Apex Legends Controls and Video Settings#
Apex’s movement system is more complex than most shooters, and the default keybinds only carry you through the opening hours. Putting movement keys where your fingers naturally sit and tuning sensitivity until you can follow a slide turn are the two adjustments that raise your floor fastest.
Basic Keybinds#
| Action | Default key | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Move | W / A / S / D | — |
| Jump | Space | Shares a key with climb; can be split |
| Crouch / slide | C | Press while sprinting to slide |
| Interact / pick up | E | Hold to auto-pickup |
| Tactical ability | Q | — |
| Ultimate | Z | Requires a full charge |
| Melee | V | Short wind-up, fixed damage |
| Throwables | G | Scroll wheel switches type |
| Reload | R | — |
| Ping | Middle mouse button | The core communication tool |
| Inventory | Tab | Opens mid-fight too |
| Map | M | Shows the ring and teammate positions |
| Shared legend action | Default combo key | Used for special interactions on some legends |
Three Keybinds Worth Changing#
| Binding | Default | Suggestion | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slide | C | Side mouse button or Shift | Sliding means turning the camera while pressing — keep your thumb free |
| Climb | Bound to jump | Move to a separate key | Against walls, accidental climbs stall your rhythm |
| Tactical ability | Q | Mouse side button | Mobility legends need to cast without letting go of fire |
Controller players should first move slide and abilities onto the shoulder buttons, and raise sensitivity until you can complete a ninety-degree turn mid-slide.
Sensitivity#
The easiest path for mouse and keyboard players is to set an eDPI first, then fine-tune the optic multipliers.
| Item | Suggested start | Adjustment direction |
|---|---|---|
| Mouse DPI | 800 | Wrist aimers can drop to 400, arm aimers can rise to 1600 |
| In-game sensitivity | 1.2 to 1.8 | Aim for an eDPI between 1000 and 1600 |
| 1x optic multiplier | 1.0 | Keep the feel consistent with hipfire |
| Mid/high zoom multiplier | 0.8 to 1.0 | Lower values mean slower, steadier aim once scoped |
| Aim turning | Disable pointer acceleration | Keep turning predictable |
After any sensitivity change, you must re-drill recoil in the Firing Range — at least ten minutes before live matches, or your first games will visibly miss.
Aim Assist and Controller Options#
Controller aim assist is tiered by distance; the goal is a stickier close range without an over-clingy long range.
| Option | Suggestion | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Aim assist (close range) | Default or slightly higher | Decides most of your point-blank hit rate during reload windows |
| Aim assist (long range) | Default or slightly lower | Too high drags on your tracking |
| Response curve | Classic | Linear suits controller players already used to other shooters |
| Deadzone | As low as possible | Smaller deadzones fine-tune better, but demand healthy sticks |
Video Settings#
Competitive settings have exactly one goal: a stable high frame rate plus targets that stay clearly visible. Pretty visuals come second.
| Setting | Suggested value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Display mode | Fullscreen | Exclusive mode has the lowest latency |
| Frame rate cap | Monitor refresh rate or higher | Higher frame rates mean lower input lag |
| V-Sync | Off | Introduces input lag when enabled |
| Field of view | 90 to 110 | A wider view shows more information but shrinks targets |
| Texture streaming budget | Medium or high | Too low smears distant textures |
| Shadows | Low or off | Turning them off lifts frame rate noticeably |
| Volumetric light and motion blur | Off | Both hurt your ability to spot people |
| Anti-aliasing | Off or lowest | Keeps target outlines crisp |
Audio Settings#
A sizable share of Apex’s information lives in sound: footstep direction, zipline slides, shields breaking, distant fights. Audio settings should balance hearing directions clearly against not being drowned out by explosions.
| Setting | Suggestion | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Master volume | Medium | Leaves dynamic headroom for footsteps |
| SFX vs voice balance | SFX above voice | Directional information comes first |
| Dynamic range | Night or compressed | Damps explosion peaks and lifts footsteps |
| Subtitles | On | Catches some regional callouts and prompts |
| Headphone mode | On | Strengthens front-versus-back separation |
The Ping System#
The ping system is this game’s lowest-effort communication tool — most coordination works without ever opening your mic.
| Pinged | What teammates see |
|---|---|
| Ground loot | Item name and location |
| Enemy position | A directional marker that tracks briefly |
| Drop spot | A suggested rotation direction |
| Ring | The edge of the next shrinking circle |
| Death box | Location and whether it has been looted |
Double-pressing the ping key sends an “someone has been here” callout, used to tell teammates the area is already looted or a fight just happened.
Verifying Your Settings#
After changing settings, don’t rush into ranked. Run three self-checks in the Firing Range first: whether your camera keeps up during slide turns, whether close-range tracking feels smooth, and whether distant targets are still clearly readable. Once all three pass, run three public matches.