Apex Legends: Pro Guide
April 20 2019
Apex Legends is like Fortnite, but a lot less building. It’s like PUBG, but with less glitches. One of the most popular esports right now, Apex Legends has also gained attention thanks to its growing roster of uniquely skilled Legends. This has made team composition a thing, and added way more strategy to Apex Legends in comparison to the previously mentioned titles.
Who better to help you up your game than our very own Apex Legends roster? Most of our squad is super flexible when it comes to Legend selection, but they all have their favorites. And while they even have opinions on their non-mains (Tanner “Rogue” Trebb mains Wraith, but is very adamant that you don’t use Pathfinder in scrims unless you are going to use his abilities), they have some Legend-specific advice for you if you want to be the next person to join our squad.
Gage “caliburn” Meyer - Pathfinder
What is your usual strategy, going into a match?
Get as many kills as I can.
What gives a team the best chance of survival?
Playing characters that have an ability that allows you to escape and play more solo, because you will not always have cooperative teammates.
Why is communication so important with your teammates in Apex Legends?
If you get in a tough spot, you would be able to call out enemies for the members of your team that are still alive. This gives them a chance at clutching up for the squad and reviving you, or anyone that goes down.
Where do you prefer to drop in?
I prefer to drop in the high loot areas, because of how many other teams like to go to those spots on the map.
What are your favorite weapons?
Longbow, R-301, Peacekeeper. These guns feel amazing when you get all of the attachments on them. I feels rewarding killing a full squad by yourself.
What drew you to your current main champion?
My playstyle. I like to be able to do flashy stuff with the grappling hook and hit mid-air shots with it.
Pathfinder’s Grappling Hook will often separate you from the rest of your team. Can you describe some situations where not being near your teammates might benefit the team?
Getting a different angle in a fight is always good. The enemies might not be aware of your position while hiding behind a box or the loot containers and you will have free shots at them from the side.
When is the best time to use the Zipline Gun?
The best time to use the Zipline Gun is when you are in a pinch and you want to get somewhere safe like on a mountain or on top of a building.
Are there any unorthodox techniques you can pull off with the Grappling Hook?
There is one that lets you infinitely fly around in a circle if you do the technique correctly. That one is mainly just for messing with the enemy and doing something funny.
Are there any “secret spots” you can reach with the Zipline Gun that aren’t considered “out of bounds”?
There are a few spots out on the edges of the map that you can get to with the Zipline Guns.
Nobody knows where Pathfinder came from. Not even Pathfinder. What do you think his backstory might be leading up to Apex Legends?
Pathfinder is just a robot fighting his way to meet his maker.
Thomas “Flanker” Cook - Bloodhound/Lifeline
How do you decide which champion you’ll pick?
For a public match I usually just pick whoever I have the most fun on, but in a competitive setting it depends what my teammates will be playing and who has the best synergy together.
As the Lifeline, when is the best time to drop your care package?
ASAP! You want to get as many drops in as you can while your teammates give you all the alt accelerators to make it quicker. It can also be very useful as cover in some of the end zones, where many teams are packed into a small area.
The Lifeline has the ability to heal downed allies while protected by a shield. Still, when is usually the right time to revive a teammate? Is there certain positioning or waiting time that helps the most?
You want to make sure you angle the shield towards the enemy position and have your back covered by a wall or object to get as much use out of the shield as you can.
As the Bloodhound, when do you usually use your Eye of the Allfather ability?
I usually use this ability when an enemy is hiding in a building, trying to hide, or when they start to run away so I can figure out the exact route they took.
Brenden “Casper” Marino - Bangalore
What are your thoughts on the anti-smoke hack? Has it affected competitive play for you at all?
The anti-smoke hack hasn't really affected competitive play very much, as teams are forced to stream. Any team caught using it gets banned out of scrims. In public matches, it seems a lot more people are using it. But it is still hard to determine who’s using it.
The Bangalore’s passive allows her to speed up when under attack. How do you know when it’s the right time to engage in battle, and when it’s best to run away?
Positioning. Positioning in any battle royal game is the absolute key. When playing Bangalore, you can get away with overextending. For example, if a full team peaks a ridge you’re holding solo, you can either smoke and get away because of the passive, or use the passive to get a different angle and rengage. It’s always best to run away if you can identify if its a winning fight, or if its possible you may die or get knocked down. If you know a team or a player has a better spot or angle than you do, it’s best to not take a 1v1 or team fight because a team with high ground or a better position can and will punish you for that.
When you use your Smoke Launcher, what is your usual follow-up tactic?
I either smoke to get away and bait my passive out, or I smoke to digital threat peak it. I don't really sit in a smoke unless absolutely needed.
Tanner “Rogue” Trebb - Wraith
What is your usual strategy going into a match?
I usually try to farm kills, which means: Go for high kills. Or another thing I do is basically just always be involved in high action scenarios.
What gives teams a better chance of survival?
Character meta and the combination of legends can be super useful. The best combinations working together can keep a team fighting for quite awhile, especially since tons of abilities are team based, offensively and defensively. Obviously, some legends have an ability that sort of works like a crutch, protecting them against their own personal mistakes. For example: Wraith’s invisibility or rift away.
Which areas do you prefer to drop in and why?
I like dropping into Skulltown mostly, cascades second. I like instant fights and the aesthetic of the areas.
What are your favorite weapons to use and why?
I use two different ARs and one specific shotgun as my loadout: Spitfire or R301 (whichever I find, depending on ammo and attachments, if I have the opportunity to use either) and the Peacekeeper as my secondary.
Why is communication with your teammates so important in Apex Legends?
Fighting is very fast paced and being teamed up on can get you killed. If you stick with your teammates and communicate vital information, it makes all the difference.
What drew you to your current main champion?
Get out of jail for free. Ever since World of Warcraft, or Smite - or any character ability based game - I use the one that can single-handlely, without help, kill a team or give me the best chance. As a solo player, Wraith really lets me decide what to do and when to do it, and if I screw up, I can get a minor reset.
Since your ability, Into the Void, allows you to quickly disengage, how can you use this ability to support your teammates if they’re in combat?
If there was a situation where I needed to flank or push through a tough situation, Void lets me go right through that and be where I need to be. This can stop some of the damage, even if it’s inevitable.
When is the right opportunity to use Dimensional Rift?
You can use it to catch up to your team, or it can be used to let your team catch up with you. It can be used to block doors or very tight corridors from an enemy pushing into it (until it gets reset). It can be used to get a downed teammate to safety for a revive if he crawls into it. It can be used to get better positioning in a fight if there is a team in front of you with strong positioning. If you can’t simply push through them, send one player through the Dimensional Rift. The usual reason in public lobbies is a personal gain of overall movement speed increase.
Which champions have the best synergy with Wraith, and would most benefit from being on a team with a Wraith main?
Any team benefits. There isn’t one that’s better than the rest in terms of composition I feel like, since all teams can gain a free rotation ticket, and have someone get them to safety if he’s highly skilled at the character to remember what he can do for his team.
The Wraith’s identity is kept secret. What do you picture her name being?
Destiny.
