The Havoc Rifle and the Versatility of 'Apex Legends'

The Havoc Rifle dropped this week and, in doing so, it has provided the first in-game change to Apex Legends besides bug fixes since it launched. The Havoc Rifle is an energy ammo assault rifle that allows for players to equip one out of two mods: The select-fire receiver or the turbocharger.

For gamers to expect a gun to release that would break such a finely tuned game like this—I’m sorry to disappoint. The gun is not OP. Fear not! It is balanced and has a place in combat. Like its Light Machine Gun brother (the Devotion) and its Sniper Rifle cousin (the Triple Take), the Havoc Rifle cannot be awarded an extended clip through a looted magazine in the world.

Once you grab this bad boy from a loot crate, you’ll notice that it starts with a 25-round clip, which is significantly more than the base model ARs (Flatline, Hemlock, R-301). However, without being able to add onto that count, it can make other ARs with a purple magazine more of a viable choice.

What separates the Havoc is the modifications you can make to it. The turbocharger, which was mean exclusively for the Devotion, can now be added to the Havoc and has a similar effect. As you begin shooting the Havoc, it takes a little while to reach maximum fire rate. It has to essentially rev itself up. The turbocharger changes that significantly. Once you hit fire, you’ll be pouring energy rounds with an effective accuracy from midrange. It is a great alternative to the Devotion, which can get a little unwieldy from further away.

The other hop-up modification is the select-fire receiver, which was initially meant for the Prowler SMG exclusively. This modification actively turns the Havoc rifle into a single-fire rifle that you can charge up for extra damage. It is more accurate from mid to long range, and thus gives the Havoc the chance to pick off some enemies from distance. Add a 2x to 4x scope and you’ll be scoring charged headshots in no time.

The Havoc rifle may not be for everyone, but it sure tries to be. With its versatility through modifications and its pick-up-and-mow-down early game usefulness, it should be considered at all points in the game. The versatility of the Havoc rifle fits perfectly into a game like Apex Legends that seems to be evolving each and every week.

Here are five things I hope to see in Apex Legends coming up in the next few weeks:

A Battle Pass

This will happen. I anticipate it because who doesn’t love extra progression through in-game achievements? “Respawn five banners with Pathfinder” as an achievement? Pretty sure I did that in one game last week!

Seasons/Ranks

Seasons is obviously coming because it is a model that has worked for many other games. A ranking system should be implemented soon because we already have the statistical tracking to account for it. I can’t wait to be enraged by my low rank.

New Characters

The characters in this game must be difficult to come up with because, as it stands, none of the character abilities are OP. They allow just enough tactical difference to make things fresh but unlike the comparison to Overwatch, the abilities are not the entire focus of the game. I’m looking for a character that has a jetpack ultimate—like Pharah in Overwatch—but can only fly for a short period of time or distance. Just enough to get above an enemy team and throw a well-placed arc star or rain down with a Devotion.

Expanded Player Count

Don’t get me wrong. The 60-player count is really working for me. I would just like options. If I’m feeling really spicy, send me into a match with 98 other people and let’s see what happens.

Fixing Mirage’s Special Ability

He needs a new one. Not only is it completely unviable, you don’t even turn invisible. I get killed every time I pop it because he’s so easy to spot amid his stationary clones.