Why Apex Legends Is The Best Battle Royale

Gamers are no stranger to debates. Every day there are hundreds of arguments online debating topics like the best game, best gun, “X character is obviously stronger than Y character!”, etc. 

Today, we are going to carry on that tradition with the question, “what is the best Battle Royale game?” I’m here today to inform you that there is one answer to that question: Apex Legends. 

Please let me explain why Apex Legends is number one in the Battle Royale genre.

Choose a Legend For Your Style

Apex Legends includes a diverse cast of playable Legends with a huge assortment of different abilities and personalities. Players can pick the Legend that best suits their playstyle. Whether you’re a fragger, a support player, or a medic, there’s a Legend designed for that role.

Each Legend has a passive, tactical, and ultimate ability to complement the traditional gameplay. But unlike other hero shooters, there’s no game-breaking or overpowered abilities. Legends are well balanced for the most part and gameplay still mainly revolves around the gunplay.

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Beautiful Dynamic Maps

Seven seasons in, Apex Legends already has three gorgeous maps. Each map has its own personality coupled with unique gameplay features.

Kings Canyon is filled with wildlife, from the beasts in the sky called Flyers to the massive dinosaur creatures appropriately named Leviathans. There’s definitely some barren wasteland on the map, but Kings Canyon can be a looker as well. The centre includes a stunning canyon with a magnificent river rushing through it.

World’s Edge has a beautiful colour and weather pallet. The map is covered in icy blues and lava oranges. The main features of the map include a train that circles the map and serves as a form of transportation as well as a hot point of contention. World’s Edge is vertical and filled with skyscrapers offering a stark contrast in gameplay.

Finally, Olympus may be the prettiest map of all. Cherry blossom trees and luscious fields of grass accent the modern architecture filling the map. Olympus offers Apex Legends’ first-ever vehicle, the Trident. Additionally, the gigantic Phase Runner in the middle of the map adds a whole new element to the gameplay.

Fortnite, on the other hand, is 16 seasons in, and it only has one playable map at a time, with two total maps. Call of Duty: Warzone also forces players into one single map. Apex Legends offers players true variety, and every map is top-tier.

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Fast-Paced and Tactical

Apex Legends offers the best of both worlds. The game is fast-paced but also tactical. It's the perfect hybrid Battle Royale.

Fortnite is centred around the building mechanic. Some players grew to love it, but others hate Fortnite based off of building alone. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is more tactical than Apex Legends, but it’s extremely slow and not to mention, clunky.

Apex Legends is a perfect crossover between both ends of the spectrum. The game is fast-paced but also very tactical. Each Legend’s abilities can shape a fight. If you get shot in Fortnite, just build walls to block the damage. Apex Legends players don’t have this luxury, so using cover and manoeuvring tactically is a necessity. On the flipside, Apex Legends gives players room to outplay one another. PUBG and Warzone often come down to which player saw who first. The time to kill (TTK) in Apex Legends is higher. This means players take longer to die. This gives players a real opportunity to fight back and defend themselves from attacks.

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Lore and Story

Last but not least, Apex Legends is complemented by a deep, rich story and lore. The foundations of Apex Legends have been around for many years. Apex Legends drew heavy inspiration from the Titanfall series. A large portion of the locales, guns, and characters in Apex were first seen in Titanfall.

Apex Legends has built on this history while developing its own. Every new Legend comes with a trailer comparable to a movie cinematic. We learn these Legends’ backgrounds and what goals they hope to reach within the Apex Games. 

Season 5 offered players a full dive into the lore. We got to experience the Broken Ghost Season Quest. The Broken Ghost Season Quest involved multiple co-op PvE encounters. Players were faced with resolving the long-going conflict between Revenant and Loba. Along the way, players were exposed to each Legends’ unique personality.

This type of lore-building makes Apex Legends more than just a game. Players get attached to the Legends and the story of Apex. It’s hard to move on to a different game when you’re leaving behind a character you’ve grown with and spent so much time on. In Warzone or PUBG, you’re playing as just another soldier. In Apex Legends, you are using a carefully crafted character with hopes and dreams of their own.

We know the term “dead game” likes to be tossed around, but it does not apply to Apex Legends. Sure, Apex isn’t as popular as it once was. However, the game is still thriving and has tons of room to grow. Apex Legends has consistently remained in the top ten games on Steam since it was released on the platform. Apex Legends typically garners a concurrent 100,000 players on Steam. That does not include the hordes of players playing on consoles. With a mobile release in the works, 2021 could be the best year yet for Apex Legends.

The competition may be fierce, but for the reasons listed above, I declare Apex Legends the best Battle Royale game out there.

 

Stay tuned here @GGReconEsports for Apex Legends news, guides, features, and more.  

Images via Respawn Entertainment