How gold extended magazines work in Apex Legends Season 8: Mayhem

Kitting out your weapon has always been an integral part of Apex Legends. Whether it’s getting that one optic perfect for your playstyle, finding your favorite gun’s Hop-Up, or of course, tracking down the right kind of extended magazine. Whether it’s adding an extra bullet or two to the Wingman, or getting you up to 55 bullets in a Spitfire, extended magazines have always been highly coveted type of loot that can make or break your battle.

Unlike with optics and barrel mods, which both have legendary-tier Level 4 variants, the highest extended magazine tier has always been Level 3… until now. Season 8 is finally adding a legendary-tier Level 4 extended magazine into the game. Similar to the gold barrel mod, added in Season 4, this new loot option will be permanently added to the game both in special areas like vaults and care packages, as well as being high-tier floor loot.

Like all legendary-tier loot, the gold extended magazine will not have better base stats than its purple equivalent, but will have a special ability. Ever dock your weapon only to pull it out with little to no ammo? The golden mag’s got your back. This new Level 4 magazine is able to automatically reload holstered weapons.

The perk is especially helpful if you are the type of player to switch between weapons at a slower rate, because there is a hefty delay on how long it takes for the reload to happen. If utilized correctly, and you may be able to shoot a weapon again without reloading it in a longer fight, but you will have to be using your other gun or going fists out for at least five seconds. If you play your cards right and have gold magazines on both of your weapons, you will never run out of ammunition. Pairing the gold mag’d weapon with a second gun that has a slower rate of fire like the G7 Scout or a shotgun may also help in buying you more time.

Reminder that unlike the barrel mod, extended magazines are different for each category of weapon: Light, heavy, energy and sniper. (Shotguns do not have extended magazines.) You will need to find the right one for your gun in order to make use of it. Due to this, it might be better to plan your gun based on the golden magazine you find, rather than trying to track down a specific one, unless you have a Loba on your team.