A battle royale match is as much a test of endurance and patience as it is a test of raw combat skill. You need to know when to fight, when not to, and keep a sharp eye on your supplies as you make the long haul towards victory. I mean, being a crack-shot maniac definitely does help, but that alone isn't going to guarantee a win.
Apex Legends is no different, but it does bring along its own unique set of elements to consider as you outlast, outwit, and ultimately defeat your opponents. If you’re having trouble accomplishing any of those three things, then hang out with us for a moment, because we just might have a few choice tips and tricks that could go a long way towards improving your game.
We’ve got twenty-five of them, actually. I just checked in the back. We have exactly twenty-five tips and tricks to help you survive in Apex Legends, the rest are on backorder. They’ll probably show up sometime next week. What? Twenty-five is the precise number of tips that you need, you say? Oh, how terribly convenient for all involved parties! Scroll on then, future champion! Let’s talk business.
25 Improvise & Adapt Based On What You Find
While you're bound to have your favorites, and some weapons are simply better than others, don't hold out for anything in particular, especially in the early stages of the match.
You're much better off learning to work with whatever's in front of you.
You never know what loot you're going to come across. While you might be an ace with the R301, the Flatline might be a stronger choice if you have a bunch of nice attachments for it. And as universally reviled as it is, having the Mozambique is preferable to having empty hands when you round a corner and unexpectedly run into an opponent aiming a pistol at you.
24 Get The Most Out Of Respawn Beacons
Including respawn beacons was a decision so solid that even Fortnite is putting thought into emulating its new competitor. And there are a few finer points on their functionality that can help you make sure you're getting the most out of them.
Once a respawn beacon has been used, you can't use it again, which can be a bummer if the rest of your squad has been put out. What you can do, however, is respawn both of your teammates at once if you've collected both of their tags – so if you're making a hike for the respawn beacon, make sure everyone's going to be on board.
23 You Can Peek Over Walls & Ledges
One cool and often overlooked trick to keep in your arsenal is the ability to peek over ledges while keeping your exposure to a minimum.
You can climb over almost any ledge that you can reach by holding your jump button, but if you release your forward movement bind as soon as your character secures their hands over it, you'll stop short and simply peek your head over the top. This works on pretty much any climbable ledge and has quite a few useful applications, from intelligence gathering to hiding from a squad on the prowl.
22 Ping Enemies While You’re Down
Your ping functionality works just fine after you've been downed, and you definitely want to make sure you're putting it to good use. Keeping an opponent marked can give your surviving squadmates a critical edge that can mean the difference between surviving until the next round or being put out of the game.
This also a good reason to make sure enemies are finished off after they're downed.
You'll likely have plenty of opportunity to use this, as I've noticed that a lot of people prefer to stop shooting once you've been downed. Whether it's to conserve ammunition or focus on the rest of your squad, you can ensure it's a decision that they'll regret.
21 Use The Compass
The ping system is a great addition to the battle royale formula, expediting and increasing the efficiency of team communication. But if you've got a microphone, don't get lazy and rely on entirely on pings!
Using your compass to indicate facing and direction is still crucial, especially in circumstances that require immediate attention. Then your teammates know exactly which direction to turn while looking for your marker, allowing them to respond and act just a little bit quicker – and a little bit goes a long way.
20 Running Away Is Always An Option
Nobody wants to be the chicken, and everyone wants an impressive tally of eliminations. But winning the game entails surviving to the end, and not necessarily rushing headlong into every ill-advised firefight you encounter along the way.
Hot zone a little too hot? Run. A distant enemy team full of snipers you can't close with? Well, off you go. A third, maybe even a fourth squad rolling up on your fight? Back off, let them fight it out, and pick off the survivors. From the early to mid game, you get a lot of freedom when it comes to picking your battles. Use it.
19 Pay Attention To Details & Clues
Before you rotate into a new area, take note of open doors and supply bins. Open doors obviously mean someone's been through, and might still be there. Similarly, remember to close doors behind you. It'll throw enemies off your precise location and force anyone closely following you to open them, giving them away.
If you've got a Bloodhound with your squad, then this process gets way deeper. His passive detects tracks and clues left behind by enemies. They last up to sixty seconds, are displayed with a timer showing how recent they are, and can be pinged for allies to see. You also get juicy nuggets of information like whether or not they were hurt, if they picked up a weapon, or where they jumped off of a ledge.
18 Stay On The Edge Of The Next Ring
Unless you're truly hurting for equipment, keeping towards the outer edge of the next ring is a solid plan. This means the stragglers looting outside of it will not only be forced to approach you as the round ends but will likely encounter and fight one another along the way.
Getting there early also lets you pick advantageous areas to fight in. As for your opponents, well, having your back to the ring isn't a comfortable situation to be in, so avoid putting yourself into it.
17 Take Loot You Want To Deny Your Opponents
When you loot an area, remember that you may not be the last people to pass through. And anything the squad following you manages to find from among your leftovers could very well end up being used against you later. Unless you deny them the opportunity, of course.
If you've got any space in your backpack when you're on the way out, fill it to the brim with anything that might be remotely useful, and try dumping it into areas that aren't particularly obvious or convenient along the way.
16 Using & Avoiding Bait Tactics
Sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. Mirage is an obvious professional here, with his ability to create perfect decoys for drawing fire or testing an occupied area. But there's a lot more bait out there to be used, or avoided.
After someone's downed and eliminated, their respawn tag is a tempting target for their nearby squadmates, so they can be utilized for ambushes. The same is true for nearby respawn beacons, if you know the enemy's already recovered the tag. Care packages, dropped by Lifeline or otherwise, are also prime candidates. Even unopened supply bins can have crosshairs comfortably resting on them.
15 Tracking Down Loot Ticks
Loots Ticks are weird, colorful little robots that are stuffed full of loot. I mean, you can probably infer that from the name, but with the number of people I see ignoring these little cuties, I've just got to wonder.
They emit a glow corresponding with the most valuable item they're carrying, and can even conceal those highly treasured, fully kitted out weapons, so they're a big deal. They emit distinct bits of robotic chatter, cluing you into their presence. If you're having trouble finding them, look up – they have a tendency to hide on top of things like boxes and rooftops.
14 Don't Give Up Too Early
Sometimes your squad will come up a member short if you're playing without a full, premade party of three. These things happen with matchmaking. Or maybe you made an unlucky drop and now find yourself downed a whole five seconds after landing. It's discouraging, and causes a lot of players to quit out.
But two-man squads win games more often than you'd think, and your squadmates have a generous window of time to grab your tag and get you back into the fight. Wait it out! I mean, you can't say you wouldn't be a little agitated if you pulled off a heroic rescue operation just to see your partner disconnect as you swipe his respawn tag.
13 Don’t Stray From Your Squad
I know, all that sparkly loot in that untouched area is just begging you to come upgrade your kit. Your teammates are lagging behind, and you'll get to swipe the best of it! But it's not going to tell you about the full, well-equipped squad that just arrived on the other side of that wall.
Three guns are almost always going to matter a lot more than one, and while you can get around that logic with a little luck and a lot of skill, you're going to have a hard time. Let's face it, you'd probably much rather be the three-man squad than the greedy loner in this scenario. So go ahead and be them instead.
12 Upgrade Your Healing Items
Syringes and shield batteries are nice to have, and they'll definitely do the job between fights. But if you're in a high-pressure situation and need to recharge your shields quick, busting through four shield cells and maybe a syringe or two is going to be a hassle, if not a total mistake.
Backpack space is always at a premium, but swapping your stack of syringes for a Phoenix Kit or bigger shield battery could be the most important call you'll make all game. Imagine the look on your opponent's face when he expects to catch you wounded, but you've had just enough time to break out a Phoenix and come out swinging.
11 Share With Your Squadmates
When your squad's strong, you're strong. Always keep an eye on your squad's equipment, ping stuff that would be an upgrade for them, and remember that you can ping any specific item that you need yourself. Pinging your weapon will let them know that you need whatever ammo it takes, for example.
Keeping your squad in mind during a hot landing is critical, as every piece of equipment counts. If you've got two weapons and notice that one of your buddies is still unarmed, you're doing everyone a favor by dropping one for them.
10 Pick Legends That Complement Eachother
Seriously though, some might tell you that it doesn't matter, but knowing how your hero's abilities interact with everyone else's is what will truly make your squad shine on the battlefield.
Bloodhound's ultimate allows him to see targets with perfect clarity through Bangalore's smoke, making them a fantastic teammate. Pairing Wraith with Pathfinder makes your squad ridiculously mobile between portals and zip lines. If you're in a real pinch, Lifeline and Gibraltar can basically build an impenetrable recovery spot outside of cover.
9 Big Heroes Have Big Hitboxes
It should make perfect sense, really. Bigger targets are easier to hit. Though it does have a lot of repercussions when it comes something as competitive as a battle royale game.
Caustic and Gibraltar have the largest hitboxes in the game, unsurprisingly, which means they're much more exposed and gain less advantage from smaller pieces of cover that smaller legends, like Wraith, would fit into perfectly. Pathfinder's hitbox, in particular, can be problematic, registering hits that shouldn't land. Respawn is apparently aware of this issue and plans to implement fixes very soon.
8 Recovering From Disasters
Your squadmates are down, you're wounded, and there's an entire enemy squad picking their loot boxes clean. It stinks, and everyone's been there. But while some opponents might camp on top of your fallen buddies hoping you'll come back for them, more often than not they're going to get antsy and move on at some point.
Moving on alone is tempting, but your odds are way better with a squadmate or two watching your back.
Stay quiet, stay low, and keep a sharp eye on them. Even if they don't move on entirely, if they get comfortable enough to start milling around the general area, a crafty player can snag those tags and get them to the respawn beacon without a scratch. Well, maybe a scratch or two. But the benefit is more than worth the risk, trust me.
7 Be Careful About Using Finishers
Knockdown shields are annoying, and just to be honest, performing a finishing move usually looks pretty awesome. What isn't awesome is being knocked down and eliminated half-way through it.
Executing a finisher while the rest of the enemy squad might still be on top of you is never a good idea, because those animations take a long time. If you absolutely have to eliminate them under that circumstance, outflank the direction of their knockdown shield, or hit them with repeated melees until they keel over. It might take longer, but it allows you to keep your guard up.
6 Ultimate Accelerant Is Super Underrated
If there's one item that I see passed up way more often than it should be, that'd be Ultimate Accelerant. It's a consumable that pumps 20% into your ultimate charge. Even if you don't want to haul it around, you can just pick it up and use it immediately if you're between charges.
One sure way to use them beneficially is to bring them to your friendly neighborhood Lifeline player – the more often her ultimate charges, the more delicious, high-level loot she'll be able to call down with a care package. And who doesn't love loot?