Each character also has a defined role. Similar to Overwatch, there are the DPSes, the tanks and the supports. Since players can’t choose the same characters on the same team, combat relies heavily on the balance of abilities in teams.

I love Apex Legends’ matchmaking format. For starters, a team of three just feels so much better than a team of four in battle royale, and I believe many things can benefit from this three-player format.

For example, in terms of esports, a match consisting of 20 teams of 3 feels so much more manageable than the current 100-solo-player format featured in Fortnite.

With regards to live-streaming, a team of three also makes it easier for celebrity streamers to squad up for a joint stream.

I also love how characters have different roles and abilities. For one thing, it makes the game more interesting to watch. Spectators of the game, knowing the abilities of each character, can anticipate what these gamers do based on their characters.

Additionally, having a distinct role also gives fans much more to talk about and identify with. While I am plain bad in Fortnite, if I embarrass myself in Apex Legends playing as an incompetent DPS, I can just say, “Oh, you know, I am much more of a support. Really.” (which is better than blaming the controller).

Apex Legends also streamlines the process of upgrading and assembling equipment. When you obtain a higher-grade items, you automatically ditch the lower-grade ones (which is unlike PUBG, where inventory management is a nightmare). It’s small details like that which shows that Apex Legends really incentivizes players to move around the map.

PUBG, the battle royale pioneer

 As a result, Apex Legends feels very fast, up-tempo and fun. It also features a small map like Fortnite, but with even less ammo, which makes the gameplay jam-packed with action from the tip-off.

Needless to say, Apex Legends has been all the rage in the past two weeks. It has been the top game on Twitch, with its number of streamers surpassing those of League of Legends, Dota 2 and Fortnite combined as I write this.

Apex Legends is a very polished battle royale, but it remains to be seen if it can sustain its popularity in the long term -- or it can crater like Black Ops 4. Gamers, after all, can be fickle.

But it seems like more and more fans are coming onboard, with many Chinese players also getting their hands on the game. Apex Legends isn’t banned in China, but some Weibo users say it’s really slow to download. Still, Chinese gamers are clearly playing, as we constantly ran into Chinese speakers.

Battle royale in Tokyo with Knives Out’s new map

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