The best FoV (Field of View) for Apex Legends
To determine the best Field of View in Apex Legends, I have surveyed 100 players on their preference. Find out pros and cons brought by a wide FoV.
There is not a best setting for the field of view, but it comes down to your personal preference, the size of your screen and how close you are to it.
You may think to the FoV as a camera zooming in and out. When you increase the FoV, the camera zooms out, improving your peripheral vision.
FoV pros and cons
According to the PC gaming myth, a high FoV value is always the best choice in shooters because you are able to look at a wider area, which helps to spot any incoming enemy.
The truth is that a high FoV brings both pros and cons.
A high FoV makes targeting more difficult. The wider the FoV, the smaller the enemy on the screen, so you need to be more accurate to hit them.
A low FoV helps your focus. Everything on the screen is bigger, so it is easier to focus on where you are aiming.
I suggest using a very-high FoV (110) only if you have a great sight and reflexes. Generally, playing on a wide FoV also requires a higher mouse sensitivity in order to move faster across the screen, so you need a solid aim as well.
Instead, If you struggle at spotting and aiming enemies at a mid and long range, a lower field of view value will benefit your gameplay.
Very-low FoV values can also bring motion sickness and issues in close quarters combat as it is harder to keep a fast-moving target on your screen.
With a high FoV it is simpler to spot and keep track of enemies. Usually, you also feel like you are moving faster, which is a nice effect :P.
I have surveyed 100 PC players on their Field of View preference in Apex Legends. The results are displayed in the graph and table below.
The table is responsive. If you are using a phone, turn it sideways for a full view. Otherwise, zoom in or click the grey area to swipe it.
| FoV | Votes | FoV | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 4 | 100 | 14 |
| 84 | 6 | 102 | 4 |
| 85 | 4 | 103 | 2 |
| 88 | 2 | 104 | 12 |
| 90 | 26 | 105 | 2 |
| 94 | 4 | 106 | 4 |
| 95 | 2 | 110 | 14 |
The great majority of the players utilizes a 90 FoV, which is the standard recommended by the game developers for an optimal experience and to avoid potential graphic bugs.
Only a limited amount of players decided to decrease the FoV, and 80 is the lowest value registered.
100, 104, and 110 are the most popular choices among those who love a wide FoV. As far as I know, 104 and 110 are also the values suggested by many pro players in other shooter games.
Finally, if performance is an issue, be aware that increasing the FoV will impact negatively your fps because your PC must work harder to render more on the screen.
FoV on ultrawide monitors
The 21:9 support in Apex Legends is excellent (similarly to Titanfall 2 and most EA games), and I believe this aspect ratio brings a huge advantage because it improves your view on the surroundings.
I play on a 34 inches ultrawide monitor at about 50-60 Centimeters / 1.6-1.9 Feet of distance, so I can share with you my personal experience.
The standard 90 FoV works well, and after several tests I believe 90 and 100 are the best options. Considering the 21:9 display ratio, ultrawide users already enjoy a huge horizontal view.
I have also noticed the fisheye lens effect at 110 FoV, and it really bugs me while playing.
The Fisheye effect is a strong visual distortion that in photography is produced with an ultra wide-angle lens. You can occur in it on PC when using a very-high FoV value. Some players tolerate or don’t mind it, others (like me) just can’t stand it :).
FoV at 16:9 and 21:9
Below, you can find images of the same scene at 70, 90, and 110 FoV, both in 16:9 and 21:9 aspect ratio. I have used the tutorial level because there are no private lobbies in Apex Legends.
I couldn’t find a way to hide the HUD, so I have simply used the “inspect weapon animation” by clicking N. Unfortunately, it doesn’t hide also the tutorial.
The 16.9 monitor is a standard 24 inches one with a resolution of 1920x1080, while the ultrawide one is a 34 inches display that runs at 2560x1080.
16.9
21:9
Console FoV and game performance
We must be very grateful to the Respawn developers because only a limited number of games provides a FoV slider on console.
The default field of view on console is set to 72. Generally, on console a wide FoV isn’t required because many people play on a TV placed across the room, but if you utilize a monitor positioned in front of you, I suggest increasing the FoV value.
Considering the data from the survey, 90 is your best bet to improve your gaming experience without issues. You might want to test 100 and even 110, but be aware that increasing the FoV too much can cause the fisheye lens effect.
Performance. I have read different threads on this topic, and both Xbox One X and PS4 Pro users noticed no performance drop when maximizing the FoV to 110. Standard Xbox One and PS4 players also affirmed that there isn’t much of a difference, and they have been affected by frame drops only in very rare situations.
There is no reason to limit your gameplay with a low 72 FoV!
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Header image: Respawn
