Apex Legends have tried to bridge the gap between ARs and SMGs by nerfing hip-fire and adding laser sight attachments.
Apex Legends introduced a new attachment, the laser sight, at the start of Season 14. The developers, Respawn, added the attachment to the game to address some of their concerns regarding close-quarters gunfights that occur especially in a small-ring battle.
The new attachment has been added to help balance out the hip-fire combat in Apex. Developers heavily nerfed hip-fire at the start of Season 14. The new laser sights aim to level out that difference.
What are laser sights and what do they do?
The new laser sights that are now in Apex add a small red dot to the screen to constantly show where players are aiming. It helps players to be able to aim more efficiently without aiming down sights. The attachment is available in Common, Rare and Epic varieties.
Laser sights function in pretty much the opposite way that barrel stabilizers do. Whilst stabilizers decrease muzzle drift and hide muzzle flash at the Legendary level, the laser sights steady the recoil for hip-firing. The change of introducing the laser sights also removes the option of having a barrel stabilizer on SMG-type weapons.
How well the sight manages to negate the hip-fire spread depends on which level of attachment is used. The Common variant of the sight reduces the spread by 20%, the Rare variant by 40% and the Epic one by 60%.
Players can also fully customise the color of their laser sights. Apex has a very accessible RGB menu that players can use to make it whatever color they choose. You also don't have to worry about opponents seeing your laser sight either. The attachment's effects are only visible to the player using it.
Where can you find a laser sight in Apex?
Players can find laser sights pretty much anywhere in Apex Legends. They are available as ground loot, in loot crates and in care packages. This makes laser sights super accessible, with players able to find them with ease.
The laser sight attachment is found in all three of the Season 15 maps in the Apex rotation. That includes Broken Moon, Olympus and World's Edge maps.
Which weapons can use a laser sight?
The laser sight can be attached to every single SMG and Pistol in Apex Legends bar one. The only weapon that is incompatible with the attachment is the Mozambique pistol. This is because the Mozambique is technically considered a shotgun.
The laser sight attachment cannot be attached to ARs, LMGs, Marksman Rifles or Snipers but there are seven different weapons that it can be used on. Those weapons are:
- Alternator SMG
- Prowler Burst PDW SMG
- R-99 SMG
- Volt SMG
- C.A.R. SMG
- RE-45 Auto pistol
- P2020 pistol
What difference do laser sights make to gameplay?
SMGs have dominated in Apex for a long time and had become somewhat of a must-use class of weapon in the game. Respawn changed the barrel attachments on SMGs and pistols to encourage more variety when choosing a loadout.
Apex Game Designer, Eric Canavese gave a little bit of an insight into the thought process behind the change in the attachments.
"One of the major factors that contributes to this was their ability to use barrels to extend their range, giving AR's a run for their money," Canavese said in a Reddit AMA.
"When they were also the preferred CQC choice it starts to feel like they're a must-pick weapon type. This starts limiting decision-making and loadout diversity so we wanted to shake it up and define our engagement ranges a little better this time around."
Apex has one of the best competitive communities in the Battle Royale genre. Making sure that the combat is as balanced as possible is incredibly important.
"The lasers enhance an SMG's CQC ability while simultaneously limiting their range by taking the place of barrels," Canavese continued. "Combining this addition with the AR hip-fire nerfs creates a more cohesive balance between two weapon classes whose lines have begun to blur."
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