Apex Legends Season 26: Elite Weapons and Locked Hop-Ups

Apex Legends Season 26 will see the additions of two unique items, namely, Elite Weapons and Locked Hop-Ups. These will drastically change the weapon meta in the game. We've already had Hop-Ups in the game for a long time, but they used to be voluntarily equippable by the players. Moving forward, weapons will have Hop-Ups permanently locked in, and we believe it's going to be interesting to see how the gun meta shifts in this season.

In this article, we will explore both Elite Weapons and Locked Hop-Ups in Apex Legends Season 26. Read below to know more.

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Elite Weapons and Locked Hop-Ups in Apex Legends Season 26

Elite Weapons

Starting from Apex Legends Season 26, each new season will feature one gun as an Elite Weapon in the game. Essentially, a standard-issue version will be replaced with a highly modified, amped up version of the same. In this season, we are seeing the addition of the RE-45: Burst as the Elite Weapon.

The RE:45 Burst utilizes Energy Ammo and shoots in a three-burst succession. Similar to the Nemesis Burst AR, we have a spin-up mechanic in this gun, which fires an extremely devastating three-round burst. With Energy Ammo equipped, it features a fast-firing rate and an even longer range in-game.

You can find the RE:45 Burst as floor loot, and also in Energy Arsenals scattered across the map. It must be noted that once a firearm is designated as an Elite Weapon, its standard-issue variant is removed from floor loot across all maps.

RE-45 Elite Weapon in Apex Legends (Image via EA)

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Locked Hop-Ups

As stated above, Hop-Ups used to be scattered across the map as floor loot. If RnG was not on your side, there would be times when you would go entire matches without ever seeing the required Hop-Up for your gun. With the debut of Apex Legends Season 26, that is no longer the case.

Weapons will come pre-equipped with Hop-Ups. These will be unlocked as you deal damage or upgrade your guns at their respective Weapon Arsenal. Alternatively, you can also pick up Hop-Up boosters spread across the map.

As per the official patch notes, pre-kitted white, blue, and purple weapons will not feature Locked Hop-Ups. However, gold-kitted and care package guns will do so.

As per the patch notes, here are the new Locked Hop-Ups that will be up for grabs in the latest season:

Accelerator

• 150 Locked Hop-Up Points to unlock
• Compatible with Peacekeeper, L-STAR, and Alternator
• Must have a weapon in hand in order to receive additional Ult gain on knock
• Assist window reduced to 3s (was 10s)
• Ult gain on knock increased to 30% (was 20%)
• No longer comes pre-equipped with white, blue, and purple kitted weapons

Graffiti Mod

• 300 Locked Hop-Up Points to unlock
• Compatible with Volt, Spitfire, and EVA-8
• Greatly improves weapon handling
• Slightly increases magazine size
• Adds paintball rounds for some battlefield flair

Gun Shield Generator

• 250 Locked Hop-Up Points to unlock
• Compatible with Hemlok, R-301, and Rampage

Selectfire Receiver

• 250 Locked Hop-Up Points to unlock
• Compatible with Charge Rifle and Prowler

Skull Piercer

• 400 Locked Hop-Up Points to unlock
• Compatible with Wingman, Longbow, and 30-30

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Check out: Ranked changes in Apex Legends S26: New Drop Zones, KP adjustment, Entry Point changes, and more

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That's everything that you need to know about Elite Weapons and Locked Hop-Ups in Apex Legends Season 26.

If this article was to your liking, you can also check out:

• Apex Legends S26 confirms arrival of Legend Amps
• Apex Legends S26 might disable aim assist, but there's a catch
• Revenant's pick rate surges after latest Apex Legends update: Everything we know