How good are barrel stabilizers and stocks in Apex Legends?

Calum Patterson
Respawn Entertainment

One dedicated Apex Legends player has completed a series of tests to show the benefit of using barrel stabilizers and stocks for various weapons.

Apex Legends has a plethora of different attachment types that can be used, some of which are available on almost every gun and others more limited to specific weapons.

However, it’s not exactly clear how much of a difference each attachment makes, so users are left to simply test them all out in-game and see for themselves.

Respawn EntertainmentEveryone wants a gold barrel stabilizer – but how good is it really?

[ad name=”article1″]

Thankfully, with the addition of the training mode area to Apex Legends, which is now complete with attachments, it’s possible to pit each against each other in direct comparison.

That’s exactly what Reddit user u/Sandix3 has done, providing a simple overview of how important getting kitted out with attachments can be.

For this first video, two of the most common attachments are tested, barrel stabilizer and stock (accidentally named ‘shaft’ in the video’)

[ad name=”article2″]

The player also tries out different stock attachments, showing the fairly minor difference in weapon swap times, but in a tight gunfight this could make all the difference.

Of course, this isn’t a complete test, and more thorough examinations would include a look at the effect it has on different weapons, as LMGs might see a more pronounced benefit, for example.

There are also countless other attachments that could be tested too, such as shotgun bolts and Turbochargers, now that direct side-by-side comparisons are possible in the training mode.

[ad name=”article3″]

Back in March, shortly after Apex was released, YouTuber ‘TheXclusiveAce’ did his own comparison of barrel stabilizers and stocks but, because attachments were not available in training mode, side-by-side wasn’t as simple.

A lot has changed in Apex Legends over the course of its lifetime through numerous updates and patches, meaning some of the information in Ace’s YouTube video may be out of date or inaccurate.

Perhaps we’ll see another dedicated player put in the long hours to directly compare all other attachments and hop-ups in the game.

About The Author

Calum is Dexerto's Managing Editor, based in Scotland. Joining Dexerto in 2017, Calum has years of experience covering esports, gaming and online entertainment, and now leads the team to deliver the best coverage in these areas. An expert on all things Twitch and gaming influencers, he's also an expert in popular shooters like Apex Legends, CS2 and Call of Duty. You can contact Calum at calum.patterson@dexerto.com.