Created by Titanfall developers Respawn, and published by EA, Apex Legends was announced and released all within 48 hours — and you can download for free right now. Yes, this is another Battle Royale game like Fortnite with a Battle Pass system, but it’s also a worthwhile multiplayer game in it’s own right, adding some surprisingly creative wrinkles to the popular formula.
After a day’s worth of play sessions, I want to talk about the best new features in Apex Legends. As a Battle Royale, it plays smooth and keeps the action going with an intelligently designed map, and great-feeling weapons. You’ll land with a team of three players, and start scrounging the surface for items to help you survive. The last team to survive in the 60~ person arena wins.
It’s a straight-up Battle Royale, with all the features you might expect. The deadly ring shrinks, packages are dropped from the sky with high-level gear, and players drop out of a plane at the start of every session — it’s a Battle Royale through and through, with those a few important wrinkles that set it apart from its contemporaries.
More Apex Legends guides on Gameranx:
- Apex Legends: 26 Useful Tips & Tricks You Might Not Know About (Yet!) | Beginner’s Guide
- Apex Legends: The Best Legends & Ultimate Combos | Team Synergy Guide
- Apex Legends: Best Weapon Combos We’ve Found (So Far) | Loadout Guide
- Apex Legends: Here’s How Microtransactions & Loot Boxes Work | F2P Guide
- Apex Legends: Check Out Every Special Ability | Character Classes Guide
- Apex Legends: How To Unlock Free Playstation & Origin Cosmetics
- Apex Legends: All The Legendary Hero Skins Available (So Far) | Cosmetics Gallery
Instead Of Anonymous Soldiers, You Select Legends
Before jumping into the sprawling Battle Royale map, you’ll automatically join a team and get to choose your hero — and it’s entirely similar to selecting your character in a fighting game. Each character has personality, and three powers that are totally unique to them. Mixing and matching these characters adds an extra layer of meta-strategy to the game, and it helps these weirdos are entertaining.
As you earn Apex Packs (the game’s version of Loot Boxes) you’ll be able to earn lots of extra customization for your character — intros, finishers, quips, and more. They add a lot of personality to the proceedings.
Passives, Tacticals & Ultimates Remove Some Randomness
Characters are great, and it’s what these Legends bring to the table in terms of gameplay that make them important additions to the genre. Each Legend has a Passive Skill, a Tactical Skill, and an Ultimate that charges as you land shots and earn kills. Tactical Skills recharge, and passives are, well, passive — they’re always on. And some of these abilities are insane.
Combat medic Lifeline heals players faster, and can call in a droppod that’s full of high-quality defensive items. Other characters, like career soldier Bangalore can drop smoke grenades or summon a creeping artillery barrage. These abilities are game-changers, and seeing as how Apex Legends is primarily about 3-vs-3 team-based battles, unleashing a powerful Ultimate can break tense stalemates, or help you pull off a Hail Mary victory.