If you’ve spent any time playing battle royales, you’ve probably gotten used to hopping in a car, truck, or hovercraft to outrun the ring or ambush enemy squads. I’ve been playing Apex Legends consistently since season 3, and one question I see pop up over and over again in lobbies, Discord servers, and Reddit threads is does apex legends have vehicles. Unlike other popular BRs, Apex’s core identity is built around unique character movement abilities and tight, close-quarters combat, so it makes sense that Respawn has taken a very different approach to transport if they’ve added it at all. In this guide, we’re breaking down every type of controllable transport in the game, when to use them, and how to avoid common mistakes that get squads wiped.
Does Apex Legends Have Vehicles? Breaking Down Official Transport Types
The short answer is yes, but don’t expect the armed, fast-paced vehicles you’re used to from games like Fortnite or PUBG. Tridents are the only permanent, fully controllable vehicle available in core Apex Legends playlists, and they’re exclusive to the Storm Point map. These large, three-seat amphibious crafts are designed for squad rotation, not combat, so they don’t come with mounted guns or any built-in offensive features. You can find them parked at designated spawn points spread across Storm Point, usually near major points of interest and coastal areas. While Tridents are the only official permanent vehicle, you’ll also find other controllable transport options in limited time modes, and some players count static movement tools like gravity cannons and map zip lines as informal transport too.
Key Pros and Cons of Using Tridents in Public and Ranked Matches
If you’re still new to the question of does apex legends have vehicles, you might be tempted to hop in a Trident every time you see one on Storm Point. But before you grab the driver’s seat, it’s important to weigh the benefits and risks of using this transport, especially in ranked matches where every RP counts. Most players underestimate how loud and vulnerable Tridents are, and a bad decision to drive one can cost you the entire match. Here’s a quick breakdown of the biggest pros and cons to keep in mind:
- Fast rotation for full squads: You can move your entire 3-person team across Storm Point twice as fast as running, even when you’re carrying heavy loot or reviving a downed teammate in the back seat.
- Amphibious travel: Tridents work just as well in open water as they do on land, so you don’t have to slow down or find a bridge when crossing Storm Point’s many rivers, bays, and coastal channels.
- Low defensive risk for passengers: The vehicle’s thick hull blocks all incoming small arms fire for players sitting in the two back seats, so you can heal, reload, or loot death boxes safely while you’re moving.
- Extremely high noise profile: Tridents are loud enough to be heard from more than 200 meters away, so enemy squads will know exactly where you’re going long before you arrive at your destination.
- Weak to explosive damage: A single well-placed Rocket Launcher shot, Arc Star stick, or Grenade throw can blow up a full-health Trident in one hit, wiping your entire squad before you even have time to exit.
I learned that last point the hard way a few seasons back, when my squad decided to drive a Trident straight into a hot zone to third party a fight. A single enemy hiding behind a rock stuck an Arc Star to the side of our craft, and we all went down before we could even grab our weapons. Now I only use Tridents for long rotations between far-off points when the first ring is closing, and I always park at least 100 meters away from any point of interest I plan to approach.
Limited-Time Vehicle Alternatives You Might Encounter
While Tridents are the only permanent vehicle in core play, Respawn has tested a range of other transport options in limited time modes and seasonal events over the years. One of the most popular limited vehicles was the rideable Prowler, added during a Storm Point seasonal update that let players tame and ride the wild predators around the map for fast, quiet travel. Other events have added hoverbikes, small one-person hovercraft, and even rideable wildlife for short periods of time. Respawn has repeatedly stated they have no plans to add permanent armed attack vehicles to core playlists, and there’s a very good reason for that. Apex’s unique movement system – including slide jumps, grapples, wall bounces, and character-specific abilities – is the core of the game’s identity. Adding fast, heavily armed vehicles would make that movement system largely irrelevant, and shift the focus away from the team-based, close-quarters combat that makes Apex stand out from other battle royales.
You might also run across user-created vehicles in custom community LTMs, but these are not official Respawn content and won’t show up in standard public or ranked matches. Most of these custom modes lean into chaotic, fun gameplay rather than the balanced meta of core Apex, so they’re a great way to mess around with friends if you’re tired of the standard rotation meta.
Tips for Using Transport Effectively to Win More Matches
Even with their downsides, Tridents and other transport options can be a huge asset if you use them correctly. I’ve used Tridents to get my squad out of bad spots dozens of times, and they’re especially useful if you’re playing with newer players who haven’t mastered advanced movement techniques yet. You don’t have to avoid Tridents entirely, you just have to use them for their intended purpose instead of treating them like a combat tool.
First, never drive a Trident all the way to a point you plan to attack or loot. Park it at least 100 meters away, turn off the engine, and walk the rest of the way so you don’t alert any enemy squads in the area. You can combine character abilities with Tridents to make them even more useful – for example, Wraith can place a portal at the front of a moving Trident to let your squad escape instantly if you get ambushed, and Gibraltar can put his dome shield over the vehicle to block explosive damage while you repair it or heal up.
If you’re playing in a ranked match, avoid using Tridents entirely once the ring gets down to the third or fourth circle. Smaller rings mean more enemy squads are packed into a tight space, and you’ll be an easy target for anyone with explosive weapons or a long-range sniper. I’ve lost count of how many squads I’ve wiped because they tried to drive a Trident into a small final circle, giving away their position immediately.
Finally, don’t sleep on non-vehicle transport options if you don’t have a Trident available. Gravity cannons, map zip lines, and even character movement abilities like Octane’s jump pad or Pathfinder’s zipline are often faster and quieter than a Trident, and you don’t run the risk of getting blown up by a random explosive. Always weigh the speed benefit of a Trident against the risk of being seen before you decide to drive one – most of the time, the risk isn’t worth the small amount of time you save.
At the end of the day, if you’ve been asking does apex legends have vehicles, the answer is yes, but they’re far from the combat-focused transport you’ll find in other battle royales. Tridents are designed for safe, fast squad rotation on Storm Point, and they work best when you use them for that specific purpose instead of trying to use them to run over enemies or storm hot zones. Take the time to practice using them in public matches first so you get a feel for how they handle, and always remember to park far away from any area where you think enemies might be hiding. If you get lucky enough to catch a limited time mode with other transport options, don’t be afraid to experiment – you might find a new favorite way to move around the map and pick up more wins.