Apex Legends First Look

April 16, 2019

In this Post you will learn about how this amazing battle royale became an instant success. Let’s talk about Game models and Game modes. Apex Legends is basically a battle royale version set in the Titan Fall Universe. In this game you won’t actually be using Titans but the pilots with unique skills will be your tools. Why Battle Royale? With the success driven by games such as PUBG(Player Unknown’s BattleGrounds), FortNite and other Battle Royale Style First/Third person shooters, Respawn came up with their version of a battle royale set in their own universe. The popularity of such games are followed by people of all ages because of streamers, twitchers and other content creators. This game was introduced to me by Attorney Erikshieler/GBE090. It was free so I downloaded it.

Free to Play

Following the success of Fortnite’s Free to play model, Apex Legends offers a completely free gaming experience. Apex Legends is free to play on PlayStation 4, XBox and PC. Free to play, that means you do not need to purchase a PSN card to play with friends online. This free to play network model is similar to the Gundam Battle Operation franchise. GBO was free to play in Playstation 3 and is still free to play on Playstation 4 known as Gundam Battle Operation 2.

What Made Apex Legends Successful?

Perhaps the best form of marketing was used by the guys in suits from Respawn finally got ideas from the digital marketing realm. The story behind their success is that they had zero marketing. They didn’t really use ads to get players on board. Instead, EA/Respawn used influencer marketing by inviting awesome streamers such as Shroud and Jack Frags to play Apex Legends. These guys are really the top dogs in the streaming industry as they have so many followers and that my friends is how influencer marketing works. Let’s talk about game franchise and how they make money. Buying a Full Priced Game from Stores will give you access to games, characters and so on right? But some Full Priced Games have adapted to modern times, limiting your gaming experience. Let’s talk about some games that have micro-transactions.

Full Priced Games

Street Fighter on Playstation 4 is a Full Priced Game that has DLCs to get basic characters that should have been there in the first place. Following SF, Harada’s Tekken 7 came out as a full priced game that had Season pass 1, Season pass 2 and individual DLCs. No complaints there but some of the mains I used didn’t come out until Season pass 2. I’m talking about Anna Williams and Armor King. Anyway I understand that these gaming companies need to make money too. But, If I wanted all of the characters that I play I can’t wait for the game of the year or best hits edition of this game as it is highly competitive. Also Tekken 7 Ultimate Edition Just Came out so If I bought Season 1 and 2, I would have enough time to practice my mains but really a disadvantage if I had to wait for the Ultimate Edition which is the same price as pre-ordering Tekken 7 without the Season Pass. Following the popularity of Apex Legends, BattleField V came out and then added BattleField V Firestorm which is their own version of the battle royale. Many gaming companies now-a-days come out with full priced games that has the endless micro-transactions which really makes me wonder why I bought that game in the first place. Call of Duty Black Ops 4 had the following micro-transcations:

• $1 Scope or Dot sights
• Season Pass
• Paid Loot Boxes
• Paid Battle Pass
• Limited Time Exclusive DLCs

What made this game great was the fact that DLCs had cosmetic effects only and offered no Pay to Win mechanic, except when Season 1 was introduced and we were given the chance to pay for leveling up which I did do. This free game became super successful with 25 million unique users around the globe in just 7 days.

Playing Apex Legends

Playing Apex Legends allows you to play with friends or random squad mates. I personally like playing with people I know but I also enjoy meeting new players and adapting their style. You start by picking from the available characters that have their unique skill set so you can pick one that best works with your play style. A squad is made of three persons that will allow you guys to choose one character at a time and you can’t pick a legend if your squad mate already picked that character. Playing Apex Legends allows you to communicate using your chat via headset or even party play. During the character selection screen you can opt to mute allies by pressing triangle. You can also type in chat commands by doing a long press on your PS4’s touch pad. In this game communication is key.

Apex Legends Character Selection

Here’s a quick rundown on the characters:

Bloodhound – Technological Tracker, able to see enemy footsteps, able to spot enemies within range by using L1 button and his ultimate L1+R1 Allows him to see enemies marked in red while having a momentary boost in speed.

Gibraltar – Shielded Fortress, has a natural shield that covers his upper body by using the aim button L2. Has a shielded dome that protects you from projectiles outside the dome but you cannot damage opponents if you are targeting them from inside the dome. His ultimate L1+R1 is a bombardment and a great combo with the shield dome.

Lifeline – Combat Medic that heals allies faster, and uses healing items 25% faster. While healing allies, Lifeline deploys a mini shield that protects her and her allies from projectiles coming from an angle. Can deploy a health drone by pressing L1 which heals a certain amount of HP and her ultimate L1+R1 is a lifeline package which drops 3 items. Good for early game advantage as there is a guaranteed level 3 item on each drop. Down side to this is that enemies can see where the package drops.

Pathfinder– Forward Scout that deploys grappling hooks (L1) which can be used to reach high places coming from different angles. Technical players love using him to escape and pursue enemies from awkward positions. This can also be used to pull enemies to your location. His ultimate L1+ R1 deploys a long zip line that allows all players to use it. Normally Pathfinder Players would go on top of hills, buildings and houses to get a better vantage point. He also knows the next location of the ring which is the ultimate advantage in the game.

Octane – High Speed Daredevil a new comer to Apex Legends and was introduced during the Season 1 update. Accessing L1 allows you to move at high speed for 6 seconds and he naturally recovers health when not damaged by enemies. His Ultimate L1+R1 Launch Pad gives the entire team a high speed jump effect which can be used to surprise enemies or bounce them off certain areas. I like placing this near death boxes and doors for obvious reasons. Some says his high-speed Game play is OP!

Wraith – Interdimensional Skirmisher this lass loves running around and is a very good scout because of her speed and small hit box. Activating her ability L1 allows her to step in to the void running while taking no damage for a short period of time. The passive voices skill warns her of immediate threats and you can et your squad know if danger is near. Her ultimate L1+L2 allows her to create a portal that transports any player to a location that Wraith reaches. She can set two portals that can serve as and entrance or an exit to locations. Her ultimate walk speed was enhanced during Season 1. She can combo her into the void with her ultimate making her the best scout in the game. Protip: Wraith players usually step in to the void to circle around enemies or run far to heal up.

Bangalore – Professional Soldier or I call her angry Rihanna. Her L1 Smoke bombs allow her to conceal herself or squad mates. This makes her perfect for looting, reviving and re-spawning. Her smoke bombs impede enemies’ vision and this is quite a nightmare for snipers. He can also use this skill as her last ditch effort should she be stuck with enemies in close quarters. Her passive skills gives her a speed boost when taking damage from enemy fire. Her Ultimate L1+R1 is basically artillery support which covers an area with bombs and can case enemies to slow down when hit while taking damage.

Caustic – Toxic Trooper is the only legend known to be a baddie. This toxic crusader can drop up to 6 toxic traps causing damage per second by pressing L1. His Ultimate Ability L1+R1 covers an area with toxic smoke causing damage per second. Players use him in close quarters to trap enemies in a room and block the doors with traps while deploying his ultimate. He is immune to toxic smoke and he can see through it all the time. Won a few games by camping and locking doors with traps forcing enemies to focus on a choke point.

Mirage – Holographic Trickster this guy is really funny and you can even use his DECOYS as you launch from the drop ship. Using his DECOYS L1 can be a big advantage because you can draw out and confuse enemies with it. His Ultimate L1+R1 creates a circle of DECOYS and makes him invisible for a few seconds. This helps him sneak up to enemies or run away from danger.

Here’s a quick video of all characters in Apex Legends Season 1 and the training mode.

Quick Character Info:

Large Characters have slow animations and bigger hit box. So Gibraltar and Caustic may feel a little slow and can be easy targets. Before season 1 the characters with the smallest hit box were Wraith, Bloodhound and Lifeline.

PRO TIPS:

Playing through the training mode allows you to get a better feel of the movement and controls you will be using in the game. This mode also sharpens your skills with all types of weapons as you can use them during target practice. This allows you to see the grouping of each gun. Don’t skip practice! This mode will also allow you to practice with the throwing distance and Area Of Effect of each throwing weapon. Saturday morning is the worse time to play since there are lots and lots of kiddos online. I would avoid playing at that time. Not to hate on kids but, I want to practice too!

Apex Legends For Me

Over all this game is fun to play and I must admit it ain’t easy to play at first since I’m not used to battle royal setups. It wasn’t long before my buddy Attorney introduced me to a group of BattleField Vets who also play Apex Legends and they helped me secure my early wins. Later on I got hooked on playing with my Japanese friends Rat_Fink__8 and cyborg-mana who are Pathfinder and Octane/Bangalore players. These guys helped me get through the basics. There’s another group that I play with. But sometimes or styles are very different. peachhirai is an aggressive bloodhound/octane player that likes to kill everything that moves. She picks landing zones with easy access to items and enemies for the kill. She is in for the kill. I’m not kidding, give her an R301 and you will know. Hahaha sorry peaches! Now our other squad-mate is lanzeepark who is a well-balanced support/aggro player. He can use Bangalore, Lifeline and Pathfinder with ease. He knows when to go in and out.

In my opinion there are only two ways to win the championship.

The first one is simple, be aggressive, if you have a team that wants to hunt, join them in the hunt and watch as they get 10-15 kills per game(Rat_Fink__8, cyborg-mana & peachhirai). You will learn from them about shooting, engaging and suppressing enemies. Aggressive players have great knowledge of the map, damage and can help you predict enemy movement. Not only will they carry you but they will sometimes educate you and allow you to get the winning kills.

The second way is to play like Snake in Metal Gear Solid. You can sneak your way in to the entire map, picking your shots and engaging enemies who are weak or unaware of your presence. I won a few guys playing alone since my squad either dropped from the game or quit the moment we jumped off the supply ship.

Either way your play style is your own. No Go out there and bamboozle!