Apex Legends Gameplay

Apex Legends is a squad-based battle royale where players compete to be the last team standing while leveraging unique character abilities and dynamic map interactions. Players form teams of two or three and begin each match by selecting a Legend. Each Legend possesses a passive, tactical, and ultimate ability that can turn the tide of combat. Matches start with a drop from a transport ship, letting teams strategically choose their landing spots to prioritize high-value loot or safer zones.

Looting plays a critical role as players scavenge weapons, attachments, armor, healing items, and grenades across the map. Weapons range from standard assault rifles and shotguns to powerful energy weapons, all customizable with attachments like scopes, barrels, and extended magazines. There are also elements of inventory management to balance ammunition, tactical grenades, and other equipment, while unique features like the Loot Vaults and Care Packages offer opportunities to secure rare gear if players can reach them safely.

Mobility plays a central role in survival, with mechanics like sliding for rapid descents, ziplining across gaps, and climbing walls to access high ground. Combat longevity is further enhanced by respawn beacons, which allow squads to revive eliminated teammates in exchange for giving away their positions. As the ring closes in on the map, players are forced into tense, tactical engagements where team synergy, map knowledge, quick decision-making, and player skills are essential.

Modes

While Apex Legends is mostly known as a battle royale, it does feature several modes ranging from slight variations on its original three-player battle royale experience to completely different gameplay styles. These include Battle Royale Trios, Ranked Leagues, Battle Royale Duos, Gun Run, Lockdown, Team Deathmatch, Control, Training, and Firing Range.

Battle Royale Trios and Ranked Leagues are nearly identical except for their matchmaking mechanics. Ranked Leagues match players with others close to their skill brackets or ranks, while Battle Royale Trios employ a more volatile matchmaking system, often pairing teams with significant skill disparities. In both modes, the objective is for each team to be the last one standing.

Players start with a Level 1 Helmet , Evo Shield, and Knockdown Shield, as well as two Shield Cells and two Syringes. Players must then loot their surroundings for weapons, attachments, etc. in order to fight and loot enemy teams. Fights gradually grow in both intensity and frequency as the map is slowly enclosed by a ring, which damages players if they stray outside of it.

Respawning in these modes can only be achieved by making use of Respawn Beacons if a player's allies retrieved their banner after death. But while players spawn with their original weapons (non-Supply Drop) and armor, as well as a stack of ammunition and regen items, the act of using Respawn Beacons will still attract the attention of players within the vicinity.

Battle Royale Duos, on the other hand, mirrors Battle Royale Trios but assembles thirty teams of two players instead of twenty teams of three.

In contrast to these modes, the Mixtape modes operate entirely differently from Apex Legends’ flagship battle royale gameplay. Gun Run, Lockdown, Team Deathmatch, and Control fall under the Mixtape umbrella, each with distinct objectives.

Gun Run places four squads of three in a race to score a kill with every weapon in the game. Players spawn equipped with a body shield, helmet, infinite ammo, and unlimited shield cells and batteries. Health regenerates gradually after 4 seconds without taking damage, and respawns are both indefinite and instantaneous upon death.

Lockdown also features four squads of three, but the goal is to control Capture Zones to earn points, which accrue periodically every 3 seconds or through eliminating enemies. As with Gun Run, players spawn fully equipped with infinite ammo and shield supplies. Health regenerates automatically after 6 seconds without damage, and respawns are unrestricted and immediate upon death.

Team Deathmatch is a classic mode in many shooter games. In Apex Legends, it pits two squads of six Legends against each other in a race to achieve 50 kills. Players spawn with the same pre-equipped gear as in Gun Run and Lockdown.

Control, another Mixtape mode, involves two teams of nine in objective-based gameplay similar to Lockdown. There are three Control Zones on the map, along with two uncapturable Home Bases. Teams earn points each second for every captured Control Zone. Unlike other Mixtape modes, respawning in Control isn’t automatic. Instead, players must choose a point on the map to respawn and wait for a global timer.

Finally, Apex Legends offers Training and Firing Range modes designed for practice and experimentation. Training provides a guided tutorial with the Legends Bloodhound and Pathfinder, while Firing Range serves as a free-use mode where players can test weapons, ordnances, or engage in friendly skirmishes with others.

Items

Items in Apex Legends are categorized into Weapons, Grenades, Attachments, Ammunition, Regen Items, and Gear. Success often depends on effective item usage, such as matching attachments to weapons, employing grenades tactically, and managing inventory space for Ammunition and Regen Items.

Weapons are further divided into Assault Rifles, Submachine Guns, Light Machine Guns, Marksman Rifles, Snipers, Shotguns, and Pistols. Additionally, there are unique Supply Drop Weapons, which are exceptionally powerful items obtainable only from neutral Care Packages that periodically appear on the map. Fully-Kitted Weapons, available in Hot Zones or from loot sources like Loot Ticks and Flyers, come pre-equipped with attachments but still require sufficient Ammunition to function.

Attachments can be used to enhance weapon performance, improving handling or even altering behavior in some cases. When players take damage, their Body Shields absorb the hits first, protecting their health. Headshots, however, are mitigated by the equipped helmet, with its effectiveness determined by its rarity.

Regen Items, found abundantly across the map, are vital for restoring shields and health. Items like Shield Batteries and Shield Cells replenish shields, while Syringes and Med Kits restore health. The Phoenix Kit stands out as it fully restores both shields and health. Most of these items can also be stacked in a player’s inventory for efficient space management.

Lastly, Gear encompasses items such as Body Shields, Helmets, Mobile Respawn Beacons, and Evac Towers. These tools serve various purposes, from extending survivability in combat to creating temporary safe zones outside the ring.

Apex Legends Story

Apex Legends’ story is set in the Outlands, a remote region of the Frontier devastated by war. There, the Apex Games are held; a bloodsport created by a powerful organization called the Syndicate which serves as the stage where competitors fight for survival, wealth, and glory.

The story explores themes of survival, conflict, and the struggle for power in a harsh, lawless frontier. As the Games evolve, so do the stakes, with new challenges and mysteries arising from the remnants of the Frontier's fractured past. The narrative, which mostly unfolds through external media such as trailers, comics, and web stories, hints at a larger web of intrigue, connecting the competitors' battles to the Outlands' broader struggles for control and survival.

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Alfonso Majarucon

Writer of things from game, anime and manga reviews to news and webnovels. Hopelessly addicted to story-driven games, especially cross-platform ones. Favorite games include Punishing Gray Raven, Arknights, Limbus Company, Elden Ring, Touhou, Soul Nomad and the Disgaea series (except 3 and 6). Avid..