Apex Legends’ newest limited-time mode Control will be bringing a more traditional flavor of shooter experience to the battle royale.
Players may be familiar with the capture zones, infinite respawns, and loadouts from other contemporary titles, but Apex puts its own spin on a variety of these mechanics. With map events occurring every few minutes, an evolving Ratings system, and unique spawn mechanics, there are a number of ways to help secure victory for your team.
Control will only be available in Apex for the first three weeks of season 12, Defiance. Make sure you can hit the ground running when it goes live with these tips and tricks we noted during our hands-on preview of the mode.
Don’t underestimate the back cap
Winning in Control comes down to one key factor: holding the majority of the capture zones. Breaking free from a strong hold can be tough, too. The longer the enemy holds dominion over the map, the more points they score and the further out of reach a win becomes for you and your team. But back-capping the enemy’s FOB—the zone that’s closest to their home base—is a powerful strategy to turn the momentum in your favor.
You can only spawn on a zone if it’s connected to your home base. To spawn at B and continue their aggression, a team must hold the zone closest to their home base for B to remain linked. Throughout our hands-on preview, on Barometer especially, back caps were a consistent occurrence every few minutes. Giving your team an opportunity by depriving the enemy of a spawn in the middle of the map can be crucial to victory. The importance of this strategy is a two-way street, though. Watch out for enemies trying to take your spawn zone in the same way when your team is in control.
Timing is everything. If you’re gone for too long, or a lone wolf expedition behind enemy lines goes awry, all you’ll accomplish is leaving your team a player down in each fight. Legends with high mobility such as Pathfinder are perfect if you find yourself going for plays like this since they’ll let you close the distance between objectives at a better pace for such long flanks.
Don’t forget you can switch legends
It may seem like an obvious point, but Apex has rarely offered the ability to change legends in the middle of a match—and even when they do, it’s only between rounds. Whenever you die in Control, you’re free to change both your loadout and your legend before spawning back in. This is important because synergy with your team is key to victory.
If your team is playing aggressively, complimenting them with the utility of Mad Maggie’s speed buffs or Revenant’s totem can keep giving them the edge. Holding down B? Pick up a defensive legend such as Wattson or Gibraltar to enhance your fortifications. You also just don’t want to be playing Bangalore against a team with three Bloodhounds. Experiment as each match progresses and see what fits best for how you play Control.
Neutral care packages are crucial
Care packages filled with high-tier shields and legendary weapons drop into the map during one of two map events that can occur. All players begin the match with blue armor and improving your personal Rating only affects the quality of your guns. This means that unless you have a Lifeline care package on hand, these airdrops are the only way of obtaining upgrades to your shield. With the majority of the lobby still stuck with blue shields, an increased health pool gives you a distinct advantage.
These care packages also contain the suite of powerful weapons you’d expect, allowing you to kit yourself out with guns like the Kraber or Spitfire against your comparatively under-equipped opponents. While loadout weapons may have infinite ammo in Control, care package guns still have the same limited reserve, so use them wisely.
Mid-match events like this are broadcast by the announcer, but it can be easy to miss them in the midst of Control’s persistent action. Keep an eye out for the UI pop-up and the airdrop’s incoming location on the map.
Play the objective, get your ultimate
Being a lone wolf might net you a few sneaky kills, but playing with your team yields far greater rewards. Every time you capture a zone, defend a zone from attackers, or take down opponents, your personal Rating will increase. Each of these methods gets additional bonuses if you’re working with your squad while you do it, meaning that if you want access to better versions of your loadout weapons, playing as a unit is crucial.
Every time that you level up your Rating to a new tier, you’ll receive your ultimate as well. This makes the early fights around the B zone in each match a chaotic affair, with most players reaching that first tier quickly if they assist in capturing the neutral zones. Tactically speaking, if your team is holding both your home zone and B with little competition from the enemy, getting your ultimate can be slow because of this system. Switching to a legend whose strength lies in their passive and tactical abilities may prove more beneficial than sitting and waiting to pull off a highlight play with a Bangalore or Horizon ultimate.
Loot your enemies, refine your build
In Control, the loadouts you choose from each time you respawn are set in stone. Many of these loadouts may have a weapon like the Flatline that’s to your liking, but that weapon is paired with something less desirable, such as the Bocek Bow. This can be a major pain point if you need to defend a zone like B or C on Barometer, where fights are confined to tight corridors and ranged weaponry loses all utility. Looting is an easy way of circumventing this issue in prolonged battles.
While looting may not be as much of a priority as it is in battle royale, players will still drop both their weapons and shields when they die. This means that if you take down a player with a Mastiff in their loadout, picking it up in place of a Longbow DMR or Bocek might be the difference between life or death in your next battle to defend a zone. Don’t be afraid to scavenge the battlefield for weapons dropped from foes and friends that can perfect your playstyle.
