"Losing isn't fun. That's why I don't do it."

First time dropping into King’s Canyon? Here’s what you need to know.

1. Learn the best way to drop.

The drop is one of the most important tactical moments in the game. It’s your moment to pick where you and your squad will land on the map.

• For your first few rounds, stay near the Jumpmaster when they launch until they get close to the ground. This way you can learn the map and avoid setting your team up for trouble.
• If you’re chosen as the Jumpmaster in one of your earlier rounds, Relinquish it to pass it to someone else who knows the map better.
• Once you’re ready to be the Jumpmaster, make sure to watch for enemies landing in similar areas. Change course if you see enemy units landing near you or ping a suggestion to your Jumpmaster. The big colorful smoke trails behind you will show where enemies are landing.
• Try to land in an area with Supply Bins so you can quickly stock up on weapons, ammo, armor, and more. Without a weapon all you can do is punch, and while it may surprise a few players, it can only get you so far.
• Drop as fast and as early as you can (unless you see enemies landing where you’re going) so you can get loot before other teams. Try to get your speed up to 145 on the speedometer before you launch.

2. Communicate with your squad.

Apex Legends has an efficient ping system that allows players to share critical information without needing a microphone. There are tons of ways to use the ping controls, but here are the top things you should start pinging right away.

• Ping any time you see a new enemy.
• If you’re low on ammo or need items, ping those items.
• Call “dibs” if there’s an item or ammo you need.

As you get more familiar with the maps, you should also start pinging location suggestions.

3. Fill up your inventory and swap it often.

There are tons of places you can find inventory items in the different maps. Here’s what we suggest stocking up on right away.

• Get weapons, grenades, and ammo, but also make sure you find a helmet and a body shield to absorb damage.
• Look for attachments that fit your weapon. When you pick up the attachments, you’ll see a slot below it saying whether it fills that slot or if you’ll be swapping it out. If you find a better gun, your mods will transfer automatically if it uses the same ones as your previous guns.
• Pick up as much ammo as you can and always have it as fully stocked as possible. Pro tip: Ping your squadmates if you need more.
• Swap out armor, weapons, and more as you see higher tier options.
  

4. Keep your health up and shield charged.

Always make sure you stock up on:

• med kits, which restore health
• shield kits, which restore your armor
• a knockdown shield, to protect yourself and block damage for a temporary amount of time.

Also remember that if you’re knocked out and don’t get revived in time, your teammates can pick up your banner and respawn you using a Respawn Beacon. One teammate can pick up the banner, and a different one can then respawn you.

5. Learn to move fast.

Apex Legends is a fast-moving game, and you want to be able to get around the map as quickly as possible.

Always make sure to:

• Holster your weapon any time you’re running, especially if it’s to get into the Ring.
• Slide down any hills or declines.

6. Always have grenades on hand.

If you’re following tip #3, your inventory should already be bursting at the seams, but make sure you always have at least one grenade on hand.

Grenades can be used strategically to:

• get enemies out from cover
• deal damage from afar
• buy time if you need to retreat or gain high ground.

7. Stick with your squad and stay in the Ring.

While it can be tempting to wander off and explore all there is to see in Kings Canyon or Olympus, early on you should try to stick as close to your squad as possible. This prevents other teams from ambushing you, where you won’t be able to ping for help.

If you ever fall behind, check the map to see where your team is, and use a Zip Up Balloon to jet pack closer to them. This is also effective if the Ring is closing in and you’re too far away to sprint there.

8. Focus on playing as two to three Legends at first.

Each Season we introduce exciting new Legends with unique abilities, backstories, and more, so it can be tempting to want to try them all. If you’re a beginner, we suggest focusing on two or three of your favorites to play as first so you can master their abilities.

This also ensures that if another player chooses the Legend you want, you still have a few other go-to options you feel familiar with.

Not sure who to pick? These are our picks for the best Legends to play as a beginner:

• Bangalore
• Fuse
• Lifeline
• Pathfinder

Want more tips? Go to ea.com, or check out our Answers HQ forums.

There are several modes in Apex Legends. You can squad up with friends, or play by yourself and get matched with a squad:

• Training - The opening game tutorial. You need to play this before you can join matches.
• Firing range - A practice area where you can test out weapons, ammo, and new Legends.
• Duos - 30 squads of two players compete to be the last one standing in the arena.
• Trios - The original game mode, where 20 squads of three players compete to be the last standing.
• Battle Royale - A competitive mode that lets you play with other players at a similar skill level.
• Mixtape - An ever-changing playlist of some of the fan-favorite modes. Modes rotate every hour.
• Private Match - You can invite 60 players and 5 observers to a standard game. Playing in Private Match mode requires cross-play and doesn’t earn you XP or other progression.

Apex Legends rarity colors

There are four different item colors you’ll see in Apex Legends and each indicate a different rarity.

Apex Legends currencies

Apex Legends has four currencies to help you progress through the game and unlock items:

• Crafting Metals
  • Pulled from Apex Packs.
  • Used to craft skins that you want.
• Legend Tokens
  • Earned primarily through completing matches.
  • Used to buy Legends.
• Apex Coins
  • Purchased using real-world money.
  • Used to buy Apex Packs, Legends, weapon skins, and Legend poses.
• Heirloom Shards
  • Only found in Apex Packs.
  • Used to craft items from the Heirloom Store.

Cosmetic Apex Packs are randomized in-game containers filled with three cosmetic items or crafting currencies. You can learn more about Pack drop rates on ea.com.

You can gain Apex Packs one of three ways: through leveling-up your account, by purchasing Packs from the in-game store, or by earning them with Battle Pass.

Leveling up your account

As you level up your account, you can earn one free Pack. The frequency of Apex Pack drops changes with your level:

• Level 2–20: One Pack every level
• Level 22–300: One Pack every two levels
• Level 305–500: One Pack every five levels

You’ll also continue to earn 600 Legend Tokens per level.

Purchasing Packs

You can buy Packs by purchasing Apex Coins:

1. From the main menu, go to the Store tab.
2. Click Apex Coins.
3. Choose the amount of Coins you want to buy. For reference, each Pack costs 100 Coins.
4. A window will pop up asking for your payment information, if you haven’t added it already.
5. Make sure your payment info is correct, then click Pay Now.
6. You’ll get a notification saying your payment is complete.
7. Go to the Apex Packs tab in the store.
8. Purchase either one Pack for 100 Coins, or 10 for 1,000.

Earning Packs through Battle Pass

Each Season there is a new Battle Pass. You can unlock free items and Packs every Season through normal play, or you can buy a Premium Pass to earn more exclusive rewards.

For more info on Battle Pass, check out the FAQ on ea.com.

What if I get duplicate items in a Pack?

The game automatically recognizes what items you have, so you can never get duplicates. Instead, it’ll grant you a certain amount of Crafting Metals based on the rarity of the item.

You can’t buy crafting materials in Apex Legends with Apex Coins. The only way to get them is through opening Packs.

Anytime you get a duplicate of any item, it’ll be converted to Crafting Metals based on the rarity:

• Common: 15 Crafting Metals
• Rare: 30
• Epic: 200
• Legendary: 600

Show your personality by customizing your Apex Legends with cosmetic skins, banners, poses, and more from the Packs you get in-game.

To customize your Legends

1. Go to the Legends tab.
2. Click on the Legend you want to customize.
3. Sort by Skins, Banners, Emote Wheel, or Finishers. There will be a red dot indicating any new customizations you’ve unlocked.
4. Scroll down and click on the customization to try it on.
5. Select Equip (or double-click) to add it to your Legend, or Unlock to buy it with crafting materials.

To customize your weapons

You can also add charms and skins to your weapons. Remember, you won’t start a match with your weapon, but this will customize how they appear in-game after you find and equip them.

1. Go to the Loadout tab.
2. Click on the weapon type you want to customize. There will be a red dot indicating any new customizations you’ve unlocked.
3. Click Charms to switch to looking at charms, then click Skins to switch back.
4. Scroll down and click on the customization to try it on.
5. Select Equip (or double-click) to customize the weapon, or Unlock to buy it with crafting materials.

To customize the game

1. Go to the Loadout tab.
2. Click Game Customization.
3. Sort by Transitions, Music Packs, or Skydive Trails. There will be a red dot indicating any new customizations you’ve unlocked.
4. Double-click to choose a new customization.