How to Get the 20 Bomb and 4K Damage Badges in Apex Legends

Last updated October 2026, for Apex Legends Season 30: Marked (Split 2). Written by the team behind our Apex Legends services. Respawn does not publish a full rulebook for badges, so where a rule comes from community testing rather than EA, we say so.

Key takeaways

• The 20 Bomb is the Legend's Wake badge: 20 kills in a single match. The 4K is Legend's Wrath IV: 4,000 damage in a single match.
• Both badges belong to the legend you played. A 4K on Wraith does nothing for your Bloodhound banner.
• Damage to shields and health both count. Kills go to the player who knocked the enemy, not the one who finished them.
• If your whole squad is eliminated, kills you knocked but hadn't converted are voided, so staying alive protects your count.
• Standard Battle Royale and Ranked are the reliable modes. Firing Range and new-account orientation lobbies don't award badges, and Respawn has switched badges off in some limited-time modes.

The 20 Bomb and 4K Damage badges are the two achievements other players actually look at on a banner. They can't be bought from the store, they don't come from a battle pass, and they prove one thing: that in at least one match, on that legend, you were the problem in the lobby. This guide covers exactly what the game counts, where it counts it, and how to build a match that gives you a real chance at each badge.

What is the 20 Bomb badge in Apex Legends?

The 20 Bomb is the Legend's Wake badge, awarded for getting at least 20 kills in a single match with one legend. The number that matters is the kill count on your end-of-match summary. Assists are tracked separately and don't add to it, and neither do knockdowns that never turned into eliminations.

Each legend has its own Wake badge, named after them: Wraith's Wake, Octane's Wake and so on. It isn't tiered. You either have it on that legend or you don't.

What is the 4K Damage badge?

The 4K is the top tier of the Legend's Wrath badge, Wrath IV, awarded for dealing 4,000 damage in a single match. The lower tiers sit at 2,000, 2,500 and 3,000 damage, so a 4K game is the last step of a ladder most players have already climbed partway on their main.

Like the Wake badge, Wrath is per legend. The damage figure is the one on your match summary, and it counts everything you put into enemy players.

What counts toward the 4K and 20 Bomb?

Here is how the game credits the two numbers, as far as it can be pinned down.

Do knocks count for the 20 Bomb?

A knock counts once the enemy is eliminated. Kill credit goes to the player who knocked the enemy down, whoever finishes them: you, a teammate, another squad, the ring or a bleed-out. This is long-standing community testing rather than a published EA rule, but it matches how the kill feed and match summary behave.

Two cases cost you the kill:

• The enemy is revived. A revived player wipes your pending kill. Knock them again and the new knock is yours.
• Your whole squad is eliminated first. In its 2022 Saviors ranked update, Respawn fixed kill credit being handed over from eliminated teams; those kills are now voided. If you knock two players and your squad dies before they're finished, you don't get them.

The second rule matters most for 20 Bomb attempts. A wipe with four pending knocks can turn an 18-kill game into a 14-kill one.

Does damage to shields and knocked players count for 4K?

Yes to both. Damage to an enemy's body shield counts the same as damage to their health. Shots into a knocked player also count: that wasn't true at launch, but it has been the case since an early change, as players and guides such as GGRecon have documented. Damage to wildlife, doors or your own squad doesn't count.

Because knocked damage counts, finishing a downed enemy with bullets rather than an execution adds to your total. On a 4K attempt, shoot the knock instead of standing still for an animation.

Do assists count?

No. Assists show on the summary and give RP in Ranked, but neither badge reads them. If a teammate knocks the enemy you cracked, the kill is theirs and only the damage is yours.

Which modes award Apex badges?

Standard Battle Royale and Ranked Battle Royale award both badges. Respawn doesn't publish a list of modes, so beyond that it comes down to what has been reported:

The pattern behind the LTM cases is simple. When a mode makes kills or damage much easier, for example by letting players respawn over and over, badge earning tends to get disabled, and badges earned before the switch have reportedly been taken back. If an event mode looks like an easy 20 Bomb, assume it won't count until you've seen it award one.

Which badge is harder, the 20 Bomb or the 4K?

The 20 Bomb, for most players. Damage builds up from every fight you touch, including the ones you lose and the poke you land on squads you never finish. Kills only come from fights you win, and each one depends on the knock being yours and the enemy not getting revived.

That's also why a 20 Bomb usually brings a 4K with it, while plenty of 4K games end on 9 or 10 kills. If you're working on both on the same legend, the 4K tends to come first.

How to get the 4K Damage badge

A 4K game is a volume game. You need enough fights, early enough, and the patience to keep dealing damage when a fight is lost.

Land where the fights are

Drop at or next to the most contested point on the dropship path. The early rings are when every squad is still alive and close by, so that's where most of a 4K is dealt, and you can't do that from a quiet edge of the map. If the contested spot is a coin flip, drop just beside it and take the winners.

Keep shooting into fights you can't win

Damage is credited whether or not the fight goes your way. Long-range poke on a squad that's already fighting someone else, cracking a shield before a team rotates away, and shots into an enemy your teammate ends up knocking all count. A player who backs off at 60% of a fight still banks the damage they dealt.

Choose weapons for sustained damage

You want a gun that keeps dealing damage across ranges, not just one that wins a single close fight. An assault rifle or LMG paired with an SMG or shotgun covers both poke and close fights. Care package weapons rotate every season, so check the current Season 30 tier list and patch notes before committing.

Shoot knocks, don't execute them

As covered above, damage on knocked players counts. A finisher animation gives you nothing toward the 4K and exposes you while it plays.

Third-party everything

Every fight you hear is free damage. Rotating toward gunfire mid-game is how a 2,500 damage game becomes 4,000. In public matches, where there's no RP entry cost on the line, that aggression costs you nothing but the match.

How to get the 20 Bomb badge

A 20 Bomb needs the same aggression, plus control over who gets the knocks.

Make the knocks yours

Kill credit follows the knock, so on a 20 Bomb attempt the squad's job is to crack shields and leave the finishing knock to you. A friend who knows what you're going for can pressure, crack and then hold fire on low-health enemies. Random teammates won't, which is the main reason solo-queue 20 Bombs are so rare.

Convert knocks before you push the next player

A knock isn't a kill until the enemy dies, and it's gone if they're revived. When you knock a player near teammates who can pick them up, finish them or make sure someone else does before you chase the next target. Leaving three knocked players behind you is how a squad fight that looked like three kills becomes one.

Stay alive as a squad

This is the rule most 20 Bomb attempts forget. If your whole squad is eliminated, the kills you knocked but hadn't converted are voided. A teammate who's alive at the edge of the fight protects your pending kills. In late fights, a quick heal before the next push is worth more than one more knock.

Choose a legend you can take fights with

The badge belongs to the legend you play, so pick the one you want on your banner and play it the way you play best. Mobility helps: legends who can get to fights fast and leave them fast, such as Pathfinder or Octane, give you more fights per match, which is the whole game here. Our fighting fundamentals guide covers the gunfight side of it.

Know when the game is still on

Kills don't come evenly through a match. They're easiest in the first two rings, when every squad is still alive and in range, and they dry up as the lobby thins out. If you're on 4 kills when the third ring closes, the attempt is probably over, and pushing harder usually just ends the game early.

Should you go for badges in Ranked or public matches?

Public matches, almost always. There's no entry cost, so a hot drop that fails costs nothing, and public lobbies take more early fights. Ranked does award both badges, but every match costs RP to enter and placement decides how much your kills are worth, so a hot drop that fails is expensive. Ranked squads also rotate and third-party more carefully. Our Apex Legends ranked guide explains how the RP side works if you want to combine the two.

Duos and Trios both work. Duos has more squads in the lobby, so more early fights, but you have one teammate to cover you when your squad is at risk of a wipe. Trios gives you more backup and more players to crack shields for you.

Why didn't I get my 20 Bomb or 4K badge?

If you hit the number and the badge didn't appear, it's usually one of these:

1. Wrong number. The badge reads kills, not knockdowns or kills plus assists. Check the kill figure on the match summary.
2. Voided knocks. Your squad was wiped with knocks still pending, so those kills never counted.
3. Revived enemies. A player you knocked was picked up and later killed by someone else.
4. The mode didn't count. A limited-time mode, an orientation lobby or a mode where badges were switched off.
5. Wrong legend. The badge went to the legend you played that match, not the one you main.
6. It's earned but not shown. Earned badges aren't equipped automatically. Open the legend's banner settings and add it to a badge slot.

How to show the badges on your banner

Go to the legend, open their banner settings and pick the badge for one of the three badge slots. Each slot is per legend, so a 20 Bomb on Wraith can only be displayed when you play Wraith.

Can someone else get the badge for you?

Yes. Badge boosting is a service where a high-level player plays matches on your account, or squads up with you through duo queue, until the badge is earned on the legend you choose. If you've chased a 20 Bomb for a few seasons and the game won't line up, our Apex badge boosting covers both the 20 Bomb and the 4K. If you'd rather earn it yourself, the habits above are the same ones those players use.

FAQ

How do you get the 20 Bomb badge in Apex?

Get 20 kills in a single match with one legend. Kill credit goes to whoever knocked the enemy, so make the knocks yours, convert them before chasing the next fight, and keep your squad alive so pending knocks aren't voided.

How do you get the 4K badge in Apex?

Deal 4,000 damage in a single match with one legend. Damage to shields, health and knocked players all counts, so land in contested areas, keep poking into other fights and shoot knocked enemies instead of executing them.

Are Apex badges legend-specific?

Yes. Legend's Wake and Legend's Wrath are tracked separately for each legend, and you can only display them on the legend that earned them.

Do knocks count as kills for the 20 Bomb?

A knock becomes a kill when the enemy is eliminated, by anyone. The kill goes to the player who knocked them. It's lost if the enemy is revived or if your whole squad is eliminated before they die.

Can you get the 20 Bomb or 4K in Ranked?

Yes. Ranked awards both badges, but public matches are usually the better place to go for them because there's no RP entry cost and lobbies fight earlier.

Can you get badges in limited-time modes?

Sometimes. Respawn has disabled badge earning in several limited-time modes, especially ones with respawns, and has reportedly taken back badges earned before the switch. Use standard Battle Royale or Ranked to be sure.

Does damage to knocked players count toward 4K?

Yes. Shots into a knocked player add to your damage total, which is why shooting a knock is better than executing it on a 4K attempt.