How to get better at Apex Legends, broken into the skills that matter. Pick a branch, open a skill, and see what it is, how to practice it, and the videos and tools to learn from. Mark what you’ve got down as you go.
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The skill tree.
Start with the core skills at the top of each branch, or jump straight to what you need. Open any skill for drills, videos, and tools.
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Core The foundation. Worth learning for everyone.
Pick one Alternatives. One of these is enough.
Bonus Extra credit once the core feels solid.
Impact: Huge, 5 of 5.Impact How much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty: BasicDifficulty: EasyDifficulty: MediumDifficulty: HardDifficulty: Very hardDifficulty How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Basic1/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Choose settings you can test and restore.
Start from your current settings. Compare a deliberate turn and a small correction, then save a baseline that feels manageable. Change one setting at a time so you can identify its effect.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, turn between two landmarks and make a small correction without firing. Note any uncomfortable movement.
Save a screenshot of your settings. After a change, repeat the same check and decide whether to keep it.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Basic1/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Know the mouse settings behind your baseline.
Mouse DPI and in-game sensitivity both affect how turning feels. Record both when choosing a baseline. Use your existing mouse and available desk space.
How to practice
Find your active DPI in the mouse software or its documentation, and record your in-game sensitivity.
Repeat your landmark turn from a comfortable starting position. Check that you have usable mouse space and can reset the mouse comfortably.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Check turning, aiming and unwanted stick input.
Standard look settings offer sensitivity, response-curve and deadzone options. Start there and record which settings you use. Advanced Look Controls (ALC) offer optional customization when you have a specific setting to explore.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, release the sticks and watch for unwanted camera movement. If it drifts, test a larger look deadzone and check again.
Check a deliberate turn and a small aimed correction. Save your settings before changing a sensitivity or response option.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Basic1/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Make essential actions comfortable to activate.
Review your keyboard bindings or controller layout. Choose controls you can operate comfortably, including any available hold or toggle options that suit you.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, test reload, weapon swap, crouch, heal selection and ping. Note any awkward reach or accidental action.
Change one binding or layout choice if needed, then repeat the same actions and confirm the settings saved.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Basic1/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Set a picture you can read comfortably.
Check resolution, brightness and field of view on your own display. A wider FOV shows more surroundings but makes distant objects smaller. Available options vary by platform.
How to practice
Compare the same near and distant landmarks before and after a display change. Keep them readable at your normal viewing distance.
Check the HUD and menus, then save the configuration you prefer. Recheck after changing displays.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Observe frame rate before changing graphics.
Use Performance Display to observe FPS. On PC, compare a graphics change against the same activity. Console options depend on your hardware; use settings available on your device.
How to practice
Enable Performance Display in Gameplay settings. Move around the Firing Range and note visible stutter or large FPS changes.
On PC, compare one graphics change using the same route. Recheck during normal play before deciding it solved the problem.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Basic1/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Check that game sound and voice reach the right devices.
Choose your intended audio output and adjust game sound and voice levels for a comfortable balance. In Apex’s audio options, compare the Focused Mix, which makes enemy footsteps easier to pick out, with the Original Mix. If you use a microphone, test it in the app you will use for play or coaching.
How to practice
Play game audio through your intended output. Check that effects and speech are audible at a comfortable volume.
On Discord desktop or browser, run the microphone test in Voice & Video before your call, then end the test. On other devices, check your microphone in a test call.
2/5 · SituationalHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Basic1/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Choose available options that help you read and use the game.
Review subtitles, text size, color accessibility and chat options where available. Choose the options that address your needs and test them on your own display.
How to practice
Check whether you can read prompts, subtitles and pings at your normal viewing distance. Test a relevant option if something is unclear.
If you need accessible chat features, check their availability on your platform and test them with a teammate.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Check latency and packet loss when play feels delayed.
Performance Display shows latency and packet loss as well as FPS. Connection trouble and frame-rate trouble need different checks. Record what happens before changing settings.
How to practice
Enable Performance Display and note latency or packet loss when a problem occurs.
Check EA’s troubleshooting guide for server issues and data-center selection. If possible, compare a quieter home network or a wired connection, then record the result.
2/5 · SituationalHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Make a usable test clip before you need to share gameplay.
Use a recording method available on your platform. OBS is one PC option. Follow the session guide for coaching preparation, then check a local test recording before sharing it.
How to practice
Record a short sample with gameplay and the audio you intend to share. Play it back and check the picture, readable HUD and sound.
Find the saved file and check the session guide before preparing your coaching recording.
5/5 · HugeHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Keep your crosshair where an enemy is likely to appear, so you barely move it when a fight starts.
As you move, hold your crosshair at head or upper-chest height on the edge an enemy is most likely to come from: doorways, corners and the sides of cover. The less your aim has to travel when someone appears, the sooner your first shots land.
How to practice
Record a run through a building in the Firing Range or a match. Pause at each doorway and corner: was your crosshair at head height on the edge?
In your match recordings, pause on the first frame an enemy appears and note how far your crosshair had to move.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Notice enemies on your screen quickly, so your aim starts moving sooner.
You can’t aim at an enemy you haven’t noticed. Scan the places enemies are likely to be, and in close fights keep your eyes near your crosshair. Smoke, gas and ability effects hide targets, and smoke also switches off controller aim assist. Threat-highlighting optics, when they are in the game, show enemies through it.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, set the dummies to fight back or play against a friend. Record it and count how often you were hit before you noticed the target.
In match recordings, note when an enemy first appears on screen and when you first fire. Was the delay from noticing them or from getting your aim onto them?
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Move your aim smoothly and without tension, whether you use a mouse or a controller.
Every aim skill relies on the same kind of movement: smooth motion that speeds up and slows down cleanly. Gripping too tightly makes your aim skip and wobble. Your settings live in Setup; this skill is about what your hands do.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, slowly trace the edge of a door frame or target board while recording. Watch for stops, jumps or wobble.
During a tracking drill, notice how tightly you hold your mouse or controller. Repeat with a lighter grip and compare the recordings.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Use your fingers and wrist for small corrections and your arm for bigger turns.
Most players aim with a mix: fingers and wrist for fine control, forearm and shoulder for larger sweeps. Keeping your wrist in a comfortable middle position, rather than at its limit, keeps your movement controlled. Your sensitivity changes the mix; set that in Setup.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, turn between two distant dummies, then make a small correction onto one dummy’s head. Notice which part of your arm made each movement.
Film your hand during a tracking drill. Check whether your wrist reaches the edge of its comfortable range or you run out of mouse space.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Aim with smooth, partial stick movements instead of pushing the stick to its edge.
Fine aim happens in the stick’s middle range, between the deadzone and the outer edge. Pushing to the edge turns at full speed and is hard to stop accurately. Light, steady thumb pressure keeps small corrections under control. Deadzone and response-curve settings are in Setup.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, slowly track a dummy’s head using only part of the stick’s range. Note each time you hit the edge or overshoot.
Record a tracking drill, repeat it with lighter thumb pressure, and compare the recordings for jerky stops.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Know what aim assist does and doesn’t do, so it supports your aim instead of replacing it.
Controller players get aim assist on console and PC. Respawn has said it will never be removed, but it changes its strength over time: in August 2024 it was lowered for controllers in PC lobbies. Smoke switches it off, so your own stick control still matters.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, track a moving friend or dummy once while standing still and once while strafing with the left stick. Compare how well you stay on target.
Track the same moving target up close and far away, and compare how much correction you need at each distance.
5/5 · HugeHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Stay on a moving target for the whole spray.
Most weapons need several hits to break a shielded enemy, so staying on target while they strafe, slide and jump decides a lot of fights. Match their speed smoothly and ease into direction changes instead of stopping and starting again.
How to practice
In the Firing Range with hit markers on, track a moving friend or dummy with your main automatic weapon. Note where your hits drop off.
In a recorded fight, check whether you fall behind, overshoot, or lose the target when it changes direction.
5/5 · HugeHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Pull against each weapon’s kick so your spray stays on target.
Each automatic weapon kicks in a mostly repeatable way, with some randomness on top, and barrel attachments can reduce it. Learn the weapons you use most first, at the ranges you usually fight at.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, turn on hit markers and spray a full magazine at a wall. Compare the pattern before and after you pull against it.
Repeat with the same weapon at a farther target, with and without a barrel attachment if it takes one, and note how the spread changes.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Know when to shoot from the hip and when to aim down sights.
Hipfire spreads your shots in a cone shown by your crosshair; aiming down sights tightens that spread. Laser sights tighten hipfire, and hipfire accuracy differs by weapon and changes with patches, so test your own weapons.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, shoot a dummy from the hip and aimed down sights at several close distances. Note where hipfire stops landing most of your shots.
Repeat with and without a laser sight on the same weapon, if it takes one, and compare.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Line your crosshair up with an edge before you clear it, so an enemy appears right on your aim.
When you round a corner, clear a door or peek past cover, move your crosshair along the edge as you go, so it is already where an enemy would stand. When and where to peek is covered in Gunfights; this is where your aim sits while you do it.
How to practice
Clear a Firing Range building with a friend or dummies inside, and record it. Check whether each target appeared on or near your crosshair.
In a match recording, pick three corners or peeks and note whether your crosshair was on the edge before you moved past it.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Learn what a headshot is worth with your weapons, and aim where it pays.
Many weapons deal bonus damage on headshots, but the bonus depends on the weapon, and Respawn has changed it for several weapons in recent patches. Test your own weapons instead of assuming every headshot is worth chasing.
How to practice
In the Firing Range with hit markers on, shoot a dummy’s head and then its body with your main weapons. Note the damage for each.
In a recorded fight, check whether chasing the head made you miss shots you would have landed on the body.
5/5 · HugeHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Up close, stay on targets that cross your screen fast and change direction suddenly.
At close range, strafes, crouch spam, slides and abilities move a target across your screen quickly. Follow where the target actually is rather than guessing their next move, because guesses are easy to fake out. Use hipfire where your weapon allows it.
How to practice
Have a friend strafe and crouch in front of you in the Firing Range while you track them without shooting. Count how often you lose them after a direction change.
In an aim trainer, play a close-range reactive tracking scenario and compare your scores across sessions.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
At mid range, small precise corrections decide whether your spray stays on target.
Further away, a strafing enemy moves less on your screen, but every small error spreads your shots. This is where tracking and recoil control come together.
How to practice
In the Firing Range with hit markers on, spray full magazines at a dummy at a distance you often fight at. Note where your hits drift.
Repeat against a moving friend or dummy at the same distance and compare.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Track enemies who jump, launch, zipline or drop in from above.
Airborne enemies move up and down as well as sideways, and their speed and direction change when they land. Keep your vertical aim smooth and be ready for the landing.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, have a friend use the launch pads or jump repeatedly while you track them. Note where you lose them vertically.
In an aim trainer, play a scenario with jumping or airborne targets and compare your scores across sessions.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Keep your aim steady while you strafe, slide or jump, and use your own movement to help you track.
When you move, your view moves too, so your hands have to make up the difference. Strafing the same way as your target can reduce how far you need to turn. How to move so you are hard to hit is covered in Movement.
How to practice
In the Firing Range with hit markers on, strafe while shooting a dummy, then compare your hits with standing still.
In your recordings, find fights where you slid or jumped while shooting. Did your hits stop or keep landing?
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
At longer range, fire short bursts so recoil settles between them.
The longer you hold the trigger, the further recoil can pull you off a distant target. Short bursts let your aim settle and let you check your hits before firing again.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, shoot a distant dummy with full sprays and then with short bursts. Compare your hits with hit markers on.
In recordings of long-range fights, note when you kept firing after your shots stopped landing.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Center your shot so as many pellets as possible land, and make each shot count.
Shotguns fire a spread of pellets, and damage depends on how many land, so aim at the middle of the target rather than its edge. Pellet patterns and headshot bonuses vary by shotgun and change with patches.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, shoot a dummy at several close distances with your shotgun and note the damage per shot.
In recorded close fights, check whether your shots were centered on the target or clipping its edge.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Snap to a target that appears suddenly and land the first shot.
A flick is a fast movement onto a target followed by a well-timed shot. In Apex you will use it most with single-shot weapons, snipers, and when switching targets.
How to practice
In an aim trainer, play a flicking scenario and compare your accuracy and hits across sessions.
In the Firing Range, flick between dummies at different distances with a single-shot weapon. Note how often you need a second correction.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
With single-shot and burst weapons, fire when your crosshair is on target, at a pace the gun recovers from.
With single-shot and burst weapons, every trigger pull counts. Keep tracking between shots and fire when you are on target, at a pace the weapon’s recoil can recover from. Since Season 31, some burst weapons queue your next burst if you tap early, and some keep firing bursts while you hold the trigger, so test how yours behave in the Firing Range.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, use a single-shot weapon against a moving friend or dummy and count hits and misses per magazine.
With hit markers on, compare firing as fast as you can with a steady rhythm on the same target.
2/5 · SituationalHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Hit distant targets with small, steady movements and well-timed shots through magnified optics.
At long range, targets are small and your shots take time to arrive and drop. Small, steady movements work better than big corrections. Which optic to carry belongs with Weapons and loadouts; aiming sensitivity is in Setup.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, shoot the long-range targets with a magnified optic and count your hits per magazine.
In recordings of long-range fights, note whether your misses went above, below, behind or ahead of the target.
2/5 · SituationalHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Aim ahead of a moving target at range, because your shots take time to arrive.
Apex bullets travel as projectiles, so at distance a moving enemy can walk out of your shot before it lands. Aim slightly ahead in the direction they are moving; farther targets and slower projectiles need more lead.
How to practice
Have a friend run across your view at a distance while you fire single shots. Note whether your misses land behind or ahead of them.
Repeat with two weapons whose shots travel at different speeds and compare the lead each one needs.
2/5 · SituationalHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Basic1/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Practice one part of aim many times outside matches with an aim trainer.
An aim trainer isolates parts of aim, like tracking, flicking and switching, and repeats them far more often than a match does. It adds to playing; it doesn’t replace it. One trainer is enough, so pick the one that suits you. On controller, use Aimlabs: KovaaK’s doesn’t officially support controllers.
How to practice
Pick tasks or scenarios that match the parts of your aim you want to improve, and keep the same set across sessions so your scores are comparable.
After a few sessions, check your match recordings for the skill you trained.
2/5 · SituationalHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Basic1/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
A free-to-start aim trainer for mouse or controller, with ready-made tasks and an Apex Legends routine.
Aimlabs is free to start on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox, with optional paid extras, and it supports mouse and controller. It covers tracking, flicking and switching, and its Apex Legends Aim Basics routine has strafing and airborne targets. It has no aim assist and no sensitivity converter for controller, so expect it to feel different from Apex. Set your sensitivity in Setup.
How to practice
Find the Apex Legends Aim Basics routine, or a few tracking and switching tasks, and play the same set each session.
Write down your scores on the same tasks and compare them over several sessions.
1/5 · NicheHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Allow for charge, wind-up or draw time so the shot fires when you are on target.
Some weapons don’t fire the moment you pull the trigger: they wind up, charge, or need drawing first. Start early and keep tracking while it builds. Which weapons work this way changes as the loot pool rotates.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, fire a charge or wind-up weapon at a moving target and note when the shot fires compared with when you were on target.
Practice starting the charge or wind-up just before you step out of cover, then check the recording.
1/5 · NicheHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
At long range, aim above the target to allow for drop, using your scope’s markings.
Shots drop over distance, and how much depends on the weapon. Sniper scopes show a distance reading and reticle marks to help you aim above the target. Learn where your weapon lands at common distances before relying on it in matches.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, shoot distant targets with a sniper scope and note where your first shot lands compared with the reticle.
Use the scope’s distance reading and marks to aim above the target, and check whether your hits improve.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Make tiny corrections when you are nearly on target, so near-misses become hits.
Micro-adjustments are the small corrections you make once you are almost on target. They turn a shot just beside the head into a hit and keep a long-range spray on a small target.
How to practice
In an aim trainer, play precision scenarios with small or slowly moving targets.
In the Firing Range, land single shots on the heads of distant dummies using the smallest corrections you can. Note how often you overshoot.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Finish one target and move your aim cleanly to the next.
When several enemies are in view, finish or break one, then move to the next and settle without overshooting. Choosing who to shoot first is a fight decision covered in Gunfights; this skill is the aim movement itself.
How to practice
Play a target-switching scenario in an aim trainer and compare your scores across sessions.
In the Firing Range, pick dummies at different distances. Break one, switch to the next, and note overshoots or extra corrections.
5/5 · HugeHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Basic1/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Holster, sprint, slide and jump out of slides to keep your speed, so you reach cover, fights and the ring faster.
Most of your speed in a match comes from a few basics you use all the time: running with your weapon holstered, sliding down slopes and off edges, and jumping out of a slide to carry the speed on. Every harder movement skill builds on these, so they matter more than any flashy tech.
How to practice
Run the same Firing Range route twice, once with your weapon out and once holstered with slide-jumps, and time both runs.
In a match recording, count the downhill stretches where you ran instead of sliding.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Basic1/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Climb walls and pull yourself over ledges cleanly, and drop out of a mantle when you would rather stay behind cover.
Jumping into a wall starts a climb, and reaching a ledge starts a mantle. You can also cancel a mantle and drop back down, which keeps you behind cover. Mantle Boosts, superglides and wall bounces all start from here.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, climb the same wall from a walk, a sprint and a slide-jump, and compare how high each takes you.
Start a mantle onto a crate, then cancel it and drop back behind the crate.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Press your Mantle Boost input at the end of a mantle for a burst of speed. Every legend has it.
Respawn gave every legend Mantle Boost in November 2025: a timed input at the end of a mantle sends you off with extra speed. You choose its input in your control settings (see Reachable controls in Setup). It is easy to try, but it still takes practice to time it and to know when a boost helps.
How to practice
Mantle the same ledge ten times and count how many boosts you land.
Boost out of a window toward the next roof or a piece of cover.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Basic1/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Grab ziplines from the air and get off with a jump or a crouch at the right moment, without hanging in the open.
You can grab a zipline in mid-air and leave it with a jump or a crouch, so you spend less time as an easy target. Which ziplines exist depends on the map and the season.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, jump onto a zipline mid-air, then crouch off onto a ledge.
In your recordings, check how you entered fights from ziplines: how long were you hanging in the open?
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Basic1/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Dive fast after you leave the dropship and touch down when you planned. Where to land is in Game sense.
Holding forward dives you toward the ground, and diving at the right angle keeps your speed up so you land sooner. Choosing where to land is covered in Game sense; this skill is getting there fast.
How to practice
From the dropship, ping your landing spot and time how long it takes you to land there.
In your recordings, check whether you landed before or after the nearest team.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Jump again the moment you land, standing or out of a slide, to carry speed from a jump, a drop or a launch.
A bunny hop is a jump timed right as you land; a slide hop is the same jump out of a slide. Both stretch speed you already have rather than create new speed, so they work best after a slope, a drop or a launch.
How to practice
Hop off a high ledge and compare how far a standing hop and a slide hop carry you.
Chain two hops down a slope without dropping back to a run.
2/5 · SituationalHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Cancel the slowdown after a long fall by catching an edge, a ledge or a wall just before you land.
Landing from a height slows you for a moment. Sliding off an edge, grabbing a ledge or starting a climb just before you touch down can cancel it, so you keep moving into a fight or out of one.
How to practice
Drop off the same ledge ten times and count the landings where you keep running.
In a match recording, check your drops into fights: did you stall when you landed?
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Keep sliding and hopping while you heal, so you are not standing still in the open.
Healing slows you down, but speed you already have carries on. Start a heal during a slide or a hop to keep drifting toward cover. When to heal is covered in Gunfights; this skill is how to keep moving while you do it.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, start a shield cell mid-slide and keep hopping until it finishes.
In your recordings, count the heals you started while standing still in the open.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Jump out of a climb to bounce off the wall and change direction.
A wall bounce is a jump out of a climb that pushes you away from the wall, for surprise angles and escapes. Start with a basic bounce; bouncing after several jumps in a row needs more precise timing.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, climb a wall and bounce to a ledge behind you. Count clean bounces out of ten.
In your recordings, find climbs where a bounce would have got you to cover faster.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Steer in mid-air by holding a strafe direction as you turn, to curve around cover or land where you want.
Holding a strafe direction while you turn curves your jump, so you can bend around cover or line up a landing. Mouse and keyboard and controller do it in different ways. The Apex Movement Wiki advises learning it before tap-strafing.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, slide-jump around a pillar and land behind it without touching it.
Jump through a doorway and curve in behind the wall beside it.
2/5 · SituationalHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Use doors, Evac Towers and map-specific objects to move faster or escape.
Some objects move you: doors can push you away or pull you in, Evac Towers launch you into the air, and some maps have objects that pull you or launch you. What is available changes with the map and the season, so learn the ones on the maps in rotation.
How to practice
Use an Evac Tower to reach a roof you picked before launching.
Use a door or a map object to get out of a doorway, and check whether it gained you distance.
2/5 · SituationalHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
A jump and crouch pressed almost together at the very end of a mantle, for a burst of speed.
A superglide is a jump and a crouch pressed within about a frame of each other at the very end of a mantle. Mantle Boost now gives every player an official boost with a single timed input, but the Apex Movement Wiki says superglides still work with the right settings. The timing is tiny, so check it on a trainer before practicing on a ledge.
How to practice
Check your jump-to-crouch timing on the Superglide Trainer, then practice on one low ledge.
Land several superglides in a row on the same ledge before trying them in matches.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Sharp mid-air direction changes for mouse and keyboard, usually with a movement key bound to the mouse wheel.
Tap-strafing turns you sharply in mid-air, usually out of a slide or a jump. It relies on an input only keyboards have, so controllers can’t do it natively. Respawn has changed how it behaves before, so check the latest patch notes. Learn air strafing first.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, land a 90-degree turn off a slide-jump eight times out of ten.
Use it on quiet rotations first, before trying it in fights.
2/5 · SituationalHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
A slide-and-jump direction change that the Apex Movement Wiki presents as a tap-strafe alternative for controller.
Ghost strafing is a slide-based way to change direction that doesn’t need the keyboard-only input tap-strafing uses. The Apex Movement Wiki presents it as an option for controller players. Treat it as extra credit once air strafing feels solid.
How to practice
Learn the inputs from the wiki, then practice the turn on flat ground in the Firing Range.
Compare it with a plain air strafe through the same doorway, and keep whichever lands you where you want more often.
2/5 · SituationalHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
A jump timed as you grab a zipline launches you off it.
A super jump is a jump timed right as you attach to a zipline, which launches you off the line. The input differs between mouse and keyboard and controller. The Apex Movement Wiki suggests learning zipline jumps first, then super jumps, then the harder mantle jumps.
How to practice
Land five super jumps in a row onto the same roof.
5/5 · HugeHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Fight from cover, show as little of yourself as you can when you shoot, and step back before you take too much damage.
Every fight goes better from behind something solid, like a rock, a wall or a door frame. Before you peek, know where you will step back to, so you can get out of sight in a step or two. Peek, shoot and step back, then come out from a different side or height so the enemy can’t pre-aim your next peek. Where your crosshair sits while you peek is covered in Aim.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, set the dummies to shoot back and fight one from behind a crate: peek, fire a burst, step back. Record it and count the peeks where you stayed out after your burst.
In a match recording, pause each time you took damage. Could you have got out of sight in one or two steps? Count the times you couldn’t.
Watch
By UnrulyHOW TO WIN MORE GUNFIGHTS! APEX LEGENDS COACHINGA coaching video on strafing and using cover in fights (November 2023).Watch on YouTube (opens in new tab)
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Carry weapons for close and longer range, and learn the ones you hit best with.
Carry one weapon for close fights and one that reaches further, so you are not caught out at either range. Learn which weapons you actually hit with, and know their ammo and attachments well enough to grab them quickly from a death box. Respawn changes weapons, attachments and the loot pool every season, so check the patch notes when a new one starts.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, shoot the same dummy at close and at mid range with each of your two weapons. Note which one landed more of its shots at each distance.
Over three match recordings, count the fights where you used a weapon that didn’t suit the distance, such as a shotgun at mid range.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Reload in cover, not in the open, and switch to your loaded second weapon when your magazine runs dry mid-fight.
Reloading leaves you unable to shoot, so reload after you step back into cover and top up between peeks. If your magazine runs dry mid-fight, switching to your loaded second weapon is often quicker than reloading, so keep both loaded. On many weapons a reload from empty takes longer than one with rounds left, and stocks change how fast you switch. Some legend perks reload stowed weapons for you; those are covered in Legends + team.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, empty a magazine at a dummy, then compare reloading with switching to your second weapon and firing. Repeat with a few rounds left in the magazine.
In a match recording, count the times you reloaded in the open or started a fight with a half-empty magazine.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Know what Frag Grenades, Arc Stars and Thermite do, and land each one where you mean to.
There are three standard grenades. A Frag Grenade bounces and rolls, and its timer starts when you throw it. An Arc Star sticks to surfaces and enemies, then explodes after a short delay, slowing and blurring anyone it catches. A Thermite Grenade leaves a short line of fire across the direction you threw it. Grenades take inventory space; legend perks that let you carry more are covered in Legends + team.
How to practice
The Firing Range has unlimited grenades. Throw each type at the same spot from close, mid and far range, and note how far each lands from where you aimed.
Bounce a Frag off a wall so it lands next to a dummy around a corner, then throw a Thermite so its fire runs all the way across a doorway.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Know roughly how much health each enemy has left, using your hit marker, damage numbers and what you see them do.
By default, your hit marker shows an icon for the shield level of the player you hit, and damage numbers add up your recent damage. Enemy shields grow as they earn EVO during the match, so two enemies can need very different damage to break. Keep a rough count for each enemy you hit, and notice when one ducks out to heal or swap. Calling it out to your team is covered in Legends + team.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, set dummies to different shield levels and shoot each one. Watch the hit-marker icon and damage numbers, and note the damage each takes before its shield breaks.
In a match recording, pause after each exchange and guess how hurt your target was. Then watch what they did next, such as heal, swap or push, and note whether your guess fit.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Heal in cover at the right moment, pick the heal that fits the time you have, and cancel it when you need to shoot.
Healing slows you and stops you shooting, so get out of sight first. Cells and syringes are quick but restore less; batteries and med kits restore more but take longer, so use quick heals between peeks and big ones when you are safe. You can cancel a heal at any time, and since May 2026 a Chain Healing option in Gameplay settings lets you queue your next heal while one is running. Swapping shields from a death box is the next skill.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, let a dummy that shoots back break your shield, then get out of sight and heal. Count the heals you started while it could still hit you.
In a match recording, check every heal during a fight: were you out of sight, and did you pick a quick or a long heal? Count the heals that got interrupted.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Shoot over cover that hides your body, so the enemy can only see and hit your head.
Some rocks, crates, ledges and window sills are just tall enough that you can shoot over them with only your head showing. The enemy gets a much smaller target, and you can drop out of sight by crouching or stepping back. Every hit you take there lands on your head, so it helps most against sprays, not against a sniper already aiming at the spot. Check a spot from the enemy’s side first: if your shoulders show, it isn’t one.
How to practice
With a friend in the Firing Range, take turns at crates and ledges while the other looks from the enemy side. Find three spots where only your head shows while you can still shoot.
In match recordings, find fights where you shot over cover. If you took body hits there, note the spot and look for a taller one nearby next time.
Watch
By miLs TipsHow To Head Glitch Like A Pro on Apex Legends with miLs TipsA short guide to head-glitch spots, from easy ones to harder ones (May 2022).Watch on YouTube (opens in new tab)
Gunfights / Grenades
Grenades for damage
Core
Intermediate
Impact
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Land grenades on enemies who can’t easily get away, such as players healing, reviving or holding a small spot.
Grenades do the most damage to enemies who can’t easily move: players healing, reviving, or stuck in a small space. A Frag’s timer starts when you throw it, so a high throw that lands just as it goes off leaves less time to escape than one that rolls in early. An Arc Star stuck to an enemy also slows them. Be ready to shoot as it goes off: a grenade usually sets up your shots rather than winning the fight alone.
How to practice
In the Firing Range, lob Frags at a dummy from mid range until most explode at its feet instead of rolling past or going off in the air.
In your recordings, check each grenade you threw: was the enemy still there when it went off, and were you ready to shoot right after?
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Use grenades to force enemies out of cover, or to block a push while you heal, revive or move.
Grenades also decide where enemies can stand. A grenade thrown behind cover or through a doorway can force enemies to move, so keep your crosshair where they will come out. A Thermite thrown across a doorway or path puts a short wall of fire between you and a push, and an Arc Star’s blast cuts the momentum of enemies who jump or slide in. Grenades can also break doors. Use the time you buy to heal, revive or reposition.
How to practice
With a friend in the Firing Range and friendly fire on, take turns holding a building while the other throws a grenade inside and aims at the exit. Count how often the holder had to step into the open.
In your recordings, find times you healed or revived under pressure. Did you block the push first, and did the enemy reach you before you finished?
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
When several enemies are in view, shoot the one that changes the fight most: whoever is hurting you, whoever is already low, or someone healing or reviving.
Spreading damage across a team rarely knocks anyone, so pick one target and stay on them until they break, go down or hide. That is usually whoever is damaging you, whoever is already low, or someone stuck healing or reviving. A knocked enemy can be revived and can block shots with a knockdown shield, so finish them when no standing enemy is a bigger threat. Moving your aim between targets is covered in Aim; focusing a target with your team is in Legends + team.
How to practice
In match recordings, pause at the start of each fight with two or more enemies in view. Write who you would shoot first, then check who you actually shot and why.
Over three matches, count the fights where you split damage between two enemies without knocking either. Note what made you switch.
5/5 · HugeHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Push when the enemy is weakest: just after their shield breaks, a teammate goes down, or they start healing or reloading, while you still have the health to finish it.
A push works best when the enemy can’t fight back at full strength: a shield has just broken, a teammate is down, or they are healing or reloading. Check your own health first, because pushing on a broken shield into a healed enemy usually loses. Close the distance using cover, and decide early whether you are committing or taking a few shots and stepping back. Pushing together with your team is covered in Legends + team.
How to practice
In match recordings, mark every push you made. Note what the enemy was doing when you started (healing, reloading, knocked or full health) and whether the push worked.
Over three matches, count the pushes you made with a broken shield. Compare how they ended with pushes you made after healing or swapping.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
After you eliminate an enemy, swap your broken shield for the Shield Core in their death box, from a spot where you can’t be shot.
Since February 2024, a fallen player’s death box holds their Shield Core. Swapping to a full one refills your shield in one action, usually quicker than using a Shield Battery. If it is a higher level than your own armor, the extra shield drains away after a short time. Open the box only where you can’t be shot, and take the shield before anything else.
How to practice
In match recordings, time how long you take to open a death box and swap your shield after an elimination. Check that you took the shield before anything else.
In a match recording, check each swap you made during a fight. Could an enemy see you while you were in the box? Count the swaps where you took damage.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
When a fight turns against you, get out of sight, heal or swap, and come back from a new angle or leave.
Plan your way out before you peek, so you can get out of sight in a step or two. Once you are behind solid cover, heal or swap, then decide whether to come back from a new angle or leave. Coming back healed from a new angle often beats pushing on with a broken shield. How to move away fast is in Movement; whether to take the fight at all is in Game sense.
How to practice
In match recordings, mark each time your shield broke. Note how many steps it took to get out of sight, and whether you came back from the same spot or a new one.
Over three matches, count the fights you kept fighting after your shield broke without healing or swapping. Note how many of them you lost.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
In and around buildings, hold the angle enemies must walk into, avoid spots two enemies can see at once, and don’t chase through doorways blind.
Close fights are often decided by where you stand when they start: hold a corner or doorway the enemy has to come through, rather than walking through theirs. Avoid spots with two open angles, since you can only watch one. If they won’t come to you, heal or reposition while they decide instead of chasing blindly through a doorway. How to aim and strafe up close is covered in Aim and Movement.
How to practice
With a friend in the Firing Range and friendly fire on, take turns holding a Training Grounds building while the other pushes in. Record it and note which side won from each doorway.
In recordings of building fights, pause at the first shot. Were you holding an angle they had to walk into, or walking into theirs? Count each.
Watch
By DazsHow To Find & Maintain Strong Positioning On Apex LegendsHolding buildings: harder buildings, good and bad spots, and third parties while you hold (November 2022).Watch on YouTube (opens in new tab)
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Use doors to slow, block and hear a push, and know how enemies can open or break them.
Closing a door slows a push and makes enemies open, kick or break it, which tells you where they are. Melee hits and explosives such as grenades break doors, and some legends can reinforce or electrify them. Don’t wait right behind a door you expect to be broken. Door abilities are covered in Legends + team.
How to practice
When you hold a room in a match, close the doors behind you. In the recording, note whether a door opening or breaking warned you before you were shot.
Early in a match, break one closed door with melee hits and another with a spare grenade. Note how long each took to open the doorway.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
In an even duel, win with the first damage, better cover and well-timed heals, and back off when you’ve lost the trade.
When it’s one against one, small edges decide it: who lands damage first, who has cover to fall back to, and who heals or swaps at the right moment. Keep count of the damage on both sides; if you are clearly behind, get out of sight and reset rather than trading on. Duels with a friend in the Firing Range are a safe way to practice the whole sequence.
How to practice
Play ten 1v1s with a friend in the Firing Range with friendly fire on and matching loadouts. After each, note who did damage first and whether that player won.
In match recordings, find each 1v1 and note who did damage first. Count the duels you kept fighting while behind instead of resetting.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Gunfire draws other teams. Finish fast or break off, heal or swap right after, and face where the next team will come from.
Every fight is loud, so expect another team to arrive if it drags on. Finish quickly or break it off, then heal, swap shields and take only what you need before moving to cover that faces where the next team will come from. If a third team arrives mid-fight, decide fast whether to finish the weakest team, use the chaos to escape, or reset. Avoiding third parties through positioning and rotations is covered in Game sense.
How to practice
In match recordings, time each fight from first shot to last. Note which ones drew another team and how long they had lasted when it arrived.
After each fight in your recordings, check what you did first once the last enemy went down: heal or swap in cover, or loot in the open? Count each.
Watch
By TheOnlyAlphaGamerHow To Survive Third Parties In Apex Legends (Complete Guide)Positioning, armor swaps, retreat timing and the kill feed (June 2026).Watch on YouTube (opens in new tab)
Gunfights / Winning 1v1s
Outnumbered fights
Core
Advanced
Impact
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Very hard5/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
When you’re alone against two or three, fight from spots where only one can see you, take them one at a time, or get out.
Two enemies shooting you at once usually wins, so use doors, corners and tight spaces so only one can see you at a time. Damage the closest one, then reposition before the next arrives instead of holding the same spot. If you can’t separate them, get out of sight and reset, or buy time until a teammate can be revived or respawned, which is covered in Legends + team.
How to practice
With two friends in the Firing Range and friendly fire on, hold a building against both. Record it and count how often both could shoot you at once.
In recordings of fights you played alone, pause each time you took damage from two directions. Note a spot nearby where only one enemy could have seen you.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Learn each map in rotation: its named locations, how they connect, and where the high ground, open fields and launch points are.
You can’t plan a drop or a rotation on a map you don’t know. Learn the named locations first, then the routes between them: ridges and buildings to hold, open ground to avoid, and launchers or ziplines that save time. Battle royale rotates between three maps, and Respawn reworks locations between seasons, so check which maps are live and what changed.
How to practice
In a match, name the location you’re in and the two nearest ones before checking the map labels. Repeat on each map in rotation.
Before the dropship opens, plan your landing and your first move out of it from memory. Then open the map and note anything you got wrong.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Land with a plan, loot what you need for the first fight, and leave before the ring or nearby teams decide for you.
The first minutes decide what you carry into every later fight. Choose a landing that fits your squad’s plan, loot until you’re ready for a fight, and leave on your own terms. Knowing one or two landing spots well makes all of this faster.
How to practice
Pick one landing spot and land there for a week, until you know its loot and its exits.
In your recordings, note the ring timer when you leave your landing spot, and whether you had armor, a loaded weapon and heals by then.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Pick a landing that suits your squad, and read how many teams are dropping with you before you commit.
Spots near the dropship’s path and spots with strong loot usually draw more teams. Look around as you skydive, and if more teams are heading for your spot than your squad wants to fight, switch to a fallback nearby. Ranked has switched between the dropship and assigned drop zones over the seasons, so check how your mode starts this season.
How to practice
On each drop, count the teams landing at or next to your spot and call the number to your squad before you touch down.
Pick a fallback spot before you jump. In recordings, check how often you switched when your spot was crowded, and how those starts went.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Know what you need for the first fight (armor, a weapon you can use, its ammo and heals), then stop looting and move.
Take what keeps you alive first: armor, a weapon you can use with ammo for it, and some heals. After that, fill gaps instead of opening every bin. Loot sources change with each season, so read the patch notes when one starts. Which weapons to carry is covered in Gunfights.
How to practice
Time how long it takes from landing until you have armor, a loaded weapon and heals. Try to beat that time at the same landing spot.
After your first fight, check the recording: what did you run out of, and what were you carrying that you never used?
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Plan your next move before the ring makes it for you, and set off while you still have a choice of routes.
A rotation is your move toward the next safe area. Plan it from the ring timer and the map, leave while you can still pick your route, and arrive before the spots you want are taken. Moving late usually leaves fewer routes and more teams in the way.
How to practice
Each round, note the ring timer when your squad starts moving. Compare the rounds where you moved early with the ones where you moved late.
In recordings, mark each time ring damage or a team forced your route. What would have let you leave earlier?
By MooreOverThe Art of the Rotate - Apex LegendsRotations, from the big picture to the small moves (September 2024).Watch on YouTube (opens in new tab)
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Read the ring timer and the next circle on your map, and remember that ring damage grows every round.
Your map shows the safe area and, once it is announced, where the ring will close next, while the timer shows how long you have. The ring hurts more every round, so a walk through it that is cheap early can be deadly late. Controller-class legends can see a round further ahead at Ring Consoles; that is covered in Legends + team.
How to practice
Each round, say how long until the ring closes and whether you’re inside the next circle, then check the map.
In recordings, note each time you took ring damage. Was it a planned shortcut early on, or did the ring catch you late?
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Use footsteps, gunfire and ability sounds to work out where enemies are and what they’re doing before you see them.
Footsteps, gunfire, doors, reloads and abilities tell you where enemies are, roughly how many there are and what they are doing. Respawn gives enemy sounds priority in its audio mix, and its Focused Mix option also removes your squadmates’ footsteps so enemies are easier to hear. Choosing your audio device is in Setup, and sharing what you hear is in Legends + team; this skill is turning sound into a decision.
How to practice
When you hear footsteps or gunfire, ping where you think it came from before you look. In the recording, check how close your ping was.
In a recording, pause at three moments you heard an enemy before seeing them. Say their direction and distance, then check what happened next.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Leave your landing with a plan: which way the first ring pulls you, which upgrades are on the way, and which teams landed nearby.
Once you’re ready to fight, decide where to go before you have to. The first ring, upgrade spots on the way such as EVO Harvesters, and the teams you saw land all point to a route. Some loot unlocks a little after the match starts, and these features change by season, so check the latest notes.
How to practice
Before you finish looting, tell your squad where you’re heading next and why: the ring, an upgrade or a team you saw. Check the recording to see if you followed it.
In recordings, note how long after landing you met your first team, and whether you or they chose where that fight happened.
5/5 · HugeHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Stand where fights favor you: high ground, cover close by, a view of where enemies will come from, and a way out.
Where you stand decides many fights before the first shot. A good spot gives you height, cover a step or two away, a view of the routes enemies will use, and a way out if another team arrives. Check your spot again each time the ring moves or a team appears. How to peek and use cover once shooting starts is in Gunfights.
How to practice
Each time your squad stops, name your cover, the direction enemies will come from and your way out. In the recording, check that all three existed.
Review three deaths: was the problem the fight itself, or where you were standing when it started? Note the spot you should have held.
Watch
By SlyeMoonApex Positioning Tutorial Pt.1How to read a situation before the fight starts, including baiting (April 2026).Watch on YouTube (opens in new tab)
Game sense / Rotations and the ring
Choosing a route
Core
Intermediate
Impact
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Pick a path to the next ring with cover along the way, and avoid open ground and narrow passes where teams wait.
Two routes to the same spot can be very different: one hops between cover, the other crosses an open field or a narrow pass that another team can watch. Plan a stop with cover where you can heal or fight if needed. Launchers, balloons and ziplines can skip dangerous ground; how to use them is in Movement.
How to practice
Before you move, point out your route and one covered stop on the way. In the recording, check whether you crossed open ground you hadn’t planned for.
Review fights you took while rotating: how many started in the open or in a narrow pass? Mark a route that would have avoided them.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Track the kill feed, the squads left and visible signs of other teams, so you know who’s fighting, who’s weak and who’s still out there.
The kill feed shows knocks and eliminations as they happen, and the count of squads left tells you how crowded the rest of the match will be. In the world, gunfire, care package beams and the scan wave from another team’s Survey Beacon show where others are. Put these together to judge which teams are weak, which are busy and which direction is quiet.
How to practice
Every few minutes, say how many squads are left and where the last fights were. Check the HUD and the map to see if you were right.
When the kill feed shows a team losing players nearby, note what you did: push, avoid or ignore. Review how it turned out in the recording.
5/5 · HugeHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Before you commit, weigh your health, your squad, the ring and the teams nearby. Not every fight is worth taking.
Before you commit, check what you have and what you would walk into: your squad’s health and supplies, your position, the ring timer and how many teams could hear the fight. A fight you can finish quickly from good cover is worth more than an even fight in the open. Waiting or walking away is often the stronger call. What you do once shots are fired is in Gunfights.
How to practice
Before each fight, say one reason to take it and one reason not to. After the match, check which calls led to wins and which led to third parties.
In recordings, list the fights you started. For each, note your squad’s health, the ring timer and nearby teams when you committed.
2/5 · SituationalHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Decide whether a care package or Stronghold is worth contesting, knowing every team nearby can see it too.
Care packages are announced to everyone and carry strong loot, so they draw teams. Since Season 31 (November 2026), a Stronghold also drops while the second ring closes. It lands locked, crushes anything underneath it, and puts up cover around it. Capture progress builds only while a single team is in the zone around it and never resets, so whichever team is inside when it fills wins the loot and a level up for each living member, even if another team did most of the work. Treat both as fights you choose: go when your squad is ready and the area is defensible, or wait nearby and catch the teams that go in.
How to practice
When a care package lands nearby, decide out loud: take it, watch it or skip it. In the recording, check what happened to the teams that went for it.
When you contest a Stronghold, note how many teams arrived during the capture, whether you were still in the zone when it finished, and whether you had a way out.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
In ranked, weigh each fight against what a good placement is worth, so one bad fight doesn’t throw away the match.
Ranked charges an entry cost each match and gives points back for your placement and your eliminations. The cost is lower when your squad’s tier is well below the lobby’s and higher when it is well above. Take fights you can win cleanly or that protect your placement, and avoid ones likely to end your game early. How placement and kills are scored changes by season, so check the Ranked tab in your inventory before planning around numbers. The attitude side of ranked is in Mindset + review.
How to practice
For ten ranked games, note your placement, eliminations and points gained or lost. Which games gained the most: high placements or many kills?
In recordings of early ranked deaths, note whether you chose that fight. Would leaving it have kept you in the game longer?
Before a ranked session, open the Ranked tab in your inventory and note how this season scores placement and kills.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Hold spots that show you the routes enemies use while showing them little of you, so you see them before they see you.
The team that spots the other first decides whether and how the fight starts. Choose spots with a long view of the paths, doors and ridges enemies are likely to use, and avoid skylines and open windows where you stand out. Check which angles can see you, not only the ones you can see.
How to practice
In recordings of your fights, note who saw whom first. Count the fights that started with you being shot before you saw anyone.
When your squad stops, pick the spot with the best view of the way into the next ring. Check whether arriving teams were seen before they reached you.
Game sense / Rotations and the ring
Edge or center
Core
Advanced
Impact
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Know when to take a spot inside the next ring early and when to move along its edge, where fewer sides are open to attack.
Getting into the next circle early lets you claim a strong spot, but teams arriving later can end up around you. Moving along the ring’s edge keeps the ring at your back, but leaves you less room and ties you to the ring’s timing. Neither is always right; it depends on your loadout, your health, the teams left and where the next circle sits.
How to practice
For one session, note each round whether your squad played the edge or the center and how the next fight went. Look for what worked and why.
In recordings of edge rotations, check whether ring damage or a team inside the circle forced you to move, and what you would change.
Game sense / Picking your fights
Third-partying other fights
Core
Advanced
Impact
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Join other teams’ fights when they are weak and distracted, without getting caught by the next team doing the same.
Gunfire tells you a fight is on and roughly where. Arrive while both teams are hurt and busy and you can win an easy fight; arrive too early and you are in an even fight, too late and they have healed. Before you go in, check your route, your cover and who else could be coming. Surviving a third party on your own fight is in Gunfights.
How to practice
When you hear a nearby fight, note when you set off and when you arrived. In the recording, check whether the teams were still fighting, healing or gone.
Review third parties you joined: did another team arrive behind you? Note where you could have waited to see them coming.
Game sense
Endgame
Core
Advanced
Impact
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
In the last rings, hold a spot early, save healing and utility, and only take fights that don’t leave you open.
The last rings are small and crowded, so every team is close and every fight is heard. Take a defensible spot before the final rings if you can, keep enough healing and grenades for the last closes, and count the teams left before you commit. Late on, letting other teams fight each other first is often better than fighting them yourself.
How to practice
In recordings of top-five finishes, note where you were when the second-to-last ring started and how you got there. Was the spot taken early or in a rush?
Before the last two rings, check your healing and grenades. After the match, note whether you ran out or finished with items unused.
Legends + team
Legend roles and picks
Core
Beginner
Impact
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Know the five legend classes and what each brings to a squad, then learn a main you enjoy and two backups with different jobs.
Every legend belongs to one of five classes (Assault, Skirmisher, Recon, Controller and Support) and has a passive, a tactical and an ultimate. Pick a main you enjoy rather than copying a tier list, then learn two backups with different jobs, so you can still help the team when your main is taken, or banned in high ranked lobbies. The roster and abilities change most seasons, so check the patch notes when one starts.
How to practice
Without looking it up, name your main’s class, passive, tactical and ultimate, and one job they do for the squad. Then check the wiki and correct anything you missed.
Pick two backups with different jobs from your main. Play each in the Firing Range and then one match each, and note one thing each can do for the team that your main can’t.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Know what your class can do that others can’t, like scanning for enemies, seeing the next ring or reading care package loot, and use it every match.
In battle royale, each class has perks. As of Season 31 (checked November 2026): Recon legends use Survey Beacons to show enemies on the map; Controllers use Ring Consoles to see where the ring will close next; Support legends revive faster and get a Mobile Respawn Beacon from a fallen ally’s death box; Skirmishers see what a care package holds; Assault legends carry extra ammo and grenades and reload stowed weapons. Respawn changes perks most seasons, so check the latest patch notes. What to do with what you learn is covered in Game sense.
How to practice
Over three matches, note each Survey Beacon, Ring Console or care package your class could use that you passed nearby. Count how many you actually used.
Each time you use a perk, call or ping what it showed, such as enemy positions or the next ring. In the recording, check that your team heard it within a few seconds.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Know what your passive, tactical and ultimate do, and use each one for a reason: to start a fight, escape, take a better spot or help a teammate.
Every legend has a passive that is always on, a tactical on a short cooldown and an ultimate that charges over time. Decide what each is for before a fight, such as opening a push, breaking line of sight or reaching high ground, and save it for that instead of using it the moment it’s ready. In battle royale, earning EVO also unlocks Legend Upgrades at levels 2 and 3; pick the one that fits your squad’s plan. Legends with movement abilities have their own techniques on the Apex Movement Wiki.
How to practice
In three match recordings, mark every tactical you used and write what it was for: start a fight, escape, reposition, help a teammate, or nothing. Count the “nothing” uses.
Before five matches, choose your Level 2 and Level 3 upgrades and a reason that fits your squad. Afterward, note whether you actually used what each upgrade gave you.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Share what you see with pings and short calls: where enemies are, how many, and what you’re doing. Pings work without a mic.
Pings let you mark enemies, places and loot, request items and reply to teammates without voice chat, so use them even when you talk. On voice, keep calls short: how many, where, and how hurt. Say what you’re doing too, like “healing” or “backing up”, so your team knows whether to push or cover you. Microphone setup is in Setup, and staying calm with teammates is in Mindset + review.
How to practice
In a match recording, count the enemies you saw before your team did. For each, check whether you pinged or called it within a couple of seconds.
Record one match on voice and play back your calls. Count the calls that gave number, place and health versus ones like “he’s there” that a teammate couldn’t act on.
Watch
By DazsApex Legends Teamwork Guide: How to communicate effectively on Apex LegendsClear, short calls, and what to do without a mic (February 2022).Watch on YouTube (opens in new tab)
5/5 · HugeHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Stay close enough that a teammate can help within a few seconds, but not so stacked that one grenade or one angle catches you all.
If your team can’t reach you within a few seconds, you’re too far away to trade, revive or push together. Move as a group even when nobody is on voice, and when you stop, spread out so you each see the same fight from a different angle. Standing on top of each other is the opposite mistake: one grenade, one ultimate or one enemy angle hits everyone.
How to practice
Pause your recording every 30 seconds of one match. Each time, could a teammate have reached you or shot your attacker within a few seconds? Count the times you were alone.
In fight recordings, note where each teammate stood at the first shot. Count fights where two of you shared one spot and were hit by the same grenade or angle.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Revive when it’s safe, not just when it’s possible: deal with the threat or block it first, then revive behind cover.
A revive takes several seconds and you can’t do anything else while it runs, so first deal with whatever knocked your teammate. If enemies are pushing, fight them or block the push with cover, a door, smoke or an ability, then revive where they can’t see you. A knocked teammate has some time before they bleed out, so a safe revive a few seconds later often beats a fast one in the open. Support legends revive faster.
How to practice
In match recordings, check every revive you started. Could an enemy see you while you revived? Count the revives that were interrupted or got you knocked.
Over three matches, before each revive say what you’re covering it with, such as a wall, door, smoke or a teammate watching. Note how many revives finished.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
When you’re knocked, crawl to cover, use your knockdown shield, and ping or call what you see instead of waiting.
A knocked player can still help. Crawl toward cover and your team, and raise your knockdown shield to block shots for you or a teammate. Ping or call enemy positions and health, but keep it to one or two pings so you don’t drown out the fight. Since February 2026, your knockdown shield’s level follows your legend level instead of being looted.
How to practice
In recordings, check each time you were knocked. Note whether you crawled toward cover or your team, and whether you raised your knockdown shield when an enemy came to finish you.
Count the pings and calls you made while knocked. Did they tell your team something new, such as enemy position or health, or repeat what they already knew?
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Grab a fallen teammate’s banner, plan where to bring them back, and respawn them somewhere you won’t be caught during the loud wait.
When a teammate is eliminated, their death box holds their banner for a limited time. Take it to a Respawn Beacon or a Mobile Respawn Beacon, and expect nearby teams to see or hear the dropship. Since May 2026, Deathbox Respawns also let you bring a teammate back straight from their death box; it is loud, visible to nearby enemies and takes 7 seconds. If you miss the banner, any legend can craft one at a Replicator.
How to practice
In recordings, note each teammate who died. Count how many banners you picked up before they expired, and how long you took to start a respawn afterward.
Before each respawn, check the minimap for nearby teams and pick cover close to the beacon or box. Note whether anyone attacked during or right after the respawn.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
In solo queue, fit in fast: ping more, follow a clear plan even if it isn’t yours, fill what the squad lacks, and stay with the team.
Random teammates may not talk, may not share your plan, and may play very differently. Use pings for everything, reply to theirs, and pick a legend that fills the squad’s gap. If you disagree with a call, suggest your idea once, then follow, because a squad that splits up usually loses its fights. Text chat and speech-to-text options can help when voice isn’t an option.
How to practice
In a solo-queue recording, count your pings and your replies to teammates’ pings. Repeat after a week of pinging every enemy, request and plan, and compare.
Over five solo-queue matches, note each time the squad split up. Who left whom, and was there a ping or call that could have kept you together?
Watch
By TheOnlyAlphaGamerHow to Carry Bad Teammates in Apex Legends (Solo Queue Guide)Winning solo-queue games when your squad isn’t working together (May 2026).Watch on YouTube (opens in new tab)
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
At legend select, look at what your squad already has and pick a legend that adds what’s missing: a way to reposition, information, or a way to hold a spot.
There is no single squad you must run: in October 2026 Respawn said the most-picked ranked team comp was under 1% of all ranked comps. What matters is that your three legends cover each other, for example a way to start or escape fights, a way to find enemies or the next ring, and a way to keep the team alive or hold a building. If your main is taken, banned or doesn’t fit, switch to a backup that fills the gap.
How to practice
At legend select in five matches, write what your squad already has before you lock in, then what your pick adds. Afterward, note one moment where the team missed something none of you brought.
Over a week, note each match where your main was taken or didn’t fit. Count how often you picked a backup that filled a gap versus a legend you don’t know well.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Know when your ultimate will be ready, tell your team, and save it for the fight or rotation where it changes the most.
Your ultimate charges slowly and can change a fight more than any other ability, so a wasted one is costly. Watch its charge, ping it when it’s ready, and agree with your team what it’s for, such as a rotation, a push or an escape. Ultimate Accelerants add charge when you need it sooner; how much depends on the legend and the patch.
How to practice
In three recordings, note each time your ultimate was ready and when you used it. Count the ultimates that sat unused through a fight or rotation where they would have helped.
Each match, ping your ultimate when it is ready and say what you plan to use it for. In the recording, check whether your team knew before you used it.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Recognize enemy abilities by sight and sound, and answer them: wait them out, go around them, or punish the player who used them.
Learn what the common enemy abilities look and sound like, what they do and roughly how long they last. Often the best answer is not to fight inside them: back off from gas or smoke, go around a held area, or hold the exit until the ability ends, then punish the player who used it. A door that a Wattson has electrified or a Catalyst has reinforced is also a sign the room is held. Counters change as legends are rebalanced, so check the patch notes.
How to practice
Pick the three enemy legends you lose to most. In the Firing Range, have a friend use their abilities near you and note how each looks, sounds and how long it lasts.
In match recordings, mark each time you took damage inside or right next to an enemy ability. Note what you could have done instead: wait, go around, or leave.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
During a fight, call changes the moment they happen: who’s cracked, who’s knocked, who you’re shooting, and when you’re low or out.
Fights turn on information your team can act on right away: an enemy’s shield breaking, a knock, an enemy healing, or you being low. Call it the moment you see it, with which enemy and what changed, such as “cracked the Wraith, left rock”. Call your own state too, like “one shot” or “out, healing”, so teammates don’t push into a fight you’ve left. Reading enemy health is covered in Gunfights.
How to practice
In a fight recording, list each crack, knock and heal you saw. Count how many you called, and how many seconds passed before you did.
Over three matches, check whether teammates pushed on your crack calls. If they didn’t, note what was missing: which enemy, where, or how much damage.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
When an enemy shoots a teammate, they’re exposed to you. Hit them right away, so the enemy pays for every shot they take at your team.
An enemy shooting your teammate is usually not watching you, which is the best moment to hit them. Stay where you can see what’s shooting your teammates, and turn to it as soon as they take damage. If a teammate is knocked, punish the knocker before you revive. Your own peeking and cover are in Gunfights.
How to practice
In fight recordings, note each time a teammate took damage. Count how often you were hitting the shooter within two or three seconds, and how often you couldn’t see them.
Over three matches, note each teammate knock. Did the knocker take damage from you before they could finish or move on?
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Shoot the same enemy as your team, so one goes down fast and the fight becomes three against two.
Damage spread across three enemies rarely knocks anyone, while two or three players on one target can knock them in seconds. Ping or call the enemy you’re shooting, switch to a teammate’s target when they have the better shot, and don’t let a knocked enemy get revived for free. Choosing who to shoot on your own is in Gunfights.
How to practice
In fight recordings, note which enemy each teammate shot in the first ten seconds. Count the fights where you all hit different targets and no one was knocked.
Over three matches, ping or call the enemy you’re shooting at the start of each fight. Note how often a teammate switched to that target.
5/5 · HugeHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
When one of you pushes, everyone goes at once from nearby angles. When you back off, call it and leave together so no one is left behind.
A push by one player lets the enemy shoot you one at a time, while two or three arriving together from different angles splits their attention. Agree on the moment, such as a knock or a broken shield, then commit together or not at all. Backing off works the same way: call it, cover the last player out, and regroup before healing. When to push on your own is in Gunfights.
How to practice
In fight recordings, mark each push and how many seconds passed between the first and last teammate joining. Count the pushes where one player went in alone.
Over three matches, check each time your team backed off. Did someone call it, and did anyone get caught still fighting after the others left?
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
One clear voice decides where the team goes and which fights it takes, and the others back the call even when they’d have chosen differently.
Teams lose more to split decisions than to wrong ones. One player, the in-game leader (IGL), makes the final call on landing, rotations and fights after quick input from the others. Good calls are short and early: where, when and why. With random teammates, anyone can lead by suggesting one clear plan and pinging it.
How to practice
In a recorded match, list every team decision (land, rotate, fight, leave). Note who made each call and whether the team followed it together or split.
For three matches, make one clear call before each rotation, with where and when. Count how many your team followed and how many came too late to act on.
Watch
By RogueWraithHOW TO IGL FOR YOUR TEAM IN APEX LEGENDS RANKEDGetting teammates to listen, callouts, rotations and the endgame (December 2021).Watch on YouTube (opens in new tab)
Legends + team / Calling the shots (IGL)
Leading the drop (Jumpmaster)
Bonus
Intermediate
Impact
2/5 · SituationalHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
As Jumpmaster, take the squad to the agreed spot, land together, and call a change early if another team is heading there.
Squadmates follow the Jumpmaster’s dive unless they break off, so a good drop starts the match together. Agree on a spot before the ship leaves, watch where other teams jump, and call a change early if it’s crowded. Since August 2026, you can volunteer to be Jumpmaster during Character Select. Diving fast is in Movement, and choosing where to land is in Game sense.
How to practice
In five recordings as Jumpmaster, note whether all three of you landed within a few seconds of each other at the agreed spot.
Note how many teams landed at your spot, and whether you saw them in the air and called a change in time.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Time your abilities with your teammates’ so one sets up the other: information before a push, cover before a revive, or moving the whole team at once.
Abilities are stronger together than one at a time: information before a push, cover before a revive, a team relocation before the ring closes. Before you use yours, check what your teammates have ready and say what you’re about to do. With random teammates, follow their ability instead: push when their push starts, or stay inside their cover.
How to practice
With friends in the Firing Range, pick one combo from your squad’s legends and run it on a countdown five times. Note how often the second ability came late.
In match recordings, mark each fight where two of you used abilities. Note whether they worked together, such as cover before a revive, or went off separately.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Before you play, pick one skill to work on, how you’ll practise it and how you’ll check it, instead of trying to fix everything at once.
Choose one skill from this tree, the drill or match habit you’ll use for it, and the check that shows how it went. Practice built around one clear goal with feedback on the result is what researchers call deliberate practice. It is linked to better performance in many activities, though a 2024 study of Counter-Strike and League of Legends players found no clear link, so treat it as a method, not a promise. Keep the same focus until your checks improve.
How to practice
Before each session, write one line: the skill, the drill or habit, and the check. Example: crosshair placement; hold head height at doorways; pause on three corners in a recording.
After each session, mark the line done, partly done or skipped. After a week, count the sessions that had a focus and the ones where you stuck to it.
Mindset + review
Warm-up routine
Core
Beginner
Impact
2/5 · SituationalHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Basic1/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Run the same warm-up before you queue, so your aim and movement feel normal and you can tell an off day from a bad game.
A warm-up gets your hands and eyes used to the game before the matches that count. Use the same steps each time, such as a Firing Range lap with some movement, tracking and a recoil spray, so one day compares with the next. We found no research that sets an ideal warm-up length for Apex, so stop when your checks feel normal rather than when a timer ends. Aim-trainer routines are covered in Aim.
How to practice
Write your warm-up as three or four steps, such as a movement lap, tracking a moving dummy and one recoil spray. Do the same steps before every session for a week.
After each warm-up, write one word: sharp, normal or off. At the end of the week, compare those words with how each session went.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Watch your recordings with one question in mind to find mistakes you can’t see while playing. Most practice checks in this tree start here.
Making a usable recording is covered in Setup; this skill is what you do with it. Pick one question before you press play, such as “why did I take this fight?”, and pause at the moments that answer it instead of watching the whole match. In school PE studies, video feedback taught movement skills better than spoken feedback alone. For Apex decisions that is a reasonable bet rather than proof.
How to practice
Before you watch a recording, write one question. Pause at each moment that answers it and note the time and what you saw.
Review one match per session for a week. Count how many of your notes led to a change you can see in a later recording.
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Start each review with your deaths. Rewind to where you chose the fight or spot, and name what decided it: position, timing, greed, panic or aim.
Deaths are the easiest place to begin because the outcome is clear. Rewind to the moment you chose that fight or position, not just the last few seconds, and name the cause in one word. EA’s own habits guide asks whether greed, timing, position or panic killed you most. The word that comes up most over many deaths is a good next focus.
How to practice
For each death in a session’s recordings, write the time and one word: position, timing, greed, panic, aim or other. Count the words at the end.
Rewind each death to the moment you chose that fight or spot. Write what you knew then and one thing you could have done instead.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Notice when frustration starts changing how you play, and act on it before one bad game turns into a bad session.
Tilt is frustration that builds after repeated mistakes, losses or a teammate’s errors, and it shows up as rushed choices and lost focus. Researchers describe it the same way and link it to weaker attention and performance. Learn your own signs, such as taking fights you would normally skip, blaming teammates or re-queuing straight away. If frustration from gaming stays with you long after you log off, it is worth talking to someone you trust.
How to practice
Write down three signs that you are tilted, such as pushing without a plan, blaming teammates or re-queuing instantly. After each session, tick the ones that happened.
In the recording of a bad game, find the first moment one of your signs appeared. Note what happened just before it.
Mindset + review / Tilt and focus
Breaks and stopping points
Core
Beginner
Impact
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Decide before you queue when you will take a break or stop, such as after two early deaths in a row, and stick to it when you want one more game.
Rules set in advance are easier to follow than choices made while frustrated. Write them as if-then plans: “If I die early twice in a row, then I take a break before queuing again.” General research shows if-then plans help people act on their intentions, including dropping something that isn’t working. In a study of top League of Legends players, longer breaks after losing streaks went with slightly better play afterwards.
How to practice
Before each session, write your if-then rules, such as “If I die early twice in a row, I take a break before the next game.” Keep them where you can see them.
After each session, note every time a rule was triggered and whether you followed it. Aim to follow it every time for a week.
Mindset + review / Tilt and focus
Staying calm with teammates
Core
Beginner
Impact
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
When things go wrong, skip the blame. Give one useful call instead, save the post-mortem for after the match, and mute rather than argue.
Blame in the middle of a match makes the next fight harder for everyone. In a League of Legends experiment, players paired with an insulting teammate performed worse, on their own and as a team. Talk about what went wrong after the match, keep it about the play, and own your part first. If a teammate keeps flaming, mute them and report real abuse; how to make clear calls is in Legends + team.
How to practice
For one session, tally every time you blamed a teammate during a match. Next session, replace each one with a useful call: where, how many, what to do.
In the recording of a match that went badly, listen to your voice chat. Count blame lines and useful calls, and compare with a match that went well.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Set session goals about what you do, like checking the ring before you move, instead of results like wins or RP that also depend on lobbies and teammates.
A result goal, such as a win or a new rank, depends on your lobby, your teammates and luck. A process goal names something you do in every fight or rotation, so you can meet it even in a lost game. A review of sports studies found process goals were linked with much larger performance gains than result goals; it covered traditional sports, not Apex. Use results to check your direction over weeks, not to grade a single session.
How to practice
Rewrite one result goal as a process goal you can count in a match, such as “name my way out before every fight”. Use it for a whole session.
After the session, count in your notes or recording how often you met the process goal. Rate the session by that count, not by wins or RP.
Mindset + review / One focus per session
Tracking your progress
Core
Intermediate
Impact
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Write down the same few checks after every session, so you judge progress on weeks of notes instead of how the last game felt.
It is easy to judge a whole week by the last game or one big moment. A short written log of the same checks (your focus, whether you met it, and one number you care about) shows trends over weeks. A large review of goal research, outside gaming, found that monitoring progress helped people reach their goals, more so when they wrote it down. Compare like with like: the same mode and the same check.
How to practice
Keep a log for two weeks: date, mode, focus, whether you met it (yes, partly, no) and one number such as damage or placement. Fill it in before you close the game.
At the end of each week, compare your log with the week before. Write one sentence on what improved and one on what didn’t.
Mindset + review / Reviewing your own games
Turning reviews into practice
Core
Intermediate
Impact
4/5 · HighHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
End every review with one takeaway, make it your next session’s focus, and check the next recording to see whether it changed.
A review only helps if something changes in the next match. Keep the takeaway small enough to see on video, such as “heal behind cover, not in the open”, and use it as your next focus. Then look for it in your next recording. Fixing one mistake often makes the next one visible, which is a normal part of improving.
How to practice
After each review, write one takeaway as an action you will take, small enough to see on video. Make it the focus of your next session.
In your next recording, count the chances to use your takeaway and how many you took. Keep it as your focus until most go right.
Mindset + review / Reviewing your own games
Learning from better players
Core
Intermediate
Impact
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Watch stronger players with one question, such as when they rotate or how they reset a fight, then test one idea in your own games.
Streams and videos from stronger players show choices you might not think of. Pick one question, pause when it comes up, and ask why they chose that move with what they knew at the time. Then try the idea yourself and check it in your recording. Research on learning by watching others is mostly about movement skills, so for game decisions this is coach advice.
How to practice
Watch one match from a stronger player with one question. Write down three moments that answer it and what they did each time.
Try one of those ideas in your next session. In the recording, note whether you used it and what happened.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Get a second view from a coach, teammate or friend. Ask about specific moments, write down what you hear, and turn one point into your next focus.
Other people notice habits you miss, but feedback works best when it is about the play, not about you. Ask about specific moments with a time, note the answer, and try one point before explaining or arguing. Feedback research finds it can help or hurt: it tends to help when it keeps attention on the task. Expect some advice to conflict; test it in your recordings rather than taking it on trust.
How to practice
Before a review with someone else, list two or three moments with their times and one question each. Write their answer next to each one.
Pick one piece of feedback as your next focus. After a week, tell the person what you tried and show them a clip of it.
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
After a lost fight or a teammate’s knock, use the same quick reset, such as one breath and a short cue phrase, before your next decision.
Frustration from one fight easily spills into the next decision. A reset is a few seconds you repeat every time: breathe out, say a short cue to yourself such as “next fight” or “check cover”, then look at the map and your health before you move. Sports studies link practised self-talk with better performance, mostly in traditional sports. Practise the reset in calm games so it is there in tense ones.
How to practice
Pick a reset and a cue phrase. Next session, use it after every lost fight or knock and keep a tally of how often you remembered.
In recordings, look at the 20 seconds after a lost fight, with and without your reset. Note whether your next move looked rushed.
Mindset + review
Ranked mindset
Core
Intermediate
Impact
3/5 · SolidHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Medium3/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Judge your ranked play over many games, not one. Queue fresh, play to your plan, and let a single bad placement go.
One ranked game says little, because lobbies, teammates and third parties vary so much in a battle royale. Judge your climb over a set of games, by whether you kept to your plan and process goals. Queue when you are fresh and stop when your rules say so. Ranked rules and points change by season, and in-match ranked choices are in Game sense.
How to practice
Before a ranked session, write your plan: the most games you will play, your process goal and your stop rule. Afterwards, note whether you kept each one.
Mark each of your last ten ranked games as fresh or tilted. Compare the points you gained or lost in each group.
2/5 · SituationalHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Easy2/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
Try new skills where mistakes cost little, such as the Firing Range or unranked matches, and bring them into ranked once they work.
Ranked makes experiments feel expensive, so new habits often get dropped at the first mistake. Practise a new skill in the Firing Range or unranked matches first, check it in your recordings, then take it into ranked. Which modes are available changes by season, so check what is live.
How to practice
For each new focus, note where you practised it (Firing Range, unranked or ranked) and the date you first used it in ranked.
Before taking a skill into ranked, check two unranked recordings where you used it. Note how often it worked.
2/5 · SituationalHow much it changes your results. More bars and greener means a bigger payoff.
Difficulty
Hard4/5How hard it is to learn and pull off in a real fight.
In big moments, like a final circle or a game that could rank you up, keep making the calls you would make in an ordinary match.
Pressure tends to push play one of two ways: rushing into fights or freezing until the choice is made for you. Use the same reset and checks you use all game, and ask what you would do if nothing were at stake. A review of esports studies found emotions affect performance and that players often lack good ways to manage them. The late-game decisions themselves are covered in Game sense.
How to practice
In recordings of your last few final circles, compare your choices with an early-game fight. Note any moments you rushed or froze.
Before the last two rings, say your reset cue and your plan out loud. Check the recording to see whether you followed the plan.
