Season 15 weapon buffs and nerfs feature a shotgun shake-up and energy weapon madness in Apex Legends

While many Apex Legends fans weren’t particularly pleased with the perceived lack of changes included in the patch notes for season 15, the same can’t be said of the game’s pool of weapons, which will undergo their customary shake-up ahead of the new season. Perhaps most interesting is the return of the Mastiff to ground loot, shaking up the game’s shotgun meta, as well as buffs and nerfs to some of the game’s most popular weapons over the last few seasons.

Many of the season’s weapon changes are up close and personal, with a lot more variability entering the meta for shotguns. The Mastiff is coming out of the care package and being placed back on the floor, the Peacekeeper is entering the crafting rotation, and the Mozambique is losing Hammerpoint Rounds. 

Related: Disruptor Rounds making a triumphant return in Apex Legends season 15 amid hop-up shuffle

Last season, the changes to the EVA-8 shotgun propelled it forward in popularity with players toward the beginning of the season. But by the end of it, the Peacekeeper wormed its way back into the weapon pool as the preferred shotgun for many players, while the Mozambique was nearly always a strong option in fights off of drop or for players who found Hammerpoints. Looking forward to next season, it will be interesting to see how the Mastiff differentiates itself from the Peacekeeper, which will always be around for players who make their way to a Replicator.

There are also nerfs coming for the Volt, one of the game’s most popular weapons. Its projectile speed has been lessened and projectile gravity has been increased. These changes will mostly be felt when trying to use the Volt as a ranged weapon, which good players could easily do previously. 

If you need a gun for more medium or long-range engagements, however, just try out some of the Volt’s energy ammo cousins that got some serious buffs. The Triple Take is back with a faster rate of fire and considerable buff to how long it takes for its choke to charge up. The L-STAR is also going to be a popular weapon next season since its recoil has been made easier to control when first firing the weapon. 

Elsewhere, the R-99 picked up a small buff by adding one extra bullet to its magazine when using a blue or purple extended light magazine, while the Peacekeeper’s projectile growth was reduced, meaning players will need to be a bit more accurate with their shots on the weapon.

The final large changes are to the Mastiff and RE-45, the guns swapping from ground pool to care package, and vice versa. The Mastiff’s damage is back to that of a normal shotgun, while it can carry five shells in its barrel once again. The RE-45, on the other hand, gets a decent damage buff as well as the addition of Disruptor Rounds, which will do an extra 30 percent damage against shields.

Even without a new weapon in the new season, the buffs, nerfs, and weapon rotations coming through in season 15 are sure to make the game feel different for players when they drop into Eclipse on Nov. 1.