Fans of FPS, Hero Shooters, and Battle Royale can get the best of all worlds in Apex Legends, especially with its gameplay. Similar to Hero Shooters, Apex Legends relies on players choosing a squad of Legends, each with unique abilities that affect combat in different ways. Like the typical FPS mechanics, Apex Legends offers a vast set of weapons for players to choose from, so its Battle Royale component means players need to combine their wits to outlast other squads in huge environments.
With all these components combined, it’s easy to see how the typical FPS player can feel pressured to keep up in intense firefights. However, one way players can make their FPS experience much easier is through tinkering with the game’s settings, particularly the Field-Of-View. Thing is, how exactly does Field-Of-View affect one’s performance in their platforms?
The Basics: What Exactly Is Field-Of-View?
Players who are wondering why other Apex Legends players seem to have a better read of the surrounding environment, it's because they are likely optimizing their Field-Of-View settings. However, it’s not exactly easy to discern what this is without going over a few technicalities in terms of both vision and technical specs.
At its core, Field-Of-View is a setting that determines just how much of the screen the game would use to give players a clear view of their surroundings. Depending on the number, players can see more or less of their background beyond what they see directly in front of them. Think of Field-Of-View as just how much detail is visible on a player’s peripheral vision, allowing them to shoot their weapons more efficiently.
What Do Field-Of-View Numbers Mean?
Similar to other settings in the game, Field-Of-View only matters depending on personal preference. In fact, both high and low values of FOV can affect gameplay differently, and players should use their playstyle as a reference as to how intense they want their FOV to be. At its core, FOV numbers usually mean the following:
High Field-Of-View
Setting up a high Field-Of-View allows players to view more of the screen around them, giving them ample opportunities to digest what’s happening to the landscape as they play the game. As such, high Field-Of-View can affect gameplay in these ways:
- Pros: At its core, high Field-Of-View gives players a better means of seeing the surrounding environment. Since there’s more to see, environments feel less claustrophobic, and they can move more freely as there’s more room to strategize.
- Cons: With more detail being invested on the screen, targets inevitably become much smaller and objects appear further away than they actually are. In fact, setting FOV too high can give things a fish lens view and distort the player’s view entirely.
Low FIeld-Of-View
Setting up a low Field-Of-View would significantly reduce the level of detail players see around them, but this isn’t always a bad thing. Depending on the player handling the situation, lower FOV can definitely boost their performance in a number of ways:
- Pros: Movement under low FOV can become much slower, giving players more time to react to situations. Thanks to less details in the environment, things in front would be much larger, including targets and interactive objects. Moreover, FPS could be greatly improved as players have better control over what’s in front of them.
- Cons: Of course, low FOV means players would see less around them, making movement a bit claustrophobic. Moreover, the adjusted viewing setting could have players misjudge their own sensitivity settings, making them prone to motion sickness.
What Is The Best FIeld-Of-View Setting?
While Field-Of-View settings definitely differ from player to player, there’s a consensus as to what the numbers should be when it comes to recommended FOVs for players. Surprisingly enough, while the game sets FOV at 70 by default, the recommended FOV for most players is much higher.
For anyone who wants to get better in Apex Legends, FOV should be set at around 96 to 104, giving players with larger screens better opportunities to secure their targets. These numbers would differ further depending on the console where the game is being played.
100-105 FOV: PC
Bumping up FOV to the higher-end of the spectrum would greatly benefit PC players, especially since higher FOV would let them see things that happen on the far sides of their screen without putting a damper on centralized activity. This base setup would help compensate for the fact that PC players are likely playing closer to their screen, allowing their eyes to rely more on their peripherals to maximize distance options.
This balanced approach also favors the more precise mouse and keyboard control that PC players have compared to their console counterparts. Given how this view also makes distanced targets smaller, the added focus PC players allot to their monitors can benefit from this FOV as well.
90-96 FOV: PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series X|S
Given the relative distance of console players to their monitors and screens, it’s reasonable for FOV to be on the more balanced side. Setting FOV to 90 places things on the higher-end of the scale, but not so high that it distorts the view of console players. As such, 90 to 96 FOV provides decent support for both short-range and long-ranged incursions, regardless of the map.
With 90 to 96 FOV, console players can have a more balanced approach to their combat strategies, giving them ample room to accurately determine distances without sacrificing performance. This approach favors the distanced screen approach console players typically experience while playing games.
75-85 FOV: Nintendo Switch, Mobile
Perhaps the lowest settings in terms of FOV, these will greatly benefit players using smaller screens, such as the mobile format or the Nintendo Switch version without being docked. Granted, the smaller FOV means players can’t always see what’s happening on their side as fast as their other counterparts. However, distanced objects and players will appear much faster on a centralized point of view.
This FOV setting can greatly help smaller screens as players can focus much more efficiently on what’s in front of them, allowing them to better adapt to fast-paced situations. Moreover, the fish-eye lens effect can help users of smaller screens work better with ranged weapons.