@reconzero wrote:
@NullEffective9Wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong again. You are not trash. You do not deserve to lose. Let's unpack this a little:
First, remember that while ranks may be a useful tool for some players, for others such as myself, and I think you, they're evil. They're a head game Respawn plays with you trying to get you to think... I don't even know what. So play no more ranked matches. Pubs only. That's one.
Two. We'll get to skill in a minute, but for now just remember that a 95% loss rate in Apex is not a terrible performance. Whoever thought we'd all sign up for a game where you're statistically likely to win 5% of your matches? Madness. The takeaway here: the game isn't all about winning. Find other reasons to play. Just try to learn something new every match. Smell the roses, as it were.
Three. Skill. SKILL. What a loaded word. Most people who play shooters use the word skill when what they really mean is "gun skill." No, the two are not one in the same. Like you, I can't hit the broad side of a barn in this game. But in every way that I can get smarter about what I'm doing, I do get smarter about what I'm going. And until the SBMM changes of season 12 I had a pretty respectable 10% win rate in pubs. Not a "95% accuracy" win rate. A "smarter than the other guy" win rate.
Misconception number one: I remember Raynday saying, "Just get in there and try. You'll die a lot the first few thousand matches, but you have to die millions of time in order to get better." This is what good players say to lure people like you and me to our deaths. Don't buy it.
Solution: Forget about your squadmates. They're actively trying to get you killed. They're usually worse than your enemies. Drop solo and do your own thing until the circle pushes you back to your squadmates. Assuming they live that long. You, on the other hand, will stay alive - not by killing full squads, but by doing what should be the most instinctive thing in this game: avoiding trouble until trouble becomes unavoidable.
Don't drop early. Don't drop on the line. Get as far off the line as you can, and do it as late in the drop as you can. Do not go to any named point of interest, even if you can see no one else is landing there. Work the edges of the circle and don't move inside the edge ever unless you see or hear something driving you away from where you are. You'll learn over time how to judge when and where to move. Sometimes you'll get caught and killed. But over time it will happen less and less until you just know from experience where enemies are likely to be, and where you need to be in order to avoid them. Don't worry: I'm not saying "hide then die," as an alternative to "shoot then die." You just have to remember that dead people can't win, and the best way to keep them from killing you is to avoid them until you have no other choice. Over time this kind of thinking will make you much harder to kill. When you finally decide it's time to get more aggressive, your trouble-avoidance skills will serve you well.
Always have a marksman weapon in your loadout. Always. For people like you and I who can't aim, it's absolutely critical to have a gun you can use from a distance where it's very hard for most enemies to shoot back. It's a confidence builder. I recommend the tripletake or charge rifle as they have amost no recoil or projectile drop. But use them sparingly. The hardest thing to know isn't when to shoot at someone, it's when not to. Mostly, don't do it. You're just giving away your position. Unless it's late game and you're getting close to your squadmates again. That's when you open up.
Chose a mobility legend. Valk or Octane or Pathfinder. Pick one and stick with it. Always. The more you stick to one legend the more your actions become instinct and you can stop focusing on how to execute movement, and just move instinctively while focusing on how to shoot.
You already know you can't win by outshooting at close range. That's for people with aimbots and Xims and Ritilan. I have none of those things and neither do you. So try not to run up and shoot a guy who's running at you. Try to get up high (on a wall, cliff, roof top) where you have a view, and where you can drop down behind an unsuspecting player. In the final three, be near, but not with your teammates. When enemies go after them they'll be too focused on their target to notice you at the edge of the play. That's a good time to strike. Anything you can do to see what's happening without being seen, or to create confusion for the enemy, gives you a leg up. Grenades, air strikes, a fake zipline, a bait black market. It all helps. Distract and conquer.
Above all, use a mic, even if teammates don't. Don't be mean to anyone, and mute them immediately if they're mean to you. Don't tolerate that crap. Especially from the ones who gripe at you for doing everything wrong - when the truth is they're making one bad decision after another and just expecting you to go along on their little suicide mission. Do your own thing with confidence, and if you can, explain to them as you go what you're doing and why. They may have a good argument and try to help you do something different. Good communication can overcome an aimbot. Something to think about.
Relax. Take a deep breath. Stop worrying about letting your teammates down, and start letting them worry about how to stay alive without your help. I call that tough love. In that situation, if you can all make it to the final five, you'll start winning more. Probably a lot more.
Sorry for the long read. Best of luck.
... Are you me from another timeline? This is pretty much how I play.
I don't treat this as a battle royal. I play it like a survival horror.
