Apex Legends Hardcore Royale: Top 5 best weapons to use in the brand-new LTM

With the introduction of the Celestial Sunrise Collection Event, which began on January 24, 2023, Apex Legends unveiled a completely new limited-time game mode: Hardcore Royale. It challenges players' skills by making significant gameplay changes to the title's classic battle royale model.

Apex Legends houses an expansive collection of fictional weapons from the Titanfall universe, and each gun is categorized based on its class and the type of ammunition it uses. As of Season 15 Eclipse, the game has over 25 different weapons, each with its own unique damage profile based on the gun's fire mode and attachments.

In Hardcore Royale, the time-to-kill, or TTK for short, is extremely fast due to the game mode featuring only Level 1 armor (white shields) and no helmets of any rarity.

Because of this, some individuals tend to outclass others based on their respective TTKs and can even take down opponents with just two to three shots. With that in mind, here are the five best weapons that you should be using in the Hardcore Royale LTM in the Apex Legends Celestial Sunrise Collection Event.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinon.

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Ranking 5 best weapons to use in Apex Legends' Hardcore Royale

5) Wingman

The Wingman in Apex Legends (Image via EA)

Wingman has been one of the most dominant weapons in Apex Legends ever since the game's release. The most powerful pistol in the title — this is something ImperialHal himself would agree with — the Wingman does a strong 45 damage per body shot and a lethal 97 damage per headshot. Pair it up with the Skullpiercer attachment, and you get a devastating 113 damage per shot to the head.

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4) Peacekeeper

The Peacekeeper energy shotgun (Image via EA)

The Peacekeeper is currently the strongest shotgun in the game with respect to its raw damage output. This lever-action energy shotgun deals nine damage per pellet with a solid 99 damage per shot, considering all 11 pellets hit your opponent. This means a player can eliminate a fully armored opponent with just two successful hits, making the Peacekeeper a force to be reckoned with at close ranges.

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3) Hemlok Burst AR

The Hemlok Burst AR in Apex Legends (Image via EA)

The Hemlok, while being in the game from the very beginning, doesn't compete with the likes of the R-301 Carbine or the VK-47 Flatline due to being a three-round burst assault rifle. However, this doesn't apply to Hardcore Royale, where the gun is a great medium-range weapon, able to crack an enemy's shield with a single burst.

Dealing 20 damage per body shot, a single burst can deal around 60 damage to the same area, breaking your opponent's armor instantly. Players with a more precise aim should go for the head, as a single bullet to it deals 35 damage. The Hemlok's TTK in Hardcore Royale is extremely low, and if players manage to land headshots, it will take two to three bursts, in general, to knock the enemy out.

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2) R-301

The R-301 Carbine assault rifle (Image via EA)

The R-301 has been the go-to assault rifle in the game as well as part of Apex Legends' weapon meta for a long time now. This classic assault rifle uses light ammo and has a faster rate of fire compared to other guns in this category.

The R-301 possesses an impressive DPS (damage per second) of 189, which is extremely powerful in modes such as Hardcore Royale. Thanks to its fairly controllable recoil, the gun is powerful across all ranges, and with a barrel mod, the recoil can be further lowered.

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1) Sentinel

The Sentinel bolt-action sniper rifle (Image via EA)

The Sentinel rose in pick rate with the introduction of the Hardcore Royale game mode and has numerous reasons for its growth in popularity. This bolt-action sniper rifle does an admirable 70 damage per body shot, and with a 2x head multiplier, it deals 140 damage per headshot.

But the Sentinel's true strength lies in its Amped state, as players can use shield cells to charge up this weapon. Doing this will offer a 25% increase in damage per shot, which roughly translates to 88 damage per body shot and 176 damage per headshot. This makes the Sentinel Harcore Royale's only weapon, apart from the Mythic Kraber, that can take down enemies with one bullet to the head.

Regardless, the Sentinel is a formidable weapon in Hardcore Royale, with just two body shots being enough to knock your opponents out. Moreover, with the Spellbound Collection Event, it witnessed a buff with only one shield cell required to get it to Amped state, down from two.

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The Celestial Sunrise Collection Event has added a ton of fresh content to the game. This includes 24 thematic in-game cosmetics; the reactive Jadeite Retribution Peacekeeper skin; special bundles, as well as returning skins, under the Store Tab; unlockable rewards via the free Reward Track; and much more.

Apex Legends Season 15 "Eclipse" is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Nintendo Switch.