Respawn is treating the Apex Legends player base to a whole host of additions in Season 9: Legacy. Titanfall fans will be thrilled to see the newest addition to Apex Legends, Valkyrie, enter the fray as she is iconic villain Viper’s daughter. Meanwhile, the introduction of a new 3v3 Arena game mode – our guide for which you can check out here – allows players to enjoy the popular FPS game at an even greater tempo, thanks to its quick fire rounds.
However, one new addition to Apex Legends Season 9 which has particularly excited us is its latest weapon, the Bocek (pronounced ‘bow-check’) compound bow – and it hits hard. According to its official flavour text, the Bocek is “a powerful and deadly weapon, for those with the skill to wield it. Capable of inflicting tremendous damage at medium range, you’ll need to make each shot count.”
‘Bocek’ may seem like a simple poetic name for a bow, but it actually stems from a long-running Respawn naming convention whereby components of the Apex (and Titanfall) universes are named after developers. For example, the Kraber sniper rifle is named after Senior Audio Director Erik Kraber. This time, it’s weapon designer David Bocek who has the honour of being immortalised in-game.
You can get a proper look at the Bocek in action in the Apex Legends Season 9: Legacy trailer at 4:40
We’d wish you luck, but in Arenas, there isn’t any. This is a true test of skill. 🏹
Drop into a new action-packed 3v3 game mode, take to the skies as new Legend Valkyrie, and master the new high-precision Bocek Bow when Apex Legends: Legacy launches May 4! pic.twitter.com/1GCAOYI1GB
— Apex Legends (@PlayApex) April 26, 2021
The Bocek can be found in the newly-established ‘Marksman Weapons’ category, alongside the G7 Scout, Triple Take, and 30-30 Repeater. Naturally, it uses arrows – a new ammo type which can be picked up in stacks of 14, with 28 arrows taking up an inventory slot. You can even pick up spent arrows from terrain hit – if you can find them of course. You can see how we think it fares in Season 9 in our Apex Legends weapons tier list.
In this guide, we’ll be breaking down everything you need to know about the Bocek bow, including its damage output, available attachments, and its two new hop-ups: Deadeye’s Tempo and Shatter Caps.
Bocek bow attachments and hop-ups
The Bocek can be equipped with a range of sights, much in the same vein as standard weapons. The selection includes:
- 1x HCOG
- 2x HCOG
- 1x Holo
- 2-4x Variable Holo
- 3x HCOG ‘Ranger’
As for hop-ups, the Bocek has access to two new additions for Season 9:
- Deadeye’s Tempo
- Shatter Caps
Deadeye’s Tempo – which can also be attached to the Sentinel – increases the fire rate of the bow, upping the overall DPS. If your aim is off that day, then never fear because Shatter Caps will split your shot, turning it into a compound shotgun. This is doubly-useful for fans of the 30-30 Repeater, who can also benefit from the hop-up.
Bocek Bow stats
Below is a table with the Bocek’s damage numbers – tested on the target boards in the Firing Range – for both single fire and Shatter Caps configurations. As a fire-rate hop-up, Deadeye’s Tempo doesn’t affect single fire damage.
| Single Fire | Shatter Caps | |
| Body shot (tap fire) | 30 | 28 |
| Head shot (tap fire) | 37 | 35 |
| Body shot (fully drawn) | 60 | 77 |
| Head shot (fully drawn) | 122 | 91 |
Alongside some solid numbers – at full draw the Bocek just edges out the raw damage output of the new care package Triple Take – the bow also doesn’t appear to have any damage drop-off (at least from our testing). Additionally, projectile drop off when fully drawn is minimal. Even at mid-long range the Bocek can almost be considered hitscan.
Perhaps the most important factor that makes the Bocek great is how quiet it is. Compared to the raucous crescendo of a thousand bullets flying through the air, the Bocek is infinitely less likely to draw attention to yourself and your team. On legends with great mobility who can hit and run, the Bocek will be an absolute nightmare for enemies to deal with. Whether you’re trying out Apex Legends’ Arenas mode or trying to climb the Apex Legends ranks, the Bocek will be a handy weapon to help in your endeavours.
So that’s everything you need to know about Apex’s latest and greatest tool of destruction. Although the Bocek is a more elegant solution to dealing with foes than many of Apex’s other options, it’s still going to pack a punch.
