YOUR NEW NEMESIS IS COMING

Despite just receiving a new weapon at the start of this season, it seems as though Apex fans are in for a treat once more. Respawn Entertainment recently announced the latest collection event, and some eagle-eyed viewers noticed a weapon name they didn’t quite recognize: the Nemesis Burst AR.

Respawn addressed the mystery name, revealing that they had accidentally leaked their own gun. There is a lot to unpack here, even from the very little we know about the weapon.

Here is everything we know and what we can speculate on the leaked Apex Legends weapon.

When Is The Nemesis Burst AR Coming?

Although it made its way into the trailer, the Nemesis Burst AR is still some time away. Director of Comms at Respawn, Ryan K. Rigney, said it wouldn’t be ready to join the game’s roster of weapons “any time soon”.

It’s worth mentioning that Respawn has been known to scrap new mechanics before they enter the game. The latest legend, Seer, started out as an audio-based Legend before reportedly breaking the balance of the game. He was subsequently shifted over to visual abilities before release.

If the Nemesis Burst is some time away, there’s every possibility that it could be found to be too problematic and get scrapped in advance. Weapons, however, appear to be slightly easier to buff and nerf than character abilities, so hopefully that won’t be the case.

If Nemesis is coming to the game, we likely won’t see it until next season at the very least. Apex has spaced out its new weapon introductions in the past, and we just got the Rampage LMG with the launch of Season 10. Given the introduction of the Bocek in Season 9 and the 30-30 Repeater in Season 8, there is the potential for a gap, just like there was in Season 7.

Our guess is that it’ll be Season 12 or beyond before we see the Nemesis Burst AR in the game. If we do get a new weapon in Season 11, it’s possible that it’ll be an entirely different one that we haven’t heard about yet.

It's Not A Titanfall Weapon

We’ve checked, and the Nemesis Burst AR is not a weapon from the Titanfall games. Legacy guns such as the R301, Alternator, Flatline, Spitfire, and more have all made their way into Apex, albeit with updated versions. However, it seems as though Nemesis will be an entirely new weapon. That’s not too surprising, though — Season 6 was the last time we got a gun from the Titanfall universe.

How Good Is It?

It seems obvious to point out since it has AR in the title, but the Nemesis Burst AR will join the likes of the R301, Havoc, L-Star, and VK-47 Flatline in the assault rifle class. Going by the “Burst” part of its name, it will likely resemble the Hemlok in performance. That’ll see it join the elite list of Apex’s burst weapons — a category which currently only holds two with the Hemlok and Prowler.

While it may be a burst rifle, It’s likely that we will see it feature vastly different damage and rate-of-fire stats. Each of Apex’s weapons feels unique, and the Nemesis isn’t likely to deviate from that strategy.

We’re jumping into speculation here, but it’s likely that Apex will be keen to introduce an assault rifle to rival the R301. The stock weapon has remained the popular all-purpose bullet-spewer of choice for many players since the game first released. If that were the case, It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Nemesis Burst AR featured a much faster rate of fire. We may even see the reintroduction of the Selectfire Receiver, to allow the Nemesis to go full auto.

To fuel this R301 rivalry theory, the weapon even used an image of its competitor as a placeholder. The Nemesis Burst will almost certainly feature a different design, as at this point, no two weapons share the same visuals within Apex. The R301 outline is likely standing in while Respawn finalizes the designs. It may be mere speculation, but the choice of placeholder could also reference which weapon the Nemesis is designed to go up against.