As Apex Legends has evolved over the years, its maps have gotten larger to accommodate changes. World's Edge, the game's second map, is still larger than King's Canyon - Apex Legends' original map. Likewise, Olympus is way bigger than World's Edge, and Storm Point dwarfs Olympus.
Tridents were first introduced into Apex Legends alongside Olympus. Found on Olympus, Storm Point, and their respective Control maps, Tridents spawn at set locations. They have three seats in total: one for the driver and two passenger seats for squadmates only. While the driver gets pulled out into a third-person view so that they can maneuver, brake, and boost, passengers remain in first-person to heal, use their abilities, and shoot to defend the Trident. However, Tridents aren't used as much as other modes of transportation found in Apex Legends. While they provide a good way to get from point A to point B, they do very little else to help the core gameplay loop.
Times to Use Tridents in Apex Legends
There are generally two scenarios where it is best to get into a Trident. The first and most common scenario is when there are few or no enemy squads in the vicinity. Since no one is actively shooting at the player squad, they can hop into a Trident, wait for the mounting animation, and drive into Apex's ring. The squadmate with more health tends to drive, while their teammates heal up in the passenger seats.
The second good scenario for Tridents is when Apex Legends players are deep in combat and it looks like there's nowhere to run. Left with few options, a squad can move toward the nearest Trident and get out of dodge. While they still receive 20 percent damage from enemy gunfire while on the Trident (the Trident itself cannot be destroyed unless flown off the map), this is generally preferable to being caught in a worse position.
Tridents Have Bad Parking and Make Too Much Noise
Apart from these two types of situations, Tridents aren't used much. For starters, their placements can be a bit inconvenient. Since Respawn Entertainment didn't want players to easily run away while fighting in a Point of Interest (POI), it placed the Tridents in obscure areas off the beaten path. This is fine while in combat, but once the dust has settled a lot of players would rather walk to their destinations than go out of their way to pick up a Trident.
Once in a Trident, a squad has to deal with several things. The first and most obvious issue with the Trident is how loud it is. Enemy squads can hear the vehicle coming from a distance, making it easy to pinpoint and shoot. This noise, coupled with the Trident's large and distinct frame, tempts every squad in the vicinity to stop shooting other squads and aim their crosshairs at the vehicle. Apart from gunfire, Trident users also have to watch out for areas they are not allowed to drive through, abilities such as Crypto's EMP or Wattson's Perimeter Security fences that disable the vehicle's movement, and Arc Stars which stun the Trident.
As mentioned, a squad in a Trident can use certain abilities and shoot to defend their hovering vehicle. While abilities do help, they are situational and don't protect the Trident from taking damage (except for Gibraltar's Dome of Protection). As for shooting, doing so on a moving Trident is difficult. This was done so drive-bys wouldn't become a meta-defining strategy and ruin Apex Legends for those walking on foot. Since the Trident has no mounted weaponry and can't be used to run over players, its best uses are being a repositioning tool and as makeshift cover.
Apex Legends Has Other Ways to Get Around
That isn't to say Tridents are the only way to get around in Apex Legends. From the ever-present jump towers to Storm Point's gravity cannons or Olympus' Phase Runner, there are many options to choose from that are quieter, safer, and more versatile than Tridents. Even certain Legend abilities, such as Valkyrie's Skyward Dive and Octane's Launch Pad, make their users harder to hit. Tridents aren't bad; not by a long shot. But the sluggishness of getting into a Trident and their vulnerability makes players turn to other methods of transportation before considering hopping into one.
Apex Legends is available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.