Customizing weapons in first-person shooters has become a staple thanks to theGunsmith feature in games likeCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarandGhost Recon: Breakpoint. There is a veritable cottage industry of professional players and streamers figuring out which custom weapon loadouts can min/max the best stats in variousCall of Dutytitles, and one fan ofApex Legendsseems to think something similar could be successful in Respawn Entertainment’s battle royale.
Reddit user GhostAlireza uploaded a video to the r/apexlegends subreddit Sunday showing off their concept for anApex LegendsGunsmith feature utilizing the Alternator SMG. In the mock-up; created with Blender, Substance Painter, LegionReleasev, and the Adobe suite according to their YouTube video description; players can customize various parts of their weapons alongside choosing a skin - including the use of pieces based onTitanfall 2concept art.
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The components that can be customized for the Alternator include its barrel, muzzle, underbarrel, magazine, and stock. Much likeloadouts for weapons such asCall of Duty: Warzone’s MAC-10, each customization option comes with buffs and debuffs, meaning players could choose to use something focused on benefitting damage or lessening recoil. In the comments on Reddit, GhostAlireza said they would combine the idea of loadouts withApex Legends' attachment system by making loadout stats weaker, but able to be augmented through in-game pickups.
While some commenters on Reddit have expressed an interest in seeing a Gunsmith-like feature, others feel it may not mesh well withApex Legends' loot-based weapon system. Reddit user Sebastianx21 suggests guns could start off basic in loot boxes but change to a player’s preset loadout when collected, whereas others feel the idea may work better as a purely cosmetic option similar to weapon skins.
The idea of incorporating a Gunsmith-styled system for cosmetic differentiation is not unprecedented. Last year,PUBG Mobiledebuted a “Guncraft” featurethat allows players to adjust the designs and colors of their weapons without adding attachments that have the potential to break its mechanical balance. IfApex Legendswere to add such a feature, this may be easier to incorporate with its current systems.
It’s unclear whether Respawn Entertainment has an interest in such an idea, but if the studio winds up adding a Gunsmith feature, it could likely get a lot out of GhostAlireza’s glossy mock-up. The battle royale is currently mid-way through its seventh season of content, but recent leaks have suggested thatApex LegendsSeason 8 will include an anniversary event. At this point, only time will tell what the developers have up their sleeves.
Apex Legendsis free-to-play on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with a Switch version in development.
