The battle royale genre has come a long way in the last five years or so. Beginning with the likes ofPUBG, and of courseFortnite, battle royales took a while to reach the mainstream, but once they did, they quickly took over the market. In the years followingPUBGandFortnite’s release, just about every big publisher tried to force out a battle royale, and while most were unsuccessful cash-grabs, EA’sApex Legendsstood out from the crowd. Though it was released by EA, the most notorious publisher around,Apex Legendswas clearly a game made with a lot of heart, and a lot of talent, and as such it’s gone on to be considered one of the best battle royales around.
WhileApex Legendsfollows the majority of the battle royale genre’s conventions and rules, there are a few places that it diverges from the norm, and one of the biggest places is its lack of any solo mode. Though games likeCall of Duty: WarzoneandFortniteare always encouraging players to team-up with others, advertising party features constantly on their main menus, they still offer a solo mode for those who want to jump in a match alone and take on their opponents in 1v1s.Apex Legendsdoesn’t feature such a mode, and it likely won’t in the future, but that’s for good reason.
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Apex Legends Relies on the Team Dynamic
The key element that setApex Legendsapart from its competition back upon its release in 2019 was its character-focused gameplay, bringing thecomplex team dynamic of something likeOverwatchover to the battle royale genre. With each playable character, known as a Legend, having their own unique set of abilities, players were encouraged to drop hundreds of hours into the game. Gamers had to take the time to understand how each ability worked, how they should be used in certain situations, and most importantly, how they should be used in conjunction with other Legends' abilities.
Originally,Apex Legendsreleased with eight unlockable Legends. Though the roster wasn’t nearly as large as what was seen inOverwatch, this proved to be the perfect amount for those starting out inApex. WhileApex Legendsonly has one objective - to eliminate every other player - the scenarios players can find themselves in during the course of a match are countless, and every new round is a chance to learn something new about the game’s mechanics and the Legends' abilities. To really succeed inApex Legends, players need to have a good understanding of their own abilities, as well as those of their teammates, as once a firefight breaks out, a team will need to use their abilities quickly and effectively to gain the upper hand.
As of Season 13,Apex Legendsnow has a total of 21 Legends, and the game has never been more complex or engaging. However, while some of these Legends have abilities that work in a 1v1 setting, a good portion of them don’t, which would leave a large percentage of the roster practically unplayable ifApex Legendswas to receive a solo mode. Offensive Legends like Ash, Bangalore, and Fuse would all work in a 1v1 scenario, with their abilities being different forms of attack, but even these Legends wouldn’t translate 100% to a solo mode since most of their Ultimate abilities are still centered around team play. Further, when it comes to Support heroes like Lifeline and Loba, they’re abilities render them pretty much useless in a potential solo mode.
IfRespawn Entertainmentwas to add a solo mode toApex Legends, the developer would have to change the game’s Legends dramatically, or provide all-new movesets and abilities specifically designed for a solo mode. It’s not impossible, but it’s highly unlikely that fans will ever get to see a solo mode inApex Legends.
Apex Legendsis available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
