Everything to know about Control in Apex Legends

Control has quickly become one of Apex Legends‘ most popular modes. Originally introduced as a limited-time mode in season 12, it’s since returned twice more at the behest of players. It’s not hard to see why fans love it so much: the fast-paced combination of capture the flag and team deathmatch is a tremendously fresh spin on Apex‘s usual battle royale gameplay.

Part of Control’s popularity comes from its limited-time nature. It’s not always available in the game, so if the dev team at Respawn decides to bring it back for an event or a new season, it’s best to jump in as quickly as possible before it’s taken away again.

If you’re looking for tips on how to make the most out of this special LTM, you’ve come to the right place.

Here’s how to take Control in Apex Legends.

What is Control?

Control is a mode that pits teams of nine against each other in an effort to control small areas scattered throughout some of the game’s most memorable POIs. If available, the mode can be accessed from Apex‘s main menu. Once you’ve joined a team, you can choose from several premade weapon and grenade loadouts before spawning into your team’s base.

After the match begins, the goal is to control as many of the zones as possible for as long as possible. There are three zones on each map: A, B, and C. A and C are closer to each team’s spawn point, while B is generally a more neutral zone in the middle. Legends must stand on a point for a set period of time to capture a zone, after which it can be stolen by enemies. Controlling a zone grants points that fill a capture bar at the top of the screen. Whichever team fills their capture bar first wins the match.

What’s the best way to defend a zone you’ve captured? Shooting enemies, of course. As in Apex‘s battle royale mode, guns can be looted off of enemies’ and allies’ bodies when they fall in battle. Your guns will also be upgraded based on the ratings tier you reach in a match. Your ratings tier can be increased by killing enemies, capturing zones, and participating in mid-game events like capture bonuses. Each match includes a ratings tier leaderboard that shows who’s performing the best.

There are three POIs that have been remade as Control maps. Olympus fans will recognize the Labs POI and the surrounding area as one of Control’s maps. Caustic Treatment from Kings Canyon is also in the rotation. The most recently-added map is Lava Siphon from World’s Edge, which arrived in season 13.

Like battle royale, all three of these maps rotate on a time basis.

Tips for playing Control

While Apex‘s battle royale and Arenas modes often involve sneaking around and being careful about your shots, Control is a loud and dramatic slugfest. It’s very similar to team deathmatch and king of the hill on other FPS titles.

The mode is also a good way to practice your one-versus-one skills and is a great choice for when you’re tired of waiting ages to respawn in battle royale. The quick gameplay cycle and fast respawn times in Control cut down on many of the game’s usual frustrations.

When attempting to capture a point, don’t go in by yourself—wait until you have at least one teammate to go with you. Chances are good several members of the enemy team are waiting to rip you to shreds on the point, so your rate of survival will be higher if you always take a buddy. Control is all about teamwork: while it’s fairly easy to be the solo carry in battle royale and Arenas, even the greatest legend can’t take on nine enemies by themselves.

Choose your loadout wisely at the beginning of the match and always be looking for better guns. The loadouts will often span a variety of ranges—for example, a shotgun and a sniper, or a pistol and a marksman rifle—so you’ll have a little bit of versatility in how you approach fights. After you take out an enemy, check to see what guns they dropped if you’re not in immediate danger. You don’t have to deal with rifling through death boxes here; guns drop directly onto the ground. Oftentimes, enemies with a higher ratings tier will have better weapons with valuable hop-ups and attachments. Keep an eye out for care packages, which often contain powerful supply drop weapons.

If you really want to become a Control star, it’s important to know each of the POIs well and understand your movement potential. These small arenas aren’t just ripped directly from the game’s battle royale maps; they’ve been tweaked and adjusted to make movement to and from each zone easier. For example, Caustic Treatment contains additional ziplines that make it much quicker to get into the central testing location, which is also where point B is located. Know where you’re going and how you’re going to get there before you start moving, lest you meet the dangerous end of an enemy’s rifle.

As fun as it can be to play Control like a pure team deathmatch, you’re hindering your team if you do that. Stay aware of which zones each team controls and rotate safely in order to make it to an allied zone unscathed. When a capture bonus event starts or Lockout begins—that’s when one team controls all three zones, meaning the other team has a limited amount of time to get them back—focus your efforts on taking the zone in question. Kills are fun and dramatic, but top fragging isn’t what will give your team the win.

Make the most of Control while it’s around for a limited time. If you’re tired of battle royale and Arenas and want something fresh, it might just be the perfect mode for you.

Many in the community are hoping that Respawn eventually keeps it around permanently, but until then, you only have a limited time to snag as many zones as you can and crown yourself the ultimate Control master.