It can be easy to get too focused on shooting and forgetting your abilities entirely. Get into the habit of using your ability at least once per fight to see where it proves most effective. Whether it’s a scan, smoke, heal, grapple or dome, try and support the team with more than just bullets.
Once you’ve gone through the tutorial, you can jump back into the firing range to practice with every piece of hardware in the game. Here you can also quickly swap between each character and get a feel for how they play, without the hassle of incoming gunfire.
You can't always guarantee you'll be able to play as your first preference, so understanding each Legend's strengths and, more importantly, how they complement each other, is the key to building a formidable squad.
Think about adjusting your field of view (FOV). By default, the narrower vision will make your movement feel a bit slower and you could miss precious loot in your peripheral vision, or worse, an approaching enemy. Try expanding your FOV to 110, but if that feels too wide, bump it up to 90 to start with. You can always change it mid game to find the sweet spot!
Movement is crucial in Apex Legends, and one way to make this easier on yourself is to consider switching up your controller layout early on. A common setup is the ‘Button Puncher' controller layout, which swaps crouch and melee. Now you can duck and slide by clicking the right analog stick - meaning you never have to take your thumb away from directional controls while you move.
While it might not seem like the safest of approaches, there is a lot to be said for jumping in early where the action is hot, especially as a beginner. Not only will it give you more practice with gun play and thinking quickly on your feet, but it will give you an opportunity to get hold of better armour and weapons faster!
Alternatively, if you're looking for a slightly slower start to the game and the chance to loot in relative peace, then pick a more remote part of the map away from the path of the dropship. And remember, if you want to travel far, the key is to swan dive for maximum distance!
When you find yourself face to face with an enemy, it is almost always faster to change to your second weapon than to dance around waiting for your gun to reload. You can have the greatest aim in the world but it counts for little when your enemy has already switched to their secondary weapon and Swiss-cheesing you with bullets.
Combat with enemies on the horizon is tricky, so try to position yourself before the fight with every advantage you can. High ground is almost always a good idea. And if you can get close unnoticed, call out a single enemy to focus fire on.
Communicating with your team throughout any battle is essential in Apex Legends, whether that be on voice chat or through contextual ping. You may have seen the enemy and started firing, but there’s no guarantee your friends have. A helpful ping will alert them which way to point their guns!
If you hear two nearby squads going at it, try to time your involvement just as the winning team comes out on top. Then say congratulations by immediately attacking while they’re still injured and mop them up with a few easy shots.
It takes five nail-biting seconds to pop a shield battery and replenish your armour. Looting someone’s deathbox and taking their armour on the other hand, can take under a second if you’re quick. Even if the new armour is worse, the benefit of having the whole team back in the fight is huge! Plus, your old armour will retain its damage if an enemy tries to do the same.
Hopefully you’ve now made it to the last few teams in the match. The key now is all about choosing where you want to make your last stand. Take a look at your mini map and use your contextual ping to see where is going to be safe. As the final ring closes, you can also predict where remaining teams will be positioned. This is an ideal time to save your ultimate abilities for. Rain down grenades, haze the area with gas and make it a nightmare for your enemies to make it to safety.
At this stage, the ring is so powerful that getting trapped for even a moment can spell disaster. Here is where your greatest weapons of all come into play - your fists! A quick right hook or flying kick into a fully armoured combatant can send them flying outside the ring.
Be cautious around the ring! One thing to avoid here is getting trapped in a building or behind a wall. You could have the beefiest squad with the coolest guns, but if that one single player is on the right side of the ring, that’s all it takes to secure victory!
Download free for PS4
Enter your date of birth.
