So, long post here.....But the TL;DR is that I'm going on a self imposed break from Apex for awhile. It's not because I'm not enjoying myself. It's actually the opposite.
I've recently unlocked a part of the game that I've been dreadfully avoiding since launch: The Hot Drop. Since launch, I have always played Apex like a traditional BR. I land uncontested, find good loot around the map and then pick strategic fights to get a win. Essentially, play slow and go for the win. I continued this in Season 13 ranked on Storm Point until I reached Gold 2 where I am hard stuck with Predators in the final circles. Every single match I would try to land uncontested and then essentially camp until the final circles trying to get RP and the win.
The problem with this playstyle besides being a grind and inherently un-fun, is that this is clearly not how Respawn designed the game to be played. But let's forget about ranked for a moment and talk about pubs, because this is where my point lies in this post.
Flat out, if you're playing in pubs and not hot dropping, then you are missing out on one of the best and most exhilarating gaming experiences out there. All you need to do is let go of the frustration of playing with some randoms that are idiots and just be aggressive as possible and go for the kills. If you get wiped, so be it. Re-cue back into a new lobby and go again. And again. Focus on your own performance, help the team when needed and jump from one kill to the next as fast as possible. Oh and forget about winning. Just go for the moment to moment fights and being forced into difficult situations because if you pull them off, you will literally get an endorphin rush that I haven't felt since maybe first season of Overwatch when the game went into Overtime.
There's a reason why pub matches only last until the 2nd round these days. Everyone is hot dropping and playing fast. The kill feed just goes off for about 90 seconds straight and then it's basically 5 squads left. Honestly, its actually weird when your jumpmaster goes way OUT far away from the action.
Apex pubs is almost not even a BR mode anymore - it's more like a one life elimination deathmatch.
The problem here and why I know I need to stop is that I've been going overboard with the hot dropping and I can already tell that's it's triggering some of my own addictive personality traits in gaming that I have to manage or it will take over. That sounds funny at first but that's just me being honest and being an adult here. I'm actually having too much fun. More fun then I've ever had playing Apex in the last 2 years.
So for now I'm taking the summer off Apex and see how things go. The weather is beautiful outside here in NYC. My son is playing basketball in the backyard. People are grilling BBQ and chilling. I don't want to be thinking in the back of my head about my next hot drop. Lmao. Better to just stop for awhile and keep up with the game through ERA, watch Timmy and the ALGS etc... similar to my NBA / basketball addiction. :)
I will say this - if you do decide to jump on the hot drop bandwagon just beware that it's addictive as hell.
