What is Apex Legends? The free to play Battle Royale explained

(Pocket-lint) - Apex Legends is simply a Battle Royale game that's a imaginable rival to some Fortnite and PUBG - games that are incredibly fashionable with gamers crossed PC, console and mobile devices. 

This is simply a escaped to play crippled from Respawn Entertainment, the aforesaid squad down the popular Titanfall franchise. While immoderate gamers were disappointed the institution hadn't released Titanfall 3, galore are inactive blessed with the amusive that is Apex Legends. So overmuch truthful successful information that the crippled managed to timepiece up implicit 25 cardinal players arsenic the hype built successful the archetypal fewer weeks of play. 

What's each the fuss about? We're present to assistance you find out.  

• What is PUBG Mobile and wherefore is everyone talking astir PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds? 
• What is Fortnite Battle Royale? How does it enactment and what devices tin you play it on?

What is Apex Legends?

Apex Legends is simply a free-to-play first-person Battle Royale-style shooter that's disposable to download connected PC, Xbox, PlayStation and Switch. You tin get it here:

• PC - Download from Origin
• Xbox - Get it from Microsoft
• PlayStation- Download from PlayStation Store
• Nintendo Switch - Grab for escaped here

In lawsuit you've been hiding nether a stone for a portion and person nary hint what Battle Royale is, the premise is elemental enough.

60 players are dropped onto a battlefield wherever they request to scavenge for weapons, loot and ammo portion battling it retired with different gamers. An ever-shrinking ringing pushes players person and person unneurotic until conscionable a fistful are near and a azygous squad becomes the victor. 

Apex Legends is set 30 years aft the events of Titanfall 2. It takes portion successful a spot called Outlands wherever some humans and robots are forced to conflict it retired for triumph successful the Apex Games. 20 squads of 3 players are warring it retired successful a furious conflict for survival. This conflict takes spot connected respective maps - Kings Canyon, Olympus and World's Edge. 

Apex Legends is not Titanfall 3 though, truthful don't spell successful expecting mechsuits, wall-running, double-jumping or different akin mechanics. There is simply a fast-paced play, including the quality to descent crossed the level oregon down slopes. There's besides a superb gunplay style, but fans of Titanfall whitethorn beryllium disappointed if they're expecting much from that franchise with this game.  

How is it antithetic from different Battle Royale games?

Apex Legends stands retired from different Battle Royale games by including quality and robot heroes known arsenic "Legends" - these are hero characters with peculiar abilities and tactics which acceptable them isolated successful battle. Think Overwatch but with Battle Royale benignant gameplay. 

This is reasonably antithetic arsenic astir different games successful this genre make a level playing tract by mounting everyone disconnected connected the aforesaid ft with basal characters that person nary carnal attributes oregon skills to springiness them the precocious manus implicit opponents. 

The assorted character's skills besides enactment good with each different and tin beryllium utilized to complement the squad to marque you an businesslike warring unit. 

The crippled is besides antithetic successful that it lone supports three-player squads astatine this time. So you tin either play that oregon duos (playing with conscionable 1 different friend). 

Another quality comes erstwhile you leap into a game. One subordinate of the squad is selected arsenic a "jumpmaster" - fundamentally the squad person who chooses wherever the squad is landing. Other players successful the squad are bound to the jumpmaster arsenic they vector successful connected the landing spot ensuring each the squad instrumentality unneurotic and are acceptable for action. 

Other highlights see the quality to usage ziplines to neatly dash crossed areas of the representation and assorted hot-air balloons that you tin task up to past glide crossed unfastened crushed to different location. Players are besides capable to telephone successful things similar airstrikes to woody decease connected force teams. 

With Apex Legends, it's besides imaginable to revive fallen teammates. If 1 of your squadmates dies, but you negociate to past the battle, you tin spell to their loot crate and prime up their banner/data spot and instrumentality it to a greenish respawn location. From determination you're capable to telephone them backmost into the battle. Doing truthful is risky arsenic it takes clip and exposes you to being killed yourself but it's worthy the effort to support the squad astatine afloat strength. Revived teammates won't person immoderate weapons erstwhile they return, but astatine slightest that brings your numbers backmost up. It besides means if you die, you don't conscionable person to spectate until the extremity of the match. 

It's besides worthy knowing that there's nary autumn damage, truthful you don't request to interest astir a horrid decease from falling disconnected a precocious location. 

Loot and gear

Apex Legends is akin to different Battle Royale games successful that determination are varying levels of loot scattered astir the representation for you to prime up. Not conscionable weapons but armour too. These alteration successful prime which is highlighted by the colours - grey, blue, purple and gold.

The accustomed armour benignant exists with helmets and specified being collectable, but there's besides a shield mechanic and the quality to some recharge that shield and your wellness by uncovering boosts arsenic you play. 

Killing different players gives you entree to their gear. Downed players driblet loot crates, these crates are besides highlighted successful assorted colours to fto you cognize which subordinate has the astir invaluable cogwheel and what to loot first. 

Players tin besides item items and enemies for their squad with a "ping" system. This lets the squad cognize astir important things successful the adjacent country and is simply a superb enactment for those who don't person oregon don't privation to usage a mic. Visual and audible pings marque it easier to drawback the attraction of your friends and support the squad playing together.  

One chill diagnostic of Apex Legends is the elemental mode the looting works. If you swap retired your weapons, immoderate attachments you had volition automatically determination to the caller gun, redeeming you the hassle and clip of faffing astir with tweaking manually. 

Another stand-out diagnostic of Apex Legends is the champion. This is simply a circumstantial azygous subordinate successful a fixed match. The victor of a erstwhile crippled who is present seen arsenic the astir important subordinate successful the caller crippled - if lone due to the fact that sidesplitting that play gives you much acquisition points.

An representation of that champion is projected connected monolithic screens astir the crippled satellite arsenic a changeless reminder of their worth to different players. 

It's worthy noting that if you subscribe to Origin Access, PlayStation Plus oregon EA Access past you'll person immoderate loot earlier you adjacent start. 

Levels and acquisition points

Playing and winning matches earns players acquisition points. These points volition yet spot you levelling up. Each clip you summation a caller level, you'll besides gain rewards similar Apex Packs and Legend Tokens. 

Play levels are capped astatine 500, but aft you scope the max level you tin inactive transportation connected earning Legend Tokens. 

What characters are there?

Apex Legends sports a fig of antithetic characters with their ain peculiar abilities. These "Legends" let you to take a quality to suit your ain play benignant and customise your experience. 

These Legends person some a tactical determination and an eventual arsenic well. These are taxable to cooldowns to forestall them being overused and support the crippled balanced. Each Legend besides has a passive quality they tin usage passim the game. 

There are presently respective main legends disposable with much disposable to unlock successful future. You tin unlock the different characters by earning 12,000 Legend Tokens from gameplay sessions. 

The developers volition beryllium monitoring however these characters are utilized and tweaking to guarantee a balanced and rounded gameplay experience. 

Bloodhound

This player's abilities astir look overpowered astatine archetypal glance. Bloodhound is a technological tracker - meaning helium tin stalk enemies and uncover their determination with ease. Using Bloodhound you'll beryllium capable to spot enemies done walls, clouds of fume and adjacent way their footprints. 

Gibraltar

Gibraltar is simply a chunky tank-like quality with a large personality. He has a dome of extortion that tin temporarily shield teammates from damage, a idiosyncratic extortion shield for close-quarters conflict and the quality to telephone successful a bombardment airstrike. Gibraltar is the go-to quality for players who bask a antiaircraft play playstyle

Caustic

Caustic is fundamentally an evil idiosyncratic with a atrocious attitude. He sports toxic state traps, nox state grenades and the quality to spot anyone who happens to beryllium unluckily covered successful the state and yet survives. He's thought of arsenic different antiaircraft people similar Gibraltar and surely a unit to beryllium reckoned with. 

Lifeline

Lifeline is the enactment medic who's capable to deploy passive and progressive healing abilities. These see deploying a healing drone to springiness teammates an other wellness boost, activating a tiny shield to support downed teammates portion they're revived and an eventual accomplishment that lets her telephone successful a attraction package. That attraction bundle is filled with random limb and wellness items - truthful it's good worthy having Lifeline connected your team.

Bangalore

Bangalore is apt to beryllium a Titanfall fan's favourite character. She has the quality to sprint much rapidly portion nether fire, sprout a fume launcher to springiness the squad screen and to telephone successful an artillery onslaught too. Bangalore is the worker people and a existent fighter. 

Wraith

Wraith is simply a beauteous peculiar Legend who has the quality to manipulate spacetime by opening rifts successful the cloth of reality. This means she tin crook invisible for a definite play of time, determination betwixt 2 places utilizing portals and besides item enemies to her squad on-the-fly. 

Pathfinder

Pathfinder is simply a funky looking robot with immoderate nifty abilities. He has a grappling hook that helps him dash astir the representation and get the borderline connected enemies. He besides has a precise useful quality that lets him hack survey beacons to spot wherever the adjacent ringing determination is going to beryllium - helping his squad to get their first. His eventual is simply a zipline that the full squad tin usage to get retired of (or into) information quickly. 

Mirage

Mirage tin deploy assorted holographic devices aimed astatine deceiving force combatants and getting them to sprout successful the incorrect place. His eventual sees him deploy aggregate holograms designed to truly confuse the enemy. His usage should surely marque for absorbing gameplay. 

Wattson

Wattson is simply a Legend introduced for play two. She has a "Perimeter Security ability" that lets her usage electrical fences, artifact incoming missiles and support the squad's shields afloat charged. 

Crypto 

Crypto has aerial drones susceptible of spying connected opponents from afar. He besides has a passive quality successful the signifier of Neurolink. This sends battlefield accusation to your teammates to assistance you get the precocious hand. 

Fuse

Fuse is simply a erstwhile mercenary who loves explosives. He tin transportation much grenades than others and helium has a mechanical limb that lets him propulsion grenades further. He besides has a clump weaponry launcher to spell on with his eventual - The Motherload - which explodes from supra to trap enemies successful a ringing of fire. 

Horizon 

Horizon uses peculiar abilities that see a gravitational boost that tin sprout your teammates into the entity and up onto higher areas that tin past springiness you the tallness advantage. She tin besides usage that quality to marque enemies interval up successful the aerial and sprout them portion they're confused. Her eventual quality creates a achromatic spread that pulls enemies retired of screen and into the enactment of fire. 

Loba

Loba has a teleport quality that lets her determination successful the blink of an oculus to a caller determination wrong throwing distance. She tin besides spot loot done walls which is beauteous useful for gearing up. 

Octane

Octane has robot legs and uses stim boosters to support him moving quickly. He besides has a leap pad that pushes him precocious up into the air. This is the 1 to usage if you similar to beryllium connected the determination constantly. 

Rampart

Rampart tin deploy a shield that not lone works arsenic a bully antiaircraft presumption but besides "charges" bullets arsenic you occurrence implicit it astatine the enemy, making you and your squad much deadly.  A deployable instrumentality weapon eventual besides makes her adjacent much of a threat. 

Revenant 

Revenant has a peculiar quality that lets him halt force powers which seems beauteous powerful. He tin besides ascent the sides of buildings and scope places you wouldn't expect. 

Seer

Seer is capable to spot force heartbeats implicit a abbreviated distance. He tin besides occurrence a drone which highlights enemies successful the country and makes them easier to find and eliminate. 

Valkyrie

Valkyrie has a pitchy battalion that lets her boost into the skies portion besides utilizing tiny rocket launchers connected her backmost to reign down occurrence connected the enemy. He eventual besides allows helium to boost her full squad precocious into the skies - cleanable for getting retired of information oregon to get the borderline connected enemies. 

Does Apex Legends diagnostic cross-platform play?

No. Although Apex Legends is disposable to play connected PC, Xbox One and PS4 it does not presently enactment cross-platform play astatine this time. However, EA has said that crossplay will beryllium disposable aboriginal this year. 

What are ranked leagues?

Starting from play two, Apex legends is introduced a ranked mode into the crippled that allows much competitory players to conflict it retired for scoreboard glory. 

This ranked mode includes a ladder that lets players spot however they stack up against the competition, but it besides has a skill-based match-making strategy that ensures players are up against different gamers of akin accomplishment level. This ensures a much adjacent playing tract and overmuch much competitory game. 

Gamers getting progressive successful ranked mode volition besides get entree to in-game rewards astatine the extremity of the play based connected the fertile they execute successful that period.

Ranked Leagues person antithetic tiers divided into Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond and Apex Predator. All players commencement the league connected the Bronze tier but tin enactment their mode up done the tiers arsenic the play progresses.

Higher tier matches outgo RP to play (silver costs 1RP, golden costs 2RP, platinum costs 3RP and truthful on) but you tin besides gain up to 17RP during a match. Getting kills and placing successful the apical positions is the champion mode to gain RP. 

Find retired much astir ranked leagues here. 

What about Microtransactions?

Apex Legends is free-to-play, but it does person microtransactions too. These see loot boxes (known arsenic Apex Packs) and a premium currency called Apex Coins. This makes it imaginable to acquisition cosmetic items successful the store - skins, limb camos and different cosmetic items that marque nary quality to successful gameplay. 

You tin besides wage existent wealth for caller Legends oregon grind done the crippled to unlock them. Apex Legends is not wage to triumph though, it's cautiously balanced to guarantee everyone gets a just game. 

What is the Battle Pass? 

Apex Legends besides has a akin seasonal based strategy to Fortnite. This is simply a Battle Pass that rewards Apex Legends players with cosmetic in-game items. These rewards see seasonal items and Apex Packs. 

EA that accidental "Every subordinate tin unlock immoderate of these items each play done mean play; those who take to acquisition the Battle Pass tin gain everything disposable that season, astir 100 antithetic rewards."

Players get to support what they gain and proceed to usage it successful the adjacent play arsenic well. Each Apex Legends play volition past for astir 3 months with aboriginal seasons promising caller weapons, loot and characters to unlock. 

The modular conflict walk costs 950 Apex Coins (around $9.50/£7.99 successful existent money).

Writing by Adrian Willings. Originally published connected 6 February 2019.