Apex Legends Custom Games: How to Get Your Squad Ready for Ranked
Updated July 17, 2023.
In the high-stakes world of Apex Legends, where victory hinges on razor-sharp reflexes, seamless teamwork, and strategic finesse, the path to success requires more than just raw talent. Enter the game-changing feature: Custom Games.
With a variety of modes and maps, these private games are training grounds for players to refine their skills and synchronize with their teammates. While they seem a bit out of place, custom games and the shooting range have become indispensable tools for those aiming to conquer the competitive ranks.
Before we get to the tips, it's important to explain these different types of private games:
- If you're interested in setting up a private custom match, it's as easy as creating a game and sending your friends the join code. The caveat is that you'll need a large handful of players to get started—a minimum of 30 players are required to start a "BR" match, whether it's duos or trios.
- "Mixtape" modes and limited-time event modes like TDM, Gun Run, and Control can also be selected as playable modes, though they require 6 people to start a round.
So, for any of you who are like me and don't have that many friends online, you should know that you can grab up to 2 friends to go into the firing range with. Then, by toggling friendly fire on or off, you can practice with or against each other to understand the team and work on your synergy.
As for the tips, here are 4 suggestions on what we think you should focus on when practicing.
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1. Plan and Communicate
Communication is everything when it comes to playing competitive first-person shooters as a team. Sure, Apex has probably the best pinging system of any popular title, but as good as that feature is, it's not enough to communicate finer details. Communication over a microphone becomes essential when planning an attack strategy on another squad's location or a quick exit out of a sticky situation.
On top of communicating what's happening around you, you should also discuss full game plans with your team, like hot-dropping to loot off of other players, or playing the edge of the ring to pick off teams running in. Without communicating that to your squad, any strategy you have planned will fall flat.
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2. Practice Rotations and Strategies
Expanding on what I mentioned above, when it comes to planning your game from the beginning... things probably won't go exactly according to that plan. There are loads of variables that could happen:
- Depending on which side the drop-ship comes from, your planned landing spot may be either hot or completely baron of other players.
- If there's a major fight happening in the path of your original route, you'll have to either fight through or go around.
- The ring could spawn somewhere completely different from where you had planned.
In order to effectively rotate to locations that give you a better advantage based on your current situation, you'll need to have great map knowledge and team synergy, which both come with great amounts of practice. Custom games create an ideal opportunity for that, since you have a little more time and space to discuss the strategies while being in the appropriate environment.
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3. Warm-Up and Train Your Aim
It's obvious why you'd need to practice your aim, but the real question is how.
The first thing to do is head to the Firing Range and learn how to shoot each gun effectively. The range has been hugely overhauled, and it now lets you practice on varieties of different dummies and targets.
Once you warm up, split your squad up, switch on friendly fire, and do some free-for-all against each other. This is super useful for figuring out where your weaknesses lie, and it lets you figure out what you need to work on next.
Going into a custom game with more players expands on practicing your aim against other players. It lets you focus on implementing your aim and movement techniques with and against real people without the stress of a random Apex Predator coming in and stomping the public lobby.
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4. Analyze and Learn from Custom Game Sessions
Probably the most important takeaway of this article is that you need to treat each custom game or shooting range session as an opportunity to work on your mechanics.
It can be hard to think about every detail during a match, so the easiest way to pick up on the mistakes you might be making is to record your games and watch them back. If your whole squad is on board, you can also trade the footage and watch each other's gameplay to spot anything that they themselves might miss. This allows you to get extra insight into your own performance to figure out what aspects of gameplay you should be working on.
» Wondering how long you've been training? Check your playtime hours in Apex Legends
Elevate Your Ranked Performance with Apex Legends Custom Games
Custom games in Apex Legends are your passport to domination in the world of ranked play. By taking advantage of this powerful tool, you can fine-tune your skills, develop winning strategies, and synchronize seamlessly with your squad. And while doing so, you can also earn Buff Points by having Buff run in the background.
So, Legends, embrace the custom game feature that Respawn has given us, embrace the thrill of constant progression through practice, and let your preparation be the foundation for your triumphs. The path to ranked success awaits.
