'Apex Legends' Guide: How To Win Hot Drop Fights

The emphasis on teamplay in “Apex Legends” means players will have to cooperate with their squadmates whether they want to or not. This is especially true in public games with random people and can be a little frustrating if a squad’s jumpmaster decides to do a hot drop.

In battle royale games, “hot dropping” is the act of dropping from the spawn ship and straight into a map’s high-traffic area. This usually results in a mad scramble for loot between multiple squads and often leads to a very quick death if a player is unlucky enough.

Hot dropping is a very fun way to enjoy battle royale games, but it can also be frustrating as it exposes players to the brunt of the randomness that every BR game is guilty of having. For those who want to dive straight into a fight each time and win, here are a few tips.

Land near a POI, not on top of one

The biggest mistake almost every player makes when hot dropping is that they go straight toward the main building in a Place of Interest (POI.) The main tower in The Cage at King’s Canyon is one example.

Instead of dropping on top of a main POI building, drop near one of the smaller buildings. There will be fewer players (if any) that land on these spots, and they’ll guarantee loot for the entire squad. Afterward, rush to the main POI the rest of the squads.

Pick high-damage Legends

Characters that can deal damage with their tactical ability can bring a huge advantage during hot drops. Caustic and Wattson can deny entire rooms with their traps, while Revenant, Fuse and Valkyrie can zone enemies away from loot with their abilities.

Use kicks, not punches

Pressing the melee button while in mid-air will make your Legend perform a kick instead of a punch. The melee damage remains the same, but the recovery period between kicks is much shorter than that of punches.

This means that players will be able to attack more frequently with kicks. Kicking is a great way to win a fight in hot drops where loot is simply nowhere to be found.