Respawn are putting the Charge back in Charge Rifle this season.
Apex Legends will bring a total Charge Rifle rework. This rework will remove the much discussed 'Hit Scan' element of the Charge Rifle.
Ever since it released there has been relentless discussion around the Charge Rifle. The weapon is dominant, especially in the ALGS competitive circuit.
Devs admitted that the Charge Rifle was not healthy for the game, and the weapon is finally being given an overhaul.
All Charge Rifle changes broken down
So, what exactly is changing with the Charge Rifle rework?
- The Charge Rifle is no longer hitscan. Instead it has projective drop like other Apex weapons.
- There is no longer a pre beam laser, the Chare Rifle simply fires once per shot.
- Magazines are back on the Charge Rifle
- It's handling timings and ammo consumption have also been adjusted.
- The further away the target is, the more damage the Charge Rifle will do.
- The Charge Rifle will also now need to be 'Charged' before firing.
Why is the Charge Rifle getting reworked?
Devs admitted that the old Charge Rifle was "an outlier in it's mechanics and caused some unintentional gameplay loops that caused some issues with the [weapon] meta."
Translated, the Charge Rifle was too easy to use, too powerful and frankly really annoying for players to deal with.
These issues were tenfold in tournaments like ALGS. The Charge Rifle was a very popular weapon. At it's peak, it was the third highest damage dealing weapon during the Split 1 Playoffs. Considering the weapon is not used in close range fights, that is a big impact.
Additionally, the weapon being hitscan made it very easy to use for professional players. The Charge Rifle was simply just too overbearing and that is why we are finally seeing a Charge Rifle rework.
Will the weapon still be good?
In a word, yes. Respawn want the Charge Rifle rework to change how the gun impacts the game, not make it useless. The Charge Rifle will be getting a damage increase, as well as a complete reversal of the way damage works.
The old Charge Rifle had a damage drop off the further away a target was. This prevented you from dealing huge 90 beams literally across the map.
Now that the Hitscan element of the weapon has gone, Respawn are readjusting this. Instead, the Charge Rifle will do more damage the further away a target is. This will still allow it to snag kills across the map. It will just take a lot more skill to do so.
Respawn are emphasising that they want the Charge Rifle to be it's strongest long range weapon. How this Charge Rifle rework plays out is yet to be seen. However, it is undoubtedly a good thing that hitscan weapons in Apex Legends are a thing of the past.
For more on the latest Apex updates, keep an eye on our Season 18 patch notes article for all the upcoming changes.