. The Wingman uses only three attachments: an extended sniper magazine, the Skullpiercer Hop-Up, and an optic. Without the Skullpiercer, the Wingman deals 97 headshot damage, but with the Hop-Up equipped it deals around 113 headshot damage. Keep in mind that this weapon depends highly on your accuracy, so it's best to practice with the Wingman in the Firing Range before selecting it in a match.

RE-45 Auto

The RE-45 Auto is an auto-firing Pistol in Apex Legends that uses light ammunition. Pick up this gun if you do not find any other AR or SMG alternatives. The RE-45 is a strong choice for close-range combat, but it falls short in front of Shotguns and SMGs. The RE-45 also has an attachment slot for the Hammerpoint Rounds Hop-Up. Equipping this item increases the damage dealt to unshielded enemies. You can effectively break an opponent's shield with an AR, and then follow up with the RE-45 equipped with Hammerpoint Rounds to eliminate them quickly.

Best Shotgun to use in Apex Legends

Peacekeeper

The Peacekeeper stands tall as the best Shotgun in Apex Legends Season 17. This lever-action Shotgun comes with a choke mechanic that reduces pellet spread while aiming down sights. You will notice the damage differential while using the choke, as it can instantly break Evo-Shields at close range. The Peacekeeper deals almost 121 headshot damage while aiming down sights, so it is highly recommended that you master using the choke mechanic in the Firing Range.

Mastiff

The Mastiff is another Shotgun you can use to devastate enemies at close range. Unlike the Peacekeeper, the Mastiff doesn't have a choke mechanic. However, you can aim down sights to reduce the pellet spread and increase the accuracy of every shot. This weapon is available as ground loot, and you will only need a shotgun bolt, optic, and standard stock attachment for this gun. The Mastiff deals around 112 headshot damage if all the pellets connect. While this weapon is brilliant at close range, it can feel a little inconsistent if you are not aiming down sights.

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Best LMG to use in Apex Legends

M600 Spitfire

The M600 Spitfire is the best LMG to use in Apex Legends Season 17. You will find it easily as ground loot, and it requires just three attachments. You will need an extended light magazine, a standard stock, and an optic attachment for the M600 Spitfire. If you are playing Rampart, we recommend picking up an LMG as Rampart's Modded Loader passive ability increases magazine size and increases reload speed for this weapon category.

Rampage

Rampage is the second-best LMG option to choose in Apex Legends Season 17. This weapon has a slow fire rate, but you can amplify it by using a Thermite Grenade. This weapon has four attachment slots, and you will need a barrel stabilizer, an extended heavy magazine, a standard stock, and an optic to deck it out. The Rampage deals 39 headshot, 26 body shot, and 22 leg shot damage to opponents. Pair it with the 3x HCOG 'Ranger' to engage in mid-range combat.

For more on Apex Legends, check out How to turn on login verification in Apex Legends here on Pro Game Guides.


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Dipanjan Dey
Dipanjan Dey started his gaming journey with Doom 2 and Contra: Legacy of War back in 1997. Naturally, he gravitated to RPGs and FPS titles like Call of Duty, Halo, and CS:GO. Dipanjan has been coverings stories and writing about video games for the past five years. For the past year, Dipanjan has been working as a Contributing Author for Pro Game Guides, covering shooter games like Fortnite, Apex Legends, and CoD!

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Best weapons to use in Apex Legends Season 17

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