For Titanfall’s arsenal, Respawn wanted to have a pistol that hits like a sniper rifle, and that’s how the B3 Wingman was born. Much like its predecessor, Apex Legends’ Wingman is a brutal piece of hardware that often has the last word in arguments in the arena. This is as true in Season 3 as it was at launch.
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The Wingman owes its distinct look to the real-life weapon it was inspired by, the Mateba revolver. If its look seems vaguely familiar to you, that’s because the Mateba has a bit of a history spinning off sci-fi designs. Deckard’s gun in the original Blade Runner film was based on the Mateba. It is also the weapon of choice for Lt. Togusa in the Ghost in the Shell franchise. This is not the first example of GITS-inspired weapon design in Apex, as Ryan Lastimosa admits in his commentary on the Prowler.
Under the Wingman’s compact, elegant exterior is a brutal and unforgiving weapon. It has been Apex Legends’ single most reliable weapon for three seasons in a row, despite the string of well-deserved nerfs it received. Grabbing kills with the Wingman hinges on exploiting its two primary qualities: flexibility and burst damage.
Unlike Apex Legends’ other pistols, the Wingman can deal full headshot damage at up to 250 meters in range. Moreover, it has a high baseline per-shot damage of 45, plus a headshot multiplier of 2.15, compared to the normal 2. With two to three well-placed shots, the Wingman can drop any target in the game. Its burst damage and superior reach make it an optimal long-range weapon, even on the sprawling World’s Edge map.
Up close, the Wingman is no less functional and can easily out-duel any SMG. While aiming-down-sights with it, you still retain 100 percent movement speed. This makes it the optimal weapon for Gibraltar. Aiming is not often required in close range, however. Against opponents who are 35 meters or closer, it is best to hipfire in order to keep your view unrestricted. The Wingman hits with near-perfect accuracy at that range.
The Wingman doesn’t use up a lot of ammo, and it is no longer dependent on a rare hop-up. Your priority attachment for it should be an extended mag. A level 3 magazine gives you 10 shots before a reload. That may be less than the Wingman had at launch, but it’s still enough to down an entire enemy squad. Oddly enough, the Wingman is the only Apex Legends weapon to always take the same time to reload, whether the magazine is completely empty or not.
After the extended mag, you should secure an optic that fits your playstyle. For close range, there are no bad choices. If the Wingman will be your dedicated long-range gun, you can hardly do better than a x2 Bruiser.
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