Apex Legends: Everything You Need to Know About 2019's Hottest Game
EA surprised many with the sudden announcement of Apex Legends, a new free-to-play battle royale shooter that sees the publisher going toe-to-toe with genre mammoths PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Fortnite Battle Royale.
Developed by Respawn Entertainment and set in the Titanfall universe, Apex Legends is a squad-based battle royale shooter where teams of three go up against 57 other players to try to gather loot and be the last person (or squad) standing.
However, unlike Fortnite and PUBG, Apex Legends sees players take on one of eight classes, each represented by a unique character. (Imagine Fortnite mixed with Overwatch and you’ll be on the right track.)
Whether that sounds like your kind of gaming or not, it's clear Apex Legends is going from strength to strength. It managed to reach a million players in its first eight hours and it's now amassed 10 million players in three days.
That's good going. Really good going. Particularly when you consider that it took Fortnite two weeks (a fortnight!) to reach those same numbers. Similarly, it took Fortnite 24 hours to accrue a million players, compared to eight hours for EA’s shooter.
Do we have another Fortnite on our hands? Let's not get ahead of ourselves and instead let's take a look at everything we know about Apex Legends.
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Cut to the chase
What is it? A free-to-play battle royale shooter set in the Titanfall universe
When can I play it? Available to play for free now
What can I play it on? Xbox One, PS4, and PC
What makes Apex Legends different from other battle royale games like Fortnite?
You’ll still be dropping onto an island and scavenging for gear, but Apex Legends stands out from the battle royale pack in a few ways. For one, the game is entirely team based -- there’s no solo mode for you lone wolves out there. Every match consists of 20 teams of three battling to be the last group remaining, and the game offers a ton of in-game tools for communicating enemy and weapon locations even if you don’t have a mic handy.
Apex Legends is also unique in that it offers eight distinct Legends (or characters), each with their own unique abilities and special moves. For example, Wraith is a ninja-like soldier who can go invisible and create portals, while Gibraltar is a walking tank that can protect his teammates with an energy shield. This makes Apex Legends more akin to a hero shooter such as Overwatch, as you and your squad will have to think carefully about picking a team whose abilities complement one another.
Fittingly, Respawn’s new shooter is also made unique by the fact that characters can, well, respawn. When a player dies, they’ll drop a Respawn Beacon, which a teammate can pick up and bring to a respawn station to bring them back into the fight. This further separates Apex Legends from the rest of the battle royale crop, and truly drives home how important teamwork is in this game.
What characters can I play as?
Apex Legends currently has eight playable Legends: the soldier Bangalore, the tech-focused Bloodhound; the toxic bomb-wielding Caustic; the heavily shielded Gibraltar, the medic Lifeline, the hologram-wielding Mirage, the robotic scout Pathfinder; and the teleporting Wraith. All of the game’s characters come unlocked aside from Caustic and Mirage, who can be unlocked with either Coins or Legend Tokens (more on those later).
Considering that Respawn plans to support the game over a long period of time, it’s safe to assume we’ll see more Legends show up eventually.
Do Apex Legends have seasons and battle passes?
Yep -- much like Fortnite, Apex Legends will have unique seasons, as well as Battle, Passes you can purchase to unlock around 100 new cosmetic rewards based on your performance.
EA says that the first season will start in March, though it’s not yet clear which items you’ll be able to get from the Battle Pass just yet or how much the Battle Pass will cost. Seasons are expected to last around three months each and will bring with them new Legends, weapons and cosmetics.
You can also expect plenty of limited-time events in Apex Legends. Respawn released special loot for its Valentine's Day event, and we wouldn't be surprised to see more chances to snag limited-time loot throughout the year.
What kinds of microtransactions and in-game currencies are there?
As a free-to-play game, Apex Legends has a variety of in-game currencies that you can both earn as well as spend real money on. However, it’s important to note that all of Apex’s unlockables are cosmetic-based, so there’s no way to pay real money to get an in-game advantage.
The game has three main in-game currencies: Apex Coins, Legend Tokens, and Crafting Metals. Apex Coins are the game’s premium currency and can be used to buy Apex Packs (the game’s version of loot boxes), Legends and shop items such as character and weapon skins.
Legend Tokens are earned by leveling up in-game, and can be used to purchase Legends. Crafting Metals are found in Apex Packs, and can be combined to craft things such as weapon and character skins.
Does Apex Legends play like Titanfall?
Despite being a Respawn game and being set in the same universe, Apex Legends is a very distinct experience from Titanfall. The first and most obvious difference is that there are no Titans, the lumbering, powerful mechs that players can pilot in the Titanfall series. Secondly, many of Titanfall’s movement mechanics, such as wallrunning, aren’t present here.
That being said, it quickly becomes apparent that Apex is a Respawn game. Running, sliding, climbing and shooting simply feel fluid and satisfying in a similar way that Titanfall does, and the game’s myriad of unique player abilities, from smoke bombs to invisibility, bring Respawn’s previous shooter to mind.
How can I get better at Apex Legends?
Like most battle royale titles, Apex Legends has a bit of a learning curve, and it can be easy to get discouraged when you're dying quickly during your first few matches. Fret not, we're here to help. Here are our latest Apex Legends guides, whether you're looking for general tips or are trying to figure out the best characters and weapons to use:
What makes Apex Legends different from other battle royale games like Fortnite?
You’ll still be dropping onto an island and scavenging for gear, but Apex Legends stands out from the battle royale pack in a few ways. For one, the game is entirely team based -- there’s no solo mode for you lone wolves out there. Every match consists of 20 teams of three battling to be the last group remaining, and the game offers a ton of in-game tools for communicating enemy and weapon locations even if you don’t have a mic handy.
Apex Legends is also unique in that it offers eight distinct Legends (or characters), each with their own unique abilities and special moves. For example, Wraith is a ninja-like soldier who can go invisible and create portals, while Gibraltar is a walking tank that can protect his teammates with an energy shield. This makes Apex Legends more akin to a hero shooter such as Overwatch, as you and your squad will have to think carefully about picking a team whose abilities complement one another.
Fittingly, Respawn’s new shooter is also made unique by the fact that characters can, well, respawn. When a player dies, they’ll drop a Respawn Beacon, which a teammate can pick up and bring to a respawn station to bring them back into the fight. This further separates Apex Legends from the rest of the battle royale crop, and truly drives home how important teamwork is in this game.
What characters can I play as?
Apex Legends currently has eight playable Legends: the soldier Bangalore, the tech-focused Bloodhound; the toxic bomb-wielding Caustic; the heavily shielded Gibraltar, the medic Lifeline, the hologram-wielding Mirage, the robotic scout Pathfinder; and the teleporting Wraith. All of the game’s characters come unlocked aside from Caustic and Mirage, who can be unlocked with either Coins or Legend Tokens (more on those later).
Considering that Respawn plans to support the game over a long period of time, it’s safe to assume we’ll see more Legends show up eventually.
Do Apex Legends have seasons and battle passes?
Yep -- much like Fortnite, Apex Legends will have unique seasons, as well as Battle, Passes you can purchase to unlock around 100 new cosmetic rewards based on your performance.
EA says that the first season will start in March, though it’s not yet clear which items you’ll be able to get from the Battle Pass just yet or how much the Battle Pass will cost. Seasons are expected to last around three months each and will bring with them new Legends, weapons and cosmetics.
You can also expect plenty of limited-time events in Apex Legends. Respawn released special loot for its Valentine's Day event, and we wouldn't be surprised to see more chances to snag limited-time loot throughout the year.
What kinds of microtransactions and in-game currencies are there?
As a free-to-play game, Apex Legends has a variety of in-game currencies that you can both earn as well as spend real money on. However, it’s important to note that all of Apex’s unlockables are cosmetic-based, so there’s no way to pay real money to get an in-game advantage.
The game has three main in-game currencies: Apex Coins, Legend Tokens, and Crafting Metals. Apex Coins are the game’s premium currency and can be used to buy Apex Packs (the game’s version of loot boxes), Legends and shop items such as character and weapon skins.
Legend Tokens are earned by leveling up in-game, and can be used to purchase Legends. Crafting Metals are found in Apex Packs, and can be combined to craft things such as weapon and character skins.
Does Apex Legends play like Titanfall?
Despite being a Respawn game and being set in the same universe, Apex Legends is a very distinct experience from Titanfall. The first and most obvious difference is that there are no Titans, the lumbering, powerful mechs that players can pilot in the Titanfall series. Secondly, many of Titanfall’s movement mechanics, such as wallrunning, aren’t present here.
That being said, it quickly becomes apparent that Apex is a Respawn game. Running, sliding, climbing and shooting simply feel fluid and satisfying in a similar way that Titanfall does, and the game’s myriad of unique player abilities, from smoke bombs to invisibility, bring Respawn’s previous shooter to mind.
How can I get better at Apex Legends?
Like most battle royale titles, Apex Legends has a bit of a learning curve, and it can be easy to get discouraged when you're dying quickly during your first few matches. Fret not, we're here to help. Here are our latest Apex Legends guides, whether you're looking for general tips or are trying to figure out the best characters and weapons to use:
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