Apex Legends demands a new perspective in combat for its new Arena Mode. After all, whereas the Respawn title's Battle Royale relies on outlasting enemies, the Arena Mode requires players to outmaneuver their foes. Essentially, the Arena Mode becomes a race against time as players need to maximize their limited resources to eliminate the competition. Moreover, as with Battle Royale, one mistake in a round can cost the match in the Arenas.
Players who want to dominate in the Arena Mode will need to discard their Battle Royale habits. Instead, players need to find the best way to transform their Legend's toolkit into the perfect fast-paced arsenal. In this need for speed, some pro tips can transform Arena Mode newcomers into new Apex Predators.
11 Remember The Gimmicks
The new Arena Mode comes with five maps - each with their unique themes and, more importantly, gimmicks. Players who want to dominate Arena Mode should commit to mind what these special map features are and how they can maximize these for their party.
For instance, Phaserunner in Talos boasts a prototype Phaserunner to teleport to a mini-platform for straightforward skirmishes. Meanwhile, Party Crasher in Komo is a nighttime cityscape littered with obstacles and semi-open buildings for ambushes. Lastly, Kings Canyon has a small open corridor at the edge accessible via ziplines.
Taking note what these gimmicks are and how players can capitalize on them for a match can be vital for securing quick kills.
10 Consider The Alternatives
Interestingly, just because a map has a gimmick doesn't mean players need to commit to them. However, players do need to take note what to do should their opponents not use a map's supposed highlight. In these cases,
Phaserunner: If not the platform, they're likely awaiting in the central rock formation or the multi-platform construction site on the other side of the map.
Party Crasher: If not inside houses, enemies are likely on the rooftops or below the central bridge.
Kings Canyon: If not in the zipline-access corridor, they're likely on top or within the bunkers on the other side of the map.
9 Check Firing Rate, Mag Size
Players panicking about their Arena Mode weapon choices should mainly consider two things: Firing Rate and Magazine Size. Remember, the fast-paced nature of Arena Mode means a lot of battles really boil down to who secures the most bullets in the fastest - and the higher the firing rate and mag size, the more bullets they squeeze in. As such, SMGs prove great starting weapons, while LMGs offer the safe firing rate option in the endgame.
Alternatively, players can also look at reload times and handling if they're the more tactical combatant in team deathmatches. In this regard, the AR can prove handy, or even the Sniper Rifle.
8 Get Picky With Ability Purchases
To accommodate the faster battles in Arena Mode, the game now allows players to purchase Tacticals and Ultimates instead of relying on a hardline CD system. This also means Legends such as Caustic and Bangalore get more deployables, and Ultimates become purchasable every few turns. However, just because they're available doesn't mean they're always useful.
Instead of prioritizing Tacticals and Ultimates when available, players should only get them if they're useful for the map. Players can spend an entire match without using an Ult, and sometimes even barely using Tacticals.
7 Get To Higher Ground
A higher ground gives players a better vantage point over their surroundings. In Battle Royale titles, this gives teams opportunity to spot enemies from afar. However, in fast-paced matches like Arena Mode, the higher ground almost always provides the advantage. Essentially, players up high not only get to see where enemies are - instead, they can just pick them off and chase after them if they try to escape.
Aside from being the sound strategy that it is, players can maximize the higher ground further. For instance, Sniper Rifles can easily obliterate enemies from afar. Likewise, Grenades can deter an enemy approach and force them to an unfavorable position.
6 Shock And Awe Works
The many environmental elements - rooftops, ziplines, houses, underground bridges - means multiple points of engagement in Arena Mode. And true enough, this level of unpredictability still opens room for surprises for any squad. And remember, the team who catches the enemy off-guard first will likely secure the round.
In turn, players should make it a habit to approach matches with an equal degree of precision and stealth. Keeping the squad hidden via walls or cover can help pinpoint the enemy position and attack them from the flank. This almost always results in engagements with immediately a few knockdowns.
5 Slide And Skip For Mobility
Remember, in Arena Mode, there's no room to escape. In turn, the few seconds of gunfights between two squads will more or less determine the outcome of the round. However, there's no reason for a player to just rush in and go all-out on the get-go. In fact, players who play around with the game's sliding, jumping, and crouching mechanics may get a few precious seconds to secure the advantage.
Players need to take note that the fast-paced nature of Arena Mode means everyone else is itching to press their trigger fingers. Meaning, they'll likely become predictable in a firefight and just spray fire in the player's direction. If an enemy is exhibiting such behavior, sliding-crouch or strafing from side-to-side can prove confusing enough for enemies to miss their marks.
4 Divide And Conquer Within Reason
Dividing-and-conquering remains a sound strategy in any team deathmatch. After all, a lone teammate can serve as bait to lure the enemy squad out for an ambush. However, as much as this is effective, this approach can spell early death for an unprepared team.
To maximize divide and conquer, players should always remain within reasonable distance to their allies. Moreover, players should always ping an enemy's location first before zooming in for the assault. That way, the team is aware of where a skirmish may be, and they'll have a few seconds to decide whether to provide backup immediately or strike from elsewhere.
3 Ping Everything Useful
In Arena Mode, pinging almost always means two things: an area is worth visiting, or an enemy is out there. However, considering that Legends scream as soon as they get into combat, pings aren't really useful, right?
However, remember that not pinging enemies means allies have to spend a few seconds looking for an engaged ally first before getting to help. Those few seconds might prove too fatal for that ally under fire. In that regard, players should immediately ping as soon as they see the tiniest hints of movement. Even if a teammate has already pinged the enemy, having three pairs of eyes know where an enemy is can be handy in any combat situation.
2 Stay Behind The Lead
Chances are, someone else - probably a Bloodhound - will almost always take the lead in the match. If that's the case, it's always wise for players to trail behind them and not necessarily stay beside them. That way, players always have room to provide support once the lead engages the opponent.
For instance, the lead will most likely focus on a single enemy. With that in mind, the player can focus on finding any other opponents that might flank their lead to a disadvantage. Likewise, players themselves can flank an unsuspecting enemy because they're too focused on the lead.
1 Healing Is Healthy
Healing isn't always bad. While the fast-paced nature of Arena Mode would have players just skip to the next round instead of prolonging a losing battle, a timely revive can give a team the means to a stunning upset. Legends such as Lifeline with an auto-revive and Mirage with an invisibility revive can become assets in these situations.
Remember, there's a lot of room in any Arena Mode map for cover and for hiding. Meaning, a teammate who lures enemies out to a separate area leaves more than enough time for another teammate to heal a downed ally. Sometimes reviving a teammate just outside an ongoing firefight can give them the right firepower for a stunning clutch.