How to play Apex Legends: a beginner's guide
What to do in your first sessions, which legend to start with, the habits that make you better fastest, and how to unlock Ranked. Every tip here is EA's own advice from its new-player guides.
The basics
You play in a squad of three, or two in Duos. Every squad drops from the same dropship, loots weapons, shields and heals, and fights to be the last squad standing as the ring closes in. A downed player can be revived; a killed one drops a deathbox with all their loot.
Each of the 28 legends has a passive, a Tactical on a cooldown and an Ultimate that charges over time. Battle Royale is the main mode; the game modes page covers the rest.
Your first sessions
- Pick a starting legend. Lifeline and Bangalore are unlocked for everyone and give you breathing room early.
- Play Bot Royale Evolved until you're ready for real squads.
- Work through the Welcome Pass. Each challenge teaches one mechanic. It unlocks Bloodhound, Gibraltar and Pathfinder, then 12,000 Legend Tokens to unlock a legend of your choice.
- Warm up in the Firing Range for five minutes before you queue. Every legend is unlocked there, so it's also where to try one before you buy it.
Choosing a legend
Legends come in five classes. EA's advice is to pick the one you enjoy, not the one a tier list rates; these are its suggested starting points for each.
| Class | Your job | Start with |
|---|---|---|
| Assault | Start fights and keep pushing; deny cover with ordnance. | Bangalore, Fuse, Mad Maggie |
| Skirmisher | Hit from an unexpected angle and get out before the enemy reacts. | Pathfinder, Axle, Octane |
| Recon | Gather intel so your squad fights on its terms. | Sparrow, Crypto, Valkyrie |
| Controller | Decide where the fight happens; strong in buildings and tight spaces. | Wattson, Catalyst, Caustic |
| Support | Keep the squad alive with heals, revives and resources. | Lifeline, Conduit, Gibraltar |
Habits that make you better
- Warm up first
- A few minutes in the Firing Range: your gun's recoil, a couple of resets behind cover, your Tactical and Ultimate.
- Land with a plan
- Pick a building or loot path and commit. A quieter spot gives a new squad 30 to 60 seconds to gear up.
- Loot for a fight, not perfection
- Two usable guns, heals and a shield, then move. There's always more loot.
- Fight from cover
- If you can't break line of sight in a couple of steps, you're too exposed. Know your retreat before you peek.
- Heal early
- Heal after the first shield crack and re-engage from a new angle, rather than pushing cracked.
- Use your abilities
- A Tactical or Ultimate used to make space or cover a push beats one saved for a moment that never comes.
- Learn one lesson a session
- Before you close the game, ask what killed you most: greed, timing, position or panic.
Playing as a squad
Apex is a squad game: three average players working together beat an uncoordinated squad of better ones more often than you'd think.
- Stay together
- If your squad can't reach you in a few seconds, you're too far away. A knocked teammate 50 metres off can be revived; at 150 metres, usually not.
- Ping everything
- Enemy pings last 10 seconds and show through walls for the whole squad. When you're downed, one or two pings, not a stream.
- Call your resets
- Say when you're healing or backing off, so the squad knows whether to push or hold.
- Share loot
- Ping heals, shields and good guns, and drop spares when a teammate asks.
- Swing together
- Two or three players peeking at once from different angles is pressure most squads can't answer.
Guns to learn first
EA's suggested starters: the R-301 (consistent and forgiving), the Flatline (more damage, more recoil), the Volt (fast, low recoil) and, up close, the Peacekeeper or EVA-8. Stick with one primary and one backup for a week; Weapon Mastery tracks your progress with each.
Unlocking Ranked
Reach level 20 and finish the three sets of Road to Ranked challenges, in Core matches only: Wildcard and Mixtape don't count. Your first 10 Ranked matches are placements that set your starting rank.
Ranked Points come from placement and kills, minus an entry cost each match, and placement matters more: finishing 5th with one kill beats dying 12th with four. See the ranks page for every tier and the Predator cut-off.
Questions
- How do you play Apex Legends?
- Squads of three (or two in Duos) drop onto a map from the same dropship, loot weapons, shields and heals, and fight to be the last squad standing while the ring closes. Each legend has a passive, a Tactical and an Ultimate ability.
- What should a new player do first?
- EA's advice: pick a starting legend (Lifeline and Bangalore are unlocked for everyone), play Bot Royale Evolved until you're comfortable, and work through the Welcome Pass, which teaches a mechanic per challenge and unlocks Bloodhound, Gibraltar and Pathfinder, then 12,000 Legend Tokens.
- How do I get better at Apex Legends?
- Warm up in the Firing Range, land with a plan, fight from cover, heal early, use your abilities, and above all stay close to your squad and ping. EA suggests working on one habit at a time for a couple of matches.
- How do I unlock Ranked?
- Reach account level 20 and finish the three sets of Road to Ranked challenges in Core matches; Wildcard and Mixtape don't count. Your first 10 Ranked matches are placement matches.
- Who is the best legend for beginners?
- EA says to pick the legend you enjoy rather than chase tier lists. For a start, Lifeline and Bangalore are free for everyone and forgiving; every legend can be tried in the Firing Range before you unlock them.