so now that we know that getting faster at apex is the key to improvement, how exactly do we speed up fights? To answer this, let’s look at the concept that I like to call the “damage delta”:
what is the damage delta?
the “damage delta” is the difference between a player’s damage output and their damage taken - I like to view it this way because apex is not as simple as putting out a ton of damage to get kills, but to get good you also have to focus on minimizing the damage your are taking.
why do we care about it?
the most important reason why maximizing the damage delta is important because it enables an artifical numbers advantage. When someone gets cracked and is forced to heal, they are essentially out of the game for the next few seconds (see health item table below). For example, dealing 140 damage to someone with a purple shield means they will have to spend 10 to 27+ seconds doing nothing but healing.
this may seem obvious when said out loud, but timing is a huge part of this game. Newer players often don’t understand the importance of making a move right after they deal a lot of damage. As soon as someone gets chunked for a lot of health, the clock starts ticking, and you have a limited time to respond before they are back to full. Remember, a shield battery only takes 5 seconds to pop.
however, you don’t necessarily have to go completely monkey mode when you chunk someone. If you deal a lot of damage from range, you can use this window to reposition to a superior spot and angle out your opponent. It’s only when you deal a lot of damage up close, that you should use the window to slide in and get the kill.
it’s important to remember that the goal is to also minimize the damage taken. If you peek and deal 140 damage but also take 90 damage, you face the decision of either pushing at low hp, or mirroring their healing and missing that timing window.
another reason why you should be minimizing the damage taken is because while you can shield swap to instantly get your shields to full health, you cannot instantly heal your flesh health. In a fight, unless you are 100% certain that you are not going to get third partied, you should always assume that you will get third partied. We give ourselves a higher chance of beating the third party if we keep our flesh health as high as possible.
how do we increase our average damage delta?
these are the core skills that I think go into increasing your average damage delta:
as the goal of these fundamentals notes are to just get you into the correct mindset, I won’t go into the process of perfecting these skills, and instead provide a quick overview of concepts you should be addressing.
for the following notes, the ↑ up arrow indicates a concept that contributes to doing more damage and the ↓ down arrow indicates a concept that contributes to taking less damage
positioning
positioning is what I consider to be the most important skill involved in maximizing your damage delta. Positioning in a fight encompasses 2 main things: how well can you control space, and how well can you utilize cover.
controlling space:
- [↑ / ↓] are you constantly fighting to take more space from your opponents or are you sitting still and waiting for your opponent to make a move?
- [↑ / ↓] how good are you at coordinating with your team? are you all sitting in the same spot or are you covering a lot of space?
utilizing cover:
- [↓] are you using cover or are you standing out in the open when you don’t have to? when peeking someone are you exposing your entire body or just your head?
- [↓] how well can you abuse line of sight? when you are running at someone or away from them, are you pathing in a way that cuts off their line of sight?
timing and movement
timing:
- [↑] are you minimizing dead time? when fighting a team, are you constantly moving and putting pressure on them, or are you sitting around waiting to react to what they do?
- [↑] are you pushing as soon as you get big damage? remember: as soon as you damage someone, the clock starts ticking down before they are full health again. you have limited window of opportunity!
- [↓] after you wipe a team, are you healing up and looting quickly enough to prepare for any potential third parties?
movement:
-
[↑ / ↓] are you min-maxing your player speed? (see mechanics list below)
- when a damaged enemy is healing, can you make it to them before they heal?
- when you are retreating, can you make it to somewhere safe enough to pop a heal in time?
-
[↓] are you strafing properly in a 1v1 fight? (just watch a pro and copy what they do when in a 1v1)
-
[↑ / ↓] are you utilizing all of apex’s movement mechanics?
- slide jumping at every opportunity
- holstering your weapon at every opportunity
-
movement tech
- wall bounces
- superglides
- etc
check out mokeysniper on youtube if you want to learn anything movement related!
aim
- [↑ / ↓] if you are in position to kill someone close, can you kill them before they kill you?
- [↑] when shooting at someone far away, do you have the aim control to deal a lot of damage before they duck into cover?
ability and grenade usage
- [↑ / ↓] are you getting good value out of your abilities? are your abilities being fully utilized given your current situation?
- [↑] are you picking up grenades and remembering to use them? are you using them to flush someone out of a building? are you using them to delay the enemies to give you time to heal or rez?
last updated: march 10, 2023
