How to Tap Strafe in Apex Legends

Apex Legends’ movement is based on the Titanfall series but Respawn Entertainment intentionally locked some movement mechanics to prevent players from wall riding and doing all kinds of cool maneuvers. But one of the mechanics that was unintentionally added to the game is “tap strafing” and many Apex Legends players have learned to master it.

Respawn wanted to remove the mechanic at one point but the community was very upset with the developers’ decision so tap strafing was not removed from the game. It is likely to be a permanent part of Apex Legends and players should master it if they can.

Best way to learn tap strafing in Apex Legends

Tap strafing is a movement tech that allows PC players to achieve unintended aerial maneuverability. It can be particularly useful on legends like Horizon, Octane, and Pathfinder but it can be used by any legend regardless of their movement kit.

One of the best ways to make tap strafing easier is by binding your W key to your mouse scroll wheel. It is strongly recommended to do so as using your W key on your keyboard can be a much more difficult way to tap strafe but it definitely is doable.

If you want to learn how to tap strafe, the best way to learn is through a simple guide. Here is a quick five-minute video that breaks down the mechanics of tap strafing and why you should use it:

Each time you tap the W (move forward) key it changes the vector of your movement in the Source Engine. It essentially means that you can get an added level of control over your movement when you are mid-air. You can slide jump and do a full 180-degree turn in some cases or even change your direction mid-air.

Tap strafing, super gliding, and wall bouncing are very useful for PC players. Unfortunately, a lot of the tap strafing techniques are not replicable on a controller. A lot of PC players feel that tap strafing gives players an advantage similar to what aim assist does for controller players. Players are divided on both aim assist and tap strafing being in the game, but it does not look like either of the mechanics are likely to be tweaked anytime soon.