Respawn has finally revealed all the weapon-related changes they are bringing with the highly anticipated Apex Legends season 12 Defiance update.
At its core, Apex Legends is a hero-based first-person shooter game set in the same universe as the Titanfall franchise. Since this battle royale game follows a tried and tested freemium model for monetization, Respawn always introduces new features and quality-of-life updates to keep the player base engaged.
With each new season in Apex Legends, Respawn deploys significant balance changes targeted towards characters and weapons to shake up the meta. These changes also include new revisions to Legends with low pick rates to take the overall meta in a new direction.
In season 12 of Apex Legends, Respawn decided to put Volt SMG into the care package. In its place, the Alternator will return to the ground loot with nerfed stats. Volt has been a popular weapon choice for players of all skill levels. It will be interesting to witness how its removal from the ground loot changes the weapon meta.
Aside from the Volt, the Flatline & Longbow will also be removed from the ground loot. Instead, they will be exclusively available via replicators. This change should affect the loot distribution positively.
A new hop-up called Kinetic Feeder will be added to the loot pool in terms of hop-ups. It is compatible with the Peacekeeper and the Triple Take, and it will reload rounds and reduce charge time while sliding. Also, the fan-favorite Hammerpoint hop-up will be making a return to the game and will be compatible with the RE45.
Read More: Apex Legends Season 12 Defiance Character Changes: Crypto Buff, Caustic Nerf, & More
Season 12 Weapon Buffs & Nerfs
Supply Drop Rotation
The Alternator SMG returns to the ground this season, and taking its place is the powerful mid-range energy Volt SMG.
Alternator SMG
- Removed disruptor rounds hop-up
Volt SMG
- Damage increased from 15 to 17
- Max mag size increased from 28 to 30
Hop Ups
Kinetic Feeder – Triple Take & Peacekeeper
Sliding with the Triple Take or Peacekeeper significantly speeds up choke time and automatically reloads rounds.
Hammerpoint Rounds – P2020, Mozambique & RE-45
- P2020
- +50% unshielded damage
- Mozambique
- +35% unshielded damage
- RE-45
- +35% unshielded damage
Shatter Caps – 30-30 Repeater & Bocek Bow
- Passively affects hip-fire for both weapons
- ADS remains a precision shot
- No longer able to toggle on/off
- 30-30 pellet damage reduced from 8 to 7
- Bow pellet damage reduced from 12 to 11
Triple Take
- Removing projectile growth from bullets
- Damage reduced from 23 to 21 per bullet
Dev Note
The Triple Take’s return to floor loot has been really positive, but it’s proving to be a bit ahead of the pack with its ranged performance. We’re eliminating the bullet growth it retained from its days as a sniper to pull it in line with other Marksman rifles.
VK-47 Flatline
- Damage reduced from 19 to 18 per bullet
Rampage LMG (Hotfix)
- Rampage damage was reduced from 28 to 26
- Reduced number of shots during the Revved state from ~40 to ~34
Dev Note
On January 13, 2022, we implemented a hotfix to the Rampage and Sentinel infinite charge bug. We took that opportunity to get out a Rampage nerf early. Noting these changes here for anyone who missed our earlier messaging.
Fully Kitted Rotation
- Added: RE-45, Triple Take, Peacekeeper, Prowler, Havoc
- Removed: Mastiff, 30-30 Repeater, R-301, CAR, Longbow
Weapons in Crafting
- VK-47 Flatline and Longbow DMR are now craftable for 30 mats at any crafting station.
- Weapons in crafting can not be found on the ground.
- Crafted weapons come with no attachments and two boxes of ammo
Read More: Apex Legends Season 12 New “Kinetic Feeder” Hop-Up: How it works, Weapon Compatibility Lists, and More.
