If you’ve ever sprinted full tilt after a fleeing enemy only to watch them pull away even though you thought you were both moving the same, you’ve probably asked yourself do apex legends have different speeds. It’s one of the most common questions new players ask, and the answer is a lot more nuanced than a simple yes or no. I’ve put hundreds of hours into ranked Apex over the past few years, and I’ve picked up every trick there is to manipulating movement speed to get an edge over opponents. This guide breaks down every factor that impacts how fast you move in the game, and how you can use those differences to win more fights and climb ranks faster.
Do Apex Legends Have Different Speeds Across Playable Characters?
Let’s get the most common myth out of the way first: if you take away abilities, every single legend in Apex moves at the exact same base speed. I’ve tested this myself in the firing range with every legend currently available, running from one end of the map to the other with no abilities active, and every single one finished within a fraction of a second of each other. All non-ability affected legends share an identical base sprint speed of 299 units per second. That means you don’t have to pick a specific legend just because you think they move faster out of the box.
Where character-specific speed differences come in is with legend abilities, and some of these differences are game-changing. For example, Octane’s Stim ability gives him a 30% speed boost for 6 seconds, making him the fastest legend in the game when the ability is active. Wraith’s Phase Walk gives her a 28% speed boost while she’s phased, which is why you’ll often see pro players use it to rotate out of tight spots or close gaps on enemies who are reloading. Pathfinder’s Grapple can give you a massive burst of speed if you land it correctly, letting you fly across the map faster than any other ability in the right hands.
There are a few other ability-related speed boosts to note too. Bloodhound’s Beast of the Hunt gives a 15% speed boost, Bangalore’s Double Time passive gives a 30% speed boost for 2 seconds when she’s shot at, and Newcastle’s Mobile Shield lets him move faster while pushing the shield forward if he’s running. None of these change the base speed, but they add temporary boosts that can make it feel like some legends are naturally faster than others.
How Equipped Weapons Change Your Movement Speed
The biggest hidden speed modifier that most new players miss is the weapon they’re holding. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen new players run around the map holding a Kraber or Spitfire while rotating, wondering why they can never keep up with their squad. Each weapon type has a specific speed modifier attached to it, and swapping to a lighter weapon can give you a noticeable speed boost without any ability use at all.
Holding a melee weapon gives you a 5% speed boost compared to holding an assault rifle, which adds up a lot when you’re rotating across large areas of the map. If you’re running from the ring and you don’t expect to run into enemies for 10 or more seconds, swapping to your knife will get you to safety faster almost every time. The difference is even bigger when you compare melee to heavy weapons like LMGs and snipers, which slow you down by 10% compared to base speed.
Here’s a full breakdown of movement speed modifiers by weapon and item type:
- Melee weapons: 105% of base movement speed
- Pistols & SMGs: 100% of base movement speed
- Assault rifles & shotguns: 95% of base movement speed
- LMGs, snipers & marksman rifles: 90% of base movement speed
- Shield cells & syringes in use: 50% of base movement speed
The healing item modifier is one that catches a lot of players off guard. Using a healing item cuts your movement speed in half, so never heal in the open if an enemy is close enough to push you. If you’re low on health and you hear an enemy nearby, either finish the fight first or get to full cover before you pull out a shield cell. Even a two second head start for an enemy pushing you while you heal is enough for them to get right on top of you before you finish.
Movement States That Alter Your Speed in Apex Legends
Even if you’re playing a legend with no active speed boosts and holding the same weapon, your movement speed will change depending on what action you’re taking. Most players know that sprinting is faster than walking, but there are a lot of more nuanced movement states that can make you faster or slower without you even realizing it.
Sliding is the most common speed-altering movement state, and if you’re not using it already, you’re leaving a lot of speed on the table. If you sprint and then crouch while moving downhill, you’ll get a big speed burst that lasts as long as you’re sliding downhill or until you stand up. Sliding downhill can boost your speed by up to 30% for a short burst, making it ideal for escaping tight fights or closing gaps on enemies. On the flip side, sliding uphill will slow you down way more than just walking, so avoid sliding if you’re moving up a steep hill.
Other movement states to note include wall jumping, which lets you maintain your speed after sliding off a ledge, and crouch walking, which slows you down to 50% of base speed but makes your footsteps almost completely silent. A lot of new players crouch walk everywhere when they’re trying to be sneaky, but you only need to crouch walk when you’re within 20 or 30 meters of an enemy. If you’re further away than that, you can walk normally without being heard, and you’ll move twice as fast.
You’ll also get a small speed boost if you jump right as your slide ends, which is called a slide jump. This lets you carry the extra speed from your slide forward for a few extra steps, and it’s the main trick pro players use to move around the map as fast as possible. It takes a little practice to get the timing right, but once you do, you’ll notice a huge difference in how fast you can rotate.
How to Use Speed Variations to Win More Fights
Now that you know all the different factors that impact movement speed in Apex, you can start using these differences to get an edge over other players. I use these tricks every single game, and they’ve helped me climb to Masters rank three seasons in a row, so I can promise they work if you practice them.
The first trick I recommend mastering is swapping to your melee weapon whenever you’re rotating or chasing an enemy. Even if you think you might run into an enemy any second, you can swap back to your primary weapon in less than a second, so the risk is almost always worth the extra speed. I’ve won dozens of 1v1 fights just by swapping to my knife to close the gap on an enemy who was reloading, getting right on top of them before they could finish reloading and take a shot at me.
You can outrun almost any enemy chasing you if you combine melee holstering, downhill slides, and character ability speed boosts. If you’re low on health and trying to escape a fight, pop any speed boost ability you have, swap to your knife, and slide down any nearby hills. 9 times out of 10, the enemy chasing you will be holding their primary weapon and not sliding, so you’ll pull away from them in seconds.
Another trick is to use speed differences to catch enemies off guard when they’re healing. If you see an enemy duck behind cover and you hear them pop a shield cell, you can push them immediately while they’re moving at half speed. They won’t be able to move out of the way fast enough to avoid your shots, and you can take them down before they finish healing. Just make sure you don’t push if they have teammates nearby who can shoot you while you’re advancing.
You can also use speed modifiers to make it harder for enemies to hit you. If you’re in a 1v1 fight and you’re low on shields, swap to an SMG or pistol so you can move at full speed while you’re strafing. Strafing at 100% speed makes you a lot harder to hit than strafing at 90% speed with an assault rifle, and it can make the difference between winning and losing a close fight.
So now you have the full answer to do apex legends have different speeds, and it’s clear that speed variations come from a mix of character abilities, equipped weapons, and movement states rather than base differences between legends. Spend 10 or 15 minutes in the firing range practicing slide jumps and swapping between weapons to feel the speed differences for yourself, and you’ll start noticing a big improvement in your gameplay right away. The best part is that most casual players don’t know about these hidden speed modifiers, so you’ll have an easy edge over most opponents you run into once you master these tricks.