Apex Legends vs Fortnite: Major Differences
When it comes to the thrilling landscape of battle royale games, two titles reign supreme: "Apex Legends" and "Fortnite". While both games feature the intense, last-person-standing battles that define the genre, each presents a unique spin that sets it apart in the crowded gaming market. Welcome to our deep dive into the world of Apex Legends and Fortnite, where we'll compare and contrast the key aspects of these two blockbuster titles.
From the distinctive art styles to the game mechanics, each of these games has carved out a niche among gamers worldwide. Fortnite, with its blend of shooting and construction elements, caters to a crowd that appreciates creative strategies and fast-paced gameplay. On the other hand, Apex Legends stands out with its focus on team-based tactics and character-specific abilities, attracting players who enjoy teamwork and the intricacies of character skills. This post will serve as your comprehensive guide, helping you understand the major differences between Apex Legends and Fortnite.
How is Apex Legends better than Fortnite?
Characters Have Unique Abilities and Personalities
This is one of the most distinctive aspects that sets it apart from Fortnite and other battle royale games. In Apex Legends, each character, known as a Legend, is more than just a differently-styled avatar. They possess a unique set of abilities and a well-fleshed-out backstory, adding a fascinating layer of depth to the game.
Each Legend in Apex Legends has a distinct set of three abilities: Passive, Tactical, and Ultimate. This structure effectively allows each character to play a specific role within a team. For example, Lifeline is a combat medic who can deploy a healing drone to recover teammates' health, Gibraltar is a shielded fortress who can provide cover for his team, and Wraith is an interdimensional skirmisher who can manipulate spacetime for stealth attacks.
These character abilities require players to develop different strategies depending on their chosen Legend. It promotes teamwork and synergy as teams need to think carefully about the balance and interplay of the Legends' abilities in their squad.
Beyond their abilities, the Legends in Apex Legends are well-rounded individuals with rich personalities. They have backstories that are carefully woven into the game’s larger narrative. These narratives are often revealed through 'Stories from the Outlands' animations, in-game dialogue, and character-specific quests. The Legends’ personalities are reflected in their voice lines and interactions with each other, adding an engaging layer of lore to the game.
This starkly contrasts with Fortnite, where the focus is more on the individual player's skill, particularly in building and shooting, rather than the inherent abilities of the chosen character. The characters in Fortnite, though varied in design, do not come with unique abilities or personal backstories. This does not necessarily make Fortnite a lesser game, it's just a different approach, prioritizing broad gameplay mechanics over individual character narratives and abilities.
It Has Some Serious Movement
Apex Legends revolutionizes the battle royale genre with its dynamic movement mechanics, offering an experience that feels fluid, fast, and undeniably fun. In contrast to Fortnite, Apex Legends allows characters to slide down hills, climb up walls, and zip-line across the map, adding a layer of verticality that drastically alters how you navigate and strategize.
In Apex Legends, movement isn't just about getting from point A to point B; it's integral to the game's combat. A well-timed slide can evade incoming fire, a quick wall climb can offer a surprise attack angle, and skilled use of zip lines can make for quick getaways or rapid assaults. Moreover, the introduction of characters like Octane and Horizon, who can manipulate movement with jump pads and gravity lifts, further augment these mechanics.
These movement mechanics give Apex Legends a distinct and exhilarating pace, offering a fresh twist on the battle royale formula that sets it apart from Fortnite.
FPS
Apex Legends offers a unique perspective on the battle royale genre, quite literally, with its first-person shooter (FPS) mechanics. Unlike Fortnite's third-person perspective, Apex Legends immerses players directly into the action, viewing the world through the eyes of their chosen Legend.
This FPS perspective significantly changes the gameplay experience. It encourages precision and quick reflexes, as players need to aim directly down the gun's sights or hip-fire accurately during rapid-fire combat. The first-person perspective also limits the player's field of view, making positioning, awareness, and team communication even more critical.
Moreover, Apex Legends blends its FPS mechanics with the diversity of character abilities seamlessly, giving each Legend's abilities a more personal and immersive feel. From Caustic's poisonous gas canisters to Bloodhound's tracking abilities, each Legend's unique skills are experienced firsthand.
The FPS nature of Apex Legends offers a different, more intimate, and intense battle royale experience, distinguishing it from Fortnite's third-person gameplay.
Gun Skill Matters
One compelling argument for Apex Legends' superiority over Fortnite lies in its emphasis on gunplay and marksmanship. In Apex Legends, success is heavily tied to your proficiency with firearms, rewarding skill, precision, and tactical decision-making in weapon choice.
Every weapon in Apex Legends, from the rapid-fire R-99 SMG to the hard-hitting Kraber sniper rifle, has a unique feel and recoil pattern. Players need to understand and master these characteristics to maximize their effectiveness in battle. The game also boasts a variety of attachments that can alter and improve a weapon's handling, further enhancing the gunplay depth.
Ping System
A standout feature that sets Apex Legends apart from Fortnite and indeed many other games in the genre is its revolutionary ping system. This feature offers a simple, non-verbal method for teams to communicate quickly and effectively, allowing players to relay crucial information without disrupting the flow of gameplay.
With a simple press of a button, players can highlight locations, items, enemies, and more, automatically generating context-specific voice lines for their chosen Legend. It facilitates strategic planning and resource distribution, helping squads coordinate their actions, even when they're not using voice chat.
Fortnite lacks a similar level of non-verbal communication, with a more rudimentary marker system that doesn’t provide the same depth or context.
The ping system in Apex Legends represents a significant evolution in multiplayer communication. It is a simple yet powerful tool that enhances team coordination and inclusivity, giving Apex Legends an edge over Fortnite.
How is Fortnite better than Apex Legends?
Unique Skins style
In the battle of aesthetics, many would argue that Fortnite has a leg up over Apex Legends. Fortnite's playful, cartoonish style is not only visually appealing but also allows for a wealth of creative expression, making it a big draw for a diverse audience.
Fortnite's vibrant color palette, imaginative skins, and dynamic emotes lend the game a unique, whimsical charm. The game is not afraid to embrace the bizarre, featuring pop culture crossovers, concerts, and even in-game events that change the map dramatically. Its ability to not take itself too seriously, coupled with its flexibility in design, has helped Fortnite carve a distinctive identity in the battle royale landscape.
Apex Legends, with its more realistic art style and grounded science-fiction setting, can feel a bit staid in comparison. While it has its own characterful quirks and standout designs, it lacks the flamboyant and ever-changing aesthetic that gives Fortnite its unique appeal.
Game Modes
When it comes to variety in gameplay, Fortnite outshines Apex Legends with its wide array of game modes that offer players fresh and diverse experiences. Fortnite not only has its traditional Battle Royale mode but also features Creative mode and Save the World mode. It regularly introduces limited-time modes (LTMs) that often bring unique rules and mechanics, keeping the gameplay feel novel and exciting.
Creative mode allows players to design their own maps and mini-games, fostering a community of creators and players. Save the World mode, a PvE cooperative campaign offers a break from the usual PvP experience. The LTMs, meanwhile, introduce everything from high-stakes solo matches to more casual, fun modes.
Apex Legends primarily focuses on its core three-player squad-based Battle Royale mode. While it does occasionally introduce limited-time modes and has recently added Arenas, a permanent 3v3 mode, the game still lacks the variety of modes that Fortnite offers, making the gameplay experience less varied in comparison.
Map Events/Updates
One area where Fortnite consistently outpaces Apex Legends is in the frequency and scale of map events and updates. Fortnite's island is dynamic and ever-changing, regularly featuring large-scale events that dramatically alter the landscape and keep the gameplay fresh and unpredictable.
These events, often tied to the game's narrative or special collaborations, range from meteor strikes and volcanic eruptions to concerts and movie promotions. Each new season in Fortnite introduces a raft of changes, sometimes overhauling the entire map, keeping players engaged and curious about what's to come.
Apex Legends offering its own map changes and seasonal updates operates at a slower pace. Updates typically introduce a new Legend or weapon and make more modest adjustments to the game's two main maps, Kings Canyon and World's Edge. While these updates add new strategic elements, they don't quite match the scale or frequency of Fortnite's events, making the game feel less dynamic by comparison.
Crossovers
A significant aspect that adds to Fortnite's popularity is its array of crossovers with popular culture, a feature where Apex Legends noticeably falls short. Fortnite has mastered the art of collaboration, featuring tie-ins with a broad spectrum of franchises across film, music, video games, and more.
From Star Wars, Marvel, and DC superheroes, to pop culture icons like Travis Scott and Marshmello, Fortnite's collaborations bring new costumes, weapons, and game modes that offer fans a unique blend of battle royale gameplay with their favorite characters and themes. These crossovers do more than provide new content; they create buzz, attract a diverse audience, and keep the game fresh and relevant.
Apex Legends, while having a rich lore and character roster of its own, doesn't offer the same level of crossovers. Its universe remains largely self-contained, focusing on expanding its own narrative rather than mixing with external franchises. This lack of crossovers makes Apex Legends feel less varied and dynamic in comparison to Fortnite.
Battle Pass
While both Apex Legends and Fortnite offer Battle Pass systems, providing players with a way to earn exclusive rewards over a season, Apex Legends has faced criticism for perceived issues in their implementation. Many players argue that Fortnite's Battle Pass offers more value and accessibility compared to Apex Legends.
In Fortnite, players can earn enough V-Bucks, the game's premium currency, to purchase the next season's Battle Pass just by progressing through the current one. This rewards consistent play and loyalty, essentially allowing players to earn future Battle Passes "for free."
Apex Legends, on the other hand, has had a rocky history with its Battle Pass. The game faced backlash in Season 7 for a revamped system that many players felt made progression slower and more difficult, leading Respawn to roll back some of the changes.
While both Battle Pass systems have their own pros and cons, public sentiment suggests that Fortnite's approach is seen as more player-friendly, leaving Apex Legends at a disadvantage in this aspect.
Conclusion
Fortnite vs Apex Legends, while sharing the basic framework of the battle royale genre, offer starkly different gameplay experiences due to their unique features and design philosophies. Apex Legends' character-driven mechanics, immersive first-person perspective, dynamic movement, and refined gunplay system make it an enticing choice for players looking for tactical, team-based action and a rich narrative. Meanwhile, Fortnite's vibrant aesthetics, an array of game modes, dynamic map events, and frequent crossovers ensure a playful, ever-changing experience that keeps players engaged and entertained.
But the ultimate winner in the Apex Legends vs Fortnite debate? That's a decision only you, the player, can make. Both games have their strengths and weaknesses, and each caters to a different set of preferences and playstyles. Whether you prioritize strategic teamplay and distinct character abilities or creative building mechanics and a light-hearted atmosphere, the choice between Apex Legends and Fortnite will always be a highly personal one. Eventually, both games prove that there's more than one way to enjoy a battle royale.
