---
title: "Apex Legends: Complete Guide"
game: "Apex Legends"
game_url: "https://qna.gg/games/apex-legends"
author: "Qloud"
author_url: "https://qna.gg/players/Qloud"
topics: ["Weapons", "Maps"]
summary: "A full guide to Apex Legends in Season 30: Marked — legends, the new loot and energy ammo rules, the Bloodhound rework, maps, ranked, and how to actually win fights. Researched September 2026 — current as of Season 30:…"
url: "https://qna.gg/g/apex-legends-complete-guide-e4e6bb6e"
published: "2026-09-27T16:14:16.543Z"
updated: "2026-09-27T16:14:16.543Z"
source: "QnA.GG"
---

# Apex Legends: Complete Guide

A full guide to Apex Legends in Season 30: Marked — legends, the new loot and energy ammo rules, the Bloodhound rework, maps, ranked, and how to actually win fights.

*Researched September 2026 — current as of Season 30: Marked (launched August 4, 2026). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.*

## Quick Start

1. **Squads of three, one team wins.** Survive the ring, beat the other squads, and play together — lone wolves die in Apex.
2. **Pick a simple legend first.** Bangalore, Gibraltar, Lifeline, or the newly reworked Bloodhound are forgiving and teach you the game.
3. **Shields are everything.** Your Evo Shield levels up as you deal damage. Carry Shield Cells and Shield Batteries, and swap to the best armor from death boxes.
4. **Energy ammo no longer exists as loot (Season 30).** Havoc, Nemesis, Devotion, L-STAR, RE-45, Volt, and Triple Take now regenerate their own ammo stockpile.
5. **Loot is scarcer.** Gold attachments and gold backpacks are gone, purple attachments are rarer, and Arsenals unlock later. Don't expect a kitted gun from the first building.
6. **Stick with your team.** Ping (middle mouse by default) enemies, loot, and destinations instead of running off.
7. **Rotate early.** Getting to the next ring before other teams gives you the best position.
8. **Use the new Playground tab.** The Legend Locker now shows detailed weapon and attachment stats — use it to understand your loadout.

## Core Mechanics

### Shields and healing

| Item | Restores | Use time |
|---|---|---|
| Shield Cell | Small shield | Short |
| Shield Battery | Full shield | Long |
| Syringe | Small health | Short |
| Med Kit | Full health | Long |
| Phoenix Kit | Full health and shield | Very long |

**Evo Shield** levels up (white, blue, purple, red) as you deal damage. Higher tiers mean more shield — deal damage early to level up.

### Movement

Apex rewards movement: slide-jumping, climbing walls, using ziplines and jump towers. Slide down hills to keep momentum, and use jump towers to rotate across the map.

### Ammo types (Season 30)

| Ammo | Weapons |
|---|---|
| Light | R-301, R-99, Alternator, P2020, G7 Scout |
| Heavy | Flatline, Hemlok, Prowler, Rampage (C.A.R. takes light or heavy). The 30-30 Repeater is a care package weapon this season. |
| Energy | **No longer lootable.** Energy weapons regenerate their own ammo. |
| Shotgun | Peacekeeper, EVA-8, Mastiff, Mozambique |
| Sniper | Longbow, Sentinel, Charge Rifle |

Weapons move between classes and care packages across seasons — check the weapon in-game if unsure.

### Energy weapon rework

Energy weapons spawn with a stockpile measured in magazines — for example **3 magazines** for the Havoc, Nemesis, and Devotion, **4** for the L-STAR, and **2** for the RE-45, Volt, and Triple Take. They regenerate a magazine's worth of ammo over **18 seconds**, and the regen pauses while you shoot or reload. Practically: don't waste energy rounds on long-range spam, and back off to let the stockpile refill between fights.

## Season 30: Marked — What's New

### Bloodhound rework

| Ability | What it does now |
|---|---|
| **Passive** | Fresh enemy clues show a red trail guiding you to them. White Ravens can be activated remotely up to 400m. |
| **Tactical (scan)** | A full-body scan lasting 3 seconds, followed by four snapshot scans at 1.5-second intervals. |
| **Ultimate — Allfather's Cloak (new)** | Throw a device that cloaks anyone who enters its area. Cloaked legends get 20% extra move speed and threat vision; the cloaking area lasts 8 seconds, and the cloak lingers for 12 seconds after leaving it and breaks when you take damage or fire. Bloodhound's abilities do not break it. |

This makes Bloodhound a genuine repositioning tool: use the cloak to rotate across open ground or to reset a fight.

### Legend balance

| Legend | Change |
|---|---|
| Loba | Buffed — faster tactical deploy (0.4s), ultimate cooldown down to 120s. |
| Rampart | Buffed — faster locked hop-up progress, walls deploy faster with more health, and Sheila moves faster. |
| Valkyrie | Nerfed — tactical base damage 25 to 15, lower ultimate height, Eye in the Sky scans limited to 100m through walls. |
| Axle | Nerfed — tactical max slide boost cut from 5s to 3s (a new level 2 upgrade restores 5s); the ultimate now also damages, stuns, and displaces Axle herself, while allies are stunned and displaced but not damaged. |
| Seer | Nerfed — Home Base upgrade moved to level 3 (tactical cooldown inside the ultimate goes from 5s to 8s); tactical turn slow reduced. |

### Loot overhaul

- **Gold attachments and gold backpacks removed** from the loot pool.
- **Purple attachments are rarer** across all maps.
- **Arsenals are time-locked** and only activate when Evo Harvesters activate — no more early hot drops on them. There are fewer per POI, and they now upgrade weapons only up to purple.
- **Mythic and gold bins removed**; Bin Reset no longer upgrades loot tiers.
- **Hot Zone removed.**
- **MRVNs** reduced to 12 spawns, single-use, and no more arm drops.
- Wildlife, Loot Ticks, and Rollers give fewer attachments.

### Corrupted Attachments (new)

High-tier attachments that trade a strength for a weakness. Only one Corrupted Attachment per weapon.

| Attachment | Upside | Downside |
|---|---|---|
| Overflowing Magazine | Bigger magazine | Slower reload |
| Headseeker Barrel | More headshot damage | Worse hipfire accuracy |
| Tactical Laser | Faster reload | Worse ADS recoil control |
| Agile Standard Stock | No movement penalty, faster ADS | Smaller magazine |
| Rapid Sniper Stock | Higher fire rate | Smaller magazine |

### Weapon changes

- **Care package rotation:** the **30-30 Repeater** moved into care packages (damage buffed and the Shattercaps hop-up added); the **G7 Scout** returned to floor loot with lower damage, no Double Tap, and no sniper optics.
- **SMG nerfs:** Alternator, RE-45, and R-99 lost damage and magazine size — they were outperforming other close-range options.
- **Hemlok:** Breach Charge cooldown increased, damage slightly lowered, and 50% less structure damage.

## Maps

| Map | Status in Season 30 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| **World's Edge** | In rotation | Reworked for Marked: Sorting Factory returns, Construction Stacks areas (War Camp, Tree Settlement) are restored, Monument/Fragment is rebuilt with separated combat zones, and Landslide is merged with Big Maude. |
| **Storm Point** | In rotation | Big, open island map. Use gravity cannons for rotations. |
| **E-District** | In rotation | Dense, urban, lots of close-range fights. |

Rotation applies to both Pubs and Ranked. During launch week World's Edge ran exclusively for 24 hours on August 4 (Pubs and Ranked) and 48 hours on August 8–9 (Ranked only).

## Legends by Role

| Class | Legends | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Assault | Bangalore, Fuse, Ash, Mad Maggie, Ballistic, Revenant | Take fights and push. |
| Skirmisher | Wraith, Pathfinder, Octane, Horizon, Valkyrie, Alter | Mobility and escapes. |
| Recon | **Bloodhound**, Crypto, Seer, Vantage, Sparrow | Scan enemies and find fights. |
| Support | Lifeline, Gibraltar, Loba, Newcastle, Conduit, Mirage | Heals, revives, loot, and shields. |
| Controller | Caustic, Wattson, Rampart, Catalyst | Hold buildings and zones. |

Newer legends such as Axle aren't listed here, and class membership has shifted in past seasons; the character select screen always shows each legend's current class. A balanced squad usually has one Recon, one Support, and one fighter (Assault/Skirmisher).

### Good picks for Season 30

- **Bloodhound** — the rework made the cloak a strong rotation and reset tool.
- **Loba** — shorter ultimate cooldown and the scarcer loot pool make her Black Market Boutique more valuable.
- **Rampart** — stronger walls and a faster Sheila make her great for holding buildings in ranked.

## Ranked

- **Tiers:** Rookie, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master, Apex Predator.
- **Season 30 change:** ranked ladders were extended to 5-day windows, giving more chances to compete for ladder placement. Check the in-game Ranked page for the schedule.
- **Placement matters:** survival and placement are worth a lot. Dying in the first ring is costly — avoid pointless third parties early.
- **Volunteer Jumpmaster:** you can now opt in to jumpmaster during character select.

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

- **Hot dropping every game.** Hot drops teach fights but rarely win ranked games.
- **Pushing a knocked enemy alone.** The rest of their team is waiting.
- **Healing while enemies push.** Break line of sight first.
- **Spamming energy weapons at long range.** Your stockpile regenerates slowly now.
- **Expecting gold loot.** It's gone from floor loot this season; adapt.
- **Ignoring the ring.** Late rotations kill more players than bad aim.
- **Not pinging.** A pinged enemy is information your team needs.

## Advanced Tips

- **Swap shields from death boxes** — a higher-tier armor with shields beats healing.
- **Third-party timing:** wait until one team knocks another, then push.
- **Use cover mid-fight.** Peek, shoot, back off, re-peek from a different angle.
- **Break the cloak on purpose.** Allfather's Cloak ends when you fire — use it to approach silently, then shoot first.
- **Build around one Corrupted Attachment.** Pair the Headseeker Barrel with a gun you ADS a lot; the Tactical Laser suits close-range guns you reload often and rarely fire at long range, where its recoil penalty matters less.
- **Plan loot around Evo Harvesters.** Arsenals now unlock only when they activate.

## FAQ

**What season is Apex Legends in right now?**
Season 30: Marked, which launched on August 4, 2026.

**When does Season 30 end?**
EA hasn't stated a fixed date in the notes used here; based on recent season lengths, fans expect early November 2026. Check the in-game timer.

**What happened to energy ammo?**
It was removed as loot. Energy weapons now regenerate their own ammo stockpile.

**What does Bloodhound's new ultimate do?**
Allfather's Cloak cloaks anyone who enters its area, giving 20% extra move speed and threat vision.

**What maps are in rotation?**
World's Edge, Storm Point, and E-District.

**Who are the best legends right now?**
Bloodhound, Loba, and Rampart were buffed; Valkyrie, Axle, and Seer were nerfed. Pick what fits your team.

## Sources

- [EA — Apex Legends: Marked patch notes](https://www.ea.com/games/apex-legends/apex-legends/news/marked-patch-notes)
- [Esports.gg — Season 30 patch notes: Bloodhound rework](https://esports.gg/guides/apex-legends/apex-legends-season-30-patch-notes-bloodhound-rework-and-all-legend-balance-changes/)
- [Sportskeeda — Season 30 patch notes: Corrupted Attachments, looting overhaul](https://www.sportskeeda.com/esports/apex-legends-season-30-patch-notes-bloodhound-rework-corrupted-attachments-looting-overhaul)
- [Esports Tales — Season 30 end date](https://www.esportstales.com/apex-legends/season-end-date)
- [EA Help — Apex Legends seasons and updates](https://help.ea.com/en/articles/apex-legends/seasons-and-updates/)