Snipers are an incredibly powerful tool in Apex Legends, but which one should you choose?
Overview of Apex Snipers
In the fast-paced world of Apex, you would think that snipers pale in comparison to the other weapons classes. But in fact it is quite the opposite, sniper rifles are phenomenal in Apex. The ability to deal huge damage and follow up quickly is very valuable. In a close range battle, you are often taking a lot of damage and taking a lot of risk. Using any of the Apex Snipers in fights often means you are far out trading your damage.
Currently, there are 4 Apex snipers: The Kraber, the Sentinel, the Longbow DMR and the Charge Rifle. As of Season 17, the Kraber is in the Care package and the Sentinel is in the crafter.
Each Apex sniper is unique and fulfils the role of long-range damage dealing in a different way. However, they all share the same basic attachments, but the Longbow DMR can also take the Skull piercer hop-up.
Apex Snipers all have the option to attach a sniper stock, which reduces ADS time, holster speed, aim drift and reload time as well as a range of specialist optics. Some of the snipers can also cause collateral damage, meaning that your shot can pierce through an enemy and hit multiple players at once.
The optic options for snipers include:
- 1x Holo
- 1x HCOG “Classic”
- 2x HCOG “Bruiser”
- 1x-2x Variable Holo
- 6x Sniper
- 3x HCOG “Ranger”
- 2x-4x Variable AOG
- 4x-8x Variable Sniper
- 4x-10x Digital Sniper Threat
While you might not fancy finding a sniper off drop, they shine as the game goes on. Using them to steal kills, level up your evo shields or open fights with big damage. Of course, Snipers are not flexible weapons. They very much struggle at close range. Typically, pairing a sniper with a close range weapon, like the CAR SMG or R99 will mean that you aren't caught out when enemies get too close for you to use your sniper.
Apex Snipers compared
Sniper | Damage (Body/Head) | Max Capacity | Reload Time (Full/Tactical) | Damage Per Second |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charge Rifle | 90/116 | 6 (3 shots) | 5.1s/4s | 39 |
| Sentinel | 70/140 (88/176)* | 7 | 3.6s/2.5s | 36-45 (44-58)* |
| Longbow DMR | 55/118 (138)** | 12 | 3.66s/2.66s | 72 |
| Kraber | 140/280 | 4 | 3.2/4.3 | 58 |
Are Snipers good in Apex?
Snipers can feel very frustrating to use in Apex Legends, but that is because people tend to use them wrong. You have to remember where Apex Snipers really excel, and then play your game around it. Snipers are a unique weapon class, with their own strengths and weaknesses.
For dealing big damage, stealing kills and levelling up your evo shields, Snipers are amazing in Apex. The sweatier the lobby, the more value Apex snipers bring to the table. You will see pro players use them in ALGS every single game. So, use snipers, but use them as a sniper and not a mid or close range weapon.
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Which Legends are good with Snipers?
The best legend to use with any of the Apex snipers is undoubtedly Gibraltar. His arm shield gives you an extra 50 HP, which is great for poking enemies and not taking a lot of damage. Other strong legends are Rampart, Caustic and Wattson.
Rampart has her amped cover, which can help add that extra bit of damage to your shots. Both Wattson and Caustic are defensive legends. Their intended playstyle naturally benefits snipers and will let you make the best of these powerful weapons.
Sentinel Sniper Overview
- The Sentinel can be amped, which deals extra damage at the cost of one cell. This 'Amped' state lasts for about 2 minutes, but each shot reduces the charge by 15 seconds. You can get about 8 shots off in this mode. The huge damage buff this gives makes the Sentinel a deadly Apex sniper.
- Hitting a shot with the Sentinel increases its fire rate. This is because it has an intergrated Deadeyes Tempo. Hitting your shot improves the speed at which your next shot can be fired, up to a maximum of three times.
Longbow DMR Sniper Overview
- The Longbow is the most forgiving of the Apex snipers. It has the highest fire rate, and the highest magazine capacities. That means that this sniper is a bit easier to use. If you struggle to always hit your shots, the Longbow might be the most attractive Apex sniper.
- The Longbow does the least damage however. The Skull piercer hop-up can drastically increase the headshot damage this weapon can put out
Kraber Sniper Overview
- The Kraber is an insane high damage Sniper. It can only be found in the care package, but is by far the most impactful weapon anywhere in Apex.
- On certain helmet rarities the Kraber can be a one shot kills. Otherwise, it is capable of getting your enemies super low.
Charge Rifle Sniper Overview
- The Charge Rifle is Apex's only hitscan weapon. This makes it very easy to use, even at very long distances. You can grief teams across the map with this pesky Apex sniper. It also boasts an impressive damage count.
- The Charge Rifle is very ammo hungry. It holds six shots, but uses two per shot. This makes it very easy to burn through ammo, but also to have to reload often. Hitting your shots is very important with the Charge Rifle.
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