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Is Apex Legends Removing Skill-Based Matchmaking? The Truth and What It Means for You

The question of whether Apex Legends is removing skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) has been a recurring and hotly debated topic within the community. The short answer is: No, Apex Legends is not removing skill-based matchmaking entirely. While there have been temporary adjustments and tweaks to the system over the years, SBMM remains a core component of the game’s matchmaking process. Respawn Entertainment, the developer, continues to use SBMM to create matches that they believe are balanced and competitive for players of all skill levels.

The persistent rumors and desires for its removal stem from the frustrations that many players, particularly those at the higher skill tiers, experience with the system. However, understanding the nuances of SBMM in Apex Legends, its impacts, and potential workarounds is crucial for any serious player.

Understanding Skill-Based Matchmaking in Apex Legends

Skill-based matchmaking aims to place players into matches with others who possess a similar level of skill. The goal is to provide a fair and engaging experience, where players are challenged but not overwhelmed. In theory, this allows newer players to learn the game without being constantly dominated by veterans, while more experienced players can enjoy challenging and competitive matches.

How Does Apex Legends Implement SBMM?

The exact algorithms and metrics used by Apex Legends to determine skill are closely guarded secrets. However, based on community observations and developer comments, several factors likely contribute to a player’s Matchmaking Rating (MMR), the hidden score used for SBMM:

Kills and Damage: A player’s ability to eliminate opponents and inflict damage is undoubtedly a significant factor. Consistent high-kill games will likely increase your MMR.
Wins and Top Placements: Achieving victory or consistently placing high in matches also plays a role. Winning games demonstrates a strong ability to succeed, further boosting your MMR.
Assist and Support Actions: While not as impactful as kills, assisting teammates and providing support likely contributes to your overall score. Revives, respawns, and strategic plays all factor in.
Account Level and Time Played: Although less influential than performance metrics, account level and total playtime may be considered as indicators of experience and familiarity with the game.
Hidden MMR: Matchmaking is based on a hidden Matchmaking Rating (MMR). Your rating will adjust according to your performance as you play matches, making matchmaking competitive, fair, and accurate.

Why the Controversy? The Pros and Cons of SBMM

While the intention behind SBMM is noble, its implementation often sparks controversy:

Pros:

Fairer Matches for New Players: SBMM helps protect new players from being consistently stomped by experienced players, allowing them to learn and improve at their own pace.
Competitive Environment for Skilled Players: Higher-skilled players are matched against opponents who can challenge them, leading to more engaging and rewarding gameplay.
Reduced Smurfing: By matching players based on skill, SBMM discourages smurfing (experienced players creating new accounts to play against less skilled opponents).

Cons:

Punishes Good Players: Higher-skilled players often find themselves in extremely competitive lobbies every game, leading to fatigue and a feeling that they can’t relax and have fun.
Stricter Lobbies: Normal match making you have a decent chance of getting railroaded or feeling like a god from game to game. Sbmm means any game you play where you do okay increases the odds that the next game you get clusterfucked, the reward for doing okay is being matched in a way that makes the game less fun.
Increased Queue Times: Finding matches with players of similar skill can sometimes result in longer queue times, especially at higher ranks or during off-peak hours.
Less Opportunity for Improvement: Some players argue that constantly facing opponents of equal skill limits their opportunities to learn and improve by playing against a variety of skill levels.

Alternatives and Workarounds

While completely eliminating SBMM is unlikely, players have explored various methods to potentially influence the matchmaking system:

Using a VPN to Affect SBMM

VPN and Lobbies: Using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) won’t magically get rid of SBMM. However, you can use a VPN to make SBMM work to your advantage.
Changing your region: Appearing as if you are in a different region will essentially alter some of the metrics used to assess SBMM, potentially leading to more favorable matchups when you’re playing.
Location: If you want to avoid SBMM, a VPN for Warzone is truly a game changer. By changing your location with a VPN, you will be able to get easy bot lobbies and increase your kill/death average.
Population: Using a VPN to place your location in a less-populated area lessens the ability for matchmaking to put you in a lobby of similarly-abled players because there are likely to be fewer of them trying to join a game at the same time, and will instead prioritise getting you into a game quickly – which results in you often …
Evading throttling: even if you don’t want to change your location, using a VPN can help evade network throttling and speed up your online gaming.

Playing with Friends of Varying Skill Levels

Partying up with friends who have significantly different skill levels can sometimes influence the SBMM algorithm, potentially resulting in a wider range of player skills in the lobby.

Relaxed Playstyle

Focusing on objectives, supporting teammates, and generally adopting a less aggressive playstyle may subtly lower your MMR over time, potentially leading to slightly easier lobbies. This is a controversial strategy, as it may not always be effective.

The Future of Matchmaking in Apex Legends

Respawn Entertainment continues to monitor player feedback and experiment with different matchmaking parameters. While a complete removal of SBMM is improbable, ongoing tweaks and adjustments are likely to occur in an attempt to strike a better balance between fair competition and enjoyable gameplay for all players. The research conducted by organizations such as the Games Learning Society help inform better design and implementation of such systems. Further explorations in the field of education and gaming can be found on GamesLearningSociety.org.

Apex Legends: Skill-Based Matchmaking FAQs

Here are 15 frequently asked questions about skill-based matchmaking in Apex Legends:

1. Is skill-based matchmaking gone from Apex Legends?

No, skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) is not gone from Apex Legends. It is a core component of the game’s matchmaking system.

2. Has Apex Legends ever removed SBMM?

On May 4th 2020, Skill-based-matchmaking was removed only for the game mode of Squads near the end of Chapter 2: Season 2. This was a temporary experiment, and SBMM was later re-implemented.

3. How does Apex Legends determine skill for SBMM?

Apex Legends likely considers factors such as kills, damage, wins, assists, account level, and a hidden Matchmaking Rating (MMR).

4. Does SBMM make Apex Legends harder for good players?

Yes, many high-skilled players find that SBMM leads to consistently challenging matches, making it difficult to relax and dominate.

5. Why are queue times longer with SBMM?

Finding matches with players of similar skill can take longer, especially at higher ranks or during off-peak hours.

6. Can I avoid SBMM by using a VPN?

Using a VPN won’t completely remove SBMM, but it can potentially influence the system by altering your perceived location and skill metrics.

7. Does playing with lower-skilled friends affect SBMM?

Yes, partying up with friends of varying skill levels can sometimes influence the SBMM algorithm, leading to a wider range of player skills in the lobby.

8. Is SBMM the same in pubs and ranked modes?

SBMM is typically more strict in ranked modes to ensure fair competition. Pubs may have a slightly looser implementation of SBMM.

9. Does Apex Legends use MMR?

Yes, Apex Legends uses a hidden Matchmaking Rating (MMR) to determine player skill for matchmaking purposes.

10. Can I reset my MMR in Apex Legends?

No, there is no official way to reset your MMR in Apex Legends.

11. Does account level affect SBMM?

While less influential than performance metrics, account level and total playtime may be considered as indicators of experience and familiarity with the game.

12. Why are bot lobbies bad?

Matches that have too many bots are not fun to play in.

13. Why is Apex Legends matchmaking so slow?

First, there are not millions concurrently playing on your data center. Second, your rank is platinum, which is only about 17% of the player base, with less than 2% above you. Both of these factors will weigh heavily on your queue time.

14. Does a VPN get you easier lobbies?

Yes, by changing your location with a VPN, you will be able to get easy bot lobbies and increase your kill/death average.

15. Does Apex have SBMM in pubs?

The level of SBMM in Apex Legends pubs has made it basically pointless to play over ranked.

Is Apex removing skill based matchmaking?