Boasting over a whopping 50 million players after only its first month of release, Apex Legends has burst its way onto the FPS scene out of nowhere – and for good reason; it’s a blast to play! Residing in the Titanfall universe, the game superbly blends an Overwatch-esque hero-based shooter with Battle Royale rules.
With such a hectic, action-oriented game and a pretty massive, often overwhelming scope, it can be tough for the newcomer to find their footing and claw their way to the top of the heap. While you’re given a basic training session, this mode fails to really cover certain nuances you’ll run into (and often learn the hard way) while playing. And rest assured, you’ll need to know what you’re doing. Because of all the chaos, random elements, and abundance of players, “winning” in Apex can be a difficult feat, even for veterans. Thus, it’s important to learn the complexities and finer details to maximize your odds of becoming champion.
Updated by Gabrielle Huston on September 22, 2022: We’ve refreshed this list to make sure that you’re getting the most out of these expert tips.
13 Dive N’ Glide
So you’re diving headfirst out of your dropship with your squad, soaring through the sky in exhilarating fashion. While it may seem like you’re falling fast, you might notice that some around you are landing faster, meaning they’re grabbing all that sweet loot nearby before you can!
Thankfully, there’s a way to nudge this crucial speed advantage in your favor, at least slightly. Simply aim down to plummet and gather your speed to roughly 145 mph, and then level off to glide at a shallower angle. Once you’ve slowed to somewhere in the 130 mph range, fall sharply again. Rinse and Repeat.
This proves especially useful if you’re aiming to reach distant drop points, as you’ll cover a lot of ground quickly.
12 Take Advantage Of The Littler Legends
The differences between the hitboxes of the Legends are often overlooked. It can make the difference between getting gunned down and barely escaping a heated firefight with a sliver of health.
If you want to be the hardest to hit, utilize the Legends with the smallest hitboxes. These are Lifeline, Bloodhound (both 37 square cm), and the smallest, most evasive, Wraith, clocking in at a measly 32 square cm. Compare this to Gibraltar and Caustic, who are over twice the size and thus twice the target, and the advantage becomes apparent. You might figure the two larger characters would at least have more health, but this is actually not the case.
11 Hack It Up With Pathfinder
While many tend to steer clear of Pathfinder and his large hitbox in favor of Lifeline when it comes to support-based Legends, he can prove quite handy if you plan to traverse large areas. Not only is his grapple useful to cover a lot of terrain quickly, but his passive ability allows him to hack into survey beacons.
Hacking these will reveal the upcoming enclosed ring (shown in green on the map). This allows your squad to get a head start on the competition and establish a secure base in the safe zone with less risk. While these beacons are tricky to find, they’re mostly on the outskirts of the map and perched atop high areas (the tops of roofs, treehouses, etc).
10 Portal + Phase = Super Speedy Wraith
In yet another way that Wraith might just be the coolest, most effective Legend – she can initiate a sort of super-speed run, at least for a few seconds. As many are already aware, her Phase tactical move dials up her speed to a small degree.
Yet, using your portal ultimate while triggering Phase directly after yields a ridiculously fast running speed. You can exploit this to aid squad members to travel far distances with your portal while covering crazy distances yourself just by running with these abilities triggered.
9 Take Advantage Of The Lack Of Damage Drop-Off
Surprisingly, Apex Legend features no damage drop-off with any of its weapons (aside from the Havoc). Yes, even a pistol will puncture your opponent several yards in the distance. This is provided you’re able to hit them, as the accuracy will still get worse at range.
This means that you can take advantage of weapons that pack a punch like the Wingman and the Peacekeeper, even from afar. So, while typical long-range options like snipers will still give you a closer look and a more accurate shot, you can still exploit the lack of damage drop-off and use other weapons at a distance.
8 Do The Demise Box Dance!
Yes, those purple or gold downed-played boxes may be enticing, but stopping for prolonged periods to loot them can make you more vulnerable as you’ll be stationary and preoccupied. Thus, you may want to shuffle around back and forth a bit as you’re looting, which will make you a tougher target to hit, especially if you’re looting out in the open.
This is a bit trickier to pull off for the console versions of Apex, since you’ll have to coordinate scrolling through lists with the right joystick while shifting using the Dpad simultaneously. Still, it could mean the difference between life and elimination.
7 Utilize Balloons To Cover Great Distances Quicker
You may have noticed a few balloons scattered about the map, complete with long ropes dangling from them. These aren’t simply for show – you can scurry your way up these ropes swiftly, and use them to redeploy yourself and your squad similarly to how you launched out of the dropship. This can prove a handy method to escape a sticky situation, but it also allows you to cover far more ground in less time.
As a neat little bonus, you can also utilize an exploit to cover even more ground at a faster rate with these balloons. To do this, simply look up into the sky as you launch, hold the free look button, and watch as your character glides swiftly through the sky!
6 (Mostly) Avoid Fancy Eliminations, You Gloater!
The Gears Of War-style executions can be amusing to pull off, especially if foes are protecting themselves with that pesky Knockdown Shield, but you should use them with caution. They take quite a bit of time to carry out to completion, leaving you vulnerable to enemy fire. This can quickly make you as helpless as the victim you’re looking to finish off.
If you must, at least do so in the cover of a corner, a building, or within the shield barrier of Gibraltar. Alternatively, you can have another sqaud member cover you while you do so.
5 Keep On Trucking To Climb Higher Walls
Wall climbing may seem like a simple concept to those well-versed in games featuring 3D movement, but there are a few quirks to Apex’s physics that many may not be aware of. Not only can you hop and climb a wall to reach a seemingly high post, but you can climb far higher and cover more ground without falling than the game lets on.
To do this, simply keep on running as you’re climbing, and you’ll continue to scurry up the wall for at least a few seconds. A neat little side note – you can also remain hanging off the side of walls, which serves as a sneaky method of scouting areas, hiding, or blindsiding any squads potentially setting camp on roofs.
4 Get Rid Of Pesky UI Clutter
This is more of a subtle, indirect technique, but it can significantly help increase your visibility. Using it can make you more effective and sharp in battle by wiping away excessive clutter.
It will get some of that pesky text out of your way, reducing it in size and shrinking it down. Though you’ll want to have a pretty solid grasp of your loot when doing so, as the flip side of this is that you’ll be given less information. To do this, just go into the gameplay settings and switch the “interact prompt style” to “compact.”
3 Bash Those Loot Ticks!
No, these odd little insect-like bots aren’t just for show. In fact, they yield a handful of high-tier loot, the rarity of which is revealed by whether they glow purple or gold. These triangular robotic crawlers are mostly found hiding in the corners of buildings or on top of roofs.
Punch or shoot them to bust them open and gather your goods, like a robotic piñata. They can be tough to locate, but you can listen closely for mechanical sounds they’ll make when close.
2 Give Lifeline Her Birthday Present!
While gold equipment can technically be found anywhere, it’s extremely rare. Since this gear has the same stats as purple items (the only difference being an added perk) you shouldn’t sweat it and go on a wild goose chase to seek them out as a whole. Still, gold helmets, in particular, are quite useful - especially if you have a Lifeline in your squad.
If you’re lucky enough to stumble upon one of these gems, give this gear to her as quickly as possible. Why? Well, the added perk to the gold helmet is it increases the charge speed of tactical and ultimate abilities. Considering how effective Lifeline’s abilities are, you can gain an advantage by cranking out a significant amount of healing drones and care packages.
1 Slide Often!
Over time, sliding can make a difference in getting from point A to point B at a quicker pace. And in a frantic game like Apex, speed and mobility are crucial elements to nudging the odds in your favor.
Basically, you’ll want to incorporate slides into your movement as often as possible. Of course, sliding down slopes is the most effective. Though even on flat surfaces, you’ll find that sliding for a few seconds will grant you a slight boost in speed. Slide in short bursts like this as you run, continue to run for several more seconds to regain momentum, and slide again. Rinse and repeat.
Frequent slides also make you a tougher target to hit. Finally, you can utilize this slide to propel yourself off walls for an extra boost when combining it with a very quick wall climb and jump. Two of the few instances you don’t want to slide are in the water or going uphill, as both will slow you down.
NEXT: Apex Legends: The Best LGBTQIA+ Legends
