Rumors of a PVE mode for Apex Legends have been lurking in the fan community for some time now, and players are quick to leap at any obscure leak or unused code that might imply as much being on the hori
Jump Towers will consistently give away your position, once you launch from the top. And often, they’re used in a hurry to outrun the relentless Ring. But those players who rotate with planned strategy can use Jump Towers for another purpose: recon. Rise up the Jump Tower, and just before you reach the balloon, drop back d
This is a tough problem, and unfortunately, I’m not paid enough to solve it. But I would recommend that the game consistently adjust and re-roll lobbies based on performance in the previous games played in their recent histories. So, if a strong player plays two or three games in a row alongside other players at their skill levels, they default to easier lobbies for a while regardless of their own skill levels. Us potatoes will be fine with this as long as there are occasionally some lobbies where it’s possible for us to win as well. Regardless of how it's implemented, if SBMM is in the game, it should still always feel as though a player is facing off against random lobbies in public ga
Apex Legends is one of many in the Battle Royale trend, but it has truly found its stride. After establishing refreshing traits like the ping system and faster gameplay, there has been a satisfying increase in content over time. EA has similarly improved Battlefront II in this way. Respawn even started off the new year with an event that cycles multiple Limited-Time Modes every two d
SBMM needs to exist because if the top one percent of players spend more than 300 times as much time in the game than any player in the bottom 10 percent, then in a true random system, the low-tier players will consistently be matched in lobbies with these top one percent players who play the game 300 times as much as the no
A good Lifeline will prevent any of her teammates from going down. Her ability to cast a bubble shield around anyone who she is reviving on top of her multiple ally healing drone. Her ultimate allows for a support-oriented care package to drop, providing her teammates with shield, health and shield pa
Portal’s Chell had the right idea—now make GLaDOS proud. Obviously, Wraith’s ability to phase while she extends a portal is highly useful for crossing dangerous terrain. Your entire squad can escape the sharpest eyes of a sniper. However, Wraith’s portal is also useful for downed teammates. Instead of defending another knocked teammate who tried to be a lone wolf, offer them a portal to saf
The majority of people complaining about SBMM seem to be in the top echelon of players. Their complaints are valid. But it’s important to look at this as a mathematical challenge. The reality is that without SBMM, even middle-of-the-road casual players have an extremely high chance of being consistently matched with top players against whom they don't stand a cha
Some have suggested that instead of matchmaking based on skill, lower-skilled players should grind harder and play better in order to compete with top players. First of all, not everyone has 3,000 hours a year to put into a video game. But more importantly, I'm not really sure how a person can improve when they're getting clobbered every game. After a certain point, it probably wouldn't matter anyway because the player would eventually find a different game that's more helpful hints fun for t
Likely one of the most decried and frequently debated adjustments that Respawn's made to the Apex formula is introducing skill-based matchmaking (or SBMM) to the casual, everyday "Play Apex" mode of p
For simplicity's sake, let’s say Apex Legends has a player base of 1,000 players, ranging from somewhat active to very active. Ten players comprise the top 1 percent and 990 people would comprise the other 99 perc
I have a lot of respect for Ninja. The man, alongside his wife, Jessica, built an a multinational empire by playing video games. I, on the other hand, spend most of my days in my pajamas, tweeting jokes and Photoshopping bad Apex Legends me
Her ultimate ability "rolling thunder" is a powerful airstrike which operates as a power area denial style move. Forcing enemy teams inside of buildings its an excellent tool to prevent enemies from approaching your team or using a common choke po
Not only can we envision Overwatch as a Netflix TV show, but we view it as its own universe like Marvel 's. As Disney+ is already set to release four shows based on Marvel characters in 2021 and has several more on its slate, there’s no reason the Overwatch characters couldn’t provide the framework for an intertwined series of characters whose lives intersect. Building on the cinematics that made fans fall in love with Overwatch ’s characters, a series of TV shows could explore these characters and their roles in depth. To that end, Overwatch ’s dramatic interpretation of the role of artificial intelligence in the future is worthy of exploration as the dangers of AI begin to manifest in modern soci