Knowing which guns to use, along with their strengths and weaknesses, is pretty important for learning a battle royale. For anyone just getting into this game, or interested in doing so, here's a pretty solid worst to best list for the weapons. I've watched a few weapon ranking videos on this game, and I agree with this one more than any others I've seen.
I started out with the intention of just posting the video, but then I thought I should post a list for people who don't want to watch the whole video. Then I had the idea to maybe post a brief description as to why each weapon got the ranking it did, and then that morphed into what I ended up with.
Also note that "attachment dependency" usually means either a "hop-up" weapon mod needs to be found before the weapon can be truly effective, or that a basic attachment is needed to make up for a particular weapon's general weakness.
It's also of course subjective, like everything else on this list. Feel free to share your own thoughts.
18)
Mozambique Pistol (due to being horrible and nearly useless) -
shotgun ammo
"Good" when you first land, for fighting enemies too far away to punch you, and that's about it. Low damage and only three shots per magazine means you should find a better weapon.
17)
P-2020 Pistol (due to low damage) -
light ammo
A standard semi-automatic pistol. Not a good gun. Of course,
good teamwork can make any weapon usable. Well, maybe not the Mozambique.
16)
Alternator SMG (due to low damage and somewhat high recoil) -
light ammo
Great in Titanfall 2. Not so great here, but it can get much better with attachments. A solid weapon to grab when you first land, and a good backup weapon until a replacement can be found. Still, it's worth using if you like SMGs and can't find an R-99.
15)
Devotion LMG (due to ammo limitation and attachment dependency) -
energy ammo
Takes a moment to "spin up" to its full fire rate. A hop-up attachment can significantly reduce the spin-up speed. Energy ammo is rarest of the four ammo types, though, and this weapon goes through a lot of ammo. But if you do have the hop-up and the ammo supply, this can be a very strong weapon.
14)
RE-45 Auto Pistol (due to low damage) -
light ammo
Think of it as an automatic P-2020, or a pistol version of the R-99. Low damage, but a very fast fire. Like the alternator, it'll do until you find something better.
13)
Prowler Burst Fire SMG (due to attachment dependency) -
heavy ammo
A solid find in the early game, that can become even better with the select fire hop-up attachment, which turns the weapon into a fully automatic SMG.
12)
Havoc Assault Rifle (due to ammo limitation and attachment dependency) -
energy ammo
Similar to the devotion, it's a "spin-up" weapon with an attachment that eliminates spin-up. But an alternate hop-up for the Havoc can also be found that instead turns it into a sniper rifle. Energy ammo limitations still apply, though.
11)
Flatline Assualt Rifle (due to attachment limitations and recoil) -
heavy ammo
A strong rifle at close to mid range, it suffers from recoil issues beyond that. The weapon doesn't offer a barrel attachment either, so that recoil won't be getting better as you continue to loot. It is one of the only two fully automatic heavy ammo weapons, though you'd be better off with the other one.
10)
Hemlock Burst Fire Rifle (due to being generally pretty average) -
heavy ammo
A good weapon, although not everyone enjoys burst file rifles. Better accuracy than the Flatline, but missing your shots can be less forgiving. Unlike the Prowler, there isn't an attachment that turns the weapon fully automatic.
09)
Triple Take Sniper (due to bullet spread and attachment dependency) -
energy ammo
Fires three bullets at once, and you can get an attachment that reduces the bullet spread to almost nothing. Faster fire rate than the Longbow, with the con of less accuracy and reliability.
08)
Longbow Sniper (due to slower fire rate) -
heavy ammo
I'd suggest using the Longbow and the Triple Take in the firing range, to get an idea of your preference. Along with the Wingman, the Longbow can use a headshot damage hop-up, but the weapon's slow fire rate can make it a very poor choice for switching to when your primary weapon needs to be reloaded.
07)
Eva-8 Auto Shotgun (due to less damage but faster fire rate) -
shotgun ammo
The easier to use of the two main shotguns in Apex Legends, the Eva has a much faster fire rate than the Peacekeeper, although that comes at the expense of damage.
06)
R-99 SMG (due to smaller clip size and attachment dependency) -
light ammo
Pretty much the best SMG in the game. With a very fast fire rate, the R-99 tears through enemies up close. But the starting magazine can feel a little small, so you'll want to upgrade it. Great to pair with a shotgun for close engagements, or a rifle for a bit more distance.
05)
G7 Scout Semi-Auto Rifle (due to fast fire rate and good long range potential) -
light ammo
It's not a sniper rifle, but it's close. And unless you're going up against snipers, you'll be at an advantage in any long range fight. Also useful at the mid to short range, the G7 Scout is one of the most versatile weapons in the game.
04)
Spitfire LMG (due to a large ammo capacity) -
heavy ammo
Personally, if I'm going to use a sniper rifle, I want my other weapon to be a spitfire. It can be hard to always kill enemies with one clip in Apex Legends, and pulling out a slow-firing sniper rifle instead of reloading can be a bad idea. But the Spitfire is the exception to small magazines. The ammo capacity starts at big, and it only gets bigger with each heavy ammo magazine upgrade you find.
03)
R-301 Rifle (due to strong versatility and easy to find ammo) -
light ammo
Almost certainly the best light ammo gun in the game. Very strong at all but sniper and scout rifle ranges. Low recoil, good handling, lots of attachment options, and no real negatives to speak of.
02)
Wingman Pistol (due to strong damage and potential for fast kills) -
heavy ammo
By far the strongest pistol in the game. The Wingman does nearly as much damage as the Lowbow, but with a much faster fire rate. The precision damage hop-up attachment can make it even more powerful, able to kill an enemy in as few as two headshots. Not as easy to use as an R-301 or a Spitfire, but with higher skill comes a higher reward.
01)
Peacekeeper Shotgun (due to strong damage and potential for fast kills) -
shotgun ammo
The downside to the Peacekeeper is the slow fire rate, which means missing your shots can be fatal. The upside of the Peacekeeper is literally everything else. It's has the highest single shot damage potential of any standard weapon in the game. A hop-up attachment can be found that lets you charge the weapon for even more damage. The slow fire rate keeps you from burning through ammo. And it's just as effective when firing from the hip as it is when aiming down the sights.
Power weapon 02)
Mastiff Shotgun (can only drop-mid game in supply drops) - special limited pre-loaded ammo
You need to aim the Mastiff, but when you do, the headshot multiplier makes this the strongest close range weapon in the game. The weapon fires in a horizontal line of bullets, and they tighten up significantly when you ADS.
Power weapon 01)
Kraber Sniper (can only drop-mid game in supply drops) - special limited pre-loaded ammo
It kills people real good from real far away.
