How To Survive Apex Legends No-Fill Matchmaking

How To Survive Apex Legends No-Fill Matchmaking

Written by 

Coleman Hamstead

Published 

17th Mar 2021 18:30

Apex Legends has finally introduced No-Fill Matchmaking. Prior to the most recent update, it was impossible to search Duos or Trios without getting matched with random teammates. This was an inconvenience for players that just want to play by themselves. Now, players not interested in team play can go at it alone and those looking for more team-oriented squadmates can match together.

No-Fill Matchmaking can be appealing for a few different reasons. Sometimes players want to focus on completing daily and weekly challenges without distractions from teammates. Sometimes random teammates don’t match your playstyle, and it leads to frustration. And sometimes you just want to test your individual skill and see if you can win by yourself.

Surviving as a solo in No-Fill Matchmaking is a tall order. But follow these tips and tricks, and you might just stand a fighting chance.

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General Tips For No-Fill Matchmaking

How Can I End Apex Legends Fights Quickly?

Prolonged fights are a death wish for solo players. The longer the fight goes on, the less chance you have of getting out alive. An extended fight gives enemy squads time to group up and strategise, plus allows third-parties time to jump in. Taking too much time allows opponents to heal up, revive teammates, and all kinds of advantages not afforded to a solo player.

Use weapons capable of downing opponents quickly. If a fight is taking too long, consider running away and resetting. Time is of the essence in no-Fill Matchmaking.

How Do You Isolate Opponents In Apex Legends?

The key to defeating squads as a solo is to turn 1 vs. 3s into 1 vs 1s. To do this, you must isolate your opponents. Isolating opponents requires advanced movement skills and the use of angles. 

Always be aware of line of sight. You want to position yourself in spots where only one of your many opponents can see you. You never want to take on a team of three at once. Use walls and terrain to block the vision of enemies. 

If you run across a team that’s split up in separate buildings, immediately charge one of them. The goal is to eliminate one before their teammate can get there to help. After that, you’ll have one less enemy to deal with.

There’s no one ultimate strategy to isolating opponents. It requires quick thinking and understanding of the situation. Practice makes perfect, so take as many fights as possible until you learn to manipulate opponents to your will. 

If You Never Stop Moving In Apex Legends, Does It Help?

Yes. Let us repeat ourselves: never stop moving. Staying in one spot will lead to certain death in No-Fill Matchmaking. Enemy teams will focus on you and send you back to the lobby before you even have a chance to fight back.

Always be moving from vantage point to vantage point. If you start a fight in a building, run outside and climb onto the roof after taking a couple of shots. If you see more than one enemy chase you outside, shoot a couple more shots and then retreat back inside. It’s a constant game of cat and mouse. Just don’t get caught.

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Who Are The Ideal Legends For No-Fill Matchmaking?

Octane

Octane is a solo player’s dream Legend. Octane is not a very team-oriented Legend, but he’s exceptional as an individual. Octane’s Passive, Swift Mend, will automatically regenerate health slowly. Passive health regeneration is great for the self-sustainability required while searching No-Fill.

Octane’s other abilities, Stim and Launch Pad, allow him to engage and disengage as no other Legend can. Need to escape from an unfavourable situation? Pop Stim and run for the hills. See a prime third-party opportunity? Throw down a Launch Pad and jump into the action.

If you’re looking to play fast and drop high-kill games, Octane is the Legend for you.

Wraith

Since the release of Apex Legends, Wraith has always had a reputation as the Legend for solos. TTV Sweats flock to Wraith due to her incredible self-sustainability and small hitbox. Talented Wraith players can take on multiple opponents at once thanks to these factors.

Wraith has been hit with a bevvy of nerfs, so she isn’t as good of a solo Legend as she once was. Her Tactical ability is no longer a Get Out Of Jail Free Card and her hitbox has been enlarged. Still, she remains a popular choice for players that prefer No-Fill.

Wraith’s Passive ability is surprisingly useful while searching No-Fill. Voices from the Void warns Wraith when danger approaches. This added information can be critical for knowing when you’re in sight of enemies, when a bunch of enemies are around, plus other useful information.

Overall, Wraith has an ideal skill set for an army of one.

Bloodhound

Information is key in competitive shooters, and even more so for a solo player. Bloodhound’s Eye Of The Allfather ability allows players to scan their surroundings, revealing crucial information. A well-placed scan will reveal enemy players, traps, and other clues through all structures. With this information, solo Bloodhound players can analyse the situation and determine the best course of action. Is this fight winnable? Or is it time to retreat and reposition?

When it comes time to fight, Bloodhound’s Ultimate ability turns the user into the supreme hunter. Bloodhound’s speed is increased by 30%, enemies are highlighted in red, and Bloodhound can activate their Tactical every eight seconds. 

Bloodhound’s Ultimate evens the playing field for a No-Fill player. Winning 1 vs. 3 or 1 vs. 2 is a tough task. However, an enhanced Bloodhound has as good a chance as anyone.

Bloodhound’s Ultimate can also be used to escape a sticky situation. The 30% increased movement speed gives Bloodhound a chance to outrun their opponents. If things look grim, Bloodhound players can swallow their pride and live to fight another day.

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What Are The Ideal Guns For No-Fill Matchmaking?

Wingman

One of the number one rules of No-Fill Matchmaking is the need to end fights early. The longer it takes to down an opponent, the more time their teammates will have to arrive for help. Additionally, the longer the fight goes on, the higher the chance of a third-party encroaching.

The Wingman is an ideal primary gun for this task. The Wingman is extremely risk/reward-based. The Wingman takes significant skill to use and missed shots are costly, but it’s one of the strongest guns in the game in a sharpshooter’s hands. Theoretically, one could eliminate three players in just six shots with a Skullpiercer Wingman. 

Sure, a sniper can achieve similar results, but they are nowhere near as versatile as the Wingman. The Wingman can perform at all ranges, short to long. Also, it has great handling and reload speed.

There’s a reason prominent Apex solo-queuers like Brandon “Aceu” Winn and Coby "dizzy" Meadow typically have a Wingman in hand. The Wingman is capable of taking out a squad of opponents before they even knew what hit them.

Mastiff

The Mastiff Shotgun is another weapon built for 1 vs. X fights. The Mastiff is strong for the same reasons as the Wingman; it can eliminate entire squads at a rapid pace. Able to deal over 100 damage per shot, the Mastiff makes quick work of enemies.

The Mastiff also allows users to take “peek shots”. This is when you take a shot, dip into cover, and then peek and take a second shot. With automatic guns like the Spitfire or R-301, players need to stand out in the open to deal damage. With a single-fire gun like the Mastiff or Wingman, players can take a shot and retreat to cover before the opponent can fire back. This strategy is perfect for avoiding damage, something of the utmost importance when you don't have teammates to back you up.

Apex Legends hasn’t earned the moniker of “Mastiff Legends” for nothing. The Mastiff is an extremely powerful gun, one you’ll want on your side in the No-Fill Matchmaking journey.

Volt And R-99

While playing solo, players will typically want to get up close and personal with their opponents. This is where submachine guns like the Volt and R-99 shine. These two guns are a bit more reliable than the Wingman when it comes to close range fights. Feel free to swap the Wingman out with either of these automatic guns if they’re better suited to your style of play.

The Volt and R-99 are both capable of one-clipping an opponent. An accurate spray of bullets out of either of these guns will down an opponent faster than any other gun in the game. This trait will prove handy in No-Fill Matchmaking.

In a team-based game like Apex Legends, playing as a solo is reserved for the bravest of players. But with the right strategies, Legends, and guns, No-Fill Matchmaking can be a fun and rewarding challenge.

Images via Respawn Entertainment


Coleman Hamstead
About the author
Coleman Hamstead
Coleman is a freelance journalist at GGRecon. While gaming has always been his passion, it wasn’t until he worked as a Sports Journalist at the Community College of Baltimore County that he found his enthusiasm for writing. In the time since Coleman has had his work featured in publications such as The Washington Post/Launcher and ESTNN. Coleman is a graduate of Towson University with a degree in Sport Management and Business Administration.
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