Apex Beginner Guide: First Steps in Season 30

Apex throws you into a 60-player drop with no tutorial that explains the actual game. This guide is the order of operations for your first 20 hours — what to pick, where to land, and what to grab before you get shot. For deeper picks, see the best legends for beginners and best guns for beginners.

Pick a forgiving legend first

Start with a legend whose kit helps you survive mistakes, not one that rewards perfect mechanics:

• Bloodhound (Season 30 rework) — the tracking passive literally shows you where enemies went. Best teacher for reading fights.
• Lifeline / Newcastle / Gibraltar — revive and shield help your squad recover from errors.
• Avoid hyper-mobile legends (Axle, Pathfinder, Vantage) until you can control a gun — their value is repositioning, which assumes you already know where to reposition.

Full tiers are in the Season 30 legend tier list.

Landing: drop with your squad, not alone

The single biggest beginner mistake is dropping solo to a hot POI and dying in 30 seconds. Drop on or next to a teammate, aim for a POI with cover and multiple buildings, and skip the most contested spot on the map. In Season 30 the loot has been deliberately thinned (see the loot changes), so one building won’t hand you a purple loadout — you’ll rotate and loot more than before.

Loot priority, in order

1. A reliable gun — an R-301, Flatline, or R-99. Don’t chase a care-package weapon you can’t find.
2. A body shield — fights are unwinnable without one.
3. Ammo for that gun, then heals (syringes, cells).
4. Attachments last — they matter less than the above, and the new Corrupted Attachments are situational trades, not auto-picks.

Two Season 30 changes reshape this: bins no longer reset to higher tiers, and Arsenals are time-locked until Evo Harvesters activate (roughly the first ring). Don’t run to an Arsenal at the very start — it’s closed.

When to actually fight

Fight when you have a shield and a gun and you outnumber or out-position the enemy. If a teammate is knocked, disengage and revive — a 2-vs-3 is a coin flip you usually lose. Listen for third parties; Apex’s kills come from the squad that arrives last, not first.

Learn movement before you need it

Sliding lowers your hitbox and keeps you fast; basic strafe (left-right while aiming) makes you harder to hit than standing still. The deeper techniques — superglides, tap-strafes — are in the movement guide. Check the lobby’s new Playground tab (Season 30’s UI overhaul) to see real weapon stats before you practice, then drill in the firing range.

The decision

For your first 20 hours: one legend (Bloodhound or a support), one gun type (an AR), land safe, loot in order, fight only when ahead. Ranked currently unlocks by account level and tightens further in Season 31 — start in pubs. Keep it simple; the mechanics layer comes later.

Related: Apex settings guide · weapon tier list