Nine days after the Scope of Authority Warbond came out, the AMW-20 Apex finally got the fix players had been asking for. Patch 7.2.2, released October 29, 2026, changed three things on the Apex: it cut the damage falloff, raised its demolition strength and corrected the armor penetration shown in the Armory. Within hours, Apex posts were among the most upvoted on both r/Helldivers and r/helldivers2. This guide covers what the patch changed, the stats that matter, how the Apex compares with the Anti-Materiel Rifle and the LAS-44 Nova, and how to fire it without ragdolling yourself. Every patch detail comes from Arrowhead's official 7.2.2 patch notes on Steam.
Quick answer: Yes, the AMW-20 Apex is good after patch 7.2.2. Its caliber value dropped from 60 to 20, which removes the steep damage falloff at range. Its demolition strength rose to 30, so it now breaks cover and container doors. The Armory now correctly shows its penetration as Anti-Tank. It's a 5-round, backpack-fed rifle with a stationary reload, unlocked on page 2 of Scope of Authority for 50 Medals. Fire it crouched or prone, or the recoil will knock you over. Take it for long-range heavy killing, especially against Automatons. Take the LAS-44 Nova instead if you want your backpack slot free and never want to reload.
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What did patch 7.2.2 change on the AMW-20 Apex?
Patch 7.2.2 is a small hotfix, but most of its balance section is about the Apex. Arrowhead listed three problems it wanted to solve. Quoting the notes directly, the Apex's "Demolition strength was too low resulting in being unable to destroy things that weapons in the same category could (Anti Material Rifle and Autocannon)", and its "Caliber was too high and made the damage dropoff too steep." The third problem was that wrong penetration info in the Armory "caused confusion as to what the weapon was able to do."
Here are the exact changes:
| Change in 7.2.2 | Before | After | What it means in a mission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caliber | 60 | 20 | Much less damage loss over long distances |
| Demolition strength | lower (not published) | 30 | Breaks larger objects such as cover and container doors |
| Armory penetration label | Wrong value shown | "Anti-Tank" | The Armory now matches what the rifle actually does |
Arrowhead's stated goal was "Lower damage drop off over longer distances, which will make it work better as a sniper and fit the believability of the rounds." Before the patch, the Apex had a high "caliber" value. That value controls how fast a projectile loses damage over distance, and it made the Apex lose a lot of its punch at the ranges a 10x-scoped rifle is built for. That's why some players thought the Apex was weak at range. Players now call this the "projectile size" fix, and that's an accurate name for it.
The same patch made one other support-weapon change: the LAS-44 Nova got the same Armory fix and now "correctly displays armor penetration as 'Anti-Tank'". Its stats weren't changed. Patch 7.2.2 also corrected the previous patch's Bushwhacker numbers (damage now 405 → 486, durable damage 108 → 135), fixed a rare renderer crash on PC and Xbox and a rare crash on boot, and removed two music tracks.
What are the AMW-20 Apex stats in patch 7.2.2?
The Apex is a support weapon Stratagem from the Scope of Authority Premium Warbond. It comes down in a Hellpod together with an ammo backpack. Its in-game description makes the trade-off clear: "A colossal anti-materiel sniper rifle. While its immense kinetic recoil mandates its user crouch or lie prone, its backpack-fed 20mm rounds deliver final, un-appealable verdicts to armored threats."
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Source | Scope of Authority (Premium, 1,000 Super Credits), page 2 |
| Unlock cost | 50 Medals |
| Armor penetration | Anti-Tank (now shown correctly in the Armory) |
| Fire mode | Semi-automatic |
| Magazine | 5 rounds |
| Total ammo | 5 magazines, 25 rounds |
| Reload | Stationary, 5.0 s (4.55 s upgraded); tactical 3.65 s |
| Ammo box refill | 1 magazine |
| Scope ranges | 50 m / 100 m / 200 m |
| Call-in time | 7.75 s (4.75 s upgraded) |
| Cooldown | 480 s (8 minutes) |
| Demolition strength | 30 (since 7.2.2) |
The magazine, reload, call-in and cooldown numbers come from the helldivers.wiki.gg Apex page and the helldivers.fandom.com Apex page. Cooldown and call-in are base values before Ship Module upgrades. Arrowhead hasn't published the Apex's damage per shot. After 7.2.2, players shared datamined stats putting each 20mm round at roughly 1,550 standard / 930 durable damage, with a demolition force of 30 that matches the patch notes. That's a community number, not an official one, but it explains why one weak-spot hit kills most mid-size targets.
Getting it costs 1,000 Super Credits for the Warbond (Premium Warbonds have so far included 300 claimable Super Credits on their pages), plus 50 Medals once page 2 is open. Page 2 only unlocks after you have spent Medals on page 1 (the wiki lists 120). If you haven't bought the Warbond yet, our guide to how many Super Credits a Warbond costs shows how to earn that in-mission without spending money.
Is the Apex good now?
Yes. Before 7.2.2 it was a fun rifle with some hidden problems. Now it's one of the strongest single-target answers you can bring. Here's how it plays against each faction:
- Automatons: best use. Hulks, Devastators, Scout Striders and turrets all have weak spots you can hit from far away. The bot front rewards killing targets before they can shoot back, and with much less falloff, long-range shots now lose far less damage than before. One player in an r/helldivers2 Apex-vs-Nova thread said they killed three War Striders at a POI on Super Helldive before any of them could fire back.
- Terminids: good, with a caveat. It handles Chargers, Impalers and Bile Spewers well, but a stationary reload is risky when the bugs are already on top of you. Bring a primary that clears chaff.
- Illuminate: situational. It works against Harvesters and Fleshmobs, though players still disagree on exactly how many hits a Fleshmob takes, so test it before you rely on a breakpoint. Voteless swarms punish the slow fire rate.
Its main weakness is still ammo: 25 rounds total, and only one magazine per ammo box. Don't spend Apex shots on chaff.
Apex vs Anti-Materiel Rifle: which should you take?
| AMW-20 Apex | APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle | |
|---|---|---|
| Penetration | Anti-Tank | Heavy |
| Magazine | 5 | 7 |
| Reload | Stationary | Normal, can move |
| Backpack | Yes (uses your slot) | No |
| Firing stance | Crouch or prone | Any |
| Unlock | 50 Medals, Scope of Authority | Base Stratagem, 5,000 Requisition Slips |
| Cooldown | 480 s | 480 s |
The Anti-Materiel Rifle is still the mobile option: you can fire it standing, reload on the move and keep your backpack slot for a shield or jump pack. The Apex is the heavier hitter. It penetrates Anti-Tank armor and has a bigger hit per shot, but you pay for that with your backpack slot and your mobility. If you play on the move, keep the AMR. If you like setting up on a ridge and calling targets, the Apex is better since 7.2.2. Our best support weapons ranking covers how both compare with the Autocannon and Railgun.
Apex vs LAS-44 Nova: which Scope of Authority weapon is better?
Scope of Authority gives you two long-range support weapons, and since 7.2.2 the Armory lists both as Anti-Tank. That's why the most common question on the subreddit this week is which one to take. A short summary from one r/helldivers2 thread puts it well: "Apex when you want to kill more than two things in ten seconds. Nova when you don't want to have ammo maintenance."
| AMW-20 Apex | LAS-44 Nova | |
|---|---|---|
| Ammo | 25 rounds, backpack-fed | Infinite (heat, charge-up) |
| Backpack slot | Used | Free |
| Fire rate | Fast follow-ups within a magazine | One charged shot at a time |
| Demolition | 30 (breaks cover and doors) | Non-explosive thermal shot |
| Unlock | 50 Medals, page 2 | 110 Medals, page 3 |
| Best on | Automatons, high difficulty | Solo, mobile, with a jump pack, Guard Dog or Hellbomb |
Take the Apex if you play Suicide Mission (7) or higher and keep running into several heavies at once. Its quick follow-up shots matter more there than infinite ammo. Take the Nova if you play solo, hate resupply runs or want a backpack such as a Guard Dog for chaff. Players also report that the Nova's scope seems to zoom out when they pick a higher setting. The wiki notes that the Nova's scope settings start at 150 m and run in the opposite order to other rifles, which may explain it. Arrowhead hasn't mentioned it in any patch notes, so check which setting you're on before a long shot.
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How to use the Apex without getting ragdolled
- Get down before you shoot. If you fire standing, the recoil ragdolls you and does a little damage to you. Crouch for quick shots and go prone for long ones.
- Set your scope range. Hold reload to switch between 50 m, 100 m and 200 m. Because 7.2.2 reduced the falloff, the 200 m setting is now worth using against bots.
- Aim for weak spots. One hit to a Hulk's eye or a Devastator's head is how the Apex earns its slot. Body shots waste your limited ammo.
- Reload between fights. The reload is stationary, so reload after a kill, not when something is charging you. Cancel the end of the animation once the new magazine is in.
- Use team reload. A teammate can load the Apex for you from your backpack, which makes the reload much faster. An Apex shooter with a dedicated loader can take down heavies far faster than one player can alone.
- Use the new demolition strength. Since 7.2.2, the Apex can destroy cover and container doors, so you can clear a blocked sightline instead of walking around it.
What is the best Apex loadout in patch 7.2.2?
The Apex covers your anti-tank needs, so build the rest of your kit around close-range safety:
- Primary: a weapon that clears chaff, since the Apex can't. A Liberator variant, the Knight SMG or a shotgun all work. Against bots, a medium-pen primary like the Diligence Counter Sniper helps with Devastators.
- Secondary: something one-handed and quick, like the P-44 Mist from the same Warbond or the LAS-58 Talon.
- Armor passive: the Stationary Shroud (SS-15 Focal Point, SS-33 Mimetic Marshal) reduces sway and detection range while you're crouched or prone, which is exactly when you'll be firing. Another option is Rock-Solid on the RS-40 Beast of Prey heavy armor from Python Commandos. In the Armory its text says it "further reduces recoil when crouching or prone by 30%." It does not let you fire the Apex standing, though many players are asking for that.
- Throwable: G-11 Caltrops slow and stun anything that rushes your sniping spot.
- Stratagems: with the Apex in one slot, a solid Automaton setup is Apex + Eagle 500kg Bomb + Orbital Precision Strike + a sentry such as the Machine Gun Sentry to protect you while you're prone. Resupply is available to everyone in every mission without taking a slot, but each ammo box only gives the Apex one magazine, so call it in early.
For full faction builds, see our best Automaton loadout and our best sniper rifle ranking, which has the full list of marksman primaries.
FAQ
What did Helldivers 2 patch 7.2.2 change? Patch 7.2.2 (October 29, 2026) lowered the AMW-20 Apex's caliber from 60 to 20 to reduce damage falloff, raised its demolition strength to 30, and fixed the Armory to show both the Apex and the LAS-44 Nova as Anti-Tank. It also corrected the Bushwhacker's 7.2.0 values to 486 damage and 135 durable damage and fixed two rare crashes.
Is the AMW-20 Apex good in Helldivers 2? Yes, especially since 7.2.2. It's a 5-round, Anti-Tank, backpack-fed rifle that kills Hulks and other heavies with one weak-spot hit, and it loses much less damage at long range than before. Its downsides are 25 total rounds, a stationary reload and needing to crouch or go prone to fire.
How do you unlock the Apex? Buy the Scope of Authority Premium Warbond (1,000 Super Credits, all earnable in-mission), then unlock the AMW-20 Apex on page 2 for 50 Medals. It's a support weapon Stratagem with an 8-minute cooldown.
Why does the Apex knock me over? The recoil ragdolls you if you fire standing. The in-game description says it requires you to crouch or lie prone. The Rock-Solid passive reduces recoil while crouched or prone, but it doesn't make standing shots safe.
Is the Apex better than the Nova? It depends on what you need. The Apex kills several heavies faster and breaks cover, but uses your backpack slot and limited ammo. The Nova has infinite ammo and frees your backpack slot, but you can only fire one charged shot at a time. Since 7.2.2, both show Anti-Tank penetration in the Armory.
Did 7.2.2 change the Apex's damage? Not directly. The patch notes don't list a damage change. Lowering the caliber value reduced how much damage the round loses over distance, so you deal more effective damage at long range.
Final verdict
Patch 7.2.2 fixed the Apex. The Armory now shows its Anti-Tank penetration correctly, it loses much less damage at range and it can break cover, which makes it the best long-range heavy killer in Scope of Authority and a top Automaton support weapon. The trade-offs are the same as before: you shoot crouched or prone, reload standing still and count your 25 rounds. Bring a buddy to help you reload. If you want a lighter, ammo-free option, take the Nova. Every change above is current for patch 7.2.2. For more on this Warbond and the current meta, see our other Helldivers 2 guides.
