If you’ve just downloaded Apex Legends after seeing your friends rave about their clutch wins or cool legendary skin drops, you’re probably feeling a little overwhelmed first time you load into the lobby. The game has dozens of characters, hundreds of weapons, and a movement system that feels nothing like other battle royales you might have played before, so it’s normal to wonder does apex legends have a tutorial to walk you through the basics first. I’ve been playing since season 1, and I still remember fumbling through my first few matches because I skipped the optional advanced training content entirely, so I put together this guide to break down exactly what training options are available, what they cover, and how to get the most out of them before you drop into King’s Canyon for the first time.
Does Apex Legends Have a Tutorial Built Into the Base Game?
The short answer is yes, every new account gets access to a mandatory core tutorial before they can jump into public matches. The initial tutorial takes roughly 10 minutes to complete, and you can’t access standard multiplayer matches until you finish it for the first time on a new account. It walks you through a short, linear path on a small section of King’s Canyon, with clear on-screen prompts for every action you need to take. You won’t face any real enemy players during this training, so you don’t have to worry about being rushed or eliminated while you learn the controls.
The tutorial casts you as Pathfinder, one of the easiest starter Legends for new players, and covers basic movement, looting items, firing both hitscan and projectile weapons, using tactical and ultimate abilities, reviving a downed teammate, and using a respawn beacon to bring a dead teammate back into the match. If you mess up a step, like missing your shots at the target dummies, it will just let you try again until you get it right, no penalties involved. You can also replay the tutorial any time from the settings menu if you’re coming back after a long break and want a quick refresh of the core controls.
Key Skills the Core Tutorial Doesn’t Teach New Players
Because the core tutorial is designed to be as fast as possible to get new players into matches quickly, it leaves out a lot of nuance that can make or break your early matches. Advanced movement techniques like slide jumping, wall bounces, and tap strafing aren’t covered at all in the basic training – those are skills you’ll have to practice either in the firing range or in casual matches once you get the hang of the basics. These movement tricks don’t just look cool, they let you dodge enemy fire much more effectively, so they’re worth learning as soon as you feel comfortable with the basic controls.
Legend-specific ability combos are another big gap – the tutorial only uses Pathfinder, so you won’t learn how Wraith’s portals pair with Bangalore’s smoke, or how Gibraltar’s dome can be used to safely revive teammates in high-stakes fights. Loot priority and inventory management are barely touched on – the tutorial tells you how to pick up items, but not that you should always prioritize shield cells over syringes if you have a purple or gold shield, or that heavy ammo is useless if you’re only carrying light weapons. That doesn’t mean the tutorial is bad, of course – it’s designed to get you into real matches as fast as possible, without boring you with hours of mandatory training. But if you go into your first match expecting to know everything you need to win, you’re going to be disappointed. For example, the tutorial tells you how to use a health syringe, but it doesn’t explain that you can use shield cells while sliding down a hill to avoid being an easy target for enemy players.
How to Use the Firing Range to Build on Tutorial Skills
The firing range is the most underrated free practice tool in the game, and it’s accessible any time from the main lobby, no match queue required. It’s a large, open space with target dummies placed at different distances, every weapon and attachment in the game, and access to every Legend’s full kit, so you can test almost every mechanic without the pressure of a real match. Even 15 minutes of practice here after you finish the core tutorial can cut your learning curve in half, and you can focus on the specific skills that feel hardest for you without worrying about getting eliminated.
These are the three most important drills to run in the firing range after you finish the core tutorial:
- Recoil control for your top 3 preferred weapons: Spend 10 minutes each session spraying at dummies from different distances to learn how each gun’s recoil pattern works, and adjust your sensitivity if you’re struggling to track moving targets. Start with easier weapons like the R-301 Carbine before you move onto high-recoil options like the Flatline or Spitfire.
- Ability cooldown timings for Legends you want to main: Test how long it takes for Wraith’s tactical to recharge after use, or how far Gibraltar’s ultimate can be thrown, so you don’t waste abilities mid-fight because you guessed wrong on timing. You can also test ability combos with other Legends if you’re playing with friends, to see what pairs work best for your team playstyle.
- Fast looting drills: Set up a pile of random loot on the ground and practice picking up only the items you need for a hypothetical loadout, ditching excess ammo and useless attachments as fast as possible to cut down on looting time in real matches. The faster you can loot, the less time you spend standing still as an easy target for enemy players.
You can also enable dummy combat in the firing range to practice full gunfights without the risk of getting eliminated by a more experienced player – just go to the far left cave near the starting platform, interact with the small button on the wall, and the dummies will start attacking you. A lot of new players think the firing range is only for players who want to go pro, but that’s not true at all. Even if you only play casual matches with friends, spending a few minutes there every time you log on will help you get more comfortable with the game’s controls, so you can focus on having fun instead of fumbling with your inventory mid-fight. I still spend 10 minutes in the firing range every time I log on, just to warm up my aim before I jump into matches, and it’s made a huge difference in my win rate over the years.
Tips for Returning Players Who Need a Tutorial Refresh
If you haven’t played Apex Legends in a few seasons, the core tutorial is still going to be the same as you remember, but there are probably dozens of new mechanics, Legends, and weapon changes that you won’t be familiar with. Jumping straight into ranked matches after a long break is almost always a bad idea, even if you were a solid player before you took time off, because the meta shifts so much every season that you’ll be at a huge disadvantage from the start.
You can find free, curated tutorial content from pro players in the game’s “Learn” tab in the main lobby – Respawn adds new short videos every season that cover new Legends, weapon changes, and meta shifts, so you don’t have to search third-party sites to catch up. If you’re returning after a long break, you might also notice that a lot of Legends have had ability changes since you last played. The core tutorial won’t cover those changes, so the Learn tab is the fastest way to catch up on what’s new without having to play dozens of matches to figure it out on your own. Don’t be afraid to try new Legends when you come back, either – the meta shifts every season, so the Legend you mained two years ago might not be the best fit for your playstyle anymore. I did that when I came back after a 6-month break in season 12, and it saved me from a ton of frustrating losses that would have made me want to quit again.
At the end of the day, if you were wondering does apex legends have a tutorial to get you started, the answer is a clear yes – but it’s just the first step of learning the game. The basic training covers all the core fundamentals you need to play your first match, but you’ll get way more out of your early gameplay if you spend extra time in the firing range and take advantage of the free learning resources built into the game. Don’t get discouraged if you lose your first 10 or 20 matches – every pro player started exactly where you are, fumbling through the tutorial and forgetting how to use their ultimate mid-fight. Take it slow, practice the skills that feel hardest for you, and you’ll be pulling off clutch wins before you know it.