A match starts with each player selecting from one of the available hero characters for a bloodsport competition known as the Apex Games, which operates in an area called The Outlands.
While each of the game's characters have their own unique abilities and play styles, they are broadly divided into five role classifications: Assault, Skimisher, Recon, Support and Controller.
The game's cast of Legends is notable for its diverse inclusion of different cultural, ethnic, gender and sexual orientation identities.
When the game launched in 2019, there were eight characters available for players: Bangalore, Bloodhound, Caustic, Gibraltar, Mirage, Lifeline, Pathfinder, and Wraith.
Ballistic is the call sign of August Montgomery Brinkman, a billionaire orphan who decided to use the financial resources he had access to early in life to dominate the battlefield.
Bangalore is the callsign of Anita Williams, who was separated from her family during a military mission and wants to make some money in the Apex Games in order to be reunited with them.
She survived being stranded near a black hole for 87 years as a result of Ash's treachery, and is intent on searching for the whereabouts of her son that she left behind.
Her Passive and Tactical abilities involve adjustments to her custom spacesuit for navigation purposes and the manipulation of gravity respectively.
His tactical is to shoot out a grappling hook then swing himself through the air with it whilst his ultimate is to erect a zipline that he and his teammates can ride on.
He was able to kill James McCormick, also known as Forge, who was a five-time Hyperfighting champion who is entering the Apex Games under a sponsorship with Hammond Robotics, during an interview.
An enigmatic technological tracker and expert huntsman that utilizes high-tech gadgetry to pursue their enemies on the battlefield.
Bloodhound see footprints left behind by other players, and see evidence of other actions like shooting, looting and moving, as a passive ability.
Obi Edolasim, or Seer, was named a cursed child at birth and branded an outcast by his community, although he is loved by his parents and raised to be kind and compassionate.
Xiomara was born a remote planet that her mother's prison transport ship crashed on, and was raised to learn how to survive in harsh conditions, while on this planet she encountered her Companion and pet Echo who is a white bat, she joined the Apex Games to raise awareness about her mother's wrongful imprisonment.
Catalyst is the alias of Tressa Crystal Smith, who hails from the planet Boreas, where the residents learn early to manage resources efficiently.
The owner of a successful firearms modding and selling shop, Rampart is a keen engineer with a love for firepower.
Makoa Gibraltar is a large built man whose strong defensive abilities is intended to fulfil the classic "tank" role in a team.
Ajay Che, or Lifeline, is a healer who renounced her association to her family, who made their wealth profiting from war, and dedicates herself exclusively to good causes.
She grew up an orphan after her family was killed by Revenant, which forced her to survive by picking pockets and cultivating her instincts.
Newcastle, also known as Jackson Williams or Lamont Craig, is a former IMC pilot that joined the Apex Games in Season 13.
Throughout childhood, him and his sister Anita Williams (Bangalore) shared a strong kinship, even going through basic military training together.
Newcastle was celebrated by his people in Harris Valley despite his many denied attempts at joining the Apex Games, still regarded as the local hero.
His passive carries fallen allies away whilst simultaneously reviving them, and his tactical deploys a mobile shield that provides a temporary barrier.
His ultimate leaps him to an ally or targeted area and slams down, created a fortified, electrified wall.
He grew up in the shadow of his family's successful business, Mirage Voyage, where his talents for entertainment and illusion flourished.
His passive allows him to turn invisible when reviving a teammate, either knocked or at a respawn beacon, and his tactical deploys a holographic decoy.
She embarked on a daring mission to salvage the irradiated battery from the wreckage of The Monarch, fashioning it into a powerful exosuit.
Linh My Vo, also known as Rhapsody, was introduced in Season 2 of Apex Legends Mobile as an exclusive character.
[6] Emily Berry of Kotaku praised the game's LGBT-related voice lines, writing that "Apex Legends smartly weaves queer dialogue into the gameplay elements themselves".
[14] Identifying herself as a lesbian woman of color, Berry went on to express that flirtatious voice lines between female characters further her investment into the game, writing that "Representing queer courtship in all of its messy glory, regardless of how cliché and dramatic it may be, sets Apex Legends apart from other Battle Royales".