How to Zoom In and Out in Apex Legends

Evan Gower October 7, 2019

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Apex Legends is a fast-paced and highly competitive squad-based Battle Royale game in which situational awareness is the key. You need to be able to track the enemies, and the better a view you have of them, the more likely it is you’ll score those all-important kills.

The further away you are from your enemies, the harder they are to hit. This is where a good scope comes in, magnifying your view and making them easier to see and keep track of at range. Even better, some of the scopes have a variable zoom, providing you with more flexibility and a better chance of taking them down.

How to Zoom Your View

On PC

Once you have a gun that has a scope equipped, you can toggle it by pressing the Right Mouse Button. Another click of the Right Mouse Button will exit the scoped view and return you to your normal vision.

If the scope that you’ve put on your weapon has a variable zoom, such as the 1x-2x Variable Holo Sight or the 4x-10x Digital Sniper Threat Scope, then you can toggle between the zoom levels with the Left Shift key. If your scope has a variable option, you should see an onscreen prompt on what to press to change between the zooming options.

On Console

If you’re getting your Apex fix on a PS4 or Xbox One, then you can activate your gun’s scope by pressing the left trigger on your gamepad. Unlike on PC this doesn’t act as a toggle, so you’ll need to keep the button pressed to stay scoped.

To toggle between the variable zoom states, if your scope supports that option, you need to press the left thumb stick. Some players have complained that they find themselves either zooming in accidentally while in close combat, or unintentionally throwing a punch by pressing the wrong stick. You might want to practice switching your zoom while in a safe environment so you’re not caught unready when under fire.

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Change Your Field of View Settings

Another option for adjusting how much of the in-game world you see on your screen is to change your field of view (FOV) settings in the options menu. Depending on how you set it, you can have a more focused view, or a wider overview of your surroundings. At lower FOV settings, you’ll see less of the world, but what is on the screen will be enlarged. High FOVs will put more of the world on your screen, but enemies will be harder to hit.

The standard setting is a 90-degree field of view, which is what the developers recommend as it provides a good middle ground. It also reduces the likelihood of graphical errors, bugs, and artifacts.

Lower FOV

This can act as a mild zoom. However, if you take it too low you may find that you miss things that are happening right next to you, and can even run the risk of inducing motion sickness. One bonus from a lower FOV is that other players will appear larger, and so easier to hit. You may find that they are harder to track though, especially when moving fast. Increased mouse or controller sensitivity can compensate for this.

The lowest you can set it is to 80 degrees, which will give you the highest effective zoom, though it can make your life a bit harder in close combat. If your playstyle finds you generally engaging at medium to long range though, the increased hit-box side can give you an advantage.

Higher FOV

On higher FOV settings, you have more peripheral vision, giving you a better sense of what is going on around you. This is especially useful if you’re a close combat specialist, as other players will have a harder time getting the drop on you. Plus, if your reactions are quick, and your aiming accurate, the slightly smaller targets shouldn’t pose too much of a problem.

Many pro-gamers maintain that the higher your FOV is the better. The slider goes all the way up to 110 degrees, giving you the largest viewing advantage. However, 104 degrees is also a good option, as it reduces the fish-eye effect that the highest settings can create.

Now You See Me, Now You Don’t

Which scope is your favorite for keeping track of the enemy? Do you have a preferred FOV setting that you think gives you the best possible advantage compared to the default? Feel free to share your tips and tactics in the comments section below.