Apex Legends has quickly taken the world by storm to become one of the most popular games on the planet within a matter of days. Building off of the foundations set by other Battle Royale games like Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite, Apex has transformed the genre into something truly special and unexpected. Foregoing the genre’s typically clunky gunplay and game mechanics, Apex instead relies on incredibly tight gameplay and shooter mechanics built off the bones of Respawn Entertainment’s hit series, Titanfall.
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With a brand-new standard set for Battle Royale, Apex challenges players with invigorating, fast-paced action gameplay. If you and your squad want a better shot at surviving all the way to the end and bringing home a win, here are ten tips that we’ve learned while playing the game.
10 Know Your Strengths
By this, we don’t necessarily mean just knowing what kind of abilities your Legend brings to the table, but also knowing what you personally excel at, and what kinds of situations your current loadout is best suited for.
If your team is equipped only with shotguns and SMGs, you’re not going to want to try to engage anyone at range. It may seem obvious, but awareness of what you and your team has at its disposal can often be the difference between an early defeat and a chance at the win.
9 Remember Your Specials
New to the Battle Royale Genre in Apex Legends is the inclusion of different characters, “Legends,” who bring different special abilities to the table. While the basic gunplay and combat of Apex are fantastic without these special abilities, they can truly make the difference if used correctly.
Most of the abilities don’t directly affect enemies, but the different ways they can be utilized can lead to devastating results. Whether it’s using an artillery barrage to keep an enemy pinned down, or simply using a grappling hook to get you a better position, remembering your Legend’s abilities can swing the tide of battle.
8 Know The Legends
Knowing what each Legend brings to a team is just as important as remembering to use your own special abilities. Paying attention to what characters an enemy team is playing as can give you valuable information as to what kind of playstyle they may be employing or what kinds of abilities to watch out for.
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Exchanging fire with an enemy Caustic? They’ll probably try to lure you in close towards their traps. Notice a Lifeline with the other squad and see them fall back? They’re probably huddled around a healing drone and could be vulnerable to a coordinated attack.
7 Don’t Be Afraid To Get Your Hands Dirty
In my early days of playing PUBG and Fortnite, all I cared about was getting as close to the end of the game as possible. For me, that meant avoiding conflict and biding my time. The thing is, by doing that you may make it close to the end of the game, but you are putting yourself at a major disadvantage.
Not only are you missing out on honing your aim and skills through experience, but you are also often missing opportunities to get better loot off of other players before everyone collides.
6 Learn to Balance Risk and Reward
While you should occasionally take chances to engage in combat and hone your abilities, it’s also important to temper yourself. If you know of valuable loot in an area, for example, the supply ship, you should be able to quickly assess the situation and whether it is worth it to try to take it.
If there are enemies nearby you should question how prepared you are for battle and what kind of range you are effective at before engaging. In many situations, you should consider at what point in the game you’re in. Risking your team early in the game for high-tier loot and coming up short hurts a whole lot less than doing it towards the end when your team is already pretty well armed.
5 Teamwork and Communication
A major unique aspect of Apex Legends is its reliance on team-based gameplay. While many Battle Royale games incorporate team-based modes, Apex is built entirely on that concept. Players are expected to use their abilities to support and complement each other. To succeed in this environment, it is essential that players learn to effectively communicate with their teams.
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To encourage this, Respawn has developed an incredibly simple to use, but highly effective “ping” mechanic. While voice chat is certainly an asset, the “ping” mechanic allows players to call out loot, enemy positions, and other places of interest with a single button press. In nearly all cases, victory means mastering effective communication with your team.
4 Situational Awareness is Key
Some of the most important aspects of any Battle Royale game are also some of the most subtle. In Apex Legends specifically, recognizing when something is “off” or something has happened can provide a major advantage. If you hear footsteps nearby, be alert. It may be your teammates, but it may not be.
If you see open doors or open supply crates, someone has been there, and they might still be there. When you are engaging enemies, take note of what kinds of weapons they are using and what Legends they are playing. If you’re engaging an enemy squad with snipers and assault rifles at range, consider your own loadout and make a decision to either slip away, or stand and fight. If there are multiple enemies in an area, constantly be aware of where everyone is.
3 Learn the Map
While Apex Legends only has one map at the moment, it is important to become familiar with it. It may take some time, but knowing what areas connect to others, and where loot is likely to drop in those areas will eventually turn you into a more efficient fighter.
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Knowing the layout of different areas will make it a whole lot easier for you to plan ahead and also adapt on the fly. If you have little armor and short-range weapons, use your knowledge of the map to close off sightlines and stay close to cover.
2 Don’t Be Afraid of the Ring
While you need to be aware of the map closing in, it is never really that urgent. Being outside the circle will damage you slightly over time, but it is so subtle that it doesn’t really pose a threat to you itself, especially if you have healing items. You won’t be able to stay outside the circle forever, but you also shouldn’t turn your back on a fight just to stay in the circle.
You also shouldn’t be afraid to venture back out of the circle for certain reasons either, like reviving a teammate or picking up a dropped item, granted it’s worth the bit of damage you take. It is important to note that you will take more damage from being outside the circle after each round however, so at later points in the game you’ll need to move a bit quicker and decide what is worth taking hits to your health for.
1 Allow Yourself to Lose
Like other Battle Royale games, Apex Legends is a game with a whole lot of players in a single match. Because of this, you are going to lose a lot more games than you win. It’s important to recognize this and to frame losses as opportunities to learn and improve. Don’t be afraid to throw yourself into fights that you could have avoided every now and then just for the opportunity to gain some combat experience.
Don’t beat yourself up every time your team gets taken out early. Take some big risks and drop in a populated area just to practice quick inventory management and frantic early game gunfights. It’s still going to suck every time your team makes it to the final two and gets taken out, but even then it’s important to learn from what you could have done differently to affect that outcome rather than cast blame or mope.