<br>There are eight playable characters (called "Legends") in Apex Legends at launch, and each squad member must choose differently. Two of the starting eight Legends must be unlocked through earning in-game currency or spending real-world money. Apex Legends embraces a totally free-to-play model on its platforms (Origin on PC, PlayStation? 4, and Xbox O<br><br> <br>Save The Peacekeeper For The Last Round - The Peacekeeper shotgun is rather useless early on in the match (though it can be charged for a stronger shot), but in the final circle, it can be quite dea<br><br> <br>New players may feel the need to pick up everything - after all, you never know when a Skullpiercer will come in handy! The only thing is that certain items are only applicable with certain weapons, and that Skullpiercer is useless if you're using a Devotion and Peacekeeper. Picking up random items is a good way to needlessly clog your backpack, and worse, you could be inhibiting your teammate who DOES have a gun compatible with the Skullpiercer. Pay attention to what does w<br><br> <br>On top of being initially perceived as a somewhat desperate attempt on EA's part to chase market trends, Apex Legends launched on February 4 with almost no fanfare leading up to its surprise arrival. Nevertheless, Apex Legends has ballooned into nothing short of an enigmatic triumph for EA and developer Respawn, shattering player count milestones at speeds that would have made Fortnite wince. On its surface, it would seem that Apex Legends does little to nothing that this week's major releases don't, lacking the graphical spectacle of Metro Exodus and Anthem , the open-ended sandboxes of Far Cry New Dawn and Crackdown 3 , and the pop culture mélange that Jump Force provides. But it stands out from the throng, largely thanks to its simple-yet-enthralling gameplay loop, well-refined Titanfall gunplay and movement systems, and refreshing additions and improvements to the battle royale form<br><br> <br>But it's not just about improving what already works from the battle royale genre since Apex Legends adds many all-new features too. Matches are fast and usually completed in less than 20 minutes. At the beginning of a given match there's a dropship players jump from, like any other battle royale, but in this one players jump together as a squad and one player is designated the "Jumpmaster" to keep them together. Players can manually separate from the pack of course, but it's a smart change to enforce the idea that Apex Legends is a truly a squad-based Slg Game dlc. There currently are no solo or duo mo<br><br> <br>It's an all-around terrible weapon outside of the initial loot scramble. Replace it, avoid it, leave it for some other unfortunate soul to struggle with. You've got bigger fish to fry if you're not in immediate dan<br><br> <br>Grab Everything And Share Everything Else - What's meant by this tip is that it's important to grab whatever is available as quickly as possible. There's not telling which other players may be around the corner and it's better to be safe than sorry. Of course, a player's survival is usually contingent on their team surviving as well, so any gear that's unneeded should be shared with the gr<br><br> <br>Metro Exodus is a diamond in the rough here in terms of its gameplay and story, with the other releases this week falling agonizingly flat in one area or the other. While Apex Legends is being universally lauded for its impressive blend of frenzy and strategy, as well as for its revolutionary ping system that makes teamplay easier and more integral than in any shooter before it, February has brought little else in the way of gameplay innovation. Crackdown 3 is a fairly mindless power fantasy sandbox, which is great for players seeking that experience, but disappointing to others due to how few additions it brings to the table when compared with the 12-year-old initial entry into the ser<br><br> <br>Pathfinder - Ideal for scouting ahead, Pathfinder is equipped with a grappling hook to climb up cliffs in order to survey the situation ahead. His Zipline Gun is also great for getting teammates out of a sticky situat<br><br> <br>Apex Legends' game map also includes an emphasis on verticality. There are zip lines in and around the map and its hot spots, and there are balloon launching points that players can zip up to and jet away to other parts of the map. One of the playable characters can even deploy their own zip lines for the squad. These systems work well with the nicely flowing control scheme and animations of Apex Legends where players can slide down hills or mantle up to high ledges. If you see something, there's usually a way to get there, except for some of the cliff and mountain tops which are out of bounds. Did we mention that top player Legends will be displayed in-game on banners and there's bonus XP for taking out kill lead<br><br> <br>Of course, that's impossible to truly ascertain from our experience so far with Anthem 's early hours , meaning players will have to wait and see if they will be undergoing the gauntlet of tedium that constitutes for the genre's standard end-game. However, it will undoubtedly be nigh impossible for Anthem to be able to suitably compete with a free-to-play battle royale like Apex Legends when it comes to keeping players interested with a steady flow of content. For those in the industry seeking to recreate Apex Legends ' sleeper success, or at least successfully leech away some of its massive player base, there are a couple of lessons to be learned from this week's cramped mix of launches. First, consider the option that prolonged marketing and over-exposure might actually serve to hurt games