The two most overpowered weapons in Apex Legends may be taken down a notch.
One Apex fan compiled a list of potential changes coming to season three in a Reddit post today, which includes nerfs to the popular Longbow sniper and R-99 submachine gun.
Will the Longbow still be viable in season three?
It seems like Respawn developers may have finally listened to fans. Players and pros alike were clamoring for a nerf to the Longbow sniper, which shoots very quickly, is extremely accurate, and deals a good amount of damage.
The alleged season three nerfs aim to weaken the sniper by targeting its fire rate.
“Longbow fire rate reverted to pre-S2 buff,” according to the fan.
Season two improved the Longbow’s rate of fire. Meltdown may revert it to the same speed that it had in season one, which will severely disappoint Longbow fans.
The Skullpiercer attachment, which increases the Longbow and Wingman’s headshot multiplier, is reportedly being removed in season three. In order to make up for the missing attachment, Respawn will adjust the Longbow’s headshot damage to be in the same ballpark as it was when equipped with the Skullpiercer.
Season two’s patch made the hop-up a legendary item, which increased its rarity and made it harder to snag. By giving the Longbow the same headshot damage without having to find a rare attachment, the gun will likely continue to dominate the meta as the most oppressive sniper rifle.
Will the R-99 remain the king of submachine guns?
When put to the test, the R-99 was deemed the superior submachine gun in the game, trumping the Alternator with Disruptor rounds. Season three may put a stop to that.
“R99 Level 3 magazine sized reduced from 30 to 27,” according to the fan.
The R-99 rate of fire is lightning-quick, which makes accuracy all the more important. If a player is firing the submachine gun and misses for even one second, their entire clip can be wasted.
By nerfing the R-99’s level three magazine size to 27, only one bullet higher than a level two mag, then having pin-point accuracy goes from a suggestion to a necessity.
Though the decrease in magazine size would definitely be a nerf, it’s likely not enough to take the submachine gun’s crown away. The rate of fire rewards accurate players, who can one-clip an opponent easily. And its short to mid-range accuracy is unrivaled in its gun class.
Respawn hasn’t released the official season three patch notes yet, but don’t expect these changes to shake up the meta anytime soon.
