Apex Legends Is Here and It’s Custom-built to Takedown Fortnite

2019’s First Major Fortnite Challenger Is Free-to-play and out Right Now

Apex Legends is a new battle royale game from Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment. Details about the title were kept under wraps until last week when rumours about its pending release began surfacing. So, it’s a surprise that a big-time launch from a triple-A publisher like EA suddenly hit the market yesterday. That’s right. Apex Legends is officially live and ready to play.

Apex Legends is a battle royale first-person-shooter that takes place in the Titanfall universe. That’s right, we now have a Titanfall expanded universe. Gamers play as human/humanoid characters and won’t have access to Titanfalls’ signature mechs (at least for now). The game is free-to-play and available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The title stands out for being the first true Fortnite competitor to come from a major studio (excluding battle royale game modes tacked-on to titles like Call of Duty).

The game’s official page lists it as a strategic battle royale featuring innovative combat in 60-player matches. It also states that like Fortnite, Apex Legends will unfold over seasons. Completing seasons unlocks, “New Legends, fresh weapons, themed loot, and more.” And of course, players may fork over their real-world cash for character upgrades, add-ons, and Battle Passes.

Apex Legends emphasizes team-based gameplay and allows players to revive fallen teammates – a feature that its trailers highlight. To begin, players choose from eight cool-looking characters with unique skillsets. They’re your standard FPS archetypes and include:

Wraith – Interdimensional Skirmisher
Pathfinder – Forward Scout
Mirage – Holographic Trickster
Lifeline – Combat Medic
Gibraltar – Shielded Fortress
Caustic – Toxic Trapper
Bloodhound – Technological Trapper
Bangalore – Professional Soldier

Check out the characters in action in this fun gameplay launch video.

Most people don’t play battle royale games for the story. But if you’re into the mythology of games like Overwatch, Apex Legend’s official synopsis may tickle your fancy.

The Frontier War is over. After hundreds of years of conflict between the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation and the Militia founded to fight them, the far-off region of space known as the Frontier can finally know peace.

But liberation can come at a cost: when the IMC and the Militia departed, they took everything of value and left the Frontier worlds in disarray. With no way to support themselves, the people of the Frontier had no choice but to leave their homes. The brave relocated to the Outlands.

A remote cluster of planets on the fringes of the Frontier, the Outlands are untouched by war and teeming with resources and opportunity. But life is cheap here, and danger lurks around every corner. Its pioneers, explorers, and outlaws used to spend their lives locked in an endless power struggle – now, they settle their differences in the Apex Games, a bloodsport where Legends from all corners of the Frontier compete for money, fame, and glory.

You can take a look at Apex Legend’s official launch trailer below.