When it comes to Apex Legends, dropping in and playing for kills can be a lot of incredibly gratifying fun. But actually winning a battle royale match has always been about surviving, playing smart, and looking at the big picture. And now that Apex's second season has introduced ranked leagues into the gameplay formula, there's never been more incentive to get serious about bringing home those coveted wins.
Unfortunately, not everyone's on the same page there. This can be made frustratingly obvious when queuing up for a ranked match, where your valuable ranked points are on the line. An early loss can amount to a significant setback, and placing among the top squads is key to moving up the ladder. If you find yourself struggling, try ditching the ten bad habits listed below, and leave them in the casual bracket where they belong.
10 Ignoring The Third Wheel
Sometimes the whole squad just isn't available to play, and one needs to run as a duo alongside a random third player. It's a given that one will work better with their more familiar partner, but it's exceedingly important to remember that one will need to work as a three person team.
Granted, they're not always going to end up being the most cooperative of people, and if that's the case, it's not on the player. But ignoring the third and leaving them behind when they're putting forth the effort leaves the squad at a drastic disadvantage, so don't be the problem.
9 Playing Too Aggressively
This can be a difficult habit to break, as Apex Legends has a tendency to encourage aggressive play. And in casual mode, it's probably going to pay off more often than it doesn't. But when shooting for the win, dragging the squad into unnecessary firefights doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
In the Ranked Leagues, it's just a matter of running the numbers. One might get one or two points' worth of kills, but they will be putting a lot more at risk by getting into a fight to begin with. If they're not in the way and they haven't noticed the player in question, it's probably a better bet to wait them out and let another squad eat them up.
8 Straying From The Squad
Staying together means winning together, it's as simple as that. And if the paraphrased cliche doesn't work, maybe the basic arithmetic will. Enemy squads (the functional ones, anyway) are going to be traveling in packs of three. Three is always going to be a bigger number than one, or even two.
There are some valid reasons, of course. Say the squad's making a suicidally late drop into a crowded hot zone, for instance. But in practically any other circumstance, this is a bad move that leaves everyone involved a lot more vulnerable than they should be.
7 Loitering In The Open
Maybe the player has found a shiny, golden loot box out in the middle of an open field. Or perhaps they've decided that they're carrying way too many shield cells between pieces of solid cover. In neither of those cases is it an appropriate time to stop and take inventory.
It's tempting, sure. And one might be thinking that they'll dig through real quick and be on their merry way. But keep in mind that the sniper scopes in Apex Legends are absolutely wonderful for landing headshots, and that player silhouettes are extremely easy to spot. If one is out in the open, one will need to be moving.
6 Getting Too Thirsty For Kills
Landing a good kill feels great, and being able to do it with that fancy new finishing move one just unlocked is even better. But having that finishing move interrupted by the target's squadmate unloading an R99 into the players face feels about as far to the opposite as it possibly can.
Unless one is absolutely certain that it's safe or crucial to do so, it's best to wait to finish off those enemies. The player in question won't lose the point for knocking them down unless they're revived, and even then, an attempted revival is actually a great opportunity to double that score.
5 Giving Up (After Being Downed)
Everyone's been there. Getting downed sucks, and waiting for a respawn sucks even more. It's especially grueling if those teammates are in bad shape, and the situation is looking a little hopeless. However, ditching them before the respawn timer has counted down isn't going to make things any better.
This is especially important in the early game, where all quitting out will do is ensure that you're losing Ranked Points. In Apex Legends, the tide of a fight can change with a single, well placed shot. Besides, it's totally infuriating to be the person that won out on that uphill fight, just to see those teammates disconnect as someone snags their banners.
4 Taking The Obvious Route
There's not a lot of time for route planning when the player is making a desperate run with the ring nipping at those heels, which is why players should probably make one in advance. And it's preferable to avoid routes that involve popular choke points. That said, just never go to Bunker. Ever.
If the area is crowded, then the player in question can safely bet that a majority of those squads will be making a bee-line to the nearest, most direct path to the next ring when the time comes, and then one can double their bet on it being a total bloodbath. Taking the time to plan a trickier, less direct path to the next ring is a decision that'll pay dividends.
3 Getting Picky With Weapons
Everyone has their favorites, and that much can't be helped. But the loot game in Apex Legends is a fickle one, and one simply can't guarantee that they'll manage to kit up in their favorite loadout from game to game. Work with what one can find, and upgrade accordingly.
If someone loves the Peacekeeper, but has all the modifications necessary to kit out a mean Alternator with plenty of ammunition, the choice should be pretty obvious. If the player is not good with it, practice with it. Being adaptable and versatile will get players a lot further than being a deadshot with the Longbow alone ever will.
2 Immediately Looting Kills
Everybody loves a lootbox. This becomes abundantly clear when one witnesses their squadmates picking through them while bullets are whistling over (and sometimes into) their heads. It should probably go without saying, but nobody wants to be that guy.
Clear out any immediate threats before going to dig through the goodies. Nothing makes a sniper smile wider than a stationary target rummaging through loot. It's important to note that there are obvious exceptions to this, like quickly swapping out that depleted body armor or snagging some desperately needed ammunition.
1 Dropping Into Hot Zones
Finally, the most controversial entry on this list. Stop dropping into hot zones, and completely erase Skulltown from one's vocabulary. Making a hot drop is likely the worst decision that any player could possibly make when shooting to actually win, no matter how skilled they are.
In terms of Ranked play, there's very little practical benefit to this. The player could potentially get more kills, but they can only earn a maximum of five points that way. They are entirely likely to max out if they survive into the top three squads anyway, so in reality they're just putting their placement score at incredible risk with little to gain in exchange.