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The most important things to catch up on before returning to Apex Legends
From Arena to Evo Points, and Kings Canyon to Olympus: here's everything you need to get back into Apex Legends.
The way Apex Legends stepped out into the world is one of the most unique title drops in recent memory. With little more than whispers, Respawn announced a new battle royal would be out… later that week.
Since then, what’s come has been some of the tightest and most satisfying gunplay available in today’s battle royale market, along with a burgeoning cast of versatile heroes, firmly placingApex Legends in its own BR niche. After some growing pains, and the population falloff that comes with that, there has been a huge influx of players returning to a game that looks a lot different from the days of season zero.
Let’s say you gave Apex Legends a try back in the old days. You'll immediately notice a lot has changed. Crafting stations? sniper ammo? A Mastiff lying on the floor of some scavenged building that you remember as a terror, being gifted from care packages? In this guide, we’ll be covering the basics you need to know to drop back into Apex Legends and get started racking up wins in the battle royale and Arena… Oh yeah, there’s also an arena now.
The care package has changed
Apex Legends Care Package
© Electronic Arts
The Mastiff is just a regular shotgun now. You could make the case that it isn’t even the second best in the game any more. Try the EVA 8 now. Seriously. These days, when a care package drops, you’ll find yourself with the prospect of: a Triple Take, a Prowler PDW, and the Kraber (that thing is not going anywhere). Respawn had quite the time finding new ways to bring weapons into and out of the meta, all in the name of balance. Not too long ago, the Peacekeeper and Devotion had the honour of being too strong and getting sentenced to time as care package drops.
The Evo-lution of Apex
You may have dropped into a game recently and noticed something odd. Your shield had Evo Points and there were little green goo canisters ( looking like leftovers from the Kid’s Choice Awards) placed around the map that would also give you some of those points. Even weirder is that, after getting into a fight with another team, you now have a blue shield you don’t remember picking up and it’s got a different number of Evo points.
First off, what are Evo points in the first place? Added in season 6, Evo points changed how you can play Apex Legends, for the better, by allowing you to craft certain items that can not be found in game naturally. You can spend them on sights, magazines, healing items or armor upgrades. Sometimes it’s useful, sometimes you never use it. Regardless, their inclusion adds more considerations to be made between matches.
A red shield?
At no point has the game rewarded aggressive play more than it does now. Sometimes in the early days of Apex, dropping onto a site and not finding much in the way of shields was a depressing reality. It’s still not uncommon to wander into the top five with a grey shield, even now. It just happens to be pretty damn hard. Every Time you do damage, play aggressive and take fights, your shield will steadily earn points until that underdog of a grey shield turns to a blue one, then a purple shield before finally maxing out at red.
The strongest shield in the game has no other way of being made. You can’t craft it and you can’t get it in a care package. Unless you loot someone's deathbox and take one, you’re going to have to earn it as even purple takes 750 points to level up. It doesn’t have the passive bonus that the gold shield has by doubling the value of meds and shields but it has one more dash of armor.
It is nowa tactical decision to armor swap a blue shield for one at a lower threshold to level up a new shield. Alternatively, if you find yourself locked into a sniper duel where you are spec’d with a Peacekeeper and an R-99, your ally with the sniper can level up your shield after leveling up their own.
Generally, if you run into a team with red armor and you're not in the top 10, you sure won’t be after.
Abandon Shield
This tip will be short but essential. Shield Swap when it's needed and never think twice about it. Sure, you may have been using a red shield but it is currently broken. The blue shield you’re stressing over may be weaker but it’s better for the time being. You move fast in Apex, compared to a lot of shooters, and fights are rarely over in a flash. Shields break and cells repair them until someone closes in quickly enough to end it while you’re caught counting down the seconds until your shield battery is finished.
Sometimes you’ll find unclaimed armor you can pick up on the go, sometimes you’ll get what you need from a deathbox. It might even be an upgrade. The point is, switching shields gets you back in the fight quicker and saves you from wasting time healing. Get a new shield quick enough and you can even turn the tables on an enemy who thought you were easy prey. Besides, if you survive, you can go back and get the gold shield you lost or the almost-leveled up purple shield. You can only do that if you’re the last squad… Or if, y’know, you do it quick enough to avoid getting third squaded.
A change to equipment
Don’t you hate it when you need to heal or loot as the late match circle begins devastating your health? Isn’t it awful when the enemy team has used the last spawn beacon and now you’re alone, living the rat life while you wait to pounce on the last team? Well, worry no longer because Respawn has added a new class of equipment for your squad to ignore picking up until the trauma, from repeatedly failed rounds, conditions you into always equipping your team with one of each.
The new items, placed in the new survival slot, include a shield and a beacon. The heat shield has two charges that last longer in the early phase of the storm but barely can withstand the late game storm. The mobile respawn beacon, on the other hand, drops from the sky after a few seconds and then acts like any other spawn beacon. While these items are great, they are not subtle in any way.
Apex Legends Equipment
© Electronic Arts
Learn the Legends
You’ll probably notice how many new faces there are very very quickly after loading in. On top of that, quite a few of the original cast have been changed and reworked to balance the meta. Any recon hero can now scan the map at a survey beacon. Lifeline, Gibraltar and Mirage now have the best revives in the game, in that order. New heroes can give you temporary invulnerability, blast your team into the sky for quick rotation, and allow even the slowest looters to get geared up in a flash.
The game has changed but, at its core, it’s still a hero based battle royale and knowing how each hero can affect you plus how to react is just as important as having good aim. Well, almost as important. New heroes can pair in unique ways and Respawn has done such a good job at adding diversity to the group, that making three different choices at the hero select screen will drastically change your approach to the round.
Get acquainted with the news maps
For those of you who loved Skulltown in Kings Canyon, don’t give up hope quite yet. Respawn has shown they’re willing to find ways to prevent half the game from dying within minutes of drop. While it is, and may always be, the tilted towers of Apex, Kings Canyon currently finds itself on the bench while World’s Edge and the slightly newer Olympus are the two maps currently in rotation.
World’s Edge has changed from its first incarnation, with Harvester and the large, lava-filled chasm in the city. Each map has a different type of loot robot: Marvin for Olympus and flying drones for Worlds Edge. Olympus even has its own car to help teams navigate its futuristic city center. Rotating every hour or so, it keeps things fresh for players who get tired of the same map every drop. Each map plays out differently with different strengths, pitfalls and landmarks where everyone always seems to have a bad time. Be cognizant of the hot spots as well. While none are or ever will be as hot as Skulltown, each drop can be a thoroughly unenjoyable lesson in your first games back. And for the first time ever, season 10 will bring all 3 of the maps into the public rotation.
Apex Legends Maps
© Electronic Arts
The Arena
Every now and then we drop into a game and die instantly. Sometimes we touch down, find a lot of fantastic loot, and then serve no purpose besides donating it to a better team. If you ever want to head into a regular, guaranteed fight with no chance for third squading... Arena is your best bet.
3 on 3 combat is taken to another level as teams fight for space while the circle forces inevitable confrontations. With over five maps in the rotation and no sign of stopping, Respawn has breathed more life into the game. Rounds are first to three, but the winner must win by two points. Think Volleyball rules.
You buy weapons at the start of each round, find materials to add to your bank for weapon purchasing, and loot supply bins with on the house heals. First team to wipe out the other team takes the round, rinse, and repeat. The mode itself is a ton of fun and serves the purpose that the firing range does, but with the virtue of not being boring. Arena is seriously a great way to warm up, hone your skills, and do your daily challenges with heroes you don't like.
Get ready because, competitive Arena is here along with season 10 and the new legend, Seer. A strong pick right now!
Think about your team composition
There are so many legends in the game now that it opens up all types of possibilities. Stacking heavy defenders is a great option but, if that isn’t your style, go for mobility with Valkyrie and long range with Octane for short range rotations. You could have a thicc and nearly unkillable team with Gibraltar and his new passive that gives him a gun shield when he aims down sight, or Lifeline who can revive two teammates while defending them (or even getting gold gear in her drop package). Who you are rolling with, and what it opens up for you, will keep you from chasing the circle instead of the kill leader.
Acquaint yourself with the new arsenal
Along with new legends, new weapons have steadily made their way into the game. From snipers to SMGs, there will definitely be a few weapons that have you wondering, ‘what in the world just hit me?’ New weapons aren’t created equally and there have been enough patches to give each weapon its time to shine. Along with new energy weapons ranging from LMG to SMG, a sniper, and the new to season 9 compound bow, Respawn has given players new ways to compliment their playstyle. Along with the odd new gun here and there, are a myriad of fresh attachments that might be confusing at first.
Anvil receiver, shatter caps and the turbocharger are high tier attachments that can do everything from eliminate that pesky start up time on slow-to-fire energy weapons, to turning your bow or repeater into a close range shotgun.. Each weapon plays very differently with and without their corresponding attachments. If you find attachments out in the wild, it never hurts to pick them up just in case you find the weapon you need. As long as you don’t have a grey backpack, of course.
Ranked Modes
Apex Legends Ranks
© Electronic Arts
Ranked royale was introduced not long after season 0 and now, new to season 10, we have ranked arena. After all, why not raise the stakes? Plus, after a few public matches, you may find yourself up against a ten thousand kill octane, leaving you as more of a donation to their 20 bomb than a player with hopes of being in the top squad. Ranked is definitely one of the best ways to play against people your skill level. In public games, anything can happen but, in silver 3, you can be relieved to know that you aren’t playing against predators... probably.
Arena is one of the newer game types and its new ranked mode will only double down on what was already a great addition to the game. It’s definitely worth checking out for the rewards which range from weapon skins to tail streams, depending on where you place.
What else is new?
Battlepasses, mid-season events and heirloom weapons are just a few of the new draws to come back. Compared to season 0, it has never been easier to earn gear and cosmetics by doing nothing more than just playing. Weekly and daily challenges, along with mid-season events that offer skins, badges, materials and battle pass levels, are all available to get you what you need. The competitive season is split into two halves, with season 10 beginning on the brand new iteration of World’s Edge.
Apex has more to offer than ever before, and now you’ll have a bit of an idea about what you’ll be getting yourself into. Good luck.
