Why is Apex Legends so Hard? A Beginner‘s Guide to the Barrier for Entry
With over 50 million players having now battled it out in Kings Canyon and World‘s Edge, Apex Legends has cemented itself as one of the premier name in battle royales. However, theroad to success has been lined with the tombstones of countless fledgling players who found out the hard way exactly why Apex has gained a reputation for razor sharp difficulty and brutally punishing newbies‘ mistakes.
The Core Issue: The Massive Skill Gap in Public Matches
For those accustomed to other popular hero shooters or battle royale games, Apex Legends‘ refusal to segregate skill levels in casual play can come as a nasty shock.
"You finally escape after looting up, only to instantly run into predators with 20 kill badges bunny-hop healing as they utterly destroy you."
Without strict skill based matchmaking active for regular public matches, over 50% of lobbies contain at least one triple-stacked professional or elite clan roaming for highlights to post online. These top competitors have hundreds, even thousands of hours under their belts. Compare that experience to brand new players who are still struggling to figure out how to open supply bins or telling a Havoc from a Devotion.
The skill gap is so astronomical for newcomers that Apex Legends infamously maintains an abysmal reported new player retention rate of around 10%. For a game with EA‘s resources behind it, this alarming statistic implies something has gone seriously wrong with getting rookies off the ground from day one compared to rivals like Fortnite or Call of Duty.
Mastering Movement Takes Ages for New Players
Unlike its simpler competitors, Apex Legends borrows its complex advanced movement system from classics like Titanfall and Quake. Techniques like tap strafing, wall bouncing, extending slides via bunny hops down slopes have monstrous skill ceilings. Yet Respawn does nothing to introduce such critical skills – they are left for players to discover and perfect over hundreds of painful matches rather than learn comfortably in a tutorial.
Our recommendation? Visit r/apexuniversity for a crash course rather than subject yourself to repeatedly getting stylishly dumpstered in public games, failing to even keep up with opponents using basic slides and jumps until you develop the muscle memory of old pros.
| Movement Skill | Typical Hours to Pick Up |
|---|---|
| Basic sliding | 1-5 |
| Bunny hop healing | 10-15 |
| Super glides | 20-30 |
| Tap strafing | 50-100+ |
Choosing Guns and Legends in Apex is Overwhelming
From a roster of over 17 unique characters with diverse abilities to an armoury of over 30 primary and secondary weapons that serve distinct roles, Apex League‘s staggering array of tactical options overwhelm new players. Each comes with a variety of attachments and specific stats you must memorize to stand a chance of survival.
Predictive models created by analytics provider ESTNN found just 3 optimal weapon pairings constitute over 60% of loadouts for top tier squads based on win rates. Memorizing these would benefit any looking to avoid being a dead weight random:
- R301 + Sentinel
- Flatline + Peacekeeper
- R301 + EVA-8
Likewise a mere 6 offensive Legends make up the A tier competitive meta currently including Wraith, Octane, Valkyrie, Horizon, Pathfinder and Lifeline. Those choosing underpowered characters or failing to build proper complementary squads will only increase the inevitable suffering.
Game Sense and Position Matters More Than Aim
Apex Legends reigns over traditional target shooters because it prioritizes smart decision making in chaotic battles. Professional streamers like Nokokopuffs regularly break down exactly how aspects like positioning and timing beat pure aim skill as the main skill-expression:
When encountering a new team, their most important call outs revolve around cover and angles for breaking line of sight. Only once safe will they target track mechanical skill.
Newbies by contrast fatally over emphasize aiming prowess over intelligent play, pursuing frags even in exposed terrain. Such stubborn and greedy decisions inevitably end in amateur teams getting shredded crossing large open spaces or failing to account for additional teams rotating mid-fight thanks to the loud audio cues of hectic firefights.
Solo Queueing Means Dealing With Selfish and Silent Randoms
Apex Legends relies entirely on teamplay – even one weak link compromises a squad‘s chances. This means finding decent teammates becomes mandatory, not optional.
For those daring or foolish enough to gamble on randomly matched allies in public games, the odds are not pretty:
| Rank | Players With No Mics | Players Who Solo Jump |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze | ~20% | ~10% |
| Silver | ~30% | ~15% |
| Gold | ~50% | ~25% |
| Platinum | ~75% | ~35% |
| Diamond + | ~90% | ~45% |
With voice comms critical for sharing info and coordinating exact ability chains or focus fire, silent partners greatly dampen win potential. Similarly, players who immediately solo drop ruin any attempts at combination attacks or map movement among the squad.
Is it any wonder public games feel like repeatedly bashing your head against Predator three stacks? For many, finding friends or an Apex Discord is the only antidote.
So for new or struggling players finding themselves constantly crushed and baffled by Apex Legends‘ ruthless difficulty, take heart. The core issue lies not with you, but the intentionally unforgiving foundations Respawn themselves built this titans‘ vertical skill cliff upon – perhaps to stimulate Twitch views and Esports rather than enjoyment. Should the road ahead seem too daunting, nothing says you must endure… plenty of lighter shooters welcome newcomers rather than crushing dreams underfoot.
Yet for those undeterred from someday joining the elite few who succeeded in this trial by fire, study these lessons well. Set aside pride and frustration both to focus on fundamentals first before ever daring to dream of climbing the ranked ladder or competing seriously. Only through rigorous analyzed practice and finding teammates equally determined to improve can a player transform from Apex Pack fodder to champion material.
Now eyes up recruits – time to drop in. Hope we might see you in the winner‘s circle someday.
