Apex Legends Peacekeeper Shotgun Has Been Nerfed [Update]

Update: Respawn has acted quickly and implemented a nerf for the Peacekeeper shotgun that will (most likely) make it not so overpowered. The patch has also nerfed the EVA-8 shotgun as well. Our original story continues below.

Respawn has announced that it plans on further tweaking Apex Legends' Peacekeeper shotgun, arguably the best firearm in the battle royale game. The Peacekeeper has been nerfed in the past--even as recently as November 2019--but the shotgun continues to remain a dominant force.

In the patch notes for Update 3.2, Respawn writes, "We've heard feedback loud and clear that the Peacekeeper is still feeling too powerful after latest changes. We are working to push out more tweaks to address it ASAP and will post details on timing and what those changes will be soon."

These "latest changes" increased the rechamber time of the Peacekeeper by a tenth of a second and decreased its headshot multiplier from 1.5 to 1.25. The changes are so minor, however, that they're almost indiscernible in the heat of combat. The Peacekeeper continues to deal out immense amounts of damage in a relatively short amount of time.

If anything, the most significant problem with the Peacekeeper is the size of the shotgun's spread. The pellets are large enough that it's relatively simple to land headshots even if your aim isn't exactly lined up with a target's head. In close quarters, consistently landing headshots can usually make a major difference in a firefight.

The Peacekeeper is also one of the guns in Apex Legends that supports the precision choke attachment, which allows you to focus its large shells into a more precise shot. This makes it easier to hit a target at mid- to long-range with the Peacekeeper--something no other shotgun can do. And since it is a shotgun, the Peacekeeper's overall damage output from a single shot can match a few seconds of sustained fire from most submachine guns, assault rifles, and LMGs.