The Alternator in Season 2 | Apex Legends Gun Guides
After enduring three months of ridicule as one of Apex Legends’ worst weapons, the Alternator is back with a vengeance. Season 2 increased its damage and accuracy and gave it a loud and powerful new attachment. Find out everything about using it and winning with it in our Apex Legends Alternator guide!
Two smoking barrels
Back in Titanfall 2, the Alternator was a common anti-personnel weapon. Its original concept art was called the Hatchet due to its resemblance to an axe head. That and its unique double barrel design make it very visually distinct.
In Apex Legends the Alternator is a suppression and armor-shredder sidearm with great accuracy and hipfire control. To get a quick idea of its performance, priority attachments, and optimal use, check out our primer to Apex’s submachine guns.
The Alternator has lower DPS than both the R-99 and the Prowler. Its main advantage over them is how easy it is to use. Kings Canyon is practically littered with both light ammo and Alternators. And once you pick one up, it’s like you have been using it your entire life.
The weapon really shines when you find the Disruptor Rounds hop-up. It increases its damage against shields by 70 percent. In the late game, where most players have purple armor, this attachment blows up the gun’s average DPS to around the same value as the Havoc.
The Alternator has negligible recoil both from hip and when aiming down sights, and it can equip a barrel stabilizer for additional precision. While a stabilizer reduces its kick even more than it does on other similar weapons, you don’t typically need one.
Best practices
Its unusual spray pattern gives it an extra edge in mid-range accuracy. The zig-zag distributions of shots ensure they connect with your target even when they are dancing left and right. However, while you can easily pelt your enemies from a safe distance, you can’t knock them down as reliably as an assault rifle or an LMG would at that range.
Past the 40-meter mark, the Alternator not only loses its headshot multiplier, but it also becomes dramatically less accurate. At that range, its spray pattern starts turning into wide horizontal scatter. You won’t be able to do much damage, and you will expose your position to the enemy squad.
Therefore, the Alternator is best saved for up-close engagements. When at that range, always fire from the hip to take advantage of the increased mobility and superior control. Because it reloads quickly and less frequently than other SMGs, and with its high damage per shot, it has decent damage output over longer fights. With the proper movement and composure, you can definitely duel against stronger weapons even without the Disruptor Rounds.
We hope you enjoyed our Apex Legends Alternator guide! Stay tuned to Daily Esports for more Apex Legends news and content!
