What is the difference between burst and sustained DPS?

Burst DPS is the damage rate while you are firing a full magazine, ignoring reloads. Sustained DPS folds in the reload time, dividing magazine damage by the time to empty plus reload. Sustained DPS matters in longer fights.

How is fire rate converted to shots per second?

Fire rate is given in rounds per minute, so the tool divides by 60 to get rounds per second. Damage per second before accuracy is that figure times the per-shot damage.

How do headshots change DPS?

Each hit is split into headshots and body shots by your headshot rate. Headshots deal damage times the headshot multiplier. The tool computes a blended average per-hit damage, then multiplies by accuracy and shots per second.

Why include accuracy?

A weapon's paper DPS assumes every bullet connects. Real DPS multiplies by your accuracy, since missed shots deal zero damage. Lowering accuracy shows why a high-fire-rate weapon can underperform in unskilled hands.

Does this account for shields and armour?

No, it computes raw damage output. Effective time-to-kill against an armoured opponent is the target's health plus shield divided by your sustained DPS, which you can work out from the figure shown.

Apex Legends DPS Calculator

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Comparing Apex Legends weapons by raw damage is misleading because fire rate, magazine size, reloads, and your own accuracy all change the real number. This calculator applies the correct shots-per-second and reload-cycle formula, blends in your headshot rate, and reports both burst and sustained DPS.

How it works

Per-hit damage is a blend of body and headshot damage, and DPS scales by accuracy and shots per second:

shotsPerSec   = fireRate / 60
avgHitDmg     = body × (1 − hs%) + body × hsMult × hs%
burstDPS      = avgHitDmg × shotsPerSec × accuracy
magDamage     = avgHitDmg × magSize × accuracy
timeToEmpty   = magSize / shotsPerSec
sustainedDPS  = magDamage / (timeToEmpty + reloadTime)

Example and tips

A weapon with high fire rate but a small magazine often has strong burst DPS but weak sustained DPS once frequent reloads are counted, while a large-magazine weapon holds its sustained number better in drawn-out fights. To estimate time-to-kill against an armoured opponent, divide their total effective health by your sustained DPS. Improving accuracy raises both figures proportionally, so it is usually the highest-leverage change.