Charge Rifle
Charged beam sniper rifle.
Charge Rifle stats
Checked against every EA patch note up to Apex Legends: Cipher Patch Notes (2 November 2026).
Shots to kill
Shots needed to down a legend through each Legend Armor level, at 75 body damage per shot. Every legend has 100 health with the armour on top — since February 2024 that armour is inherent and levels up on EVO points rather than being looted as a body shield.
| Legend Armor | Total HP | Body shots | Head shots |
|---|---|---|---|
| No armour | 100 | 2 | 1 |
| Level 1 | 150 | 2 | 2 |
| Level 2 | 175 | 3 | 2 |
| Level 3 | 200 | 3 | 2 |
| Level 4 | 225 | 3 | 2 |
Counts assume every shot lands on the same body part with no damage falloff and no attachments fitted. Compare weapons in the damage calculator.
In the game files
Charge Rifle ships in Apex Legends as mp_weapon_defender.
Other snipers
Recent changes
Season 30 · 14 September 2026
- Maximum damage at range rose to 110 (was 99), reached beyond 200 m.
- The selectfire damage penalty dropped to 25% (was 40%).
- Fires single shots, or fully automatic with the Selectfire Receiver hop-up.
Summarised from EA's patch notes. Read the original: Apex Legends: Marked Midseason Patch Notes
Season 27 · 3 November 2025
- Maximum damage reduced to 99 (was 110), and damage scaling now starts at 75 m (was 50 m).
- Selectfire automatic mode deals 40% less damage (was 25%), and the Selectfire Receiver needs more points to unlock.
- Smaller projectiles, as for all Snipers.
Summarised from EA's patch notes. Read the original: Apex Legends: Amped Patch Notes
Season 26 · 4 August 2025
- Locked hop-up: Selectfire Receiver.
Summarised from EA's patch notes. Read the original: Apex Legends: Showdown Patch Notes
Season 25 · 5 May 2025
- Limb damage increased to 90% (was 70%).
Summarised from EA's patch notes. Read the original: Apex Legends: Prodigy Patch Notes
Season 24 · 10 February 2025
- Base damage unchanged. Headshot damage 135 at minimum range and 198 at maximum range; in Select Fire automatic mode, 101 and 149.
- Limb damage reduced to 70% (was 90%).
Summarised from EA's patch notes. Read the original: Apex Legends: Takeover Patch Notes
Season 23 · 6 January 2025
- Magazine increased: 6 base, 7 white, 8 blue, 9 purple.
- Larger projectiles at close range, faster projectiles, less gravity and better recoil. Maximum damage is now reached at 200 m (was 300 m).
- Now takes the Select Fire hop-up, which adds an automatic mode with 25% less damage and a higher fire rate.
Summarised from EA's patch notes. Read the original: Transcend the Otherworld in the Astral Anomaly Event