Apex Legends’ previous best guns are now the “worst” in Season 23

Volt Apex Legends SMGRespawn Entertainment

Apex Legends fans believe Season 23 is bad news for SMGs, as the once-powerful weapon type has plummeted in power already. 

Whenever a new season of Apex Legends rolls around, fans of Respawn’s battle royale get hyped. A new legend, a new gun, and plenty of changes usually abound. However, that isn’t the case with Season 23.

The newest update, instead, has brought a rework for Lifeline, some classic Titanfall weapons returned as Rift Relics, and an overhaul to the support legend type. It’s more of a season of health update, like Rainbow Six Siege has had, than a usual Apex season. 

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Season 23 hasn’t reinvigorated the player count like some fans may have hoped, and its also been bad news for the SMGs in the battle royale. Some players now believe that they close-range weapons are ‘pointless’ and rank as some of the worst in the game. 

“Easily the worst weapon class right now, I get we once had a meta where it was just AA and SMGs but these guns outside of the prowler don’t feel good at all,” Redditor ILewdElichika said, noting that SMGs are outgunned by both akimbo pistols and shotguns at close range. 

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Valkyrie holding CAR SMG in apex legendsRespawn Entertainment
SMGs are falling by the wayside in Apex Legends.

Some fans were quick to share the same view. “The bubble/shield/wall meta right now makes them even less viable,” one added. “All we can do is ride it out and wait for more changes to happen in the future,” another commented. 

Others disagreed that SMGs are the rock-bottom worst choices, though, noting they have some use. 

“I’d probably put SMGs at 2nd worst right behind snipers, seeing as any long-range damage/knocks can and will be completely undone by supports,” one argued. 

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“Literally the only SMG I like is the alternator. The rest are: miss a few shots and you’re cooked,” another replied. 

Respawn has been known to roll out mid-season updates. However, these aren’t typically massively game-changing. So, it’ll likely be a rough few months for SMGs.