All Apex Legends Season 16 weapon buffs & nerfs: Care Package weapons, Legendary Shotgun bolt, more

Joseph Pascoulis
apex legends team deathmatch

Apex Legends Season 16 is set to spice things up in the battle royale with some hefty changes, as many weapons in the game have received tweaks.

Despite not bringing a new Legend to the game, Apex Legends Season 16 is arguably one of the most exciting updates for players yet, as the devs have aimed to evolve the game greatly, generating new experiences.

A few of the ways the devs have aimed to do this is through the new Legend classes, a new Nemesis Burst AR, and various buffs and nerfs to Legends and weapons.

While changes to Legends can certainly impact the flow of the game, the weapon meta is just as significant, and Season 16 has some weapon balance changes that players will definitely want to take note of.

With that said, here are all of the Apex Legends Season 16 weapon buffs and nerfs, as well as important changes.

New Legendary Shotgun Bolt in Apex Legends

Apex Legends Season 16 will introduce a Legendary Shotgun Bolt to the game, which is ultimately a buff to all Shotguns.

This Legendary Shotgun Bolt can be found in floor loot and crafters, and as well as increasing the speed at which Shotguns can shoot, it also has a Gold Perk. The Gold Perk on the Legendary Shotgun Bolt “automatically reloads rounds while sliding,” and this can be activated while the Shotgun is equipped or stowed.

Care Package & craftable weapons in Apex Legends Season 16

For Apex Legends Season 16, the devs decided to put the Rampage back to floor loot after being in the Care Package. The weapon replacing it in the Care Package is the Hemlock.

Players will also notice changes to the weapon crafting rotation, as the Longbow and Volt have replaced the G7 Scout and C.A.R. SMG.

All Apex Legends Season 16 weapon buffs & nerfs

Gold Weapon Rotation

  • Nemesis, Rampage, PK, Wingman, R99

Anvil Receiver Hop-Up [R-301, Flatline]

  • Removed from floor loot and crafting

Hammerpoint Rounds Hop-Up [Mozambique, P2020]

  • Added to floor loot and crafting
  • Rarity tier increased to Legendary

C.A.R. SMG

  • Reduced base ammo capacity to 19 (was 20)

R-99

  • Increased damage to 12 (was 11)

Assault Rifles

  • Significantly reduced hipfire accuracy

R-301

  • Reduced damage to 13 (was 14)

Hemlok Burst AR [Care Package]

  • Damage increased to 23 (was 20)
  • Headshot Multiplier increased to 1.8 (was 1.75)
  • Improved recoil
  • Integrated Boosted Loader Hop-Up
  • Boosted Loader: Faster reloads at low ammo that overload the magazine with 9 extra rounds

Mastiff

  • Spread pattern adjusted to be tighter
  • Added Tactical Stocks attachment to improve reload speed and handling
  • Increased projectile size at close range

Peacekeeper

  • Added Tactical Stocks attachment to improve reload speed and handling
  • Increased projectile size at close range

EVA-8

  • Increased projectile size at close range

Rampage LMG [Floor]

  • Reverted to non-Care Package version
    • Damage reduced to 26 (was 28 in Care Package)
    • No longer auto-energizes when picking up
  • Energy decays slower when not firing

For more on Apex Legends, check out some of our recent guides below:

How to get Apex Legends login rewards for Season 16 | Apex Legends Season 16’s Orientation system is perfect for new players | How to get Apex Legends Twitch Prime Gaming rewards | All major Apex Legends Firing Range changes in Season 16 | Apex Legends Season 16 introduces new Nemesis burst AR | Apex Legends current pick rates

Image Credits: Respawn Entertainment

About The Author

Joseph is a Senior Writer at CharlieIntel, specializing in shooters such as Call of Duty, Apex Legends, Fortnite, and Overwatch. He also enjoys Souls-likes, the Resident Evil franchise, and Tekken. After writing for KeenGamer, he joined CharlieIntel in 2021. If Joseph isn't writing about games, he's most likely playing them. You can contact him at [email protected].