The Alternator Submachine Gun (SMG), or simply the Alternator, and non-canonically referred to as the SP-14 Hatchet in concept art, is a Pilot anti-personnel twin-barrel submachine gun. It makes its debut in Titanfall 2[1] and later returns in Apex Legends and Apex Legends Mobile.
History[]
The Alternator SMG was first made by Emslie Tactical. This was their first Submachine gun produced, and the only known weapon from the company. While it was the first Submachine gun made by Emslie, it was groundbreaking for its time, as it was the first submachine gun to use more than one barrel to fire, alongside using a blowforward mechanism that was previously not seen in any submachine gun or automatic weapon for that matter. Later down the line, the manufacturing of this weapon would be passed to Burrell Defense, who made the iteration of the weapon used in the Apex Games.
Design and performance[]
The alternator uses a twin-barrel blowforward mechanism, alternating between barrels every shot. It is the heaviest hitting SMG of its class, and deals greater damage to targets. The weapon also complements players who make the most out of movement, as the hipfire is very accurate and the weapon doesn't rely on aiming down sights.
Field notes[]
- (Titanfall 2) Due to Alternator's small magazine size and slow reload speed, Equipping an Extended Magazine and Speedloader is highly recommended since it can reduce the Alternator's weakness to great degree.
- (Titanfall 2) Tapping fire while hip-firing with an Alternator can almost eliminate all of its recoil and turn it into a laser-beam, However, if the target is very close to you, Don't hesitate to go full-auto with the Alternator.
- (Titanfall 2) combine this with a tactical such as Stim and use the Gunrunner perk to make yourself harder to hit while dishing out higher damage.
- Avoid aiming down sights in close-quarter combat, as the hipfire of the Alternator is about as accurate as aiming down sights.
- (Titanfall 2) Aiming down sights can also be detrimental as the recoil of the weapon combined with lack of vision due to ADS makes it difficult to aim and hit moving targets.
- (Apex Legends) Avoid carrying this weapon to the end-game, as it is ineffective against players with other Submachine guns including the Volt, CAR, and R-99.
- (Apex Legends) If you struggle with controlling recoil with submachine guns, consider the Alternator as a choice due to its easier recoil and hipfire.
- Once you become more comfortable with recoil control, you should avoid using this weapon unless you lack other options
Strengths[]
- Accurate Hipfire
- Highest damage of all SMGs
- (Titanfall 2) fewer shots to kill than other SMGs
- (Titanfall 2) Kills the fastest out of all SMGs
- (Apex Legends) Easy to handle
- (Apex Legends) higher damage per magazine
Weaknesses[]
- Poor range
- Slower Rate of Fire
- (Titanfall 2) high recoil
- (Titanfall 2) small magazine size
- (Apex Legends) Low DPS
- (Apex Legends) Highest TTK of all full-auto Submachine guns
- (Apex Legends) Falls off in late-game due to players having Level 5 armor that takes longer to eat through compared to other SMGs
- (Apex Legends) Further loses value in ranks beyond platinum due to opponents generally having better aim/recoil control with weapons that have significantly lower TTKs
Titanfall 2[]
| “ | Twin Barrel SMG.
— Description
|
” |
The Alternator debuts in Titanfall 2 as a heavy-hitting submachine gun with a twin-barrel function and a blowforward mechanism. It has a slower firerate and range-limiting recoil, but compensates for this more than enough with its accurate hipfire and extremely low time-to-kill.
Weapon attachments[]
| Image | Name | Description | Unlock |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Stock sights. | ||
 |
Open holographic combat optical gunsight. | ||
 |
Enhanced zoom scope. | ||
 |
Makes enemies easy to spot by applying an AR overlay to them. Warning: Disables extra mod slot. | ||
 |
Attachment that displays lifetime weapon XP count for the weapon. |
Weapon mods[]
| Image | Name | Description | Unlock |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Increased ammo capacity. (From 20 to 25). | ||
 |
Shoot while sprinting. | ||
 |
Faster reload. | ||
 |
Fast transition into aiming down the sights. | ||
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Faster transition when switching to this weapon. | ||
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Pilot kills increase Tactical availability (Faster cooldown). |
Weapon camos[]
- Main article: Alternator/Customization
Apex Legends[]
| “ | The Alternator is famous for its accuracy: featuring twin barrels that alternate fire from a single magazine, it suffers less of the barrel - wear that reduces accuracy in other firearms. However, its patented receiver and barrel assembly ensured that it could only be manufactured by Burrell Industries, hampering widespread adoption during the Frontier War. After Burrell’s collapse following the Blackout, the design was reverse - engineered by surviving competitors, and current models have reached nearly the same level of sophistication.
— In-game description.
|
” |
The Alternator makes a return in Apex Legends as a twin-barrel SMG with similar design to its previous iteration. However, it no longer has flat side-side recoil, and has almost entirely switched to being vertical recoil. It no longer kills the fastest out of all of the SMGs, but it is easy to use and maintains its status as the hardest-hitting SMG of its class.
Weapon attachments[]
| Image | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| improves hipfire accuracy, shows a laser from the barrel to where the bullet will hit | ||
 |
Increases amounts of rounds held per mag | |
     |
allows better focus on target while ADS | |
 |
shortens weapon switch transition length and reduces aim sway |
Arenas[]
| Purchasing | Base | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upgrade | 400 | 150 | 250 | 300 |
| Total | 550 | 800 | 1100 |
| Attachments | Base | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| * | * | * | * (Level 3) | ||
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* | * | * | * | |
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* | * | |||
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* | * | * | ||
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* | * | * | ||
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* | * | * | ||
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* | * | * | ||
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* | * | * | * (Level 3) |
Weapon skins[]
- Main article: Alternator/Customization
Apex Legends Mobile[]
The Alternator SMG returns once again in Apex Legends Mobile, remaining mostly unchanged from its previous iteration as a heavy SMG with a low TTK. However it can equip barrel mods and cannot use laser sights.
Weapon attachments[]
| Image | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
  |
reduces recoil, reduces flash at Level 4. | |
|
Increases amounts of rounds held per mag, autoreloads the weapon after 7 seconds at Level 4 | |
|
allows better focus on target while ADS | |
|
shortens weapon switch transition length and reduces aim sway |
Arenas[]
| Purchasing | Base | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upgrade | 400 | 150 | 250 | 300 |
| Total | 550 | 800 | 1100 |
| Attachments | Base | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
* | * | * | * (Level 4) | |
|
* | * | * | * | |
|
* | * | |||
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* | * | * | ||
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* | * | * | ||
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* | * | * | ||
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* | * | * | ||
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* | * | * | * (Level 3) |
Weapon skins[]
- Main article: Alternator/Customization
Update history[]
(Undocumented) No longer comes pre-equipped with a Level 4 Barrel Stabilizer, instead it comes pre-equipped with a Level 3 one.
|
Behind the scenes[]
- The Alternator was designed by Ryan Lastimosa.[2]
Appearances[]
Gallery[]
Images[]
Trivia[]
- While there is a design showing the Alternator with an extended stock, snub foregrip, reflex optic, suppressor, illumination device and extended magazine, this design is never seen in any of the games for which it is featured.