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Here’s where you can find the best loot in Apex Legends

Finding the best loot in Apex Legends may seem like a daunting task. The squad-based approach to the battle royale format means that it’s important to make sure each of your teammates is strapped with solid guns, armor, and a backpack full of goodies. Although it’s not difficult to find weapons and gear, making it to the end is helped by finding great weapons and gear. In order to make sure you’re stocked, you’ll need our Apex Legends best loot locations guide.

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Kings Canyon

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Kings Canyon was the only map in Apex Legends up until season 3. Although the new map, World’s Edge, is at the forefront of Respawn’s mind right now, ranked play is still using Kings Canyon periodically. Mastering this location means understanding how Respawn’s level design works, as well as the changes it’s likely to implement with World’s Edge moving forward.

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High tier

High tier loot areas are the most sought after in the game, containing legendary weapons, shields, and accessories. These areas also tend to offer a generous amount of ammo, serving as a one-stop shop for the entire match. They’re also highly competitive. If you want to drop in a high tier loot area, be prepared to fight for your loot. There are 10 high tier loot locations in Kings Canyon, most of which are positioned on the edge of the map.

  • Airbase
  • Artillery Battery
  • Bunker
  • Interstellar Relay
  • Repulsor
  • Runoff
  • Swamps
  • Thunderdome
  • The Pit
  • Water Treatment

Mid tier

Mid tier loot is your run-of-the-mill weapons and armor. Although you can get by in a game with mid tier loot, it’ll stretch your skill much more than high tier loot will. Dropping in a mid tier loot area, your team will likely come out missing one thing or another, be it suitable armor or a secondary weapon. You may find a fight in these areas, but they’re not nearly as contested as high tier locations. There are five main mid tier loot locations, with some smaller sections placed around the map.

  • Slum Lake
  • Destroyed Cascades
  • Destroyed Bridges
  • Wetlands
  • Skull Town

There are four more smaller mid tier loot locations, one to the southeast of Destroyed Cascades, one to the south of Destroyed Bridges, and two on either side of Thunderdome, directly behind Skull Town.

Low tier

Low tier loot locations are best for fodder. Here, your best pickups will likely come from crates, and your party will leave with more than a few pieces of critical loot missing. Still, these areas are great for stocking up on ammo or armor pickups while you’re working your way around the map. Furthermore, you could drop into a low tier location and make your way to a high tier one, as the two main low tier loot locations are placed close to high tier ones.

  • Market
  • Hydro Dam

Of the two, Hydro Dam is the best low tier location, as it’s directly connected to Repulsor, a high tier location. Market is close to Skull Town, but its location near the center of the map means it’ll be tough getting to any high tier locations.

World’s Edge

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World’s Edge is the newest map for Apex Legends, and although it shares some similarities with Kings Canyon, it has a lot of differences, too. The map has a cluster of high and mid tier locations in the northeast corner. Currently, World’s Edge is still the hot new map, so you’ll want to make sure you understand the critical loot locations before diving in.

High tier

World’s Edge has a lot of high tier loot areas, much more so than Kings Canyon. The majority of locations are high tier, in fact, though World’s Edge’s greater focus on horizontal movement means you can’t easily run from one high tier loot location to the next. Furthermore, high tier loot areas tend to be quite large, so you may have to run around a bit within them to find what you’re looking for.

  • The Epicenter
  • Overlook
  • Skyhook
  • Lava Fissure
  • The Train Yard
  • Thermal Station
  • The Tree
  • Sorting Factory
  • Lava City
  • The Dome

Mid tier

The mid tier loot locations, like in Kings Canyon, are placed more toward the center of the map. Although you’ll find similar gear within them, they’re more highly contested in World’s Edge. Locations like Mirage Voyage are small, which means they’re packed with a high density of loot, even if the loot itself isn’t the best.

  • Refinery
  • Drill Site
  • Capitol City
  • Fuel Depot
  • Mirage Voyage

Low tier

For the most apart, the low tier loot locations are mixed between high and mid tier areas. You shouldn’t aim for these areas, as the size of World’s Edge means you’ll need to do a lot of running before finding anything usable. That said, The Mining Pass contains a Vault, so keep it in mind.

  • Hill Valley
  • The Bridge
  • The Mining Pass
  • The Rain Tunnel
  • Uncharted Territories

The Best Loot Locations in Apex Legends

1. The Hot Zone

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Feeling bold? If so, pay attention at the start of each match to the blue circle on the map. You can’t miss it, as the blue light extends outward and into the sky. The blue area is called a Hot Zone, and it changes locations every match. Hot Zones are flush with high-level armor and a great mix of weapons.

The best part about picking up weapons in a Hot Zone is that they may already be fitted with accessories. Those who have played Apex Legends know that an important part of the hunt is finding new attachments to bolster your weapons.

Hot Zones are a very risky play, probably more so than any other location you could head to during your descent. That’s largely because the location is given away with bright lights for all to see, whereas most of the other great loot locations won’t be known to all.

2. The Supply Ship and Train

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Similar to the Hot Zone, keep an eye out for the Supply Ship in Kings Canyon and Train in World’s Edge when choosing your flight path. The Supply Ship moves slowly across the sky, so it’s not very hard to make a successful landing if your flight path is in its direction. The multi-floor ship holds several guns, attachments, armor, and health supplies.

If you don’t land on it during your descent, don’t worry. The supply ship has a set location each match where it will land. You’ll be able to board it using zip lines. Because it’s not a huge ship, if you don’t get to it early, it’s probably not worth the hassle. For the train, it continually runs around World’s Edge. However, landing on it is still your best play, as it’s likely to be cleaned out if you go for it late game.

Attempting to board the supply ship from the jump can lead to a quick death, or it can lead to some early kills for your team. Most of the time we’ve boarded while it’s in the air, another team has joined us. There’s not enough weapons and gear for six players, so naturally, it’s an unbalanced fight. Depending on which side you’re on, that is either a good or a bad thing.

3. High tier loot areas

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When you enter a new area on the map, Apex Legends tells you if it’s a high tier or mid-tier loot area. Areas that aren’t named, and the space in between the landmarks and commercial areas, still contain loot but you never really know what you’re going to find. The high tier areas are where you’ll find legendary weapons and high-level armor to help keep you chugging along to the final phase.

We recommend aiming for the large, built-up industrial areas such as Hydro Dam, Repulsor, and Water Treatment. Hydro Dam and Repulsor have the added benefit of being in close proximity to each other. Aiming for the large areas ensures that even if you don’t find high tier loot, there will be plenty of mid tier loot to go around. Finding tons of health supplies and attachments for serviceable weapons is almost as beneficial as finding a couple pieces of legendary gear.

4. Vaults

In World’s Edge, there are three vaults you can open with a Vault Key. Vaults are stocked with purple and gold loot, offering a treasure trove of goodies for you and your party. However, you’ll need to find a Vault Key before you can access them. Throughout the map, you’ll find loot drones flying around that cycle through blue, purple, and gold lights. If you shoot a loot drone, you’ll receive a piece of loot of the corresponding rarity.

If, however, you find a loot drone with red panels on it, that means it’s carrying a Vault Key. Shoot one of them down, and you’ll be on your way to some high tier loot. If you’re going for a Vault Key, you’ll want to do it early, though. Once a vault has been opened, it’s open for the rest of the match.

Tips and tricks for finding high tier loot

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Use the balloons

Respawn added zip lines with balloons attached to the top, which allow you to lift off once again to find a new location. If you’re in the hunt for high tier loot, using these can help you cover distances much quicker.

Try smaller destinations

While we wholeheartedly recommend taking aim at the large complexes, those can get crowded in a hurry. If you’re having a hard time, try heading toward less populated regions from the jump. We’ve had a lot of quiet success dropping at the Airbase, Relay, and Market.

Watch out for care packages

Throughout the match, care packages drop onto the battlefield. You’ll know that it’s happening based on your character’s dialogue. Care packages are designated on your map with a blue marker, much like the Hot Zone. There’s no guarantee you’ll get legendary weapons and powerful armor from these, but we’ve found most of our best gear from care packages. Be careful approaching them, though, as other teams might be on the prowl nearby.

Look for Apex Pack robots

Typically found in corners of buildings, Apex Pack robots look exactly like the loot crates you open in the menu. Shoot it and a few pieces of great gear will scatter on the ground around it. You can also shoot them down for a Vault Key in World’s Edge.

Call in high tier loot

If you or one of your teammates is playing as the medic Lifeline, her ultimate ability is a drop pod containing a few extremely useful pieces of defensive gear.

Steven Petite
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…
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