Since its release, Apex Legends has made its way to the top of the battle royale charts. It’s not the most popular BR game out there, but it is attracting new players with every passing day. Unfortunately for the newcomers, the game has a fairly steep learning curve. And the in-game tutorial doesn’t help all that much.
One of the crucial skills players need to learn and apply is bringing back downed or dead teammates. The distinction between those two will become clearer later in this article, as will how to master those skills.
Respawn vs. Revive
True to their name — Respawn Entertainment — the creators of Apex Legends decided to make the first battle royale in which players can be brought back from the dead.
There are two ways to help a teammate that has been downed. When a player’s health reaches zero, they’re knocked down but they can still participate in the game; notably, they can crawl which is very important to remember.
When you approach knocked down players you can press the corresponding input button for five seconds to bring them back into the fray on very low health. That’s a revive. If they’re knocked down and the timer runs out the player will die. However, this doesn’t mean they’re out of the game completely. That’s where the respawn comes in and it’s a much more involved process.
Back from the Dead
When a player is dead, they can’t take any direct actions on the battleground but they can still do a lot of useful things. Players that remain active while they’re dead can help teammates a lot with pings and recon.
If a teammate dies, a crate will be dropped at their location but they won’t leave the match. Instead, a green icon appears on the map at the crate’s location and their name tag will say “Recover Banner.” Your goal is to reach that banner and pick it up within 85 seconds. If you wait any longer, their banner will expire and they will be ejected from the match.
Once you have the banner, the teammate’s name tag will change to “Deliver to Beacon.” At that point, you need to find a respawn beacon and hold down the input for five seconds. Your teammate will revive at that location with no loot but they’ll have another lease on life.
Tips, Tricks, and Insights
Remember that you only have 85 seconds to retrieve the banner. However, once you pick it up, the timer stops and you have all the time in the world to get to a respawn beacon.
While your enemies won’t see the banner marker on their maps, they know where they killed your teammate. They will usually try to camp the location until the timer runs out to make sure you can’t bring them back. Also, if you manage to get the banner, look out for ambushes at the respawn beacons. Enemy players will know you’re trying to get to one when you pick up a banner.
Don’t delay once you pick up a beacon, even if you’ve got some time. Once the circle closes over a respawn beacon, it can no longer be used. Pretty soon you won’t have any usable beacons. Finally, you can pick up both of your teammate’s banners and revive them both at the same time at the same beacon.
As a dead teammate, you should be pinging your banner to help teammates locate it. Once they get your banner, ping the nearest beacon for them to expedite the process.
Self-Revive
When you get knocked down but you haven’t bled out completely, you can deploy a knockdown shield if you’ve found one. The knockdown shield blocks incoming damage while you’re down and the rarer it is the more damage it will block.
The legendary knockdown shield blocks 750 damage but that’s not all. If you’re downed with it, you can simply press the required button for five seconds and revive yourself. It only works once per match but it’s a huge advantage.
Revive, Respawn, Repeat
This is a basic overview of how to revive and respawn and a few tips on how to do it safely. It’s up to you to find new ways and strategies to use that knowledge. Each character’s skillset gives them certain advantages and disadvantages.
For instance, knocked down allies can use Wraith’s portal to get to a safer location where they can be revived. Lifeline has a revive shield that gives her some breathing room during the process.
How can you use the special abilities of other characters for reviving and respawning teammates? Share your best strategies in the comments below.
