The R-99 SMG has definitely got to be one of my favorite guns in Apex Legends. It’s compact but packs a crazy punch that goes way above its weight. Plus, it’s super fun to play with.
If you enjoy running and gunning as I do, then there’s probably not a better companion to help you achieve that than the R-99. It has the fastest fire rate in the game, and that makes it a real snack.
The R-99 SMG: Small but Mean!
It’s no secret that I love big, voluptuous, and juicy magazines. And while the R-99 doesn’t have the magazine size of say, a Spitfire or a Devotion, it’s still pretty respectable for an SMG. And you definitely need it with the insane rate of fire this thing has, seeing as it can dump its entire mag in little over a second. This gives it ferocious capabilities, even with its small size. And yes, it does have the lowest damage per bullet of all the SMGs, but it more than makes up for it with its fire rate.
The Stats of the R-99 SMG
Speaking about damage per bullet. Let’s take a look at its stats.
| Target | Mods | Dmg | 100 | 150 | 175 | 200 | 225 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head (1.75x) | – | 17 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 14 |
| Head | Lvl. 1 | 15 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 15 |
| Head | Lvl. 2 | 14 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 |
| Head | Lvl. 3/4 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 |
| Body | – | 11 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 21 |
| Body | Fort | 9 | 12 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 25 |
| Legs (0.75x) | – | 9 | 12 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 25 |
| Legs | Fort | 7 | 15 | 22 | 25 | 29 | 33 |
If you were only to look at it on paper, the R-99 doesn’t seem impressive at all. But that’s the thing with any weapon, you can’t judge it solely by its stats on paper, you have to get out there and field test it as well.
And field tests with this thing are insane. Few things can edge it out in a clean fight. So if you somehow spot that the opponent has an R-99 equipped – keep them at a distance by any means necessary!
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The Attachments for the R-99 SMG
This thing is already good, but surely it can’t get any better… can it?
Oh yes it can! Here’s a list of its available attachments. As per usual, only 4 attachment slots are available.
- Laser Sights
- Extended Light Mag
- Standard Stock
- 1x HCOG “Classic”
- 1x Holo
- 1x-2x Variable Holo
- 2x HCOG “Bruiser”
- 1x Digital Threat
Ideal R-99 SMG Set-Up
If the ideal conditions are met, and you get lucky with your drop, here’s how you should kit out the R-99.
For starters, find an Epic Laser Sight as soon as possible, and follow that up with a Legendary Extended Light Mag. Once all that is done and secured, find an Epic Standard Stock. At the end, you can either go for a 1x HCOG “Classic”, a 2x HCOG “Bruiser”, or a 1x Digital Threat.
You’re going to be running around with this thing a lot, so securing a laser sight as soon as possible should be a priority. With an epic laser sight, your accuracy becomes practically pinpoint. And with the legendary mag extension, you can almost guarantee that you will be killing enemies in one mag dump, regardless of the amount of protection they have. The epic standard stock then is just a cherry on top.
The reason you should go for those specific optics is because of their sight picture and profile. Since the R-99 is a pretty small gun, large optics tend to take up a lot of the screen– you’ll want to avoid this as much as possible.
Can Anything Dethrone the R-99?
The only other SMG that may come close to matching the R-99 is the Volt. And even the Volt cannot match it in many regards. The only thing the Volt has going for it is that you are able to have longer-range engagements with it than with the R-99. Sadly, the design philosophy of the R-99 is that you should have all your eggs in one basket. So, it puts all its eggs in its close-range capabilities, with damage falling off drastically at range. If you’re planning on downing an enemy past a few dozen yards, go with something like an R-301 Carbine.
Potential Balance Changes for the R-99 SMG in the Future
As it currently sits, the R-99 is in a perfect spot. It’s hard to imagine a “perfect gun” existing in an online game, but the R-99 SMG is pretty darn close.
One way that it could be rebalanced in the future is probably by increasing the recoil and dispersion of the gun. That would definitely hamstring it a bit, and it might even knock it a few spots down on players’ weapon lists.
