Compared to its brethren, the L-STAR EMG does not perform up to par. And it’s so sad, because, visually at least, I think it’s the coolest gun in the game. Energy Weapons are notorious for having particular mechanics, and the L-Star is no different. And seeing as it shares the light machine gun category with the Devotion, it’s hard to suggest the L-Star over it.
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The L-Star EMG: Good in Theory, Horrible in Practice
In theory, at least, the L-Star sounds great. An energy weapon that doesn’t have a magazine and fires at a decent rate and with decent damage? Why this should be the best machine gun in the game!
Not exactly. You’d think that having no magazine would mean that you could fire the gun endlessly until you run out of ammo. But in practice, it’s almost the exact opposite. The time to overheat for the L-Star EMG is so comically short that it doesn’t feel like a machine gun at all. Even with a legendary extended energy mag, the max amount of rounds you can fire is just 30! …30! This is the biggest shortcoming of the L-Star, and, sadly, it’s one that cannot be fixed.
The Stats of the L-Star EMG
When it comes to its stats, here we are.
| Target | Mods | Dmg | 100 | 150 | 175 | 200 | 225 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head (1.5x) | – | 26 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Head | Lvl. 1 | 24 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Head | Lvl. 2 | 21 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| Head | Lvl. 3/4 | 20 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 12 |
| Body | – | 17 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 14 |
| Body | Fort | 14 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 |
| Legs (0.85x) | – | 14 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 |
| Legs | Fort | 12 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 19 |
As you can see, the damage per bullet is higher than the Devotion, the other Energy LMG. But, unlike the Devotion, which can hold a maximum of 48 bullets with a legendary magazine, the L-Star only holds 30. And on top of all that, it has nearly the same amount of damage per bullet as the Devotion, and with less of a fire rate to boot. Okay, maybe attachments can save it then?
Attachments for the L-Star EMG
Yeah… no. But, here’s a list of what can be attached on the L-Star:
- Barrel Stabilizer
- Extended Energy Mag
- Standard Stock
- 1x HCOG “Classic”
- 1x Holo
- 1x-2x Variable Holo
- 2x HCOG “Bruiser”
- 3x HCOG “Ranger”
- 2x-4x Variable AOG
Ideal L-Star EMG Set-Up
If possible, find a Legendary Extended Energy Mag as soon as possible! Follow that up by finding an Epic Barrel Stabilizer. Following that, locate an Epic Standard Stock. And finally, grab a 3x HCOG “Ranger” or a 2x HCOG “Bruiser”.
The L-Star EMG’s magazine capacity (or lack thereof), is its biggest problem, so finding a legendary mag extension or at least an epic one should be your biggest priority. And even if you find those attachments, you do not get rid of its shortcomings. The other attachments are just there for consolidation, as they don’t make the L-Star a better gun by much. And for optics, really, go with whichever option is available. Ideally, you’d only pick up the L-Star until something better comes along, like a Rampage, or a Devotion.
How the L-Star EMG can be Made “Usable”
Because of the short amount of time it takes to overheat, the L-Star practically forces you to fire it in bursts. This would all be fine and dandy if it were an assault rifle or a submachine gun, but as a light machine gun, this is about the biggest drawback there is!
The whole point of light machine guns is to give you the ability to send a lot of lead down range. If the gun heats up instantly and becomes inoperable, then what’s the point? Historically, a few machine guns have been notorious for overheating problems, the MG 34 comes to mind. But even the MG 34 could fire hundreds of bullets in sequence before its barrel overheated and became unusable. A fully upgraded L-Star can only fire 30 rounds before overheating. Any sane gun designer would consider that a failed weapon if that were the case.
Potential Balance Changes for the L-Star EMG in the Future
Okay, enough with the rambling, let’s now take a look at some potential changes that the L-Star desperately needs. For starters, it needs its magazine capacity increased, or the overheating mechanic substantially reduced. Its damage is sub-par compared to other guns, and it’s the same story with its fire rate. So, giving it the ability to fire until you run dry won’t make it “overpower”, not by a long shot. It would make it competitive again though.
An alternative change would be to increase its damage per bullet. As it sits, the L-Star EMG has the worst DPS of all the LMGs, a simple change like this might make it viable for a few situations, though hardly competitive with the rest of the weapons in Apex Legends.
