Apex Legend’s Havoc rifle is a fully-automatic assault rifle that uses Energy ammo. In all honesty, the factory skin reminds me a bit of the gauss rifle from the Stalker games. Though, it isn’t far-fetched to believe that the devs over at Respawn Entertainment were inspired by the design.
The Havoc: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
In my opinion, the Havoc has constantly been underappreciated and overlooked because of its spool. When you click on the fire button, it takes a moment to charge up before releasing its burst of hot death! This delay has constantly placed the Havoc at a lower rank.
While in reality, it’s probably one of the best assault rifles.
The Stats of the Havoc Rifle
Let’s take a look at the stats of the Havoc so that we get a better understanding of how well it can perform.
| Target | Mods | Dmg | 100 | 150 | 175 | 200 | 225 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head (1.75x) | – | 32 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Head | Lvl. 1 | 29 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| Head | Lvl. 2 | 25 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Head | Lvl. 3/4 | 23 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Body | – | 18 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 |
| Body | Fort. | 15 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 15 |
| Legs (0.75x) | – | 14 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 |
| Legs | Fort. | 11 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 21 |
As we can see from the table, the Havoc has fairly respectable damage for an assault rifle. It’s even on par with the VK-47 Flatline. Where they start to differ is once they get their respective Hop-Up upgrades. Once installed, the Turbocharger for the Havoc eliminates the need to spool up before firing the weapon, thus, removing its delay. The reason people shun the Havoc is that it’s not always guaranteed that you’ll find a Turbocharger.
Even if you don’t manage to find a Turbocharger, the spool-up time is just 0.42 seconds. An increment that is barely noticeable once you practice with the rifle.
Attachments for the Havoc Rifle
The Havoc has 4 attachment slots. Attachments quite literally make the gun and bring out its full potential. For the Havoc, those are the Magazine, the Optics, the Stock, and the Hop-Up.
The full list of attachments are:
- Extended Energy Mag
- Standard Stock
- 1x HCOG “Classic”
- 1x Holo
- 1x-2x Variable Holo
- 2x HCOG “Bruiser”
- 2x-4x Variable AOG
- 3x HCOG “Ranger”
- Turbocharger
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Now let’s look at how you should ideally configure the Havoc.
Ideal Havoc Rifle Set-Up
For starters, I’d try to find a Legendary Extended Energy Mag. After that, an Epic Standard Stock. A Turbocharger if it’s available. And to finish it all up, I’d install a 3x HCOG “Ranger” or a 1x-2x Variable Holo.
Because of the charge-up time, you’re unlikely to hit anything at long range. So, prioritize close-range engagements and only take mid-range engagements if they are favorable.
Comparisons Between the Havoc and VK-47
Since these two guns have the same base damage, people usually tend to compare the two. Without their unique Hop-Ups, the gun’s performances are practically identical. The only advantage the VK has over the Havoc is that it doesn’t have a spool-up time. Now, unless you have pinpoint accuracy with each shot, that small advantage is fairly negligible.
Where the two begin to differ is after you’ve equipped them with their respective Hop-Ups. The Havoc loses 1 damage across the board but is now able to fire without a charge-up time. While the VK-47 drastically reduces its fire rate but doubles its damage and ammo consumption.
In the end, which one you prefer lies on how good of a shot you are. If you’re confident that you can consistently land headshots then go for the VK. But if you want an all-around good gun, then go for the Havoc.
Potential Balance Changes for the Havoc Rifle in the Future
In the current season, the Havoc may not be in the best position. It is too similar to the Flatline, without having any distinctive feature that would entice you to pick it over the VK-47. But with Apex Legends Season 16 right around the corner, who knows what might change.
Weapons constantly get rebalanced as the meta changes over time. So, I wouldn’t sleep on the weapons that are currently “not the meta”. In the end, Apex Legends is a skill-based game. No amount of optimization and fine-tuning will save you once you get in-game and are faced with a much more skilled opponent.
