How To Reduce Packet Loss On Apex Legends
Apex Legends is currently dominating the first-person battle royale scene, with millions of players playing the game on all platforms. However, tons of players are frequently dealing with instances of packet loss, which is apparent from all the posts and forums on the internet. Here we will be discussing everything there is to know about Apex Legends packet loss and how you can get rid of it.
What Is A Packet
Whenever you press a key on your keyboard or move your mouse, you are actually creating packets of data. These packets of data are constantly being sent to your computer. In the case of online games like Apex Legends, these packets of information have to be sent to the game server so that the appropriate response can be sent from the server back to your computer and the computers of other players as well.
For example, let's say that you are running across the map in Apex Legends. Once you press the "W" key on your keyboard, packets of data will start to go from your computer to the game server containing the information that your in-game character is moving.
The game server will then send this information to all other players. In this way, if you get in their line of sight, they can see your character running. In the same way, if you shoot an enemy, a packet of data will go to the game server. Then the server will send back the appropriate response in terms of the enemy dealing some damage.
What is Packet Loss?
Now that you know what a packet is, let's move on to packet loss. In simple terms, packet loss occurs when some packets of data traveling from your computer get lost in the way while trying to reach the game server. It is one of the most common network-related issues that gamers regularly face.
Packet loss in Apex Legends can become a minor annoyance when it is not a lot but can make the game unplayable in severe cases. You may have experienced this yourselves in terms of either minor stuttering or full-blown rubber banding.
What Causes Packet Loss
There are several reasons why you may be experiencing packet loss, but it will always have something to do with some part of your network connection. Here are some of the most common issues that may be causing you to experience Apex Legends packet loss.
Wireless Connection
One of the most common issues that cause gamers to experience Apex Legends packet loss is a wireless connection. WiFi is inherently unstable. The chances of packet loss on a wireless connection are quite high. This is because WiFi has to deal with tons of obstacles. These obstacles can include a lot of things like walls, people walking around the house, and furniture.
However, WiFi is so unstable that even if two completely identical routers are placed right next to each other and as close to a gaming PC as possible, both of them will still have packet loss with zero resemblance of packet loss pattern between each of them.
Bandwidth Congestion
Another common reason why gamers experience packet loss in Apex Legends is that there is tons of congestion on their bandwidth. When there is a lot of load on the bandwidth, either from other users connected on the same network or large downloads, there is a high probability of packet loss.
Physical Issues (Wires and Hardware)
While it is not that common, physical issues with the wires or other hardware in your network connection can also cause you to experience packet loss. It is not that common because an issue like this will usually result in you not being able to access the internet at all. A severe bend in the wires may be the culprit as well.
Why Is Packet Loss Bad For Gaming
As mentioned above, Apex Legends packet loss can become a minor inconvenience or make the game completely unplayable. Either way, it will definitely restrict you from performing at your full potential while playing Apex Legends.
Let's say you are in a match of Apex Legends and are trying to get into the circle. You press the "W" key, and your computer starts sending packets of data to the game server. However, because you have packet loss, some of the packets containing the information of you pressing the "W" key are getting lost in the way. If the packet loss is low, all you will experience is minor stuttering for the instances where the game server did not get the packet.
You may think that this is not a big deal, but when you are fighting with an enemy in a fast-paced game like Apex Legends, and you start to experience stuttering, you may end up losing the fight. The packets containing the information of you shooting the enemy or moving your mouse while trying to aim might also get lost. Packet loss like this one can be even more annoying, even if it is not as frequent.
Because of the fact that you may end up losing more fights, Apex Legends packet loss is not only annoying, it is a detriment to your in-game performance. It is also the reason why most gamers are constantly trying to get rid of it.
How To Detect Packet Loss In Apex Legends
To detect Apex Legends packet loss, all you have to do is enable the performance display. For doing this, start by going into the in-game settings of Apex Legends and then go into the "GAMEPLAY" tab. Now you will need to scroll all the way down until you see the "Performance Display" option.
Make sure that the performance display is set to the "On" option. Once you enter a game, on the upper right corner of the screen you will see a small box with tons of information. This information will also include the packet loss.
How To Reduce Packet Loss
While diagnosing the issue that is causing you to experience packet loss is quite difficult, trying to find a proper fix for it is even more. This is simply because, for the tons of issues that may be causing you to experience Apex Legends packet loss, there are even more potential solutions for it, with none of them having a guarantee for fixing it. However, here are some of the most common fixes that you can try, which also have the highest probability of success.
Getting A Wired Connection
Since the most common thing that causes packet loss is a wireless connection, the first thing that you should try to reduce some of the packet loss is getting a wired connection instead of a wireless one. A wired connection is recommended for all gamers regardless of whether they are experiencing packet loss or not.
Getting A Separate Connection
The next that you can try to reduce packet loss is by getting a separate internet connection. If tons of users are connected to the same internet connection you are using for online gaming, they might be putting a severe load on the bandwidth without even knowing about it. A separate internet connection may help in reducing some of this load.
Reducing Unnecessary Load
Load on the bandwidth might not only come from other users connected to the same internet connection you are using. You may have several downloads running in the background while playing Apex Legends. This can also put some load on the bandwidth. To get rid of some of this load, close all unnecessary background downloads.
Upgrading Hardware and Cables
If you have damaged wires/cables in your network connection, then you should definitely consider replacing them with new ones, regardless of whether you are experiencing packet loss or not. It is true for hardware like routers as well. Worn-out hardware can cause packet loss as well.
As a result, it is advised to opt for high-end, gaming routers that have built-in features to prevent instances of packet loss, lag, and even high ping to surface while playing games wirelessly.
Selecting The Optimal Game Server
If you are playing Apex Legends on a server that is not close to you, then it means you have not selected the optimal game server. If you live somewhere in Europe, you should connect to the EU servers. This will not only help lower packet loss but it will reduce your ping as well.
WTFast - The All In One Solution
Looking at all of those potential solutions for Apex Legends packet loss, you may feel overwhelmed. The worst part is that not a single one of them guarantees that you will no longer experience packet loss. If you don't want to spend all that time trying to figure out a solution for packet loss, you should try WTFast.
WTFast is an all-in-one solution for packet loss and all other kinds of network-related issues like ping spikes and lag. WTFast is a gamers private network that switches your connection to a network that is optimized for gaming. This way, most of the packet loss, if not all of it, is gone with a single button.
