Charge Rifle is being completely reworked in Apex Legends Season 18

Introduced all the way back in Apex Legends Season 3, the Charge Rifle is one of the most unique weapons in the arsenal.

Unlike every other gun in the Outlands, the Charge Rifle’s laser beam has no drop-off. This means it’s unbelievably effective at long-range for chip damage, but doesn’t require much skill to hit a target from afar.

While undeniably powerful, it’s incredibly frustrating to play against, as unless you have a Charge Rifle of your own to hand, it can be difficult to fire back at an opponent.

Well, the Charge Rifle as we know it will be no more in Season 18, with the developer completely reworking the weapon and making it projectile-based.

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Charge Rifle rework removes gun’s hitscan from Apex Legends

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There may not be a new weapon coming in Season 18, but the Charge Rifle rework is effectively a complete overhaul of the old design.

For starters, the Charge Rifle’s hitscan has been removed and it’s now a projectile-based weapon. This also means the gun will have bullet drop off, so you’ll need to account for that while sniping foes a long-range.

Alongside this, the pre-beam laser is being removed and the Charge Rifle no longer automatically release its projectile when you hit the fire button. Instead, you’ll need to hold down the input to charge up the weapon, with the gun shooting further the longer you hold it down.

Finally, magazines are coming back to the Charge Rifle and the devs have reduced its ammo consumption per shot to one.

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Is the Charge Rifle still top-tier at long-range in Apex Legends?

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Speaking in a press event ahead of the Season 18 update, Lead Weapon Designer at Respawn Eric Canavese was asked whether the Charge Rifle will remain a brilliant long-range weapon after the rework.

“Absolutely, it’s even remaining our most effective long-range sniper, we’ve kinda changed its damage profile up in a pretty meaningful way, the Charge Rifle now deals more damage the further away the target is,” said Canavese.

“There’s definitely a lot more skill involved from the hitscan version of old,” a statement that is guaranteed to please a lot of Apex fans across the globe.

Only time will tell where the Charge Rifle will fit into the meta but with hitscan no longer attached, it’s going to reward skilled sharpshooters who love picking off opponents from afar.