Apex Legends tips and tricks [Season 11]: a beginner's guide to Apex Legends
Real, practical Apex Legends tips to help you win more fights
Looking for some practical, top-tier Apex Legends tips and tricks? This beginner's guide to Apex Legends is about as comprehensive a list of tips and tricks as you'll find online. I've sunk over a thousand hours into Apex Legends since its release, and I can tell you there's no better time to start than right now, in Season 11 - also known as Apex Legends Escape.
These practical Apex Legends tips and tricks for Season 11 will kickstart your journey in Apex, and help you more consistently win fights and matches as any Legend.
On this page:
- Apex Legends tips: how to win fights and matches
- Learn the best Legends and team combinations
- The best equipment for different situations
- When to fight and not to fight in Apex Legends
- Communication tips and tricks
Apex Legends tips: how to win fights and matches
Apex Legends is a team-based hero-based battle royale, where 60 players drop down onto the same map, loot up, and fight until one team is left standing. It's a tough old world out there, so here are some tips for players who want to win fights and matches more consistently.
Start strong with a good landing
Learning how to drop properly is very important in Apex Legends. You need to beat your competitors to loot if you're landing in a hot zone. Check out our in-depth landing guide for the best possible landing method.
Play aggressive
Apex rewards aggressive players. Practice closing the gap between you and the enemy while fighting, rather than getting stuck in a loop of popping out of cover, spraying, and hiding again to reload and heal. Learn the best tools for the job with our best guns and weapon stats guide.
Maintain a presence while wounded
Most players will push hard if they score a good hit on an enemy. If you're hit hard, do whatever you can to maintain a presence and keep the enemy from pushing you. Sometimes it's best to continue fighting and risk getting knocked, because breaking the Shields of an enemy may be enough to halt their push and save your team. If you do need to heal, use our health and healing items guide to better understand which healing items to prioritise in different situations.
Loot quickly
Loot as quickly as you can, and don't stay still while looting. Trust your initial scan of the items in a death box, rather than spending ages dawdling. Be disciplined with your loot time, and don't go back for a second look. Check out our guide on finding the best loot for more information.
Flank carefully
Wide flanks are risky, but powerful as long as you have enough distance and cover that the enemy can't pounce on one of you while you're split. Make sure you maintain line of sight with allies if you do choose to flank.
Learn how to roam and hunt
The key to winning matches in Apex is snowballing from a good early start. Play aggressively after your initial looting, earn some kills to boost your confidence, and quickly move on. Olympus in particular is a great map for roaming and hunting, but on any map you need to have a firm grasp of the most popular locations and rotation options.
Good positioning wins fights
Good positioning means three things: an advantageous vantage point on your enemy; multiple options for solid cover; and a "fall back and heal" route if things go wrong. If any one of these is absent, you not in the best position. Legends with team-repositioning abilities (Ash, Valkyrie, Horizon, Octane, Pathfinder, and Wraith) take responsibility for this analysis.
Practice in the Apex Arena mode
Season 9 of Apex Legends brought a new permanent mode that now exists alongside Apex's main Battle Royale mode. This 3v3 round-based mode drops players right into the fight again and again, which makes it fantastic for learning how to fight and survive. Lucky for you, I've put together a detailed guide on how to play and win in the Apex Legends Arena mode.
Learn the best Legends and team combinations
The various Apex Legends characters each bring their own unique skillset to the team, and there are a huge number of opportunities for synergising abilities and great team plays. Take a look at the below tips for some premium information on team synergy and Legend choice.
Mobility abilities are essential
I'd strongly urge every team to have at least one good mobility-focused ability, preferably one which the entire team can use. Quick repositioning is a huge part of staying alive. Learn about the characters and their abilities with our Apex Legends best characters guide.
Recon Legends are very powerful
The second thing I look for in a good team composition is scouting potential. Seer, Bloodhound and Crypto are all indispensable team players thanks to their ability to highlight threats in advance. The same is also true of Ash, who has an edge when it comes to third-partying teams thanks to her Passive ability.
Hitbox size is important
Different Legends have different hitbox sizes, making them easier or harder to hit. This is partially balanced by a bonus Passive ability called Fortified for the largest characters, Caustic and Gibraltar, which decreases incoming damage and grants immunity to the minor slow effect of being shot. There used to be a Low Profile ability for the smallest characters which increases incoming damage, but Season 9 of Apex Legends removed this trait. Learn more about both these perks with our Apex Legends Low Profile and Fortified guide.
Memorise your teammates' Legends and skins
When aiming down sights at an ally, their name tag disappears, making it harder to tell friend from foe. At the start of each match, make a point of committing to memory not only your teammates' Legends, but their Legend skins as well, so you can quickly tell them apart from enemies in hectic close-quarters situations.
Don't stick with the "meta" Legends
Don't pay too much attention to which Legends the pros use, or which characters have the highest win rates. Apex Legends is a wonderfully well-balanced game nowadays. Try out every character you can, learn their abilities. Unassuming Legends such as Loba and Rampart have become two of my favourites over time because my teammates and I have learnt how to make the most of their powerful and not-so-well-understood abilities. And the same is true of other less-used Legends such as Mirage and Fuse.
The best equipment for different situations
Loot is a cornerstone of almost every battle royale, and Apex Legends is no exception. There's so much to learn about the various weapons and equipment you can find throughout each match, but the below tips will highlight the essentials.
Use a well-rounded loadout
To maximise your chances of consistent victories in battle, you should have at least one automatic weapon. You'll also ideally want to cover all distances with your two guns. Check out our best loadouts page for ideas.
Factor in reliance on attachments
There are a great many Apex Legends attachments, and they all change their chosen weapons in significant ways. Sometimes, lacking a certain attachment can spell disaster in a fight, which makes guns like the Wingman or Flatline more appealing because they don't need so many attachments to excel.
If you're playing on the Stormpoint map, know also that defeating the NPC enemies (Prowlers and Spiders) will reward you with "smart-loot", which means they'll drop attachments specifically for the weapon you used to defeat them. This makes going after NPC nests very powerful for guns with a high reliance on good attachments.
Choosing guns for certain ranges
In close quarters, you can basically choose any SMG or Shotgun and you'll be golden, because they're all tremendously well-balanced and powerful. For mid-range, the Rampage, Hemlok, Flatline, and R-301 Carbine are best. At long range, a Triple Take, Charge Rifle, Kraber, or Sentinel are ideal.
Understanding Evo Shields
All Body Shields in Apex Legends are nowadays called Evo Shields, and can be levelled up by scoring enough damage, up to a maximum of Red Shields which provide 125 extra HP. This means while looting you should also look to swap to an equivalent-colour Evo Shield if it requires less damage before levelling up. Another good trick is to fight near an Evo Shield on the floor which you can swap to instead of spending time healing. For more information check out our Apex Legends Armor and Gear guide.
Executing enemies replenishes shields
There is merit to using a finisher or execution on a knocked enemy: doing so replenishes all your Shields without you having to use a consumable. It's a risky task though, because the knocked enemy will no doubt let their teammates know what you're doing.
Poking at enemies
The levelling up of Body Shields means there is some merit to taking long-range shots at a distance, even if you don't intend to follow up your shots by closing that distance. Excellent "poking" weapons include the Wingman, Sentinel, 30-30 Repeater, and G7 Scout.
Gold Gear
Gold Gear has a particular unique benefit, and is always worth picking up over Purple Gear - but not necessarily Red Gear. There is merit to picking either a Gold Body Shield or a Red Evo Shield. Red gives you more hit points for a spray-down encounter, while Gold Shields allow you to heal much more efficiently given the chance. Both have their favourable situations.
Using Knockdown Shields to good effect
Knockdown Shields aren't just for protecting the wearer: you can also take cover behind the Knockdown Shield of your own knocked teammate in dire situations. I've seen many a fight won with this tactic. For more information check out our guide to reviving and respawning in Apex Legends.
It's well worth accruing crafting materials and spending them at a Replicator for Shield Batteries and other powerful items you won't find elsewhere. Let the placement of Crafting Materials influence your choice of landing spot for each match.
When to fight and not to fight in Apex Legends
The best teams in Apex Legends can quickly analyse their situation and figure out whether to fight or reposition in a moment's notice. With these practical tips, you too can learn this vital skill.
Be wary at 3 teams remaining
With three teams remaining, you should be very careful deciding whether or not to engage. The advantage will always go to the last team to enter a three-way fight. Look to escape instead of fight if you're not the final team of the three to start firing.
Pay attention to the Ring
Over the course of an Apex Legends match, the Ring will slowly contract and force players together. Over time the Ring gets far more damaging, so particularly later on you should pay attention to whether you need to move to the next circle. Factor this in when you're wondering whether you should start a fight right next to the border.
Effective third-partying
If you're about to third-party a fight that isn't yet finished, analyse the situation and target the team with the highest chances of victory. Targeting the wrong team first is the most common downfall of the third-partying tactic.
Splitting the team makes for a bad defence
If one player is in bad shape and needs to escape a fight, the entire team's goal should switch to accommodate this. Other healthier teammates should either look to escape with them, or find safe ways to stall and push back against the enemy team using abilities or a well-timed burst of gunfire.
Stick to cover
This was mentioned earlier, but: if you lack nearby cover (or you have to share cover with a teammate), it's a sign that you're not in a great position to engage in a fight. Don't let yourself get caught in an easily punishable space. If you do, you'd better hope you have a good grasp on movement. If not, check out our guides on basic movement and advanced movement in Apex Legends.
Communication tips and tricks
Let's finish up with a couple of useful tips to bear in mind about communicating and working with your team over the course of an Apex Legends match.
Use the Ping system for effective communication
You can Ping so many different things in Apex Legends. You can ping loot, enemies, supply bins, Bloodhound tracks, Wraith portals... But you can also use pings inside your inventory to request ammo, a gun, or a specific attachment. Don't let a lack of voice comms hinder your team's chances of victory. Check out our guide to the Apex Legends ping system for details.
Information overload is better than silence
If you are using voice chat, and you're serious about trying to win the match, you should keep up a steady stream of information both in and out of combat. Your teammates should know where you are in relation to them without them having to take their eyes off their goal to look for you.
Ask your teammates for their graphics settings
It's very important to get your game running as smoothly as possible, and your video settings play a very large part in this. Ask your more experienced teammates what settings they're using. Or indeed, check out our Apex Legends settings guide for a full breakdown of every option.
That wraps up our Apex Legends tips and tricks for Season 11. Hopefully you've gained a better footing if you're just starting on your journey through this frenetic and endlessly enjoyable battle royale. If you've any particular tips and tricks yourself, be sure to sound them in the comments below!
