Author: Nik Ranger

Revenant’s ultimate causing serious hitbox issues in Apex Legends Respawn EntertainmentRevenant’s introduction to Apex Legends in Season 4 was met with tremendous fanfare, although players are starting to see some serious issues with the character. Just a day after fans spotted than the new legend wasn’t appearing down some sniper scopes – as well as Bangalore – it has since been discovered that its Death Totem could be used as a potential exploit as well. The Death Totem, for those who aren’t aware, gives players something of a second chance when playing in the Apex Games. Once it’s dropped and you have interacted with it, you can’t be killed, but rather return to the Totem after reaching minimum health. While the original purpose of the ultimate is certainly to protect players, it’s fair to say that another capability its has shouldn’t be in the game, as a Reddit user realized that just standing near it impacts hitboxes. Each legend in Apex has a different sized hitbox, with Crypto having the biggest at 44 square cm and Wraith having the smallest at 33 square cm. However, the hitbox of the Totem itself extends beyond the visible parts of it, meaning players can stand behind it and not take damage even though they’re in plain sight. It also blocks bullets if you’re trying to stand near it, too. This means, essentially, that the Totem itself can be used as cover and makes it harder for enemies to fire at you. Check it out in kalimbor‘s clip below, posted to the Apex Legends subreddit on February 5. During the redditor’s demonstration, they show that bullets fired at a small area near the Death Totem won’t actually do damage – whether that’s from the player standing near it or an enemy firing at it from elsewhere. This means that Revenant’s ultimate can actually be used as a shield for cover, not only for the legend but for its teammates as well, which doesn’t appear to be in the description of its abilities. There was actually some debate in the thread of this video, with some members of the game’s online community claiming it’s not actually as big an issue as some are making out. One user said: “This is kinda a non-issue in my mind. I mean, when are you going to be putting the totem in plain sight or so close to cover where this makes a difference? Sure they should fix it but if they left it in it wouldn’t matter either.” Another posted: “Hitbox issues are one of the most important issues in an FPS game. Anything that interferes with aiming, movement, or hitboxes/geometry should be top priorities.” Some argued that Caustic has a similar type of cover with his trap, although other players claim it’s much harder to destroy one of those traps – especially when it’s deploying gas – whereas Revenant’s Death Totem can be destroyed by shooting it fairly easily. Whether or not this will be something Respawn Entertainment look at in the near future remains to be seen, but in the meantime you can guarantee Revenant players will be making the most out of this hitbox issue in battles.

Respawn promises Revenant will “climb to the top” with new Apex Legends buffs Respawn EntertainmentRespawn has promised new Revenant buffs will see the Synthetic Nightmare “climb to the top” of the Apex Legends metagame again, after he slid to a lowly 2.6% pickrate in the opening days of the “Legacy” season. Revenant burst onto the Apex Legends scene all the way back in Season 4 armed with a scintillating backstory and an ultimate that let him cheat death — a very handy ability to have in your arsenal in a one-chance battle royale. At first, Revenant shone on Kings Canyon and World’s Edge. The simulacrum’s ‘unstoppable’ promise never really landed, however. Since his release in February last year, he’s struggled to find his place in the meta. That’s all set to change, if Respawn truly has hit the nail on the head with their planned Revenant changes. According to the devs, the buffs they’ve been cooking up for the popular Synthetic Nightmare should see him “climb to the top” in Season 9, without making him a must-pick character after the changes. “Revenant’s still weak,” one Apex Legends dev said. “We have a set of changes we’re trying out internally [to try and fix that], and they feel fun and fine.” Klein admitted he’s not in a position to lift the lid on the possible buffs and changes just yet, but did offer up a clue in the middle of his promise. “I can tell you he’ll certainly climb to the top,” he teased. This may suggest that, on top of a guarantee Revenant may be a little more playable once the Season 9 buffs ship, his upgrades may also come in the form of some passive changes, including his wall-running abilities. It could also just be the Respawn game designer having a little fun with fans too, of course. The Apex Legends dev concluded by warning fans the planned Revenant buffs “may not move the needle on power a lot,” but will — “hopefully,” he added — actually give players a reason to pick the struggling simulacrum. That “may well be fine” in the long run, Klein continued, “so long as people playing against him or against him in Apex Legends matches are having fun.” If the Revenant changes do hit live servers this season, it will mark the sixth time Respawn has toyed with the Synthetic Nightmare in the last 14 months. The murderous robot assassin has also been plagued with bugs and issues since his Season 4 release; eight of the following 49 updates have included patch-ups for his ‘Silence’ tactical and his ultimate “Death Totem” ability. Rampart is another legend set for “spicy” buffs soon. On the flip side, Wattson was accidentally nerfed recently, but those were quickly rolled back.

Revenant Prestige Skin revealed for Apex Legends Doppelgangers Collection event ActivisionThe Doppelganger Collection Event in Apex Legends will add the new Revenant Prestige Skin, Apex Nightmare. Here’s how to unlock it. Apex Legends kick off their Halloween celebrations with their Doppelgangers Collection event, running from October 17-31, 2023. The update has introduced a range of spooky-themed features to the game. For example, the new limited-time mode, Trick N’ Treat Trios, allows players to gain shield by collecting Candy and use the Copycat Kit for an extra legend ability. Kings Canyon, Olympus, and World’s Edge have all been decorated with various Halloween-themed items and nighttime version of each. The highlight of the collection event though is the Revenant Prestige Skin for the fan-favorite legend. How to unlock Revenant Prestige Skin in Apex Legends In order to get your hands on the skin for yourself, you will need to drop into Apex Legends between October 17-31 and collect all the 24 Doppelganger items. These items are cosmetics for some of your favorite legends, including Newcastle, Vantage, and more. In order to unlock these, you will need to exchange Apex Coins or Crafting Metals for them or get them by opening Doppelganger Apex Packs during the event. After all have been collected, you will automatically receive Revenant’s Prestige skin called Apex Nightmare. Once you’ve got the skin, you can rack up the damage while wearing it to complete challenges and unlock additional tiers. As you go up the tiers the appearance will change increasing the visual amount of armor. After the event, the Prestige skin will be added to the Mythics shop, alongside all other previous mythic skins and heirlooms.

Revenant & Pathfinder have a hidden buff vs Caustic gas in Apex Legends Respawn/EA[jwplayer J4j9SlSw]Apex Legends players have uncovered a secret change that allows Pathfinder and Revenant to take less damage from Caustic’s Nox Gas compared to other characters. When it comes to winning in Apex Legends, aside from getting top tier loot and racking up kills, you’ve got to be able to navigate the perils of enemy players’ abilities. Each character has their own unique way of trying to shut you down, with some abilities more powerful than others. One of the most annoying to play against comes in the form of Caustic’s Nox Gas. It is deployed from a small trap and will cloud your vision as well as decrease your health. But, players have found that two legends – Pathfinder and Revenant – have an increased tolerance to the gas compared to other characters. It was uncovered by Reddit user BloonH8TR, who showcased a video of them using the Caustic gas trap against an enemy Revenant and Bloodhound. As the gas was deployed and started picking away at the two characters health bars, Bloodhound’s damage per tick quickly jumped up to ten while Revevnant topped out at seven. The Technological Tracker was quickly sent to the floor, needing a revive, when the gas trap went away, Revenant was still on his feet. The Synthetic Nightmare still had a touch of health left, though, he’d probably be wiped out by a stray Mozambique shot. Some players noted that this might actually have to do with Revenant and Pathfinder being metal-based characters. The gas wouldn’t rip them apart as easily as someone like Bloodhound or Wraith who are actually just skin. Of course, there is always the off-chance that this is a bug that allows the two characters to take reduced damage. Respawn hasn’t commented on it one way or the other. Though, it could be the spark that sees Revenant’s pick rate start to creep up from the bottom of the table.

Revenant overhaul would give him one of Apex Legends best ultimates Respawn/EAAn Apex Legends fan has come up with a pretty smart rework for Revenant’s ‘Death Totem’ ultimate, and it’s got the backing of their fellow players. Since being introduced by Respawn back in Season 4, Revenant has had a pretty tough go of things in Apex Legends. The Synthetic Nightmare has had periods of being meta – no one will forget the RevTane duo that took over a few seasons ago – but has also struggled as well. On paper, Revenant has solid abilities, given that he can restrict others with his silence and also get a second chance at life through the Death Totem. Though, plenty of fans have called for changes over the last few seasons. Many fan concepts have suggested that Revenant should receive a full-blown rework of all his abilities, but one recent idea that has gotten backing zeroes in on his Ultimate, and making that as strong as possible. The idea was put out there by Redditor XxGAMERZxKINGxX, who suggested that the creepy legend should “charge up” the Ultimate in a similar way to Valkyrie and her Skyward Dive ability. Read More: Apex Legends Season 12 pick rates – Though, instead of teleporting directly back to the Death Totem’s location, Revenant and their teammates would become shadowy figures with a small period of invulnerability. This would allow them to reposition in a fight, rather than be sent back to one static location. However, there would be a period where you can’t use items after moving, just like Wraith’s portal. The Redditor even included a short clip, showing how it would work. While the idea hasn’t won over everybody, there are plenty who believe that Respawn should take notice. “Changes like these proves that Respawn needs to add like a test server to test out possible reworks and changes,” said one. “Honestly not bad. I like the idea of not just teleporting back to the totem,” added another. Of course, massive changes like this are only made by Respawn and they’ve said previously that they can’t just copy fan suggestions. Though, some would obviously like to see that change.

Revenant mains want Apex Legends Shadow Royale-inspired buff Respawn EntertainmentRevenant usually falls toward the bottom of Apex Legends character tier lists, but players discovered a perfect buff for his Ultimate ability. Apex Legends launched with eight characters in 2019. In three years, the roster expanded to 22 total legends to choose from. Inevitably, with more options at your fingertips, some legends fell to the wayside in favor of other, more powerful options. According to Apex Legends pick rates, players only select Revenant in 2.4% of matches, ranking 16th. Octane holds the throne as the most popular Legend, selected at 11.8%. Revenants’ Ultimate ability doesn’t pack the same punch as other Legends, but fans of the character may have discovered a perfect buff. Apex Legends players suggest Death Totem rework Revenant’s Ultimate ability, Death Totem, drops a totem that protects teammates from death. Instead of getting killed or downed, players return to the totem for a limited amount of time. Reddit user Kvetanista posed the change of Death Totem, transforming players into a Shadow Royale type of shadow. The Shadow Royale Apex Legends LTM transformed players into shadows. Each shadow has 65 health, increased movement speed, can wall run, double jump, and deal 50 damage per melee attack hit. To balance the ability out, shadows cannot loot and emit a constant loud noise to alert enemies of their position. One player responded, “That would be an incredible buff. Honestly, with how fragile the shadows are, it wouldn’t be too broken, but it would be a game changer and probably make me play Revenant for the wall running.” Another user added, “Would be a cool change. No gun, just super speed punches.” Apex Legends players pleaded for Legend reworks in place of new character additions in May. Characters such as Revenant are primed for a much-needed overhaul.

Revenant is getting a new heirloom in Apex Legends Season 18 Respawn EntertainmentAlong with his new look, abilities and voice lines, Revenant, or Revenant ‘Reborn’ is also getting a new heirloom in Apex Legends, coming in the Death Dynasty Collection Event. Revenant will be the second Legend to get a revamped heirloom, after Wraith’s original Kunai was given a new version in Season 16. Currently, Revenant has the ‘Dead Man’s Curve’, a scythe wielded in two hands, that glows when in use. Details on the new heirloom are limited at the moment, but we do know its name and that it will also still be a scythe, similar in appearance to Dead Man’s Curve. New Revenant Heirloom in Apex Legends The new Revenant heirloom is called “Death Grip”. It can be automatically unlocked during the Death Dynasty Collection Event by completing the collection of all 24 event items. The Collection Event will start on August 8, the same day as Season 18 of Apex Legends goes live. Although details on the new heirloom are limited at the moment, we expect it will be a similar deal to Wraith’s Kunai, which some players described as a ‘recolor’ of her existing heirloom. However, it also came with new animations. The Collection Event will also offer players the chance to earn Double XP, first in Battle Royale (August 8 – 15) and then in Mixtaope (Aug 15-22). That’s all we know so far about Revenant’s new heirloom and the first Collection Event of Season 18, but stay tuned for more details soon.

Revenant Death Totem bug sends players to Apex Legends “hell” Respawn EntertainmentA damning bug in Apex Legends has sent a player under the guise of the Death Totem sinking to a nightmarish hellscape, and it looks pretty awesome. Several previous bugs in the popular battle royale game have sent players underneath the map, both on Kings Canyon and in World’s Edge. But, a combination of the effects from Revenant’s resurrection ultimate and the molten landscape near Thermal Station created a jarring scene ripped from Dante Alighieri’s Inferno. Community members point to a known bug that has to do with the moving train that the player was on and being displaced backward by the ultimate’s respawn. In the clip posted by ‘cltyreemu1,’ Revenant can be seen taking on the ultimate’s effect before heading into action against another team on the train. “Glad to see they still haven’t patched this.. Smh,” Reddit user ‘JayG941’ said of the bug. “Happens when you put a totem on a moving train.” Running straight into a 2v1 situation with the Death Totem’s half-health and no armor, they were in for a quick revival shortly after making their presence known. Just as the last tick of health ran dry, their minimap showed they had flung to a place outside the perimeter of the ring. A place void of any landmarks, sans the cliffs of brimstone amid an ocean of fire. However, Cltyreemu1 seemed fine with it: “The totem yeeted me straight to hell.” After bugging out of the surface of the map, they even went under “hell”. They just kept falling, and looking back at their fallen teammate’s locator revealed they were over 1300m away. More players reported a similar situation where the totem “yeeted me 1k away from the train I placed it on. Such a trip!” There’s almost no ultimate ability in Apex that goes well with the moving train on World’s Edge. While Revenant’s Death Totem sounds ideal on the moving platform, it can obviously backfire at a moment’s notice. If the bug keeps cropping up through more games, it could be something the Apex Legends developers put on their list of issues to address for a future update.

Revenant buff concept reworks his “lackluster” Ultimate in Apex Legends Respawn EntertainmentAn Apex Legends player has developed a buff concept for Revenant that reworks his “lackluster” Ultimate by scrapping the Death Totem. Since his release all the way back in Season 4, Revenant has never been a massively popular character within the Apex Legends community. Although the Synthetic Nightmare did gain a foothold on the meta alongside Octane with the hyper-aggressive Revtane compositions, those days have passed and Revenant now rarely sees play at the top level. Sitting at a 2.2% pick rate in Season 13, a lot of players feel as if the intimidating legend needs a rework or buff to give him a boost. Well, instead of waiting for Respawn, one Rev main decided to take it upon themselves to develop a concept that involves redesigning Revenant’s Ultimate, and it’s getting a lot of attention. Revenant buff concept redesigns Death Totem Ultimate With over 2,000 hours on Revenant, Reddit user garmack decided to develop a buff concept for the Synthetic Nightmare than involves reworking his Ultimate, so it synergizes better with the rest of his kit. In their opinion, Rev’s Passive and Tactical are in a “perfect” spot, but his Ultimate remains “incredibly frustrating” and a huge “liability”. To solve this, garmack has suggested that the devs scrap the physical Death Totem itself and instead make it so the ability is activated like a Valkyrie Ultimate. On top of that, once you’re out of death protection, players will no longer respawn where they activated the Ultimate. Instead, garmack thinks they should receive a temporary “Wraith Q” that lasts four seconds, allowing Rev to reposition. Garmack acknowledges that a lot of players will call out this rework as OP, but argues that this change would discourage Rev players from pushing too aggressively, as they don’t have the guaranteed protection from the Death Totem anymore. Not only that, they feel as this ability synergizes better with the Passive and stealth element of Rev’s kit, avoiding the process of having to activate and drop a loud Death Totem. While Respawn never copies ideas directly from players, it’s possible they take inspiration from concepts so it’ll be interesting to see if any of the devs take note. However, with no mention of Rev buffs from Respawn or revealed in leaks, it could be a long time before the Synthetic Nightmare gets a helping hand.

Revamped respawn idea would bring Warzone’s buy back redeploy to Apex Legends Activision / Respawn EntertainmentApex Legends players are sounding off on a concept that would integrate a feature like Warzone’s buy-back redeploys to revamp the banner cards respawn system. Battle royale developers are outwardly borrowing ideas from one another these days, evidenced by Warzone’s Redeploy Balloons that have been a hit with players. It’s this kind of trend that makes some Apex community members hope that Respawn Entertainment will take some cues from Warzone when it comes to resurrecting fallen teammates. Taking banners to Respawn Beacons is the only way of bringing back a fallen teammate today. But some think it’s about time to introduce a new method of reviving players. An idea to bring Warzone’s buy-back mechanic to Apex Legends would make it so that players can spend crafting materials to make a timed-out banner card. The concept would still require players to take the crafted card to the nearest Respawn Beacon, but it would give them a chance of recovering expired banners. “I think it’s either [buy back dead teammates’ timed out banner cards with crafting materials] or have Loba’s ultimate be able to retrieve banner cards,” Reddit user ‘STRADD838 said. The post quickly shot up to over 6k upvotes with players giving their own takes on the idea. Admittedly, there were people concerned that a buy-back system wouldn’t work in a game like Apex where there’s an understood risk-reward variable that goes into recovering a banner in the first place. “Apex has an inherent respawn mechanic that relies on your teammates to grab your banner in a specific time,” one person said. “It forces pressure onto players and weakens a squad immensely if not achieved. “The current format where you have a higher risk and high reward is [in my opinion] better in line with the game’s idea of being somewhat competitive.” The idea proved to be divisive among Apex players who were more interested in the buff to Loba’s ultimate that would let her snag banner cards from death boxes. Still, there was plenty of enthusiasm for Respawn to shake up the Apex Legends meta with some new mechanic to get a teammate back into the game.

Respawn’s official Apex Legends store launches with epic merch Apex Legends fans, rejoice – you can now represent your favorite characters with some sweet new merchandise that will make you the envy of all your friends. Apex Legends became an instant success with battle royale fans right off the bat on its release date back in February 2019, and it’s still incredibly popular today. One of the main issues players were facing, though, was the fact that their favorite hero shooter didn’t have official clothing merchandise that they could wear to represent their main Legends – now that’s changed. On November 22, Respawn Entertainment shocked fans on Twitter with the announcement that they had officially opened a merch store for the first-person shooter – finally! Official Apex Legends merchandise “Care package incoming, big things in that!” the official Apex account tweeted. “Now you can dress like a Legend with the launch of the Apex Legends Shop.” They also teased the addition of further lines coming in the future, which could signal the inclusion of items centered around future heroes not yet in the game also. Read More: Peacekeeper nerfed in Apex Legends update – “Peep the latest and greatest and stay tuned for new additions to come,” they said. Care package incoming, big things in that! Now you can dress like a Legend with the launch of the Apex Legends Shop. Peep the latest and greatest and stay tuned for new additions to come. 👕🧢👉:https://t.co/80YPux8UkW pic.twitter.com/DySOqqAn9t — Apex Legends (@PlayApex) November 22, 2019 While the merchandise includes some pretty sweet clothing items like hoodies and t-shirts, there are also other accessories such as baseball caps and socks. Some of the pieces, such as coffee mugs, blankets, and water bottles, feel as though they’d be great gifts for Christmas since it’s right around the corner at this time of writing. Most of the non-clothing merch just features the Apex Legends logo and the ‘Have Fun, Don’t Die’ slogan, but the clothing pieces get into the actual character designs, so if you’re looking to show off your favourite Legend, a t-shirt or hoodie is the way to go. In August, Funko POP! teamed up with Respawn to release a line of Apex Legends figures, and fans went absolutely nuts over them, proving that merchandise for the popular battle royale was very desired. Now that there’s finally an official Apex store, fans are no doubt overjoyed that they can finally wear clothing that shows off just how much they love the game.

Respawn writers tease Titanfall’s Jack Cooper crossover in Apex Legends Respawn Entertainment[jwplayer rSmq5Fo4] Titanfall fans had their hopes renewed of seeing Jack Cooper in Apex Legends, as Respawn Entertainment’s lead writers are saying that the Frontier Militia pilot could have his day in the battle royale, hinting that he might already be playing some sort of role. Respawn created Apex in the same universe as their beloved Titanfall franchise of old. Naturally, that means the longtime series faithful are hoping to see big names from those projects make their way to the Apex Games in some capacity. We’ve already seen Blisk and Titanfall 2’s simulacrum Ash get the spotlight through trailers or in-game questlines, so it wouldn’t be completely out of the question that Jack Cooper might have a similar reintroduction in later seasons. Who is Jack Cooper? Long before Respawn released Apex Legends, Jack Cooper was the main character in the highly-acclaimed Titanfall 2 campaign. Since the battle royale came out, fans have been waiting for any sign of Cooper in the game since (spoiler alert) Blisk, the creator of the Apex Games, gave him an invitation to be an Apex Predator at the end of TF2. Trading banter with YouTuber ‘staycation,’ Principal Writer at Respawn, Manny Hagopian, touched on a soft spot for Apex fans, joking about the status for the TF lead’s future in the Arena. “It’s crazy that you think you haven’t already got him… Plotter twist!” Hagopian responded to the YouTuber who was having a bit of fun ‘speculating’ about Cooper coming in Season 7. “I mean…we haven’t really ever seen that AI Announcer’s face – not to mention, I’ve never seen Zehra Fazal & Matthew Mercer in the same room at the same time. Plottest twist!!” Fazal is a voice actress who every Apex player has heard before as the AI Announcer for the Games. Other than being the Dungeon Master for the massively popular Critical Role series, Mercer voiced Cooper in TF2. Another writer for Apex, Tom Casiello, also poked fun at the idea by briefly noting his interest in Hagopian’s ribbing. It goes without saying that Cooper dropping into the Apex Legends storyline would be a monumental occasion for the fanbase. Unfortunately, this is where the speculation breaks down since we’ve seen how much the Respawn writers like to play light-hearted jokes on their fellow fans, even going as far as to add files for fake characters just to mislead the dataminer/leaker community. But if there were ever people to figure out the mental gymnastics needed to properly introduce the Titan pilot into Apex Legends, then Casiello and Hagopian would be the ones to pen his return. The way Respawn has been going about Apex’s story in recent seasons point to big revelations coming to light soon, and players are going to be ever-vigilant for potential clues of Jack Cooper’s appearance in the Outlands.

Respawn writer hints Forge will return to Apex Legends Respawn EntertainmentTom Casiello, writer at Respawn Entertainment, has hinted that Apex Legends fans could see more of Forge, the legend who was brutally murdered as part of Revenant’s introduction in Season 4. One aspect of Apex Legends that has made the game so captivating for fans is the lore and narrative that surrounds Kings Canyon and World’s Edge. Each legend has a unique back story, the likes of which can overlap with other legends’ stories. Loba, for example, is set to be added at the start of Season 5 on May 12. Her father was murdered by Revenant – a key motivating factor in her arrival in Kings Canyon. It is Revenant, the Synthetic Nightmare, who was introduced through the murder of Forge, the legend who was initially teased for Season 4. While Respawn have previously hinted that we’ve seen the last of Forge, writer Tom Casiello has reignited speculation with a series of tweets. In response to a fan saying ‘Voidwalker’ was one of the coolest events in Apex Legends, Casiello replied: “Our team does our best to rotate which characters get the trailers/animated shorts/lore so no one Legend monopolizes the spotlight. You can safely assume NO Legend’s story is “over” at the moment.” With an ever-growing cast (my anxiety dreams all take place in Season 29+ ???), our team does our best to rotate which characters get the trailers/animated shorts/lore so no one Legend monopolizes the spotlight. You can safely assume NO Legend’s story is “over” at the moment. https://t.co/1R0GL2TrXS — Tom Casiello (@tommiecas) May 7, 2020 Understandably, these comments got some fans speculating about a potential return of Forge – the legend who was used as a narrative device to promote Revenant’s introduction. Despite initially stating that Forge was an exception the rule and that he was gone forever, he cast doubt on that entirely with a one-word follow up tweet: “Maybe”. With Casiello’s tweets, the future of James ‘The Forge’ McCormick is up in the air. Despite Respawn devs previously describing Forge as “super dead” and a tool to trick data miners, a host of Apex Legends players are, quite understandably, excited at what is to come. There’s every possibility Casiello is simply baiting the Apex’ fan base, but only time will tell whether Forge has a tangible future in Respawn’s acclaimed battle royale.

Respawn writer explains why Apex Legends leakers can be “insidious” Respawn Entertainment[jwplayer UQowmNq2]Respawn Entertainment’s writer for Apex Legends, Tom Casiello, has doubled down on his criticisms of leakers, explaining why he does not think they “help” and why their actions are, in fact, “insidious.” Fans crave information and therefore often enjoy leaks from their favorite games. The people behind those games conversely despise said leaks as a betrayal of the work and planning they’ve put in. That relationship is storied, nuanced, and has long been a point of contention across multiple industries — but an especially volatile one in gaming, where leakers often do not need actual human contacts to reveal private information. (Oh, unless you leak story. Then I block you. That’s not about a discussion. That’s about something a lot more insidious than a difference of opinion.) — Tom Casiello (@tommiecas) July 18, 2020 In a conversation with Apex Legends fans on Twitter, Casiello reiterated that he blocks anyone who leaks story elements because their actions constitute “something a lot more insidious than a difference of opinion.” Later, Casiello jumped on the analogy a fan painted for why leaking is inherently unhelpful. The analogy paints leaking as akin to someone spoiling the present you’ve gotten someone by giving that present away to them, receiving the person’s gratitude, and subsequently telling you that you should have ‘hid it better.’ This is the greatest analogy. I’m borrowing it next time someone tries to tell me they’re doing it to “help”. https://t.co/1vcaatAXy9 — Tom Casiello (@tommiecas) July 19, 2020 Casiello’s response to that analogy was that it is “the greatest” and a perfect response to people who tell him that “they’re doing it to ‘help.’” We won’t pick a side here, but the situation is not black and white. On the one hand, leakers are providing a service that fans enjoy and, in doing so, helping amplify the hype surrounding a game in what will always be a very competitive industry. On the other hand, some of these leaks can ruin surprises that people have worked tirelessly on for ages. The note about gratitude in the analogy is interesting, though, implying that part of the issue with giving the kid the gift is that the child is then “grateful to them instead.” It seems to depart from Casiello’s earlier remarks, in which he emphasized that the problem is simply the ruining of plot twists in elaborate storylines. And no season exemplifies story elaboration quite like this one, which has taken the game’s lore to new ehights. You literally just got an entire season based around lore, with an entirely new dialogue system filled with lore bits. Nobody’s “”starving””. I tend to think you’ve been properly nourished. 😁🤣 https://t.co/l5fjQhrlSw — Tom Casiello (@tommiecas) July 17, 2020 Casiello’s stance on lore-based spoilers is shared by some in the Apex Legends leaking community too. Popular code-dipper Shrugtal said he had always tried “very hard to keep [his leaks] free of any lore spoilers.” He also called on those leaking lore spoilers, specifically in the build-up to the huge Broken Ghost character reveal in the storyline’s final quest, to “stop” before Respawn takes further action. “To those leaking quest spoilers, stop. Respawn is going to let this happen season on season upon season,” he said back on June 28. “They will either break datamining or take legal action through DMCA or C&D. We will all suffer because of it. These actions have consequences.” https://twitter.com/shrugtal/status/1277061955933687808 Other Apex leakers, like Biast12 and ILootGames, have also made major efforts to keep their lore spoilers under wraps. Biast12, in particular, often takes his Twitter profile into ‘private mode’ whenever he shares story spoilers. Ultimately, Casiello and the Apex Legends writing team seem to care about delivering content to their community. While it’s understandable that people care about the game and will dive through its files to share hidden details, it’s equally understandable the writers may prefer that those details get revealed at the intended pace. On the plus side, both sides seem pretty passionate about the game.

Respawn would “love” to make Apex Legends series for Netflix Respawn Entertainment / NetflixRespawn would “love” to bring the world of Apex Legends to Netflix or another rival streaming service as a multi-season TV series, game director Chad Grenier admitted soon after the battle royale’s Season 6 update went live. Apex Legends has just started tapping into its colorful cast of interesting characters for big stories in the battle royale world. In Season 4, Respawn introduced the Revenant v Loba plot for the very first time, to high praise. Last season, the battle royale had another storytelling first. Apex Legends players were given a chance to play out a short adventure, “The Broken Ghost,” which culminated in the surprise return of former Titanfall 2 villain Ash. Respawn “loves” idea of Apex Legends Netflix series The next frontier of Apex Legends storytelling could well be a television series, according to director Chad Grenier. There’s nothing solid locked, but Respawn would “love” the chance to take Apex Legends to Netflix, he admitted. “A Netflix animated series of Apex? Yeah, I would love to do that… that sounds awesome,” Grenier admitted to GamesRadar. “Sign me up! I think right now we’re focused on the game, but heck, if someone wants to pitch me something I’ll listen.” Apex Legends is already breaking into new pop-culture mediums to share its ever-developing narrative in Season 6 too. Following the success of the in-game “Broken Ghost” audio logs in Season 5, Respawn is now offering fully in-color comics for each completed adventure. The new Season 6 comics will tell smaller “untold stories” about each of the Apex Legends characters in a similar way to the “Broken Ghost” logs. These narrative rewards are unlocked by collecting new in-game Treasure Packs. The idea of an Apex Legends Netflix series is certainly an exciting one. There’s a half-dozen storylines already on the go in the battle royale, including Loba’s big revenge arc, Lifeline and Octane’s journey to Olympus, and Mila’s eventual return. Respawn would likely pick a few characters as central leads if they did pull the trigger on an animated series. The rest would likely act as reoccurring side characters. Who would lead an Apex Legends series? Mirage is an easy early pick — the Apex devs can’t seem to get enough of the fast-talking Holographic Trickster. Bangalore is another; the veteran soldier will be “front and center” in Season 6, Respawn ahead of the August 18 update. Dexerto could also see characters like Wraith, Lifeline, and Pathfinder all having a big role in any potential series. They’re marketable Legends with interesting stories, making them great main characters for a multi-season series. Unfortunately, Grenier’s excited tease is little more than the Apex Legends director declaring he’d love to do a project like that. Netflix hasn’t officially approached Respawn, at least as far as we can confirm, so don’t expect a show soon. That doesn’t mean it may not happen in the future though. Animated series like Avatar: The Last Airbender have returned to vogue on Netflix. Similarly, Star Wars: The Clone Wars just broke records for Disney with its departing season. The question is, which actors fit which Legend? We could see Ryan Reynolds playing a hilarious Mirage, and The Walking Dead’s Sonequa Martin-Green is definitely our tip for Bangalore. Heck, cast Bryan Cranston as Caustic too!

Respawn working on new single-player FPS game in Apex Legends universe Respawn EntertainmentRespawn Entertainment is working on a new FPS title in the Apex Legends universe, which also happens to be the Titanfall universe, and it appears to be a single-player game. The new game is in development according to job listings that are hiring devs for the project. There are few details to be gleaned about what kind of game it will be, beyond it being a first-person shooter and single-player, based on the description of an ‘incubation unit’ for the new game. Respawn had previously announced that they were working on a new single-player game, although it’s unclear if this is the same in-development title, or another one. The job listing for a senior engine/systems designer on the Respawn website describes it as “Apex Universe FPS Incubation title” – presumably a small team working on the game before it is ready for an official announcement. Little else can be learned about the game from the job description, other than this particular role will look after a “wide variety of systems, including collision, physics, audio,” and other technical development aspects. Other roles for the team describe it as a “brand new Respawn single-player adventure”. It’s certainly possible that Respawn is building out a story-based Apex Legends game, given the rich lore already present in the battle royale. There’s also a small, but not impossible, chance that this game will relate more closely to the Titanfall franchise – Respawn will be keeping their cards close to their chest. There are already some confirmed developers on the team though, such as Chad Barb, the technical director. Right now, we’ll simply have to wait until Respawn is ready to reveal more. Apex Legends as a franchise has been a massive success for both the developer and publisher EA, with a mobile version of the game also just released in 2022. It’s no surprise they want to continue to make the most of the brand.

Respawn working on Apex Legends bug that portals Wraith under the map Respawn Entertainment[jwplayer cgdaanpd]An interaction between Wraith, the Arena and her Dimensional Rift is being addressed by the Respawn devs to prevent Apex Legends players from glitching under the map. When people try to use one of the portals that connect the interdimensional bridge, it can sometimes bug out, and they’ll exit the gateway to an endless fall — ultimately leading to their early demise in the Apex Arena. This obviously isn’t an intended mechanic, and some think it has to do with the death boxes that can occupy the space needed for a player to safely exit the rift. “The deathbox has those coordinates occupied on the map, thus you do not, and through you go. Just Apex things,” one user said in response to an example. In redditor ‘vmatsan’s’ clip, they showed how the glitch can have huge implications for people taking their own portal. After trying to revive their teammate, they instead opted to use their ultimate ability in hopes that they could make more distance between themselves and the downed player. Meanwhile, their teammate was finished off, resulting in a death box spawning right at the steps for one of the portal entrances. Going back through the portal, the Wraith landed on nothing and started to fall down, resulting in a quick demise. “I lost a match on ranked yesterday because of this deathbox bulls**t,” another user wrote. The glitch can be especially hard to avoid if you’re planning a last ditch escape. If a player has been downed, it’s not uncommon for a Wraith to lay down a portal for them to take just to revive them at a safer distance. However, getting eliminated near the entrance suddenly makes it a one-way tunnel. People have been encountering this glitch in multiple instances and it looks like the devs are working toward a fix. On their Apex tracker, they have a fix for “coming out of Wraith portal [that] can sometimes push characters under geo.” This fix is expected to come out in a ‘future patch,’ hopefully in Season 5, so that Apex Legends players won’t have to contend with the bug for long.

Respawn won’t rule out Titans ever coming to Apex Legends Respawn/EARespawn Entertainment has, again, refused to rule out the possibility of having Titans in Apex Legends but they’re still yet to find the right solution to make it happen. With Apex Legends and Titanfall existing in the same universe, fans of both of Respawn’s franchises have been desperate for more crossovers – especially the Titans. Over the two year and a bit years that Apex has been around, there have been multiple rumors and supposed leaks about Titans being added to the game – with some claiming that they may even be locked to a future, unreleased legend. Respawn has, on a few occasions, said they wouldn’t bring Titans into Apex – noting that the robotic beasts aren’t in the game’s current roadmap back in April. However, they have tried to test them. The topic was, once again, brought up ahead of Season 11: Escape, with Respawn’s Steven Ferreira making mention of them when talking about the increasing size of Apex’s maps. Ferreira noted that maps are “potentially” going to keep growing in size, but is unsure if continually increasing the size of any new maps will be the answer that brings Titans into the Apex Games. “Whether or not they’re going to be big enough to support Titans, that’s not actually the defining issue with Titans,” the Respawn Team Director said. “We’ve tried Titans a few different times, in building prototypes through Apex and looking at what our new features are going to look like. There are some balance issues that Titans bring to the game, that we are yet to find the right solution to. Doesn’t mean we’re not going to find the right solution, but I don’t think making the map bigger is going to be part of that solution.” As noted, it’s not the first time that Respawn has said that they’ve tested Titans, so it seems there is some interest in making them happen. Though, who knows if they ever will. Some fans have called for a Titan-filled LTM so that they don’t interfere with the main BR mode, so maybe that is a route for Respawn to take.

Respawn willing to keep the Devotion’s recoil bug in Apex Legends Respawn EntertainmentSome glitches just aren’t worth completely fixing. A fair few Apex Legends players are familiar with the Devotion recoil bug that distorts their POV by now, and Respawn is too – but a true fix for it might not be on the way. For those unfamiliar with it, there’s a small glitch with the Devotion that basically gives it back-breaking recoil. If you tap fire with it, the machine gun’s kick back will eventually make the camera circle around in the worst possible way. While it’s only a visual bug and shouldn’t completely ruin your game, it’s one of those glitches that would seem ridiculous enough to merit a speedy fix from the developers. However, a Respawn Designer who goes by ‘AmusedApricot’ chimed into the discussion and gave a little backstory on why this particular bug doesn’t really need anymore attention than it already received. “Haha yeaaaa. The Devotion has really high recoil on the first couple shots,” they said. “So if you tap fire, it does that. We’ve known about this for a bit but there’s not really a great fix that doesn’t remove some of the important feel bits of the Devotion, so it’s been ‘won’t fixed unless it becomes a problem.” According to AmusedApricot, the gun’s high recoil in the first few shots really contributes to the powerhouse identity of the Devotion, and it doesn’t sound like the developers were looking to tweak the weapon in that regard. Other solutions that Respawn found aren’t really rubbing the devs in the right way, so for the time being it sounds like the Devotion is going to stay bugged. While the Respawn dev admittedly didn’t see the whole clip on the first go-around, there isn’t really a problem with keeping the bug in the game. If you come across the glitch on accident, don’t panic. Just stop spamming tap fire for a bit, move the camera around, and all should be fine from there. For now, don’t expect Respawn to commit anymore meaningful time in solving the bug – so if you know about it, just consider it an easter egg from now on.

Respawn warns of “dry” month for Apex Legends before big update soon Respawn EntertainmentApex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment has warned players that the next month will be pretty thin on the ground in terms of new content, but that the patch at the end of June will be worth the wait. Season 9 is now almost a month old, and outside of the small ‘Arenas Flash events’, there hasn’t been much to sink into, except of course the new mode itself. But, as with any live service game, a constant stream of new content is expected to keep the game fresh and give players a reason to come back each day. Usually, at the midpoint of a season, there will be a collection event in Apex Legends, which acts as the main mid-season update, and adds a bunch of new content. It looks like this will take place at the end of June for Season 9, as Respawn’s head of comms, Ryan Rigney, has warned that the next month will be a bit dry. “The next month for Apex is gonna be a bit of a dry spell content release-wise,” Rigney said on Twitter. “But when 9.1 drops at the end of June… gonna be some good stuff to chew on.” https://twitter.com/RKRigney/status/1397378283218550784 We would hope that part of that 9.1 update will be a ranked playlist for Arenas, as the developers promised this in a “future update.” However, there is no guarantee, and they could be saving it for the launch of a new season instead. In the meantime, players are hoping that the devs can bring back some classic LTMs to bridge the gap in content, but Rigney explained that the risk of bugs is high when bringing back legacy content. There is, of course, the ALGS Championship to look forward to, which will reach its climax at the start of June. We also expect there will be some in-game cosmetics to be earned by watching the event on Twitch. Otherwise, it’s going to be a case of waiting until that big 9.1 update.

Respawn want Apex Legends to still be popular in 20 years Respawn EntertainmentRespawn Entertainment have doubled down on their commitment to Apex Legends, stating that they want the game to still be played and supported in two decades’ time. Despite its undeniable popularity, there has been concern for Apex Legends’ future recently. The news that Apex Legends Mobile will be shut down in May 2023, paired with EA’s cancellation of a spin-off Titanfall Legends game, has generated some consternation among a player base who think the BR could be next. However, that doesn’t seem to be concerning Respawn, who have pledged to continue supporting Apex Legends for the foreseeable future. Ahead of Season 16, the developers have even expressed their desire to keep supporting the game for the next twenty years. Respawn hope Apex Legends will be around for 20 years Game Director Steve Ferreira and Senior Design Director Evan Nikolich both pointed to the longevity of games like CS:GO and League of Legends, suggesting Apex can fit into the same category of live service titles. They reiterated that it will not be replaced by a sequel and will instead benefit from frequent and consistent updates to keep it fresh. Specifically, they pledged to a “philosophy of evolving the game” and to “keep building on the core game”. Season 16 will not bring a new Legend for the first time in the title’s history. Instead, it will overhaul the meta and freshen the game up for new players and veterans. This is something Respawn pledged to continue, saying: “We’re not going to be precious about anything along the way, in other words, everything is on the table.” It’s a big ‘if’ right now as to whether Apex Legends is still going strong in 2039 but, if the devs have their way, it just might be.

Respawn give update on Apex Legends code leaf error, crashing and disconnects A Respawn Entertainment developer has provided an update on the notorious ‘code:leaf’ error, which has caused an abundance of disconnects and server issues in Apex Legends across all platforms. For those unfamiliar with the infamous code:leaf error that has plagued players in the popular battle royale, a glimpse of the message usually means various connection resets before being able to get back into the Apex Legends servers. Developers provided more context on the issue, revealing that the appearance of the message meant that “the server never answered us when asked it if we could connect” in a Reddit post on July 12. After a call to action from a community manager from EA back in June, mass feedback from the community in the Apex Legends subreddit (and through various social media platforms) has resulted in server patches from the team over at Respawn. Respawn developer Jason Garza initially responded on their Apex Tracker on July 26, stating: “Started to get better telemetry that we believe will help us narrow down a fix for this issue.” Now, after community feedback and infinite perseverance from the developers, there may be light at the end of the tunnel, as a fix appears imminent. “We have been deploying multiple server patches over the past few weeks, each one having big improvements” stated Garza in their Apex Tracker.

Respawn trolls Apex Legends players with cheeky April Fool’s weapon Respawn EntertainmentApril Fool’s Day is upon us, and Respawn Entertainment got in on the fun by putting golden Mozambiques back into Apex Legends’ weapon rotation temporarily – but this version comes with a major twist. The humble shotgun might be Apex Legends’ most infamous gun. Severely lacking the ability to really do anything when the game released, it became an instant meme among players and fans. The Mozambique has since been buffed enough to where it works just fine, with a gold version released for players back in Season 2 and now, it’s back and better than ever. It’s not fool’s gold! Get your hands on genuine gold Mozambiques today. 😉 pic.twitter.com/hIkq0Qb3wy — Apex Legends (@PlayApex) April 1, 2020 Apex Legends may not have gone all out like Overwatch did for April Fool’s this year, but their prank is pretty dang clever as well. Rather than just bringing back the standard, gold version of the shotgun, the April Fool’s version has a supercharged fire rate, along with a nine-round clip, golden shotgun bolt, and a digital threat scope. As Apex streamer thekine discovered when first finding the weapon, at first it almost looks like a regular Mozambique laying on the floor, until you look at it in your inventory and start testing it out. THE GOLDEN SUPER MOZAMBIQUE 😱😱@PlayApex #ApexLegends pic.twitter.com/OtDlKMKVnp — Kine (@thekinetv) April 1, 2020 Players have also reported that the drop rate for the little gold shotguns seems to be pretty high, which makes sense, since developers would want as many people as possible to get in on the joke. A load of super Mozambique spawns isn’t all Respawn has cooked up for April Fool’s either, in an effort to add even more chaos to matches, they’ve also upped the number of shotgun ammo players can carry considerably. As for what Respawn have said on the matter, the official Apex Twitter even replied to thekine’s shocked tweet, telling him and the rest of the community to “enjoy” the temporarily upgraded super-weapon. https://twitter.com/tsodmike/status/1245401638199873538?s=20 This prank should definitely make your Apex matches a little more interesting, but if you want to check out this super-upgraded version of the Mozambique you should log on ASAP, because it most likely won’t be around for very long. As of now, it appears that these are the extent of April Fool’s-themed changes that Respawn have implemented, but if we find more, we’ll be sure to let you know.

Respawn trolls Apex Legends leakers with hidden message in Season 18 update Respawn EntertainmentApex Legends dataminers have uncovered a cheeky line of text from developer Respawn Entertainment in the Season 18 update. Apex Legends’ Season 18 patch is live for all players, bringing with it Revenant Reborn, balance updates, and much more. Whenever a big patch like this comes along, dataminers and leakers look through the data to see anything that could give hints at future content. However, developer Respawn Entertainment is well aware of this practice and snuck in a cheeky line of text for Apex dataminers with the Season 18 patch. Respawn trolls Apex Legends leakers with a secret message Word of the hidden text came from Apex Legends content creator KralRindo on Twitter, who posted a screenshot of the hidden message for all to see. The string of text was simple, reading: “const string HI_DATAMINERS = “TOP SECRET DATA HERE ->” with the arrow pointing to a link to Respawn’s careers page. The Apex Legends community found the hidden line of text hilarious, with many making jokes about “Top secret data.” “LOL, You got bamboozled,” said one fan, while another joked that it “sounds like they’re challenging y’all.” Fellow leaker TheLeakyBot on Twitter also replied to the post and said, “They just told us to get jobs.” Unfortunately for those fans hoping to actually learn some news about Apex Legends’ future, the “top secret data” teased on the text line was nothing more than a troll for those who actually managed to dig into the update files. Still, those fans eager to learn more about what Season 18 holds likely won’t have to wait too long based on previous seasons, as Respawn likely has plenty of new content on the horizon. For now, though, those holding out for more info via datamines and leaks will just have to wait patiently.

Respawn to ban Apex Legends players using infinite Wraith phasing glitch Respawn EntertainmentSenior Designer at Apex Legends players found to be abusing a new Wraith glitch. Apex Legends players had uncovered another game-breaking bug featuring Wraith, and unlike some of the relatively harmless bugs the battle royale game has seen in the past, this new glitch has been quickly picked up by players looking to exploit the in-game ranking system. Although developers at Respawn have been made aware of the new Wraith exploit, it is still yet to be patched, however, they have revealed that they will start issuing suspensions for players who are abusing it in Ranked Play. The glitch allows players to reset Wraith’s phasing ability with minimal cooldown, which can be exploited so that players can almost remain within the void infinitely, making it much easier to survive until the late game. With players quickly rising through the ranks due to the exploit, Respawn announced that they will start handing out one-day bans, to anyone found using the glitch in Ranked, and suspension times will increase for any repeat offenders. They also revealed that a fix has already been made for the bug and it is expected to be implemented in the next Apex Legends patch. There’s been a rise in players abusing the infinite Wraith phase glitch in ranked. We have a fix locally that should be rolled out in our next patch. For now we are doing 1 day bans for players abusing it in Ranked. Ban lengths will increase for repeat offenders. — Chin Xiang Chong (@tangentiallogic) July 27, 2019 The glitch can be very frustrating to play against as reddit user, OfficialKryptoh, found out while streaming an Apex Legends game against one of the cheating Wraith players. Even with his full team attempting to kill the glitched Wraith player in between the character’s phasing ability, it took way longer than it should have, causing the players to get understandably frustrated. “How bad do you have to be to resort to this?” He asked, before his team eventually picked up the winning kill. Although Respawn have revealed that they will be issuing temporary bans for players caught using the glitch, many fans have been calling for the cheating players Ranked Points to be heavily penalized instead. With many expressing that the bans won’t mean as much to the players if their accounts still remain to keep their inflated rank.

Respawn testing Revenant buff for Apex Legends Season 9, but there’s a catch Respawn EntertainmentRevenant has been in a weird place in Apex Legends for a while now, but the developers have finally confirmed they’re testing some buffs, although there’s one small catch: It’ll likely come at the cost of his Ultimate. Respawn has been trying to buff Revenant for a long time, but they’ve had a hard time trying to figure out how to do it. They’ve acknowledged his tactical and ultimate abilities would be too strong with a direct buff in the past. So, they’ve been racking their brain trying to find another way ever since. Fortunately, it seems like they’re finally a step closer to finding a solution. When asked about the potential for a buff to Revenant’s passive, designer John ‘JayBiebs’ Larson gave some news mains of the Legends wanted to hear: They’re coming in Season 9. However, they’re worried about the community sentiment being overwhelmingly negative if they buff him too much, given the power of his abilities. “[We] don’t think the community reception would be very positive if we straight up buffed him without addressing some frustration surrounding his ult, but I like the idea of a greatly increased climb,” Larson said, referencing a player suggestion to make Rev’s wall climb infinte. They’re still trying to be cautious about the buff since one step too far could make him overpowered. Plus, it’s not like he’s terrible: His ultimate and tactical are very strong in the right hands. The key takeaway, though, is they’ve got some buffs in the works, and that’s all Revenant mains needed to hear.

Respawn tease Titanfall 2’s CAR SMG coming to Apex Legends Respawn Entertainment/EAIn a new blog post over on Apex Legend’s website, Respawn Entertainment have teased the return of the CAR SMG, which appeared in both Titanfall and Titanfall 2, but details about when the weapon is exactly coming are scarce. With the start of Season 9, Apex Legends players will be able to get their hands on a new weapon called the Bocek Bow. While fans are already eagerly anticipating its arrival, we may already have our first hint at another gun coming to the game in the future. Over on Apex Legend’s website, Respawn uploaded a blog post going over everything coming in Arena mode, which is set to arrive in Season 9 alongside the new bow. There was also a .gif of a new weapon selection menu and fans have noticed the inclusion of the CAR SMG. This is notable because the CAR SMG made its debut in Titanfall 1 and returned in the sequel, which would mean that yet another weapon from past games is making a reappearance in Apex Legends. As for when this gun will make its way to the game is unclear. Considering the fact that we already know the Bocek Bow is coming with Season 9, fans will more than likely have to wait until at least Season 10 to get their hands on it, if not longer. As some weapons get teased a couple seasons in advance, it wouldn’t be shocking if players have to wait until Season 11 or 12 to check it out for themselves. Until then, this small image is all we have to go on. While those content drops are months away, Season 9 is just around the corner, launching on May 4. Players will be able to try out a new Arena mode, with brings small-scale 3v3 battles to the game, as well as the aforementioned Bocek Bow weapon.

Respawn tease possible Apex Legends event with “unauthorized entry” of Dragons Respawn Entertainment / EA GamesDragons, canonically known as Flyers in the Titanfall universe, were first teased by Respawn Entertainment during their EA Play 2019 presentation. Now the company has hinted at a possible upcoming Apex Legends event featuring the fiery reptiles. Apex Legends players have been waiting for more information with bated breath ever since the Flyers were teased during E3. Respawn keep dropping hints, but haven’t solidly confirmed any kind of events featuring the dragons. That could be set to change though, as players recently spotted Flyers soaring around above King’s Canyon, though they are timid creatures, and fly away as soon as they’re interacted with. And now, Respawn has teased them again, but this time with a tweet. “System Malfunction” On June 19, the official Apex Legends Twitter account tweeted “ALERT. UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY.” accompanied by a single gif image. In the gif, a screen is shown with a warning sign, before its display changes to the text “SYSTEM MALFUNCTION.” The King’s Canyon map is then displayed, alongside a 3D render of a Flyer, and five red dots on the map that indicate that’s where the flying reptiles have been spotted. A system malfunction means that the dragons are breaking the system, and implies that it could be some sort of invasion, leading to an upcoming event. Interesting… Flyers aren’t the only new visitors The Leviathans seen in the ocean surrounding King’s Canyon have also been inching their way closer and closer to land as of late, implying that the Flyers might not be the only newcomers. Respawn hinted that the creatures might not be as friendly as they appear in an Instagram post on June 12. In the post, a message titled “L001 > DATA LOG AZ71P” is shown on a computer screen, with “L001” seemingly pointing to one of the Leviathans. A post-it note is stuck to the top-right corner of the screen, and reads “What’s wrong with Rosie?”, which could be referring to one of the beasts. :file_folder: L001 > :file_folder: DATA LOG AZ71P pic.twitter.com/gzDJ9ISjmn— Apex Legends (@PlayApex) June 12, 2019 With both the dragons and the dinosaurs moving into the map, could we see a Flyer vs Leviathan fight? Only time will tell.

Respawn tease improved Apex Legends Season 2 Battle Pass content and map updates EAFans have a lot of questions about the future of Apex Legends going forward and Respawn did their best to answer those inquiries in a developer update, covering everything from bugs and cheaters to what players can expect in Season 2. Apex Legends got off to a hot start when it released in early February but it has cooled off significantly due to the slow updates, hacking problems and a weak Season 1 Battle Pass. The game still has a sizable player base so it’s not in danger of dying any time soon but its Twitch viewership has started to fade significantly. Numerous fixes are being prioritized The developers are aware of major bugs and issues that are plaguing the game such as audio issues, slow-motion servers, and all the hackers. The developers have been constantly dealing with hackers since the game’s launch but the bigger bugs are still a work in progress. All of this information can be found in the developer update that goes in depth about how the team remains committed to the future of Apex and resources are not being pulled away to Jedi Fallen Order, the Star Wars game in development by Respawn. Also found in this update are some hints for what to expect from Season 2. Respawn promise a better Battle Pass in Season 2 One major criticism for Season 1 of Apex Legends was the Battle Pass which had weak rewards offerings. This was really brought into the light when compared to games like Fortnite Battle Royale and taking a look at what that game offers with the various skins, loading screens, emotes, etc. Read More: Will there ever be Titans in Apex Legends? – The post by Respawn teases a lot about Season 2 which will give current players hope for the future. For Season 2 you can expect a Battle Pass with more meaningful content, the introduction of a new Legend, the debut of a new weapon . . . and you didn’t expect King’s Canyon to stay the same forever, did you? With teased map changes, a better Battle Pass, new weapons and a new Legend on the horizon, there is still plenty to look forward to in Apex Legends.

Respawn target cheaters in July 10 Apex Legends update – Patch Notes There’s a new update live for Apex Legends on PC, PS4 and Xbox One for July 10, as Respawn Entertainment aims to clamp down on cheaters even more in their popular battle royale. With Ranked Play launched at the start of Apex Legends Season 2, there’s now even more incentive for those who don’t want to play fair to use hacks for an unfair advantage. Players are required to be account level 10 before jumping into ranked mode, but as Apex Legends is free-to-play, there’s little to stop banned cheaters just making a new account and starting over again. It’s been a constant problem for Respawn, but they have been working hard to catch and ban as many pesky cheats as possible, and the new update brings a much-needed change that will improve the process of reporting hackers instantly. Previously, players would be able to spectate the player that killed them, and then report them if they were suspicious. However, the enemy player would be notified that someone was spectating them, so if cheating, they could simply ‘turn off’ or otherwise cover up their hacks, to avoid being reported. In the July 10 update, Respawn have turned off this spectator indicator, so you will now not be able to see if you are being spectated. The devs say it is “a temporary change to improve the ability to report cheaters.” There’s two more changes focused specifically on ranked mode too, with the leaving penalty now back in force, and a fix for loss ‘forgiveness’ not being attributed properly when teammates leave. Some technical improvements have also been made to prevent crashes, and Respawn confirm their will be another update on what they’re working on on Friday, July 12. Apex Legends July 10 update – patch notes Fixes for some cases of crashes caused by script errors. – Turned off the Spectator Indicator. Players will no longer see if people are spectating them or not. This is a temporary change to improve the ability to report cheaters. – – Fixed issue with Ranked Penalty so this is now turned back on. – Fixed issue with Loss Forgiveness not working correctly in some cases when teammates are disconnected. –

Respawn still believes Titanfall 2 wallrunning is “bad fit” for Apex Legends Respawn EntertainmentTitanfall 2’s popular wallrunning mechanic may be the single most-requested feature in Apex Legends history, but Respawn still has “no plans” to ever add it in the battle royale. To put it simply, it just “doesn’t fit” in their flagship title. The ‘wallrunning’ movement mechanic — a key part of Respawn’s original Titanfall saga — has cast its shadow over Apex Legends since the battle royale was first officially unveiled all the way back in early 2019. Where it once dominated Titanfall’s multiplayer playlists, it now looms for a different reason; its absence is felt heavily by the Apex fandom. The reason is simple. Apex Legends feels like a Titanfall sequel in all but name, with characters, worlds, and storylines all wrapped up in Respawn’s world. So, it makes that the iconic mechanic would come along for the ride too. That’s not in Respawn’s plans, however; wallrunning has never made the jump. There’s a simple reason for that too. According to Respawn developer Daniel Z. Klein, the map-breaking movement just “doesn’t fit” the battle royale. Respawn aren’t binning wallrunning entirely That being said, Klein did admit there is ‘still a future’ for the popular mechanic. It may not find a home in the battlefields of Apex Legends, but when Respawn does eventually “makes other games in the future,” there’s every chance they’ll bring wallrunning back too. “I wouldn’t be surprised if a game that’s less player-vs-player focused could bring the amazing movement model of Titanfall 2 back. Like, if there ever is a Titanfall 3, for instance… it’s just not a good fit for Apex Legends,” he explained. Funnily enough, Respawn has already done that too. Their Star Wars title, ‘Jedi: Fallen Order,’ took full advantage of wallrunning for certain levels. The game’s hero, padawan Cal Kestis, had to unlock the popular mechanic. Unfortunately, there might be a wait for the next one; Klein made sure to add Respawn’s only focus right now is developing and expanding Apex: “There’s nothing being worked on at the moment, I’m afraid.” It’s no wallrunning, but a newly-uncovered Apex Legends exploit does let you slide forever; here’s how to pull it off in your next match.

Respawn speaks out over “increased harassment” of Apex Legends devs Respawn EntertainmentRespawn has directly addressed the “increased harassment” of Apex Legends devs with an announcement on Twitter. Apex Legends has some of the most passionate fans in the gaming community and they’re always suggesting new ideas to help Respawn improve the game. Whether it’s buffs or nerfs to specific Legends, tweaks to Apex’s huge arsenal of weapons, or completely new characters designed from the ground up, players love helping the devs improve the gameplay experience. However, when certain requests and features are not added to the game, some members of the community can take it too far and attack employees over social media. Well, recently Respawn has noticed “increased harassment” of the dev team and decided to speak out on the issue over Twitter. Respawn addresses “harassment” towards Apex Legends devs Taking to Twitter on September 23, the official Respawn account posted a statement condemning the “increased harassment” towards Apex Legends devs. While they “welcome community input”, the company made it very clear they “have a zero-tolerance policy for threats and the harassment of our developers”. Not only that, they warned players that they will “take appropriate action” where necessary to “ensure the health and safety of our team”. While there are no mentions of the HisWattson incident in the statement, a lot of players are assuming that the leaked messages that mentioned Hideouts are one of the reasons why this announcement was made. Either way, it’s clear Respawn just wanted to remind players to remain “respectful and collaborative” when battling in the Outlands and talking to devs about the future of Apex. With the devs hosting a Reddit AMA about LTMs, Legends & weapons recently, it’s obvious they’re still open to feedback but will draw the line at any harassment targeted at devs.

Respawn slammed after streaming Apex Legends without giving any Battle Pass info RespawnFans of Apex Legends are starving for new information about Season 1 and while Respawn Entertainment hasn’t said when the season is coming, we do know it’s coming in March. Numerous leaks and datamines have revealed tidbits of information but fans are still waiting for the floodgates to officially be opened. There was a lot of assumption by players in the community that Season 1 would be announced today and the hype train gained more steam when EA streamed Apex Legends. No announcement came out of the stream despite practically every comment during the stream asking for some sort of information. At one point, EA had to say there would be no official information given today, which was later stated again in a Reddit post. “We’ll be providing details on Season 1, Battle Pass, and the next Legend very soon,” wrote Jayfresh_Respawn on Reddit. “It’s not coming out today.” It might look like poor timing on Respawn and EA’s side of things by holding a live stream on the expected day of the new season. However, it’s worth mentioning there has been no official announcement anything was coming today so it appears everyone was just a victim of their own hype. This hasn’t stopped fans from voicing their displeasure across social media. “My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined,” wrote Reddit user Elvenstar32, who was rewarded with two Reddit Silvers and three Reddit Golds for a good usage of that meme. Many comments in the Reddit thread share the same sentiment, with some taking a joking manner like the above quote while others turn a bit hostile. “You think they’d buy us dinner before fucking us…” wrote user Oteeksx, who has over 200 upvotes on the comment. Other players shared their displeasure on Twitter. Done playing @PlayApex till they add the battle pass. Shits mad annoying you guys wont even give us a damn release date. — Teezus Giovanni (@TeezusTG) March 12, 2019 We need the battle pass or some release date, the game is hella dying. — TheSnipingPiggy (@gamingpiglet11) March 12, 2019 A battle pass release date would be cool. Or just tell us its March 31st and if it comes out early we would’ve been stoked. Ignoring the 12th rumors and not getting a solid date kinda blows. — Liquortalk (@TheLiquorTalks) March 12, 2019 I’m shocked the battle pass isn’t out. I’m also shocked they haven’t given a rough release date to make the blow less disheartening. Instead it feel like a big “fuck you” these early stages are life or death for the game, sadly they are shooting themselves in the foot. — ViaR ImZonbi (@ImZonbi) March 12, 2019 We are still in the month of March which means the release window hasn’t been missed and fans should still feel confident that it’s coming out in the next couple of weeks.

Respawn shuts down Titanfall 3 rumors – but there’s good news too Respawn EntertainmentIn the face of several recent leaks claiming that a new entry in the Titanfall series is in development, Apex Legends game director, Chad Grenier, has confirmed Titanfall 3 is not being worked on. [jwplayer KEHOOBWR] Over the last several months, data-miners have been hard at work uncovering Apex Legends secrets ahead of the highly anticipated Season 7 release, including information related to the new season’s vehicles, weapon attachments, and the new Olympus map and Horizon Legend. In addition to the details surrounding the new content, several leakers reported evidence that Respawn developers were also actively working on the next title in the Titanfall series. Speaking in an interview ahead of Season 7’s launch, Chad Grenier, Game Director of the studio’s hit battle royale, refuted these claims and said that Respawn has no new Titanfall games in the works. No luck for hopeful Titanfall 3 fans In the interview with Eurogamer, Grenier spoke at length about the new features and systems coming to Apex Legends with the release of Season 7, Ascension, on November 4. Grenier specifically outlined the transition of Olympus from a Titanfall 3 concept to the third map being released for the BR. However, when asked about the studio’s plans for a new entry in the Titanfall series, the Game Director openly stated “nobody is currently working on Titanfall 3.” He also spoke about the more distant future of the battle royale title, confirming that Respawn is working on content for five more seasons after the release of S7, and has plans for additional content beyond that. Apex Legends to fill the void? Grenier’s confirmation that Titanfall 3 is not in active development pours cold water on leaks and rumors that it was in the works. However, in the same interview, Grenier mentioned that Respawn has plans to make Apex Legends more than just a battle royale, and that fans of Titanfall will be very excited about what is to come. “Apex is in the Titanfall universe. So we’re always bringing things from Titanfall into Apex,” he said, highlighting Ash in the Season 5 quest. “So we get to bring a lot of the stuff that we enjoy in Titanfall into Apex. Looking at future seasons and animated shorts, and things that are coming out next year, I think any Titanfall fan is gonna be super excited.” While the Titanfall series is considered a classic FPS and maintains a dedicated core player base (with a recent Steam release providing a huge influx of new Pilots as well), Respawn has remained tight-lipped on their plans for the franchise since the initial release of Apex Legends. While data miners may continue to find evidence of a new title in the works, Titanfall fans could be in for a long spell of disappointment in their wait for official confirmation from Respawn.

Respawn ships huge Apex Legends armor overhaul in Season 6 update Respawn EntertainmentApex Legends is introducing “big changes” to the way the battle royale’s armor works in the upcoming Season 6 patch, Respawn has revealed, confirming rumors the devs had a huge overhaul planned for the mid-August update. Nearly all Apex Legends armor will now be “Evo” armor from Season 6 onwards, excluding Gold Amor. Common (white), rare (blue), and epic (purple) chest armor will start each game as pre-leveled Evo Armor from August 18 onwards. Respawn has also confirmed all armor pieces will be able to level up to the top-powered Red armor, which boasts five armor chunks. Gold Armor will not evolve throughout battle royale matches, however, and will remain extremely rare. Finally, the armor overhaul will also see all Apex Legends players drop into every match with “Level 0” armor. This starting armor goes “all the way to Red.” Respawn believes this shock Apex Legends armor rework in Season 6 will “really help with loot availability in the early game,” and allow players to avoid hot dropping right into the fight for rare loot “if they don’t want to.” “With all the changes in Season 6, players now have the opportunity to level up their shields through damage, luck in ground loot, or through crafting!” the Apex Legends devs added. The new Evo Armor era — which Dexerto originally tipped was on its way in early August — will also usher in some big changes number-wise for each different set of Apex Legends armor. All armor across the board will see a 25 health-point drop in the August update. Purple and Gold Armor now have 175 health, down from 200. Red, the highest Evo level available, will now be set to 200 health points. It was previously a lofty 225. These changes will also see each Evo level’s requirements changed slightly. The new damage requirements are as follows: White upgrade damage: 50 – Blue upgrade damage: 125 – Purple upgrade damage: 250 – Red upgrade damage: 500 – “This is such a big change for the whole game…” Jason McCord said in Apex’s August 17 dev stream. “What’s really exciting is we’ve now given you three different ways to get to good armor in every game.” “We want to make sure everyone doesn’t just easily get to Red at the end of the game though. There have been a few tweaks there. We’ll be keeping an eye on that. We want to make sure we’ve got it right, but we’re confident it’s right for now.” McCord also took to Twitter soon after Season 6’s major armor overhaul was unveiled in the notes. He wrote, “Now y’all see why the last 45 LTMs have been “Evolved,” with a laugh emoji. “We gotta test and gather data to make decisions.” Now ya’ll see why the last 45 LTMs have been “”Evolved””. 🤣 We gotta test and gather data to make decisions that change the game’s core loop!— Jason McCord (@Monsterclip_JM) August 18, 2020 The “big” armor overhaul isn’t the only thing Respawn is changing up this season either. The other huge swap is the World’s Edge “revamp,” which has seen Mirage Voyage and the map’s iconic train stripped away in Season 6. Apex also got its 14th character this month, turret-loving engineer Rampart. The Volt SMG also finally made the swap from Titanfall 2 to Respawn’s mega-popular battle royale. Finally, new crafting mechanics were added, and a new battle pass was unveiled. Catch up on all the changes in the Apex Legends Season 6 patch notes as the battle royale enters a new era with the August 18 update.

Respawn share plans for Apex Legends balancing, meta and future updates Respawn / EARespawn Entertainment have given their first official developer update on their immensely popular battle royale Apex Legends, sharing with fans their plans for fixes, technical issues and more. First, community manager Jay Frechette thanked the fans for their interest in the game, which has been so popular that it cracked the 10 million player mark, with 1 million concurrent, in only 72 hours of launch. “Well this was one hell of a week. 10 Million players and 1 million concurrent. I don’t even know what to say about it anymore other than; thank you.” Bug fixes and technical specs The game’s launch was smooth overall, but wasn’t entirely without issue, as some platforms experienced brief server errors, although they were quickly resolved within only an hour or so of becoming widespread. They also reassured players that have been receiving a warning that their cloud saves cannot sync is not anything to worry about, explaining: “Don’t panic. Your progression is safe.” There is bad news for PC players running on older AMD Phenom processors, which Frechette says “can’t run” Apex at all. Players using below the minimum spec will now receive a warning that their CPU does not have SSE 3. The sometimes annoying ‘Party Leader has quit’ message will be gone soon too, Respawn are working on a fix. Balancing and Meta As for the gameplay itself, Frechette explains that the team have been “pouring over tons of data” and will have more information to share next week, and have been keeping an ear to all the feedback coming in. “We have lots of great stuff to chew on, many things to fix and improve, and good debates have already begun among the dev team. Our main focus right now is stability and quality of life but in the near future we’ll be talking more about the potential updates to the meta.” With the hero system in Apex Legends, balance changes to the abilities and ultimates are delicate, and can seriously change the way the game is played – at least if games like Overwatch are anything to go by. Respawn is clearly being tentative here and giving few specific details, which means they likely haven’t made up their mind entirely on what “meta” changes need attention first. Source: Reddit

Respawn share massive weapon previews, early patch notes for Apex Legends Season 2 Respawn EntertainmentRespawn Entertainment have cranked up the hype for Apex Legends Season 2 by giving fans a massive preview of upcoming weapons, releasing more details about Hop-Ups and a brand new L-Star SMG teaser trailer. There’s a lot for Apex Legends fans to get excited about in the run-up to the start of Season 2, which launches on July 2, but the developers are already giving us a sneak peek at what weapons changes are in store. Potentially the biggest change of them all is the addition of the new L-Star weapon, a rare and powerful LMG featuring the largest projectiles currently found in Apex Legends. The L-Star will only be found in airdrops, like the Mastiff and Kraber, and comes with an ammo supply that can’t be refilled. Outside of the L-Star some current weapons are getting some changes to help improve them. Some of the weaker weapons are receiving new Hop-Ups to help balance them a bit more and bring some much-needed viability. New Apex Legends Season 2 weapon trailer (June 19) Respawn Entertainment have uploaded a brand new Season 2 teaser trailer to their official YouTube channel, giving fans an idea of how the L-Star LMG will work in-game. Of course, Titanfall 2 players will have already seen it in action before, but never in the hands of these legends… What are the new Hop-Ups? Two new Hop-Ups were detailed, one of which will work with the Mozambique, one of the weapons to confirmed for a buff in Season 2. You can take a look at those Hop-Ups below. Disruptor Rounds Increased shielded damage. – compatibility: Alternator, RE-45 – Hammerpoint Rounds Increased unshielded damage. – compatibility: P2020, Mozambique – These attachments would give these weaker weapons much more of a kick than they currently have and Respawn hopes players will start using them Energy magazine attachments have been added for the Havoc, Devotion and Triple Take for Season 2. Respawn confirms buffs are on the way for the Flatline, P2020, Alternator and Triple Take, but we will learn more once the patch notes come out. A new set of gold weapons will be coming in Season 2, so players will have that to look forward to as well. For the full list of changes and details Respawn talked about, you can read their blog post here. In the meantime, players can look forward to Season 2 on July 2. You can read the full blog post on Season 2 weapons below: New Weapon: The L-STAR Arrives This season we’re introducing the L-STAR, a rare and powerful LMG. This weapon fires large, high-damage plasma projectiles at a fast cyclic rate. The L-STAR is joining the Mastiff and Kraber in airdrop packages, and quite frankly, it’s a beast. The L-STAR’s unique projectiles are much larger than those fired by other weapons in Apex. Players need to lead targets more at range to compensate for the L-STAR’s slower projectiles, but on the flip side, they don’t have to aim quite as precisely to get good effect on target. All this plasma-fueled power comes at a price: the L-STAR will overheat if players hold the trigger down too long. When the L-STAR overheats, its lens breaks and needs to be replaced, which takes some time. Expert players learn to feather the trigger with short/medium bursts, taking short breaks to let the weapon cool down. The L-STAR only spawns in airdrops (like the Mastiff and the Kraber), and comes with a limited ammo supply that can’t be refilled. Get out there, hunt some airdrops, and let us know what you think of our newest high-tech addition to the Armory. New Hop-Ups! This season, we wanted to bring up the low end of the power curve a little, increase situational viability for lesser-used weapons, and create more interplay between weapons. So, we created a couple of new hop-ups: Disruptor Rounds Increased shielded damage. – compatibility: Alternator, RE-45 – Hammerpoint Rounds Increased unshielded damage. – compatibility: P2020, Mozambique – Ideally players will consider one of these hopped-up small arms for weapon-swap tactics, and sometimes carry them unironically into endgame situations. New Attachments: Energy Mags Energy Mag attachments have been added for the Havoc, Devotion, and Triple Take, adding more loot gameplay and power curve depth. Like the other magazine attachments, Energy Mags increase ammo capacity (at all levels) and reduce reload time (at level 2 and above). Power Up We buffed some less-popular weapons to make them more powerful within their designed roles. Look out for buffs to the Flatline, P2020, Alternator, and Triple Take, with specific details outlined in our S2 patch notes. Arc Star: Spikes & Sticks Since launch, the Arc Star has seemed “spikey” to us. (To us, this means that the gameplay and personality are good, but it can sometimes feel unfair to use or fight against.) We did a few targeted tweaks: – Increased ignition delay from 2.5 to 2.8 – Sticking a full health player will now down them – Players at the edge of the explosion no longer get their shields completely shredded Gold Weapons Players can look forward to finding a totally new set of gold weapons in Kings Canyon for the start of season 2. Look out for the final list in the Season 2 patch notes. Ammo Stack Sizes Apex players need to strike a fine balance between loading their backpacks with ammo, and holding other items for emergency or utility purposes. In a couple cases, we felt the stack sizes weren’t well-balanced, so we tweaked: Shotgun max stack reduced from 64 to 16. Players now need multiple stacks of ammo to run a shotty. – Energy max stack increased from 60 to 80 – now matches Light/ Heavy ammo. – Airdrop Weapons Airdrop packages now use different loot tables for different phases of the game (early/ mid/ late). For example, players will find more Krabers in early and mid-game airdrops, while endgame airdrops should spawn more Mastiffs. And, of course, these loot tables now include the L-STAR plasma LMG! Season 2 Starts July 2! Beyond the changes mentioned here, the weapon team still has a few tweaks up our sleeves for Season 2, so look out for our patch notes when the season starts on July 2! And as always, from the entire Apex Legends team, thanks for playing. Article last updated on June 19, 2019 at 6:42am (EST).

Respawn hint that Apex Legends Leviathans could cause mayhem in Season 2 Respawn EntertainmentRespawn Entertainment have released a cryptic clue that suggests the Leviathans that roam around the outside of the Apex Legends map may cause huge problems for players in the near future. Since Apex Legends launched, players have noticed the massive creatures in the water that surrounds Kings Canyon, and while they originally stood in one place, they have started to move inland towards the play area. Now, developers Respawn appear to have addressed the animals movement, and give a stark warning that they may not be friendly when they reach dry land. In an Instagram post on June 12 from the official Apex Legends account, a message titled “L001 > DATA LOG AZ71P” is shown, with the “L001” portion of the caption apparently referring to one of the Leviathans. The message reads: “L001 is moving southbound at a rate of ten klicks per hour after a sixteen-hour rest interval. This is yet another significant rest-time reduction. We suspect L001 is exhibiting signs of territorial behavior or distress. We will continue gathering data and attempt to determine the issue.” Stuck to the top of a screen is a post-it note, which reads “What’s wrong with Rosie?”, which could be referring to one of the beasts, or to a possible new Legend who was mentioned in the game’s files at launch. It appears that the Leviathans are keen to get back on land, with an image from the Origin login page showing the creatures standing on the island beside The Repulser, which was used to keep them at bay but appears to be broken. The Apex Legends Season 2 trailer also appears to show players zooming past the eye of one of these monstrous creatures, so it seems certain that they will invade Kings Canyon imminently. With Season 2 set to kick off on July 2, players should keep an eye on the creatures to see if their invasion is the final act of Season 1, or used to kick off the new season.

Respawn Senior Game Designer wants more “non-BR” modes in Apex Legends Respawn EntertainmentRespawn Senior Game Designer Daniel Z. Klein is a big fan of Apex Legends’ non-BR modes, and would want the studio to experiment with a few more concepts after seeing how successful the Winter Express has been. Admittedly, Klein isn’t a part of the game modes team at Respawn, but the senior developer gave his preference on which direction the battle royale could take from here. Previous modes like Hunt and the Winter Express tweaked Apex’s typical formula, giving players something different to get their hands on. The team at Respawn has proven they can make modes that don’t feed into the normal BR format but still create products that resonate with their players. Klein would like to see more of this out of Apex in the following seasons, though has said there’s not much to reveal on that front as of yet. “I really want us to try more non-BR things; I think Winter Express was a wonderful proof of concept that Apex can be super fun in non-BR modes,” he said on Reddit. “I think something Mario Party-like, like (League of Legends’) Nexus Blitz, would probably be a bit too much for a game like Apex, but there are LOTS of cool things we could do.” He isn’t wrong on that final point. Aside from being a solid battle royale in the bustling genre, Apex Legends has something unique that not many games can boast about: it’s incredible characters. Respawn have injected a vast amount of lore and personality into their cast of 15 Legends, meaning they can produce nearly any mode they want without struggling with how it logistically fits into the game. We kind of got a taste of that type of ingenuity with the Fight or Fright Collection Event, that showed Pathfinder teleporting into a night version of Kings Canyon which introduced the Shadowfall mode. Comment byu/Tomix_R from discussion inapexlegends Now that there’s vehicles and loads of new gameplay mechanics in Season 7, non-BR modes like races, new PvE concepts, and more can be a frontrunner for possibilities to explore. Like Klein said, there isn’t anything Respawn are ready to announce for Apex Legends as of yet, but players have loads of content to hold them over until they do.

Respawn scrapped Seer’s old audio-based abilities for Apex Legends Respawn EntertainmentThe newest Legend to join the Apex Games in Season 10, Seer, comes equipped with some very powerful abilities, including a heartbeat sensor and tracking drones. But, Respawn told us that he went through three different variations, and was actually an audio-focused legend at first. The team at Respawn Entertainment have been creating a new Legend every season since release now, and continues to up their game to keep things fresh, with characters featuring a fleshed-out backstory, extravagant skins, and brilliantly acted voice lines. Seer is no different to this trend of Legend releases, following the immensely popular Valkyrie who released in Season 9. Immediately after the reveal of Seer’s abilities, fans were optimistic that he would be strong, but cautiously so, worried that he might even be overpowered on release. But, when we spoke to some of the team at Respawn shortly before the release of the new season, they revealed that his kit wasn’t always this way. Seer was an audio Legend Respawn explained that the original plan for Seer was to make his abilities all about audio, rather than visual. The first version of his tactical was a decoy grenade, that would sometimes imitate weapons firing, and other times imitate footstep audio. Read More: Respawn fixes accidental Wattson buff – However, despite fooling people in playtests at first, it quickly became apparent that ‘fake’ audio would become too problematic, as it would make the entire game’s audio unreliable for players, and “kinda broke the game.” His ultimate was a similar sphere-like ability as it is now, but instead of tracking players within it, it would lock all sound inside. The idea behind this was to prevent 3rd-party attacks. Overall, it’s not surprising that these abilities didn’t see the light of day. After all, Apex Legends can be a loud and noisy game at the best of times, and audio is so crucial to the experience. Not to mention, Respawn has been in a battle with all the contesting sounds in the game, which has led to players complaining about not being able to hear crucial elements such as enemy footsteps. After moving away from the focus on sound alone, Respawn tried out a proximity mine tactical for Seer too. Eventually, they moved to the Seer we have in-game now. A better Bloodhound? But, in the end, they settled for what we have now – another recon/tracker-like character, in a similar vein to Bloodhound. We also asked Respawn if they were concerned Seer would make Bloodhound less popular. But, they’re confident that the two characters play differently enough, with Bloodhound focusing on the “breadcrums” players leave behind, while Seer is much more up close and personal with his abilities. Equally, Crypto is deemed to be the ‘long range’ recon Legend, so the developers still believe he will have his place in the meta too. We’ll have to wait and see how the meta shakes out in Season 10 to see which of these three recon Legends are top of the pile.

Respawn rushes Apex Legends fix as dual-wielding bug runs rampant in Shockwave EAApex Legends developers have quickly rushed out a new update for the Battle Royale after the latest season saw several performance bugs and dual-wielding issues crop up. Respawn’s battle royale has just entered into its new season. Apex Legends: Shockwave sees even more content being added to the title, including a new map, new dual-wielding Akimbo weapons, and further gameplay updates. However, the new season also brought a number of issues as well, with players unable to find loot on the new E-District map. Additionally, the new season saw multiple bugs take center stage, with some heavily affecting performance and leading to crashes. The devs have rushed out a new update as a result, with plenty of fixes aimed at smoothing out the game’s performance as well as resolving a bug with Legend Ballistic. Respawn took to Twitter to announce that it had pushed out an update to Apex Legends on August 7. This included fixes for issues that resulted in several crashes, including ones on the firing range, and more specific bugs impacting Caustic, Horizon, and Wattson. Devs reported that the new fixes would improve performance for Bot Royale, letting players test out the mode in peace. Similarly, Ballistic was going a bit too “ballistic” with the new dual-wielding in Shockwave, so the devs have addressed that bug too. Despite some of the fixes for the battle royale, players aren’t too happy about the map rotation, with many replying that they want to return to the “promised land” of E-District. “What about the map rotation being completely wrong can you please get us off this god-forsaken map (Broken Moon) and bring us back to the promised land (E-District) thank you,” pro player TSM Albralelie implored. “You have the audacity to ask me if I’m enjoying the new season so far?! No I’m not. Why am I on Broken Moon!!!” another echoed.

Respawn rolls out banwave for Apex Legends players abusing quit exploits Apex Legends players who have been abusing a recent game-quitting bug exploit which allows them to avoid ranked-point losses when losing competitive games, the developers have confirmed. The bug itself is relatively simple to pull off — once two of your teammates have been knocked down or elimination in a ranked mode, hitting Alt+F4 will eject you from the matchmade lobby. Because you appear to have been ‘booted’ from the game, Respawn’s loss forgiveness is deployed, saving your RP spent for entering the competitive mode. This forgiveness also applies to all members of your team, meaning all three players lose zero ranked points. As this bug became more and more prevalent, ranked lobbies were left lopsided as teams quit after losing teammates, and players who should have been losing ranked progress for placing 20th through to 10th weren’t dropping on the leaderboards. Respawn moved quickly to put the quitting-exploit on the ‘no-go’ list, warning players that they will be temporary banned from Apex if they are caught avoiding RP losses, and added the bans would increase for repeat offenders. “We’ve temporarily banned players detected to be heavy abusers of quitting the game to avoid penalties in ranked,” Respawn producer Drew McCoy said. “PC players have been able to leave matches early without incurring a loss of ranked points. Going forward we will not hesitate to punish players who abuse new exploits and will increase penalties as we see fit, including permanent bans and revoking RP.” We’ve temporarily banned players detected to be heavy abusers of quitting the game to avoid penalties in Ranked. Going forward we will not hesitate to punish players who abuse new exploits and will increase penalties as we see fit, including permanent bans and revoking RP — Drew McCoy (@DKo5) October 23, 2019 Recently, a Twitch streamer was caught employing the bug while broadcasting to save himself a few RP. The streamer was among the first banned for the exploit. A similar style bug also reared its ugly head in the game’s Xbox One version, where players were able to quit the game through the console’s dashboard features to avoid being docked points for being eliminated, though McCoy confirmed this banwave is PC-based for now. Unfortunately, while Respawn seems to be swinging the temporary banhammer on Alt+F4 exploiters, it seems like they haven’t found a fix to the problem just yet. Read more: Riskiest places to land on World’s Edge map – McCoy’s statement didn’t include anything about a solution to players avoiding RP losses beyond simply barring them from playing Apex for a limited amount of time, which means players may continue to face the issue across their Season 3 grind. The Alt+F4 exploit is also far from the only error that Apex players have been facing as they battle across World’s Edge, with reviving becoming a dangerous weapon in another recent bug, and legendary knockdown shields confusing players with their changing colors. Luckily, Respawn is pretty trigger-happy about squashing bugs, so while the Alt+F4 exploit may be around for a little while longer, the devs have already trimmed a host of other problems in their recent patch, including weapon pick-up problems, and holes in the map.

Respawn roll back Apex Legends servers to save player’s deleted heirlooms & skins Respawn EntertainmentRespawn Entertainment appears to have identified the cause, as well as a potential solution, to a troublesome issue that has been making some Apex Legends players lose all their hard-earned progression and rewards, including rare Heirloom cosmetics. It’s hard for Apex Legends players to imagine losing all their progression and rewards. But that’s exactly what happened to a limited number of PlayStation accounts after a mysterious glitch saw them lose everything, including heirlooms. “All of it is gone and nothing can be done to regain any of the items,” one player claimed. “What makes this extra weird is that both of my accounts appear in the club that my friend made. But I can’t access the other account. I have tried dealing with EA Advisors, if that is what you can call them, they will advise you that it was your fault and that there is nothing that you can do about it.” The developers started looking into the issue way back in February, but they’ve been scratching their heads ever since. Fortunately, it seems like they’ve finally identified the cause and found a solution. “We’ve identified an issue with a database shard which we believe has been contributing to the recent progression issues for PlayStation players,” they wrote. “We will be migrating players off this shard, which may result in disconnects.” A portion of their database has been playing up in simpler terms, and the solution is to move players’ data onto a different section. But what about those who have already lost some or all of their data? Well, the good news is it will be completely restored. Read More: Crypto “katana” Heirloom weapon revealed – “For players whose data was on the affected database shard, we will be restoring their progress to a backup from April 5 at 18:00 UTC.” For players whose data was on the affected database shard, we will be restoring their progress to a backup from April 5 at ~18:00 UTC — Respawn (@Respawn) April 6, 2021 Keep in mind that it will result in a bit of downtime and connection issues for affected players. However, it’ll be up and running in no time, and once the data transfer is complete, everything will be as good as new.

Respawn reveals updates and fixes coming in Apex Legends Season 2 Respawn EntertainmentRespawn Entertainment have provided fans with an update on the fixes and adjustments they can expect as Apex Legends heads towards its second season. Since its February release, Respawn Entertainment’s Apex Legends has seemingly gone from strength to strength, even hitting 50 million players faster than Fortnite Battle Royale did. However, it appears to have hit a stagnant phase of late, as players complain of a lack of tangible new content and a number of bugs plaguing the game. On June 14, Respawn have offered an update on known issues and how they plan to tackle them. Early on they make clear that this list is not exhaustive and doesn’t refer to every issue that they are investigating, but players will appreciate the number of bugs that are addressed. Pathfinder hitbox Probably most significant is the ongoing attempts to fix the hit-box of Pathfinder, the robotic legend whose hit-box has so far proven very difficult to refine. The update states that they have been “investigating Pathfinder’s hitbox and looking at player feedback. At Season 2 launch we’ll be making adjustments to the hitbox that we’ll talk more about closer to Season 2.” Auto-fire exploit Also important, they state that they will be rolling out a “two-stage” fix for auto-fire exploits relating to multiple weapons in the game, particularly the Mastiff shotgun. The first stage is that Respawn are planning to make server adjustments that will make this exploit occur far less frequently, as the server will restrict it. However, “the full fix requires a client patch that will come in the future”. Lag and disconnects The post also states that Respawn are rigorously investigating issues surrounding lag and disconnections, that are being reported by a number of players. They say that they are hearing the reports “loud and clear” and will be providing further updates when they are available, but it does not appear that there is a general fix in the works at the moment. Other topics addressed in the post include the consumable wheel appearing blank, healing items being twice as effective as they are supposed to be, and legends not appearing in banners at the end of matches. Season 2 for Apex Legends will be released on July 2, and players will be hopeful of seeing numerous bug fixes, as well as a wealth of new content for players to dive into.

Respawn reveals that two of Apex Legends’ characters are LGBTQ Respawn Entertainment has announced that two of the characters in Apex Legends are LGBTQ, promoting a sense of diversity in the popular battle royale game. Apex Legends is still a very new game and it would be difficult to measure the size of its online community so far, having released on February 2 – but many people view this is as a move in the right direction, as far as gaming is concerned. While the sexuality of one of the Legends was already published online, Apex Legend’s community manager Jay Frechette has revealed that another is, in fact, non-binary. Bloodhound, one of the Legends in the game, “is non-binary, or at least not specified in terms of gender,” according to Frechette, who revealed the news to Rock, Paper, Shotgun. The other LGBTQ character is Gibraltar. The powerful character, who uses a shielded fortress in the game, was confirmed as gay – or bisexual – in his official bio page, which can be found below. “He only began to understand the value of protecting others when he and his boyfriend stole his father’s motorcycle, took it on a joyride, and got trapped by a deadly mudslide.” Blizzard Entertainment made a similar move in January, by posting a brand new Overwatch short story which confirmed that one of its characters – Soldier: 76 – is gay. While the move might have come as a surprise for some fans, generally speaking, it was met with an overly positive response from the community – but did confuse others. Former Overwatch pro player Félix ‘xQc’ Lengyel, for example, had a more levelled response. He argued that important parts of a character’s identities should be revealed with the release of the game, as opposed to around two years later. Respawn, however, have made this announcement within a week of Apex Legends being released. Whether or not that will resonate more with fans remains to be seen.

Respawn reveals changes are coming to Charge Rifle in Apex Legends Respawn EntertainmentApex Legends developers Respawn Entertainment have confirmed that they are making changes to the Charge Rifle, which many have stated is extremely overpowered in the current meta. The battle royale game is now into its third season, with matches taking place on the new World’s End map which replayed Kings Canyon, and a brand-new Legend in the former of mysterious hacker Crypto. Players are still hunting down victories in search of being named Apex Champion, but some have found these wins harder to come by, thanks to the incredible power of the new Charge Rifle – which was introduced in the Season 3 patch. The Charge Rifle has been an area for contention among many players, who have headed to the Apex Legends subreddit in their droves to complain about the power of the weapon. Unlike other weapons, the Charge Rifle doesn’t fire bullets, but rather a powerful beam which deals a lot of damage, which can be extremely frustrating if you’re on the receiving end. Now, Respawn Entertainment have confirmed that they are not only aware of the issue, but that they have been working on it, adding the weapon to their development Trello, and confirming that they are making alterations to the weapon balance. Unfortunately, the Trello board doesn’t actually state what changes they are making to the weapon, just writing that the weapon is “not where it should be.” It’s possible that they may lower the damage output, or make the length of time that the beam is active for shorter in an attempt to nerf its power. There’s also no confirmed date for the balancing change, but Respawn Entertainment says it is coming in a future patch, and with updates generally releasing on Tuesdays, we could see it as earlier as October 15.

Respawn reveal why Titans & wall-running are never coming to Apex Legends Apex Legends was a hit with a ton of Titanfall fans since it was made from the same studio, but players noticed that two iconic elements of the past title didn’t make it to the battle royale. Developers Respawn Entertainment took a hard look into the Titans and wall-running features that were key in their original games’ popularity and saw that the didn’t transfer well into the larger scope of Apex. As players know, Apex has a concise albeit growing cast of Legends featured in the game. Each of them has their own unique abilities and passives that contributes to an overall squad’s dynamic and combat potential. It seems like Respawn were happy with how these characters played off each other, given that people make proper use of their unique kits. The importance of this balancing act, however, might have been disrupted by the inclusion of Titans and the popular wall-running elements of Titanfall. “We tried for months and months to make Titans work in BR, but they’re the antithesis of what we were trying to accomplish,” executive produce Drew McCoy told gamesindustry.biz. Players can easily relate this to Fortnite’s controversial BRUTE mechs. While the concept was novel when first released, it wasn’t long before they started heavily influencing the BR. This led to a standoff between the Epic Games devs who wanted to stick with their experiment, and an irate player-base that wasn’t having fun with the mech’s inclusion. Speaking on wall-running, there were too many factors distorting “the legibility of combat” when a fight breaks out in the Apex Games. “What happens when you can wall-run and double-jump all the time is the legibility of combat just goes to zero,” the dev said. “You can never predict where someone’s going to be, or how many squads are coming around the corner, because they can go up, they can go underneath, they can go around.” While Octane and Pathfinder certainly have the capability of these unpredictable movements, players can at least account for them as soon as they see those Legends in an opposing squad. If all players in the lobby had access to that kind of free movement, it could create a hectic environment within the Apex Games sphere. Even though Titans and wall-running would be an exciting concept to include into an LTM or in-game event, the devs ultimately found enough obvious pitfalls when looking to integrate it into the larger formula of the game and decided it just wasn’t worth it.

Respawn reveal why Apex Legends Rank gap in matchmaking is “fully intended” Respawn EntertainmentA Respawn Entertainment dev explained why Apex Legends players are finding a disparity in their Ranked games as people report more matchmaking issues with noticeable gaps in ELO. The Apex Legends community have long contended with finding a Bronze player in Platinum lobbies or similar cases that can mar competitive gameplay for teams. This has been even in past seasons, baffling players throughout the years. Though it leaves the door open for a low ELO player to file in where it’d be inconvenient for a squad, there’s a reason as to why that’s the case. Respawn have long been adamant that these cases are rare and are crucial for keeping Apex’s queue times low to get every lobby of 60 players filled. Even in Season 13, Diamond-ranked people will claim to find Bronze players in their games while low ELO lobbies will find Platinum+ absolutely level the field. Although not ideal, Live Technical Designer Aaron ‘Exgeniar’ L. can see why people might still cross someone who has no business being in that Ranked lobby, on both ends of the spectrum. “Bronze player could get matched with a platinum player in some intended edge cases,” he said. “However, Bronze player should never be matched with a Diamond+ player… In all the cases we checked, it is a Gold Player in a premade with a Bronze player that gets placed into a Gold + Plat lobby. “Sometimes when queue time is sufficiently high, lobbies start merging to kick off games. This is a compromise in the design because we don’t want these players to wait forever. So sometimes during off-peak hours, this starts happening. This is fully intended.” The dev was clearing up a statement from an EA Help rep who said Bronze players should never be matched with a Platinum. But this can happen and does, though Exgeniar calls them “edge cases.” Even in application, the Respawn dev admitted it can feel like a “bug” at times and they could look at home to ease these fringe instances from occurring in the future.

Respawn reveal why Apex Legends didn’t get a new gun in Season 5 Respawn EntertainmentApex Legends will not be getting a new weapon in Season 5, Respawn devs have confirmed, after four consecutive seasons saw a new gun added to the battle royale’s huge loot pool since the title first launched in 2019. Respawn has added a new weapon to their battle royale’s mega-arsenal every major update since launch, and players expected Season 5 to be no different. There were even leaks that seemed to confirm it would be Titanfall classic Volt SMG. The devs have confirmed Season 5 will be “the first season Apex doesn’t get a new weapon,” however. Respawn addressed the new direction in their latest developer update, and revealed if Apex will ever see new weapons added again. “We stepped back and asked ourselves: does Apex need a new weapon every season? If we continue to add new weapons, the weapon pool will become saturated,” the devs explained in their May 12 post. According to the masterminds behind Apex Legends, there is a “sweet spot” for any title that has huge weapon pools. In their eyes, their battle royale is currently hovering right above the “right” amount for players to pick and choose from. Respawn’s latest statement also damns hope some players still had in regards to comments made by Josh Medina in the lead-up to Season 5. The Apex producer revealed there would be “no new weapon to the season” this time. Fans latched onto his phrasing; theories sprung up one would arrive later — unfortunately, this looks to have been scuppered too. Vaulting guns like Fortnite “not an option” in Apex Legends There were a few options Apex could have taken, they admitted. Fortnite often removes their guns by “vaulting” them, and re-releases them in future patches. Respawn felt they couldn’t go down that route in their own title, however. “Vaulting weapons is not an option, because players have purchased skins,” they said. “We are forced to be more creative. We had some ideas on how to address it, but we need more time to test them, and make sure they are healthy.” Respawn confirmed new weapons will be added again, in the future. They added: “We want to make sure the weapons we add have real value to the gameplay. We have some fun stuff in the works. Our weapons team is hard at work.” Season 5 may not have brought with it a brand-new toy, but there’s still plenty of changes in the battle royale’s gun pool. Headlining them is the Peacekeeper, which has rotated into care packages this season. In its place, the Mastiff has been nerfed and sent into Kings Canyon as a regular loot pickup this season. The Longbow, Wingman, and Havoc were all nerfed, while the Alternator and the RE-45 got buffed. Read the full list of changes here.

Respawn reveal they’re already working on characters for Apex Legends Season 13 and 14 Respawn EntertainmentRespawn Entertainment have confirmed that they are currently working on Legends for Seasons 13 and 14 of Apex Legends, confirming just how much players of the battle royale have to look forward to. Apex Legends has been an incredible success, bringing Titanfall fans a new battle royale that has also appealed to uninitiated players. Recently, Respawn confirmed that they have had 100 million players, reflecting the game’s popularity and longevity. Currently, in Season 8, we have had our first confirmation that Season 9’s Legend will be known as Valkyrie. According to current information, she will be a ‘Soaring Aviator’ and possess the ability to hover in mid-air. However, Respawn have confirmed their planning goes way beyond the character coming in the game’s next season. https://twitter.com/PlayApex/status/1382378457808699396?s=20 When answering questions on the game’s subreddit, Lead Game Designer Daniel Klein revealed that season planning goes roughly a year in advance, and they are currently “figuring out” the Legends that will drop in Season 13 and Season 14. Read More: Apex Legends Arenas mode: Everything we know – Not only is this confirmation of Season 13 and 14, but highlights how much behind-the-scenes work and planning goes into new seasons and the Legends that accompany them. “When people ask me about the new weapon I’m like… wait… which one of the ones we’ve been playtesting for a year?” he joked. “Oh, right it’s the bow! Wow, that’s old. Character-wise we’re figuring out seasons 13 and 14 at the moment… just to give you an idea. But specifically, the balance changes that people often try to read out of these trailers? We can’t know until we live in the meta.” Comment byu/paradoxally from discussion inapexlegends There are currently 16 Legends in Respawn’s BR, with Valkyrie making 17. However, Klein’s comments confirm that players have at least five more to look forward to after Season 9 – assuming the pattern of one new character per season continues. Read More: When is Apex Legends Mobile coming out? – That would take the total legend pool to over 20, and Apex Legends well into 2022. Who the legends are remain a mystery, but plenty have leaked in the past, including Ash, Blisk, and Pariah. The news is exciting and guarantees the support Apex will receive in the future but, for now, all eyes are on Season 9, Valkyrie, and all the content that will bring.

Respawn reveal stats page coming to Apex Legends Season 2 Respawn EntertainmentFollowing the big Apex Legends Season 2 reveal at EA Play on June 9, lead developer Drew McCoy has revealed that they forgot to mention a pretty big addition coming with the new season – a fully-fledged stats page. Since release in February, players have been calling for more in-depth stat tracking in Apex Legends, with the current system only allowing for a very limited view of a player’s career numbers. Currently, in order to see your total kills, for example, you would have to go through each individual legend and add up their total kills, as statistics are only given on a legend-by-legend basis. There’s also no ‘total wins’ statistic anywhere in the game, which is typically one the things battle royale style games are expected to have, as well as other basics like a total matches played tally. Presumably, these statistics and more will be included in the new stats page coming in Season 2, which should give players a much better overview of their performance in King’s Canyon. Unfortunately, in revealing the new stats page, McCoy didn’t go into any great detail as to what it would include, so we can only speculate for now. Players will be hoping for something similar to Call of Duty‘s ‘combat records’, which not only provide basic stats like kills, deaths, wins and games played, but also more detailed stats about individual weapons. For Apex Legends Season 2, many fans would embrace the opportunity of seeing some specific stats about legend abilities, such as kills with Gibraltar’s bombardment, for argument sake, or even stats about equipment and grenades. The more statistics the better, as there’s really no downside to telling players how many times they’ve eliminated an opponent with their lifeline care package, for example. Fans have even made excellent concepts for stat pages, like this one from u/holmise, showing weapon and legend stats. Season 2 will begin on July 2 – a slight delay from the planned launch of June 18 – giving Respawn plenty of time to design a full-fledged combat record, something players have been asking for since launch.

Respawn reveal staggering number of Apex Legends hackers they’ve banned so far EARespawn Entertainment, the developers of Apex Legends, have revealed just how many hackers have been banned on PC since the game launched in February 2019. If you’re a PC Apex Legends player then chances are you’ve run across a hacker in at least one of your games whether you realized it or not. The developers have been hard at work getting rid of them, and the number of banned players has now reached staggering heights according to the newly release numbers. Apex Legends now has over 700,000 banned players Respawn updated the community with their progress on handling cheaters for Apex Legends by saying they have now banned 770,000 players overall and blocked over 300,000 accounts from being created. The blocked accounts are probably cheaters who were banned previously but tried to create new accounts. Players did complain about receiving hardware bans so this could be an example of that in action. Here’s the complete look at the stats that Respawn revealed to the public. The recently added in-game reporting tool has had a big impact on discovering new cheats, including previously undetectable cheats that are now being found automatically via EAC – Total bans are now at 770K players – We have blocked over 300K account creations – We have banned over 4,000 cheat seller accounts (spammers) in the last 20 days – Total affected matches on PC impacted by cheaters or spammers has been reduced by over half in the last month due to recent efforts – You can read their update in its entirety on Reddit. There’s still a long way to go Despite all of these accounts being banned, players still run into hackers quite often but Respawn says additional steps to prevent cheaters are still on the way. Hackers are still a constant problem and a source of numerous complaints so it’s good to see Respawn being transparent about this dilemma. They said another update will be provided next week to address the missing footsteps audio that was brought up by the community.

Respawn reveal plan for adding new weapons to Apex Legends Respawn EntertainmentRespawn Entertainment shared their philosophy on adding new weapons to Apex Legends in the future and how they’ll address concerns about the loot pool. Apex Legends Season 11 arrives on November 2 and a ton of new changes will debut alongside it. Chief among these additions to the game are two imports from Titanfall – one being the new legend, Ash, and the other being the highly versatile anti-personnel C.A.R SMG favored by Titan Pilots everywhere. During a press event for the upcoming season, Respawn said that they’re focusing on filling gaps that exist among the current weapon pool while keeping a tight grip on the number of guns players can find around the map. Apex Legends devs on future new weapons In a battle royale title like Apex Legends, it’s all about balancing each level of the game and holding the user experience in check. The studio hopes to keep the number of items that spawn on the map limited while still offering fresh and dynamic ways to enjoy each round: “When it comes to weapons, we’re very cognizant of managing the loot pool. So we’ll continue to release new weapons, only when we feel they’re ready to enter the game.” This philosophy aligns with the release of other guns, like the Rampage LMG and its signature Revved Up feature, that have been added to the game recently. By only including new weapons when they can be paired with new mechanics or fulfill a need that’s not being met in the game, Respawn can carefully manage each piece of the combat puzzle. “Overall we want to ensure there’s a strong design space, and a strong reason whenever we add anything new to Apex, and we’ll continue to do that in future seasons.” Keeping a steady pulse on the number of guns – and experimenting with new attachments, like the upcoming Dual Shell hop-up – should keep Apex Legends feeling fresh for all players for years to come.

Respawn reveal major Heirloom changes coming soon in Apex Legends Respawn EntertainmentDevelopers Respawn Entertainment have announced a new Heirloom Shard system in Apex Legends, which will be implemented as part of the upcoming System Override Collection Event. Heirlooms are undoubtedly the rarest and most coveted cosmetic items in Apex Legends, mainly because of how scarce and difficult they are to obtain. Outside of special events, during which the items are a lot easier to get, Heirlooms can only be nabbed by opening regular Apex Packs. The way the current system works, players are guaranteed to get one every 500 packs they open – which, needless to say, can be quite expensive and/or time-consuming. One of the biggest criticisms leveled against these ultra-rare cosmetics is that when you do actually get one, it might not be one that you wanted or were even remotely interested in, which means you’ll have to go through up to 500 more packs for a chance at another one. However, Respawn took a major step towards addressing that issue by introducing new Heirloom Shards on February 27, which will totally shake up the current system. “We’re changing up the Heirloom system to make it easier for you to acquire the heirloom you want. Instead of an entire Heirloom set dropping at once, you’ll now receive Heirloom shards. You can then use those shards to pick the exact Heirloom set you’d like. The shards will have the same drop rate as the previous system so that after 500 Apex Packs, you will have enough Heirloom Shards to obtain an Heirloom set from the Heirloom shop. And don’t worry, your existing progress towards the 500 Apex Packs will carry over with the switch. Remember that once a player owns all of the Heirloom sets, the player will not be eligible to receive more shards until more Heirloom Sets are added to the game.” How do these new Heirloom Shards work? As you open Apex Packs, you will, from time to time, receive these new Shards that will go into your inventory. Once you have enough Shards, you can trade them in for the Heirloom of your choice – assuming it’s one that you don’t already own. This change effectively eliminates the randomness factor and the chance of getting a set you don’t want. Read More: New Evo Shield coming to Apex Legends – That said, it does not make Heirlooms any less rare, since the number of packs you need to open to get enough Shards will stay at about 500. The only difference is that you’ll be able to choose one that you’re interested in, instead of having to settle for whatever the game decided to give you. When does this Heirloom Shard system start? This news came as part of a larger announcement for the upcoming System Override Collection Event, which kicks off on Tuesday, March 3. Respawn did not specify whether these Shards will be going live effective immediately or upon the start of that event, so at the latest, they’ll be in the game starting on that date. Read More: How to Wall Run in Apex Legends – New Octane Heirloom set announced This Shard system was not the only new Heirloom-related news announced on February 27; Respawn also officially unveiled Octane’s brand new set that’ll be launching on March 3. The premier item is an incredible-looking butterfly knife that players will be able to twirl around their fingers as they zip across the World’s Edge map. In order to unlock the Heirloom, you’ll either have to collect all 24 event-exclusive cosmetics or get it by trading in Shards, once you have enough.

Respawn reveal “Judgment Day” punishments for Apex Legends dashboarders Respawn Entertainment28 days after Respawn Entertainment promised they would be taking action against Apex Legends players who used the Alt+F4 dashboarding exploit to avoid ranked series losses, the long-awaited day of reckoning has arrived. Ranked playlists in any game are a measure of one’s skill in the title, and the competitive mode in Apex is no different. To climb, you must earn high placements, kills, and assists in matches, and progress from Bronze to Apex Predator. In Season 3, however, the top-tier playlist was overrun with a horde of players taking advantage of a new exploit—referred to as “dashboarding”—which would allow players who dropped out of the game to avoid losses. This easily-exploitable glitch meant any player who was in danger of having a poor game points-wise could disconnect and be given a 0 point game instead of -48RP for Diamonds, and -60RP for Predators. Of course, this exploit basically ran a sword through any integrity on the Apex ranked ladder, and many saw it as a major devaluation of the top ranks. If anyone could avoid point losses by dashboarding, skill was irrelevant in becoming Predator. Respawn knew they had to act to ensure seasonal ranked rewards didn’t become worthless, and on January 8 senior system designer Eric ‘Ghost’ Hewitt declared “Judgement Day was coming.” Now, in Season 4, it’s finally here. With the arrival of Season 4: Assimilation, all dashboarding culprits who regularly left games have been stripped of their Ranked Series 2 placements and rewards. If they finished Diamond or above, they were dumped back to Platinum. While their ranked points from the previous season have been stripped, and any chance at the stylized drop-trails from Season 3 had been wiped away, it does look like any repeat offenders have avoided being banned completely. This was confirmed by senior designer Chin Xiang Chong, who tweeted out an email sent out to all dashboarding exploiters, explaining what they had done to break the rules while playing the title, and why they had been stripped of their rewards. “For everybody who’s been pinging me about not getting the right ranked rewards etc, please check your email. Literally every single one who’s reached out to me should have gotten this,” Chong said, alongside an attachment image of the email. “I was actually pushing for a full ranked point reset to 0, but more forgiving people than me decided that wasn’t a good idea,” he added. “Ah well.” Hello everybody, welcome to my TED Talk on how to deal with grief after having some RP taken away from you. pic.twitter.com/lsNBiRGYqd — Chin Xiang Chong 张晋翔 (@tangentiallogic) February 5, 2020 The email details how “repeated and excessive intentional abuse” of the dashboarding bug was the key reason behind rewards being stripped. It also suggested offenders “read up on how to play by the rules.” According to data miner That1MiningGuy, who admitted he was “so happy Judgement Day had come quietly in the night,” Respawn had begun tracking dashboarding players “a while ago” so they could log exit codes. While not every player was right under the crosshairs of the banhammer, regular offenders were allegedly “D-Dayed back to Bronze 4 for abusing it” a lot across the battle royale’s third season ranked series. https://twitter.com/That1MiningGuy/status/1224806320525729798 So, while dashboarding offenders have avoided the Respawn banhammer this time around, it looks like the Apex Legends developers are more than happy to hand out heavy punishments for anyone bringing their ranked series into disrepute. It’s well worth keeping that in mind heading into Season 4 and the royale’s new competitive series. If you want to try and get a leg up on your Apex Predator competition, remember – Respawn is always watching.

Respawn reveal how Storm Point updates will differ from past Apex Legends map changes Respawn EntertainmentRespawn devs have shed some light on how the new Storm Point map will develop and evolve in Apex Legends, as fans look forward to its arrival in Season 11: Escape. There is plenty for Apex Legends fans to look forward to in Season 11, with the update promising the typical plethora of new content. At the top of the list though, are Ash and Storm Point. The former is Season 11’s new legend and looks to be a combination of Octane and Wraith. The latter is the game’s fourth battle royale map; a bright and tropical environment that promises to bring some sun-soaked slaughter to the Apex Games. Respawn have already spoken about the map, explaining their creative process and how often Apex fans can expect a wholly new BR environment. However, Level Designer Rodney Reece has now disclosed more details about how the map is set to evolve. Speaking to Dot Esports, Reece said that the changes the game’s maps have experienced to this point were not originally planned. “There was never an expectation that we would change the maps,” he said. The evolution they saw was a way to keep matches fresh and adjust POIs. He also hinted that changes to Storm Point will be far less destructive than past maps, stating that it will “grow more naturally and with some more forethought”. The changes, too, will be decided by how the map is taken to by Apex’s player-base. He explained that new choke points and chaotic POIs emerge when maps are released, often not mirrored by Respawn’s prior play-tests. Storm Point has been designed to try and minimize these unpredictable elements, and is roughly 15% bigger than World’s Edge, meaning it is comfortably Apex’s largest map. Considerable thought and planning has evidently gone into Storm Point, and players will be relishing the chance to drop in and explore.

Apex Legends: Respawn reveal full list of bugs and issues they are working on RespawnApex Legends Season 2. The highly-anticipated second round of seasonal content for the popular battle royale was released on July 2, with Respawn already hard at work with fixes and tweaks. The developers have already dropped a quick patch that addresses broken challenges and exit penalties, but they aren’t the only things that they are looking to rectify – as they’ve released a full breakdown of their upcoming work. According to their newly set-up Trello Board, Respawn is currently investigating 11 different big bugs and errors that have been reported via the game’s subreddit, Twitter, and Twitch streams. These range from stats not tracking to being able to start a game due to ‘party not ready’. Players have also reported additional errors like their UI disappearing, being given non-optimal data centers – which can cause unnecessary lag – as well as having the game crash when using a specific loading screen. Of course, with an additional level of transparency, players can follow the progress of these fixes and be aware of just how they’ll be available in-game – be it a full client update or a server patch. Respawn also state, in their board FAQs, that the list will be updated on a weekly basis – usually on a Monday afternoon – so if you report something game-breaking, don’t worry if you don’t see it being investigated immediately. However, not every error will be given a spot on the board. The developers state that the ‘bigger issues’ that are affecting players and bugs that they can share progress on will be listed. A major error, like the knock-down bug that has plagued the game for quite some time, will be given a focus point on the list – just so players know it is being altered. While you will be able to follow the progress of a specific fix, there isn’t going to be a countdown to when a patch is released so you’ll just have to keep your eye on the game itself or follow the developer check-in posts from the subreddit. Until then, it’s probably best to keep dropping into Kings Canyon and reporting anything that is out of place.

Respawn reveal upcoming fix for broken hit registration in Apex Legends Respawn Entertainment has revealed how they are finally going to fix the long-standing hit registration issues in Apex Legends with their next update. Apex Legends released back on February 4 to much fanfare as Fortnite Battle Royale and PUBG. Those loyal players that have remained are gearing up for the release of content in the form of season two – which is expected to drop sometime in June – yet, issues still remain in the current build of the game, including hit registration, audio, and general performance errors. Respawn have been hard at work to rectify the problems that are still rearing their heads. On May 17, they announced just what players can expect in the next update – including a resolution for the long-standing hit reg issues. Players will now see network problem indicator icons in the upper right of the screen “more frequently” than they currently do. The developers explained that these icons are now “pickier about your connection quality” While this may not be the almighty fix that some players may have been hoping for, Respawn added that the changes in network detection will be “useful” in helping them “narrowing down the cause of any bugs that we continue to see.” The developers are still urging players to share any videos and report the remaining errors that appear when it comes to hit registration in-game. The update is set to drop “early next week,” which could indicate either May 20 or May 21 but Respawn did not reveal a specific date as to when it will go live. Read More: Full list of Apex Legends world records – However, for one reason or another, things could change and the patch could be delayed. It remains to be seen as to when exactly the game will receive an update.

Respawn reveal details on Apex Legends Season 2 Battle Pass and new limited-time event Respawn EntertainmentRespawn Entertainment and EA have given Apex Legends players their first glimpse at the Season 2 Battle Pass and an upcoming limited-time event, and we’re here to make sure you’re caught up on everything there is to know. On May 30, after a long wait, Respawn finally fed its craving fans with an announcement about new content coming soon to Apex Legends. The announcement post includes details about the upcoming Season 2 Battle Pass, as well as a new limited-time event called ‘The Hunt.” First details on Season 2 Battle Pass After what many consider to be a lackluster Season 1 Battle Pass, it appears that Respawn have taken careful note of community feedback and made some major improvements for Season 2. The next Battle Pass will include daily and weekly challenges, a reduced time to reach level 100, three additional Legendary skins, and three new content categories that will replace badge and stat tracker rewards. In addition, players will now receive enough Crafting Metal from the entirety of the pass to craft any Legendary Item they choose. ‘The Legendary Hunt’ limited-time event In addition to the Season 2 Battle Pass, Respawn also discussed a ‘The Legendary Hunt’ – the first ever limited-time event in Apex Legends. The mode, which will last for two weeks, will include an Apex Elite Queue, Legendary Hunt Challenges, Double XP, Battle Pass Bonus XP, and more content. The Legendary Hunt is expected to go live sometime “next week,” likely to be on Tuesday, June 4, which is when more details about the mode are set to be announced. Hey Legends, As we approach June, we want to give you a heads-up on a fun in-game event coming next week, as well as just some of the first details on Season 2 Battle Pass. The Hunt Begins . . . Starting next Tuesday, we’ll be kicking off a new event called The Legendary Hunt. This limited-time event will last two weeks, and with it brings all this to Kings Canyon: Apex Elite Queue Test yourself against the best with the Apex Elite queue. Make it to the Top 5 in any match to earn your way into a select queue full of other Top 5 winners. – Here’s the catch: in order to continue playing in the queue you will have to keep placing in the Top 5. – – Legendary Hunt Challenge Rewards Complete a set of limited-time challenges and earn new Rare, Epic, and Legendary skins. – – Double XP Weekend From Friday, June 7 at 10 a.m. PST through Monday, June 10 at 10 a.m. PST, earn double XP on base progression and Battle Pass progression. – – Battle Pass Bonus XP Finish Top 5 in any match and earn an entire Battle Pass level (once per day). – – Legendary Hunt Store Skins Every three to four days during the event, we’ll have new Legendary Hunt themed skins rotating through the in-game store for direct purchase. – – Two Additional Legendary Skins for all Battle Pass Owners Players who have the Wild Frontier Battle Pass will automatically get the Legendary Honored Prey R-301 skin. – Players who reach Battle Pass level 15 before the end of the event will get the Wraith Night Terror Legendary skin. – – We’ll have more details to share with you next week Tuesday, but for now, get ready for the hunt! First Details on Season 2 Battle Pass At 10:00 a.m. PST on Saturday, June 8, we’ll be sharing some of the first details on Apex Legends Season 2 as part of our EA PLAY livestream. Today, we want to tell you about just a few of the high-level improvements you can expect from our second Battle Pass. So, without further ado, we’ll let our Lead Product Manager, Lee Horn, tell you more. Take it away, Lee! Leeeeeee-RSPN here, with an update on Battle Pass Season 2. We’ve been listening to the community discussion regarding the Season 1 Battle Pass and have gotten a ton of great feedback from players. Today, we’re excited to share just some of the changes and improvements you can expect with the Season 2 Battle Pass, so y’all can know that we’re headed in the right direction. TL;DR on Just Some of the Coming Improvements Level up via Daily and Weekly Challenges. – Time to Battle Pass level 100 should be significantly reduced. – Three additional Legendary skins added to the rewards track. – Three entirely new content categories replace badge and stat tracker rewards. – You’ll earn enough Crafting Metal rewards from the full reward track to craft a Legendary item, or whatever your heart desires. – Daily/Weekly Challenges and Improving the Grind Starting in Season 2, you’ll be able to complete a mix of Daily and Weekly Challenges to level up your Battle Pass. If you miss a few weeks or start late, your Weekly Challenges will still be around for you when you return, and you can complete them all at once. While we don’t want to introduce wacky challenges that drastically warp the way you play the game, these challenges should provide some interesting variation from game-to-game. This means all players should feel more rapid Battle Pass progression and the journey will hopefully be more fun and interesting. Also, this addition should allow players who can only dedicate a few hours a week to the game to make a very deep cut into their Battle Pass progression. Moar Legendaries! We’re adding three Legendary items to the Battle Pass and there will now be a Legendary item every 25 Battle Pass levels in the premium track, including at purchase (that’s level 1, level 25, level 50, level 75, and level 100). Our goal is to have a nice balance of cool character exclusives and cosmetics for everyone (like weapon skins). The level 100 reward will be an evolving weapon skin with a special recolor version for those players who make it to level 110. New Cosmetic Types and No Badge or Stat Tracker Rewards on Premium Path We removed badges and basic stat trackers completely from the premium Battle Pass rewards track for Season 2. You’ll still get a seasonal badge, but it’ll be a single, evolving badge that won’t take up any additional reward slots! We’ve kept seasonal win trackers in the free path, and they will all be earnable in the first 10 levels. You’ll also be able to earn items from three new content categories in place of badges/trackers. We’ll be revealing details about these categories closer to the launch of Season 2. Earn Enough Crafting Metals for a Legendary Item We’re replacing the Voice Lines with Crafting Metal rewards. You’ll now be able to earn enough Crafting Metals (1,200) to craft the Legendary item of your choosing. So, if there’s an existing item you’ve been coveting, you’ll be able to get it in Season 2. You can still get additional Crafting Metals from the various Apex Pack rewards in the Battle Pass as well. We have a lot more to tell you about what you can expect in Season 2, so make sure you tune into our livestream on Saturday, June 8 to hear what else we have in store.

Respawn reveal Apex Legends SBMM changes as they seek “more balanced” matches RespawnRespawn Entertainment have revealed initial changes and results from tweaks to Apex Legends’ SBMM, as debate around the BR’s skill-based matchmaking continues ahead of Season 16. While always a major topic among the player base, Apex Legends’ SBMM became even more talked about in Season 15. Large numbers of players reported imbalances in their lobbies, with low-ranked competitors dropped in against incredibly skilled ones. The issues elicited responses from Respawn, including detailed explanations of Apex Legends’ SBMM and a promise that improvements would be made in the new year. Now, we’ve had a first update on those promised adjustments. Respawn provide update on Apex Legends SBMM In a January 3 tweet, the devs outlined the changes felt so far as a result of tweaks to SBMM. Their findings were based on the percentage of players in the “test” lobbies who racked up at least one kill. There is an obvious and significant jump compared to the previous matchmaking, suggesting more balanced lobbies where players are closely matched. Respawn said: “Over the holidays, we conducted some Apex matchmaking tests in one region to create more balanced matches. We are seeing promising results as players are able to make more kills (pink line in the graph).” They also pledged further improvements and a blog to offer a more in-depth explanation of the changes made and those yet to come. Naturally, it was welcomed by the community, many of whom have been vocal in their issues with unbalanced matches across Season 15. No timescale was provided as to the full implementation of the changes but, with Season 16 set to begin in February, that could be a target for the game’s developers.

Respawn reveal Apex Legends bug fixes coming in future update Respawn/EAApex Legends developers Respawn Entertainment have revealed the bugs and other issues that they’re working on with a view to getting quite of them fixed in the near future. As the Apex Legends seasons progress and Respawn roll out new updates, wires can get crossed and things don’t go as planned. This usually comes in the form of a legend or weapon being ridiculously overpowered or a frustrating bug ruining things for all players – no matter what legend they play as. Whenever problems stack up, the developers do usually move pretty quickly to address them, be it with a hotfix or a small update. Now, as plenty of problems have cropped up following the Lost Treasures Collection Event update, Respawn have revealed the current set of issues that they are trying to fix in future patches. According to their public Trello board, where the bugs that the developers are investigating are tracked, Respawn have added seven new problems to the four that they’d already looked into. These new problems include Wraith being able to shoot while knocked, Octane being unable to use his Stim ability while aiming down sight as well as the Stim prompting him to run faster than normal while healing. Another, that has come with the start of Lost Treasures, is that Mobile Respawn Beacons are appearing outside of the new limited-time mode. According to Respawn’s notes, that isn’t supposed to be the case just yet. Fixes in future Apex Legends update Extended timers for challenges and treasure packs – Octant can’t stim while in ADS – Wraith being able to shoot while downed – Octane stim makes you move fast while healing – Mobile respawn beacon showing in other modes – Wraith’s “Marble Goddess” skin doesn’t take headshot damage – Caustic’s gas prevents reviving – If Revenant death protection wears off during revive, revive is canceled – The devs are also addressing numerous problems centered around reviving. Most notably, Caustic is unable to self-revive while lying in Nox gas. They have, however, got a fix coming in season six for a problem where Revenant can sometimes see revives canceled if he is under death protection and it runs out at the wrong time. All the issues marked with a green label means Respawn have a fix ready, which is coming in a future update – but this doesn’t necessarily mean the next update. Some of the bugs can possibly be addressed via hotfixes and server-side patches, but some will take full-blown updates on the client (player) side to be rooted out.

Respawn responds to ‘Return to battle’ bug ruining Apex Legends games Respawn EntertainmentRespawn Entertainment confirmed an upcoming fix for a bug with the new out of bounds rules that are starting to cause Apex Legends players some headaches. A Season 13 change to Apex disabled the use of Legend abilities, throwing grenades, using certain items, and more. This was an overall quality of life update to stop people from abusing the out-of-bounds areas on the map. After the patch landed, however, people found that there were a few unintended results that were hindering the gameplay. Moreover, players are finding that the out-of-bounds or ‘return to battle’ warnings can trigger in the worst possible times – even when they’re inside the battle royale’s bounds. Whether in a battle or simply trying to escape the zone, Apex players have run into a couple of snags with the new system that is primed for a few repairs. Apex Legends out of bounds glitch Respawn Game Designer ‘Jello’ responded to a player who ran into an apparent game boundary that wasn’t supposed to be there, disabling their ability to fight. As Horizon, the player intended to use her Gravity Lift to rain down some grenades from above. But at the apex of their lift, the game registered them as being outside of the battlefield. “I feel like this is a bug on Olympus that should be fixed, right?” the player asked. “It says ‘Return to battle’ when it shouldn’t, which makes me unable to throw grenades for example.” Luckily, this shouldn’t be a problem for much longer seeing as Respawn is targeting a fix for an upcoming patch, according to Jello. He said “there is a fix for this coming with the mid-season patch” that should get rid of the problem. Hopefully, this means that the Apex Legends devs will address other out-of-bounds glitches found since the latest patch, but we’ll have to wait and see for the mid-season update to know for sure.

Respawn responds to Apex Legends solo-queue complaints: “We’re working on it” Respawn EntertainmentAn Apex Legends dev has confirmed that Respawn is “actively” looking for ways to improve the solo gameplay experience. With players only able to queue for Duos and Trios in the Outlands, Apex Legends is a team-based game at its heart and requires a squad to work in conjunction if they want to secure a victory. Although this is perfect for groups of players queueing up together and communicating on voice, the solo experience has been heavily criticized since the title’s release back in 2019. While a portion of the community believes Respawn should introduce a solo-queue mode, the devs have made it very clear this isn’t an option as it would render a lot of the characters with team-based abilities useless. Despite this, in a recent interview with The Loadout, a dev has acknowledged that solo players do face a lot of problems and confirmed the team is working on improving the overall experience. Apex devs are working on improving the solo experience Speaking to The Loadout, Apex Legends Design Director Evan Nikolich addressed an idea from former pro Eric ‘Snip3down’ Wrona who suggested that solo players in Ranked should get discounted RP entry costs as three stacks have a huge advantage over them. Nikolich acknowledged that it was an “interesting pitch”, but disagreed that it would be an appropriate solution as it could get confusing for players and the devs aren’t keen on adjusting RP costs on a team-by-team basis. Instead, Nikolich admitted that “there is room to improve the solo experience”, and that the team is “working” on possible solutions. “I definitely think there is room to improve the solo experience. We have heard player concerns here and we are actively looking for ways we can make things better for solo queue players. We can’t share any additional details at this time, but rest assured knowing we’re working on it.” Although this isn’t the conclusive answer a lot of players are looking to hear, it’s reassuring that they’re aware of the problems facing solo competitors. However, for the time being, Nikolich made it clear that they “can’t share any additional details at this time”, so we’ll just have to wait for an official announcement.

Respawn responds to Apex Legends bug that makes grenades easy to block Respawn EntertainmentThe Apex Legends community have been reeling from a bug that makes everything from Arc Stars to Frag Grenades useless with the help of a hand trick, and the team at Respawn have weighed in. [jwplayer VEi3mnK7] Throwables in Apex have myriad uses in all stages of a match. That’s why many were surprised to see a few clips going viral showing people blocking damage from incoming grenades. It’s a tricky tactic to pull off but if you’re fast enough, you can negate the blast from the items by simply throwing down an item from the inventory directly in front of or on it. Apex players have been able to craft and experiment with different playstyles based on the small leniencies that the game provides, but this one is not something the developers had in mind. Clips from pro player Christian ‘Nokokopuffs’ Feliciano and more show how easy it is to block grenades, and the community has for the most part enjoyed seeing the strange interaction unfold. But getting into the nitty-gritty of what’s actually being seen, Design Director at Respawn Entertainment Jason ‘Monsterclip’ McCord explained what was happening in the video and said it obviously isn’t an intended feature. “Grenades can be blocked by small bits of geo, but yeah, this isn’t intended,” he said. “Just a side effect that hasn’t been caught yet, looks like.” The Respawn boss made it clear that while the bug is repeatable, it’s not something that the wider community can expect to be a long-standing feature in the battle royale. Grenades can be blocked by small bits of geo, but yeah, this isn’t intended. Just a side effect that hasn’t been caught yet, looks like. — Jason McCord (@Monsterclip_JM) January 22, 2021 Like previously mentioned, the use of Thermites, Frags, and Arc Stars are too robust in the Apex Games to have a game mechanic easily cancel out their effectiveness. As such, Apex players can expect a patch for this to come through either by the February 2 patch that’ll introduce Fuse or sometime after. If things really start to go off the rails with people blocking grenades, then Respawn could always issue a small hotfix to directly address the glitch before then, however there has not been an indication of it being that pressing just yet.

Respawn responds to Apex Legends bug causing all skins & unlocks to disappear Respawn EntertainmentReports have been filing in of a bug in Apex Legends that’s been clearing some people’s accounts from all cosmetics and unlocks they’ve earned. Respawn is investigating the claims. With Season 8: Mayhem in full-swing, players are dropping into the Apex Games to unlock the troves of new skins and content that came with the updated Battle Pass. In the midst of the season, Respawn are seeing that some ‘rare’ cases leave people without unlocks in their inventory. Director of Community and Communications at Respawn, Ryan K. Rigney, said that there were some people who have been reporting losses in their inventory. While this is a troublesome event, Rigney explained that people shouldn’t be concerned, however, since how few players the bug is actually affecting. https://twitter.com/RKRigney/status/1362443800862486532 “Seeing scattered reports about a rare issue causing players to lose all their cosmetics/unlocks in Apex,” Rigney said of the glitch. “Team is looking into it, will report back when we know more.” As for people hesitant to log in, the comms director made it a point to say that a minimal amount of players are actually experiencing the issue as the studio turns its attention on how to solve the problem. “Only seeing a few players affected out of millions. Either way, we’ll figure it out,” Rigney said. This isn’t a widespread issue, but Respawn hopes to find a meaningful solution soon. This comes on the heels of another that had to do with Anniversary Collection Event heirloom pack “unintentionally resetting the ‘counter’ that guarantees you get heirloom shards every 500 packs.” Heads up: The @PlayApex Anniversary Collection Event heirloom pack had a bug. It unintentionally reset the “”counter”” that guarantees you get heirloom shards every 500 packs. Only people who opened the heirloom pack before 3pm PT on 2/10 were affected, as the bug was fixed. — Respawn (@Respawn) February 16, 2021 In 24 hours, the company was able to confirm a fix and restoration of items for the items that were affected, with Respawn taking about another day to clean up the “last few edge cases caused by a related bug.” Players that are now dealing with their inventories being cleaned out of cosmetics and unlocks will hope that the devs can similarly clear this issue up as quickly as it did the last time. Stay tuned to Dexerto and the @TitanFallBlog page to get the latest updates as Respawn investigates the current claims.

Respawn pushes back against Apex Legends player pleas to nerf Kraber in Season 11 Respawn EntertainmentApex Legends players have nudged Respawn for Kraber nerfs leading into Season 11, but the developers aren’t budging on the powerful care package weapon. However, there are some changes coming to care packages in the November 2 update that’ll affect it. The crash of a Kraber ringing out across the Outlands is a scary sound in any Apex Legends game. Being the only gun in the Outlands that can one-shot any enemy, it holds a power many others don’t. It’s gated behind care packages, but in the late game, one Kraber headshot can turn the tides of a fight. Players have long called for Kraber nerfs, and Apex Legends pros have been the loudest voice in this. Reducing its ammo, hipfire, adding some sort of counterplay to stop the one-shot headshot, or straight up removing it from competitive; all of these suggestions have been floated. However, ahead of Apex Legends Season 11, Respawn aren’t doing anything to nerf the Kraber, balance designer John ‘JayBiebs’ Larson confirmed. “I ultimately came to the conclusion that as long as it has a one shot crit, we can change hipfire, ammo, body shot damage, etc. and pros will still have an issue with it,” Larson said on October 27. “That’s not a bad thing. “There’s a give and take when it comes to RNG in a ‘competitive battle royale.’ Some might say that’s a bit of an oxymoron, but RNG in some capacity is an integral part of any BR. That balance is part of the secret sauce that makes Apex what it is.” Respawn did discuss some potential changes internally, such as adding an indicator so players can tell when a Kraber is aiming at them while in their field of view. Those changes didn’t make sense though, JayBiebs said, because “in most cases where the Kraber feels bad, glint [a visual indicator] wouldn’t help.” Larson did confirm one change was coming to the Kraber in Apex Legends Season 11. Care package weapon spawn rates are being buffed, but he told players to not be alarmed. “Don’t worry, we’re adjusting Kraber to stay in line with what it currently is,” he added. Respawn aren’t ruling out future Kraber nerfs either. Larson said: “We never want to get to a point where we’re balancing for two games [pros and casuals]. The Kraber does seem like an exception here though. “It is the only item that can one shot crit in a game where you only have one life. While I could go either way, I would draw a line there.”

Respawn responds as Apex Legends players criticize new “greedy” bundle rule Respawn EntertainmentSome Apex Legends players have been locked out of buying new bundles in the in-game shop due to a new rule due to already owning a “core item” in it. Now, Respawn has responded to criticism — and already made one change — after players called the practice “greedy”. Across all the latest Apex Legends events, including the current Bloodhound “Old Ways, New Dawn” story, players get access to special bundles in the in-game shop. Not only do they feature previously-released Legend and weapon skins, but sometimes there’s charms and packs thrown on top, making for a great deal. However, as part of the new shop rotation, players were blocked from buying some bundles for purely owning the Legend. On September 29, the White Lightning bundle in the Apex Legends shop was locked for most players purely for the fact they owned Octane. A notice when trying to buy the item said “core item already owned”. Respawn acknowledged it was a mistake, and quickly fixed the bundle to allow players to buy it even if they owned Octane. However, technical game designer ‘RobotHavGunz’ told players that future bundles might not be available to players if they own certain parts of it. “There will still be some of these types of bundles where a ‘core’ item may be something you already own and which will disqualify you from a bundle you’d like,” they said on Reddit. This is the case with Loba’s current Torrent bundle. The 2,000 Apex Coins bundle features the Torrent Loba skin and the Bronze Age R-301 skin from the Fight Night event. If players own either one, they cannot take advantage of the current bundle in the shop which also has two packs and a bonus charm. “In the case of the Octane bundle, we did not mean for owning Octane (the character) to prevent purchasing the bundle. In the case of the Loba bundle, the exclusivity was intentional,” RobotHavGunz said. Apex Legends players have called the policy ‘greedy’, stating Respawn should just offer a discount for the bundle rather than gate players from purchasing it. RobotHavGunz stressed they are “only one of several people who can — from a technical capability standpoint — make certain changes,” but will pass on player feedback to developers responsible for the locked bundles.

Respawn responds to calls to make Control permanent in Apex Legends Respawn EntertainmentApex Legends’ Control game mode is a beloved LTM, and after its appearance during Season 13 many called for it to be made permanent. Respawn isn’t budging though, and has no plans to make it such. When Control launched in Apex Legends back at the start of 2022 as part of Season 12: Defiance, the 9v9 game mode quickly became a fan favorite. While Arenas offered a different experience from the traditional battle royale, the 18-man capture-the-point style mode took everyone by surprise with a much more interactive experience with constant respawns. However, despite its popularity, Respawn have only ever brought it back for a couple of weeks at a time during events as a limited-time mode (LTM). Apex Legends players have long called for Control to be made permanent in the game as an alternative to the regular battle royale, which can be too much, or Arenas, which can have a lot of downtime. Those calls aren’t going to be heeded any time soon by Respawn though. They said as much during the Season 14 launch press event late in July. The developers have no intentions of making Control a permanent fixture in Apex Legends, instead keeping it as a rotating game mode to pull players in based on its rarity. If it was made active around the clock, Control might die out – just like Arenas has slowly done within Apex Legends. The fact it rotates in and out means once it’s added back, players flock to the queue in droves with games constantly popping. Don’t take that as a definite answer though. If Control is proven to be popular time and time again during events, Respawn might revisit the topic and make it a permanent game mode. Just right now, there are no plans to do so. The Control news comes in the wake of Apex Legends Season 14, which is due to release on August 9, 2022. With the update comes new Legend Vantage and plenty of weapon changes. Catch up on everything you need to know about the new release right here.

Respawn respond to silent weapons bug in Apex Legends Season 6 Respawn EntertainmentThe developers at Respawn Entertainment are working on a fix for the strange bug in Apex Legends Season 6, which is making energy weapons like the Devotion and Volt totally silent in some instances. This is particularly problematic given how popular these energy weapons are in the new season. The Devotion has been taken out of supply drops and put back to ground loot, while the Volt essentially takes the place of the R-99 (which is now supply drop only). When an enemy approaches you and starts firing the weapons though, they sometimes turn totally silent, making it difficult to pinpoint where the fire is coming from, and impossible to counter. Although audio issues are far from new in Apex (silent footsteps are still a recurring issue), silent weapons are obviously a major issue. Thankfully, Respawn are on the case. Speaking on Twitter, developer Josh Medina responded to Apex player SoaR Kobi to confirm the right people were on the silent weapons bug. “We [have] some folks working on audio fixes for the devo and volt being silent,” he confirmed. We some folks working on audio fixes for the devo and volt being silent.. but I wouldn’t tbag you maybe just crouch once or twice on your downed character lol — josh medina (@lowkeydbjosh) August 24, 2020 The good news is we know it will be fixed, the bad news is that we don’t know when. Respawn were very quick to roll out an update only a few days after Season 6 started to fix some balance issues, with the Devotion especially. But, whether they’ll be as quick with this fix remains to be seen. Typically, the developers will wait until they can package an update with a handful of fixes, rather than one, unless the problem can be solved with a hotfix. Regardless, it’s good to have confirmation that they’re aware of the issue and actively working to resolve it, so hopefully, you won’t be snuck up on by a silent Volt much longer.

Respawn respond to RTX 3080 crashing Apex Legends after PC players report errors Respawn Entertainment / NvidiaRespawn Entertainment have been getting reports of Apex Legends stalling or crashing from users who fitted their PCs with Nvidia’s new RTX 3080 graphics cards, and the devs are looking for a fix. Tracking down one of the new chips has been a laborious task for anyone who’s been wanting to give their computers a major upgrade. Unfortunately for some people who bought into the $700+ card have been encountering errors with Respawn’s battle royale. “Is anyone getting constant crashing/freezing with a 3080?” has been a reoccurring question on Reddit and social media as users have encountered problems when playing with other people, “My Apex was fine before this GPU, and now I can’t play for more than 1-2 minutes without a crash.” Luckily, that player and others said they were able to fix their issue by doing a “complete wipe of (their) desktop” which eventually got Apex Legends playing just fine. That might not be a solution many are keen to employ, however. People started to file requests for a fix to the issue, as more 3080s were either crashing or messing up as soon as Apex launched. “Wait, Is Apex crashing on RTX 3080 a thing?” another user asked. “I just upgraded my graphics card yesterday and I’ve noticed several times now my game will freeze, and then crash with no error message.” Though there isn’t word on a fix from the studio as of writing, Respawn have acknowledged the problem and are looking for more information from people who have encountered the crashes with a 3080 chip. “I’ve seen a few people have the same issue and I’ve reported it to the team,” a Respawn rep named ‘Pav’ replied “If you could also provide the launcher you’re using and the error code that you’re seeing that’d really help us out. Thanks.” While not every situation will be the same, anyone who encounters the problem is encouraged to send a report to Respawn; the more information they have, the more they have to work with to find a fix. As more people buy into the new generation of Nvidia graphics cards, the development team will be sure to work on a solution before it affects more Apex players.

Respawn respond to requests to remove weapons from Apex Legends Respawn EntertainmentRespawn have responded to player requests to remove weapons to improve Season 11’s loot distribution, commenting that they “have stuff in mind” to deal with Apex Legends’ weapon pool. Apex Legends Season 11 – as has become customary for Respawn Entertainment’s battle royale – saw plenty of new content added, shaking up the game’s formula and meta for another couple of months. Among the most prominent were the additions of new legend Ash and the new C.A.R. SMG. The Combat Advanced Round submachine gun has long been a favorite among Titan Pilots but, following on from Season 10’s Rampage LMG and Season 9’s Bocek Bow, some players have shared concerns that the weapon pool is becoming oversaturated. Sharing their worries on Twitter, one player said: “Remove weapons for God’s sake [Respawn]. Nobody cares about the P2020, Bocek, or 30-30 Repeater, and [would] actually help with the loot pool distribution.” It’s true that the P2020, 30-30 Repeater, and Bocek are among the less desirable of Apex Legends’ guns, but any game needs a weapon pool that has different increments. Respawn dev John Larson replied: “You take that back. I care about the Bocek. We got stuff in mind. We know we can’t keep releasing weapons without considering the health of the loot pool.” You take that back. I care about the Bocek. We got stuff in mind. We know we can’t keep releasing weapons without considering the health of the loot pool — John Larson | JayBiebs (@RSPN_JayBiebs) November 13, 2021 It’s a difficult predicament for Respawn to navigate. Other battle royales like Fortnite have settled into a routine of vaulting and unvaulting weapons to consistently shake up seasonal metas. Apex have not yet adopted such a system for removing weapons entirely, but Larson’s comments suggest that weapon removals are a possibility in the game’s future. They have previously stated that they will only release new weapons if they believe the game’s landscape will allow it; rather than simply for the sake of new content. For now, check out which weapons you should be picking up in Season 11 to maximize your chances of securing victories.

Respawn respond to Rampart bug crashing Apex Legends games Respawn EntertainmentApex Legends developers Respawn Entertainment have confirmed that they are looking into issues with Crypto’s drone and Rampart’s wall and minigun that have appeared after the launch of Season 6. After weeks of anticipation and following clues and hints dropped in the game by Respawn, fans of the popular battle royale title finally got their hands on Season 6. It introduced Rampart, the Boosted Battle Pass, and the all-new Crafting system. Of course, with new characters, weapons, and lots of map changes, it comes as no surprise that players have discovered some issues that are affecting the game, despite Respawn’s best efforts to test and resolve any glitches before they hit the live servers. Thankfully though, the developers are hot on the case of two of the more frustrating bugs in Season 6, confirming on social media on Tuesday, August 18 that they were already investigating issues involving Crypto and Rampart. In a tweet sent out by the official Apex Legends Twitter account, Respawn discussed the two glitches, before providing a positive update for those anxious to see them resolved in-game. “Heads up Legends,” they wrote. “We’re currently looking into Crypto’s drone not properly detecting players when on Rampart’s minigun. Additionally, we are also aware that in some regions, when you shoot the top part of Rampart’s wall, it causes an error. More updates to come as we have them!” In-game, the issue with Crypto’s drone means that while it is able to pick up and highlight Rampart’s Amped Cover, it doesn’t mark any Legend who is sitting on the weapon using it, meaning it can cause issues with alerting teammates of the threat. For others, shooting the wall ends up disconnecting players from the server on occasion, leaving them with a frustrating error code. Heads up Legends! We’re currently looking into Crypto’s drone not properly detecting players when on Rampart’s minigun. Additionally, we are also aware that in some regions, when you shoot the top part of Rampart’s wall, it causes an error. More updates to come as we have them! — Apex Legends (@PlayApex) August 18, 2020 The second issue, with Rampart’s Amped Cover, was actually totally disconnecting players from the game when two of the walls are placed and shot through. This is clearly a game-breaking bug in some cases, and so a quick fix is needed. While these issues are frustrating, the fact that Respawn are aware of them is good news and means a fix is likely on the horizon. When this will be released onto the live servers remains to be seen, but with investigations ongoing, hopefully, it won’t be long before these glitches are a thing of the past.

Apex Legends: Respawn confirm highly requested looting change coming Respawn EntertainmentRespawn Entertainment, the developers behind Titanfall-esque battle royale Apex Legends, have responded to the community’s demand for a significant change to looting. Apex Legends entered its third season in October, seeing a host of content creators and players jump back in to try out the new features, including brand new legend Crypto, a technological hacker. However, the game has seldom been without bugs or issues, and, equally, the community has seldom shown restraint in declaring their frustrations. One issue the community has noted is the automatic closing of the deathbox inventory screen when taking damage. When a player is looting through the inventory of an eliminated enemy and they take damage, the menu automatically closes so that they can take action as quickly as possible. Read More: Kings Canyon night map officially revealed – In theory this mechanic makes perfect sense. However many players instinctively press a button to exit out of the inventory when taking damage themselves, causing the inventory menu to reappear and inhibiting fire back. The ability to disable this feature has been heavily demanded across both Reddit and Twitter, as players strive to make the game as user-friendly as possible. On October 11, Respawn confirmed that a fix for this issue is “coming in future patch”, via their Trello page. The issue is entitled ‘Keep deathbox UI open on damage’, and confirms that the choice will be given to players as to whether or not they want to retain the feature. Although it states that the option will be coming in a future patch, it doesn’t specify which patch exactly, so it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be part of the next update. Other changes being monitored by Respawn are related to graphical and frame rate issues, as well as challenges not tracking entirely correctly in certain situations. Read More: Apex Legends Firing Range area coming soon – Despite the ongoing issues with Apex Legends, community feedback to the game’s third season has been overwhelmingly positive, as players dive into the wealth of new content provided.

Respawn respond to complaints about hipfire in Apex Legends Respawn EntertainmentA Respawn Entertainment developer has explained why they are so careful when balancing hipfire in Apex Legends, following complaints about a lack of accuracy. One of the strongest aspects of Apex Legends is its weapon pool, incorporating a host of guns and equipment to make the Titanfall-esque battle royale as varied as it can be. However, many fans have commented on the relative strength of hipfire, arguing that is too weak on a number of weapons. One of these weapons is the HAVOC assault rifle, which featured in recent trailers for the upcoming Season 6. The energy ammo assault rifle has varied in its viability, but has settled in mid tier over the course of Season 5. One weakness of the HAVOC is its hipfire, which many players have suggested is below par and almost futile. This was pointed out by Redditor ‘ChubbySupreme‘, who lamented the hip fire and pointed out a recent clip that still shows the majority of shots missing. However, one Respawn dev responded, explaining the developer’s approach to balancing hipfire, and why strengthening it is something they have to tread very carefully around. “There are good combat reasons why guns aren’t that accurate in hipfire,” one Respawn designer replied. “Hipfire accuracy is fundamentally about a stronger tradeoff between movement and accuracy.” “In Titanfall it’s about constant movement, so hipfire is accurate because you don’t want a big penalty to movement,” they said. “In Apex we want the tradeoff between movement and accuracy. In general, the further the range you can effectively fight, the higher the mobility penalty.” Essentially, Respawn want to ensure that mobility remains key in a gunfight, and players aren’t able to laser enemies while being incredibly difficult targets to hit. They finished: “If we made ARs too accurate with hipfire, they would have too many strengths because they would be strong in mid range while also being too strong in close range — it’s important that weapon classes have weaknesses. We choose the hipfire accuracy as a meaningful axis for guns to differ on — I believe for good reason and in a way that is healthy for the game — and that means some guns have to have bad hipfire.” It goes to show the consideration Respawn give to common in-game mechanics, and how they are striving to keep the game’s weapon pool as balanced as possible. Any changes to hipfire will not be rushed, and Respawn clearly have their reasons.

Respawn respond to broken challenges in Apex Legends Grand Soirée event EARespawn Entertainment has acknowledged the challenge bug which is plaguing players’ Grand Soirée event and leaving them without rewards on PS4. As Apex Legends’ monumental third season draws to its close, Respawn have provided players with one last event to send off Season 3 in style. The Grand Soirée event kicked off on January 14 with ‘Gold Rush Duos,’ which was a big hit with the battle royale’s loyal community. Grand Soirée event challenges are broken A crucial way to rank-up in Apex Legends, challenges provide a means to an end in the sense that they provide players with rewards, while simultaneously making the game more engaging. However, the Apex Legends subreddit has been inundated with accounts of players being unable to view their challenges on the main menu for PlayStation 4. To make matters worse, even if players use the in-game menu to discover their challenge set, they’re unable to claim the reward for completing the associated challenge. Respawn are listening A post highlighting the issue from Reddit user ‘caprimais_’ gained some traction on the subreddit, and gathered the attention of a member of the Respawn team. “We have spent a good part of the day trying to learn what went wrong to those lucky people who are affected by this,” the developer opened. “We will put out a fix as soon as we are able to. Definitely not just sitting back on this.” While the developer acknowledged that the current workaround is to see the event challenges “by looking at them in game next to the minimap,” they also apologized for the inconvenience. Per the Apex Legends Tracker, Respawn are currently working on a hotfix for another challenge related issue which prevents players from making progress on Supply Drop weapon challenges. Of course, players being unable to locate their challenges that are both event-specific and time-restricted hinders the event significantly. Players will be hoping that Respawn roll-out a patch that fixes all challenge bugs in the near future.

Respawn respond to broken Apex Legends daily challenges Respawn EntertainmentA frustrating issue with ‘daily’ challenges in Apex Legends is leaving players without any challenges to complete at all, but Respawn have confirmed they are aware of the problem and are working on a fix. Daily and weekly challenges are a big help to any Apex player trying to grind through the levels and the battle pass, giving bonus XP on top of the regular share for kills and placements. As the name implies, these daily challenges reset every 24 hours – or at least, they should. For some reason, after the Lost Treasures Collection event update started, the daily challenges appear to be reset every five days instead. This has caused confusion, as well as some frustration, for those players who really want the extra XP. Respawn are on the case though. Because they’re meant to be daily, the tasks themselves are usually pretty straight forward, completable in a few games max typically. Responding to a player who was worried they would miss out on some of the season’s rewards, a Respawn dev has asked that players are patient, but assured them that a fix is on the way. “We are aware of this issue and are working to fix it as we speak. That doesn’t necessarily mean you can expect the fix right this instant, but Soon(tm).” Even though there is no timing on the fix, hopefully it won’t take too long, as any delay could mean missing out on precious rewards, thanks to the lack of XP. It’s not quite as bad as the previous bug with challenges though. Back in February, players who completed daily challenges close to the time that they were reset would get hit by an error screen – stopping them from playing completely. Clearly this new issue isn’t quite as severe, but it’s still a pain having to wait almost a week for supposedly ‘daily’ challenges.

Respawn respond to Apex Legends SBMM controversy and update matchmaking Respawn EntertainmentRespawn Entertainment have opened up about the highly controversial skill-based matchmaking in Apex Legends, adding a note to the patch notes for the Season 4 update. The fourth season launched on the one-year anniversary of Apex Legends, February 4, and the player base was generally excited for all the new content, and the new playable legend, Revenant. However, there has been a constant line of criticism about Apex over Season 2 and 3 especially, around the use of skill-based matchmaking, or SBMM. This is a matchmaking system that pits players of similar skill levels together, keeping more experienced players away from the newer ones. But, many argue it’s worse for the overall experience, worsening connection, and making matches harder for better players. Read More: Apex Legends Season 4 map changes – Respawn have only addressed it fleetingly in the past. One developer claimed that it benefits “80-90%” of the community with “retention”, but this did little to calm the backlash. In their Season 4 update, Respawn confirm that SBMM has been in the game “since launch”, and that they are continuing to improve it. Matchmaking changes made for Season 4 Although they confirm that changes have been made globally to matchmaking, Respawn remain (unsurprisingly) tight-lipped about the details. Matchmaking models are always in flux, and it’s crucial that players don’t know the exact details and algorithms. If this information was public, it would be possible to purposefully manipulate one’s own matchmaking rank. Some Apex Legends players have claimed that ‘reverse boosting’ is possible already. This is simply the act of deliberately playing badly to ensure a lower skill rating. As Season 4 progresses, we will simply have to see how matchmaking improves. If it does, hopefully frustrations around SBMM will be eased.

Respawn respond to Apex Legends pros demanding a Gold Shield rework Respawn EntertainmentRespawn are hearing out Apex Legends pros who want an update to Gold Shields in Ranked to complement recent competitive integrity changes in the ALGS. The second season of the Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) removed Gold (Level 4) Knockdown Shields after player complaints. Pros think a similar update should be in Ranked to combat the same problem. “If all 3 players are downed but 1 person has Gold Knockdown (self-revive), your squad should still be eliminated in Ranked,” Cloud9’s Jamison ‘PVPX’ Moore said. “Gold Res was removed from ALGS for a huge lack of competitive integrity. Time to bring a similar change to Ranked.” In the ALGS, issues would arise after a fully knocked team with one Gold Shield would still place higher than a group eliminated after them. I would say the feeling of getting a gold rez off, respawning teammates, and coming back from shambles to clutch a win makes it worth for 99% of games/players. But, if gold knockdown were to be reworked, what would you propose to make it interesting for both casuals and comp? — JayBiebs (@RSPN_JayBiebs) October 26, 2021 Apex Legends Gold Shield rework ideas Associate Live Balance Designer John ‘JayBiebs’ Larson responded to player concerns around the item in Ranked playlists. While it doesn’t sound like there’s going to be a change, the studio could be exploring options for the future. “I would say the feeling of getting a gold res off, respawning teammates, and coming back from shambles to clutch a win makes it worth for 99% of games/players,” JayBiebs said. The Apex dev invited rework suggestions from the community with PVPX, Phillip ‘ImperialHal’ Dosen, Mac ‘Albralelie’ Beckwith, Christian ‘Nokokopuffs’ Feliciano, and more chiming in. “If one player has a Gold Knockdown Shield, if they revive or are revived themselves it will res one other knocked teammate,” ImperialHal said. “Single-use would probably be the best way to balance it, but this provides players a chance to fend off 3rd parties after fighting.” https://twitter.com/nathanias/status/1452872353554186254 Could also add a radius to the item so they at least have to be within the circle to multi res to avoid cross map res lol — Albralelie (@TSM_Albralelie) October 26, 2021 Honestly 99% of the time the person with the gold res still dies and the team who originally goes for the kills gets punished by losing kills/placement. That situation you described happens once every couple hundred games. In pubs sure. Ranked it shouldn’t be there IMO. — Nokokopuffs (@Nokokopuffs_) October 26, 2021 Other players like ImperialHal think Ranked should follow in the footsteps of ALGS and outright remove Gold Shields. “Ranked shouldn’t be casual,” Hal said. “It should be a way to introduce players to the competitive side of Apex before actually competing which is why Gold res should be removed. Let anything fly in [public games] though.” The Apex Legends community has long been split on Respawn tuning the game to facilitate pros and the competitive scene. How the studio will approach Gold Shields is unclear but they have plenty of input to work with.

Respawn respond to Apex Legends bug sinking players under Olympus Respawn EntertainmentAn Apex Legends dev has responded to a bug that forces players to fall through the map when dropping into Olympus. As with any online game, Apex Legends has its fair share of glitches that can affect the gameplay experience. These range from extremely funny bugs like Gibralter swapping models with Pathfinder, to matchmaking issues that have less of a humorous side to them. As expected, these glitches were particularly prevalent in November at the start of Season 7. Alongside the release of the new Olympus map, players were finding a range of bugs that were quickly patched out by Respawn. Despite this, it looks like a few game-breaking glitches may have slipped through the cracks. Respawn dev responds to players falling through map A thread posted to the Apex Legends subreddit has revealed a bug that forces players to fall through the map after dropping in. The post has over 12 thousand upvotes and nearly 300 comments at the time of writing. The thread, simply titled ‘Respawn what the heck is this’ contains a video of a squad of three dropping into the Olympus map. As the team approaches the ground, one player breaks off from the jumpmaster, and the other two look to land on a roof. However, instead of landing on a solid surface, one of the players simply falls through the map and dies. A developer responded to the thread with a short reply that revealed Respawn is now looking into the issue: “Thanks for the clip… Sending this off to our team to investigate.” Although it’s unclear what caused the bug to occur, some Reddit users have speculated it is linked to an issue with players detaching from the jumpmaster. For whatever reason, if two players remain attached until the landing, there’s a chance they phase straight through the map. There’s no doubt this is a game-breaking bug, but its unknown as to when, or even if, Respawn can get it sorted any time soon. So, we’ll just have to keep an eye on things.

Respawn respond after Apex Legends player is banned from using LGBT club tags RespawnA Respawn Entertainment developer has responded after an Apex Legends player was prevented from using an LGBT club tag in the battle royale. Apex Legends has introduced plenty of social features since its 2019 launch, all designed towards unifying fans and strengthening the bonds that video games foster between players. One such addition came in Season 7 in the form of Clubs – a social feature designed to allow players to build a dedicated community of up to thirty players. Clubs can also have ‘tags’ – four-character shorthands that are visible to your squadmates during a match. However, one player was left scratching their head after being prevented from using LGBT as their club tag, especially given Respawn’s championing of the LGBTQIA+ community in-game. Respawn respond to ‘banned’ LGBT club tag in Apex Legends The player in question, Redditor ‘Mothman_moth’ shared their query on October 21, saying: “The tag worked in the past, what’s up with this?” Attached was an image showing the player prohibited in-game from using the LGBT club tag. The message reads: “ERROR. Inappropriate or offensive club tag LGBT.” Apex Legends Associate Quality Designer Rico Sanchez soon offered a response. He confirmed that Respawn will look into the issue, saying: “I’ll take a look at this to see what’s going on.” His response confirms that the banned tag is not intentional and, hopefully, Respawn will deploy a quick patch to resolve the problem. Although a cause was not clear, some players speculated that the clan tag may have been misused by others or spam-reported to try and achieve this particular outcome. Regardless, here’s hoping the small issue is ironed out quickly and players can get back to sporting their chosen club tags in-game as soon as possible. A patch could well drop with Season 15, which brings new character Catalyst, and a new moon map to Apex Legends on November 1.

Respawn hint Apex Legends Season 3 will be more competitive EAA wave of invites has been set out to members of the press to preview Apex Legends Season 3 and Respawn wants the best of the best to be sent. As Season 2 treks along, many players are setting their sights on the upcoming season and what Respawn have in store for it. Based on the invites to press, it’s sounding like Apex Legends will feature an even more competitive-centric season than the current one, which will be good news to those who like grinding the ranks. According to The Verge, the invite specifically asks for outlets to send someone who has been climbing the ranks in Apex Legends. “Competition will be high and we ask that you send your best Champion of the Arena to battle it out with players who’ve climbed up ranked mode over the last six months,” says the invite. After introducing the ranked system in Season 2, it appears that Apex Legends will be doubling down on that in Season 3 and adding even more features to help grow the competitive scene. Battle royale titles have proven they can have strong esports scenes, with Fortnite paving the way into uncharted territory and the unprecedented prize pool, with $100 million going out in 2019 alone. With a focus on the competitive play, it’s possible we could see some more tournaments come out of Apex Legends, building on the already strong foundation. We’ve seen glimpses at what the scene could look like with various Twitch Rivals tournaments and the X Games event, and it’s still growing, with another major event coming up soon. Beginning on September 13 is a Respawn-hosted event in Poland called the Apex Legends preseason invitational with a $500,000 prize pool. Later in the month, on September 27 and 29, a TwitchCon tournament is being held, so Apex’s esports scene is still looking solid. 100 Thieves dropped their entire Apex Legends team in August, possibly because of the uncertainty around Apex as an esport, but it doesn’t look like fans and players have to worry about the scene dying out any time soon. We don’t yet know what announcements Respawn have for Season 3 but with it presumably being right around the corner, we might find out sooner rather than later.

Respawn reportedly set to announce Apex Legends cross-play at EA Play Respawn EntertainmentThe wait for Apex Legends cross-play may finally be over, according to reports suggesting Respawn Entertainment will unveil the long-awaited feature during their EA Play event livestream on June 18. There’s already a huge slate of features, in-game events, and next-gen upgrades Respawn is likely going to trot out during their EA Play livestream event. According to new rumors, there may be one more thing on the menu too — cross-play. Cross-play has become an integral feature for many modern games in recent times. Although many gamers are split by their choice of console, allowing users on PlayStation, Xbox, and of course PC to link together often breathes new life into a game’s player base. It’s no surprise then that Apex Legends fans have been crying out for the feature since the game was first revealed to the world in February last year. Titles like Call of Duty and rival battle royale Fortnite, already employ the link-up feature. Apex Legends may finally be ready to join the list of games breaking down console barriers too though, when 2020’s EA Play livestream event — which was delayed a week due to all the ongoing protests across the world — finally rolls around. The rumors cross-play is one of the headlining features set to be unveiled by Respawn this Thursday comes from VentureBeat. According to writer Jeff Grubb, Apex fans should “expect the battle royale shooter to get cross-play” following an official announcement at EA Play 2020. The timing of the announcement certainly makes sense too. Respawn is gearing up for a big switch onto next-generation consoles in late 2020. Having plenty of players already in the battle royale can only help its impending shift. The Apex Legends cross-play rumors come at the same time as another long-awaited slice of news too. Respawn’s battle royale may also finally be coming to Nintendo Switch. This was backed up by a recent EA investors call. A potential cross-play announcement isn’t the only reason to tune into Respawn’s EA Play stream tomorrow either. There’s plenty more on the menu: the leaked Crypto Town Takeover should be announced, as should Apex’s official Steam release. Whatever Respawn ends up unveiling during the June 18 event, it’s sure to be unmissable for any diehard Apex Legends fan. We’ve got everything you need to know, including how to tune into the stream, and what else to expect, right here.

Respawn finally remove Low Profile in Apex Legends Season 9 Respawn EntertainmentLow Profile has been a contentious point in Apex Legends since its launch. Respawn is finally pulling the plug on it in Apex Legends Season 9 though, removing the debuff from some of the game’s less-armored Legends. Low Profile was a means to balance some of Apex Legends’ smaller and more nimble characters. Given to the likes of Wraith, Wattson, and Lifeline, it increased damage taken by 5%. It also used to include Pathfinder, but Respawn removed it in Season 8 as a buff to the friendly robot. Now, they’ve finally followed through on their March promise to nuke it from Apex Legends once and for all in Season 9. Low Profile is nowhere to be seen in the game. Wraith, Wattson, and Lifeline will take equal damage compared to other Legends, in Season 9 and moving forwards. The exception is Fortified Legends, Caustic and Gibraltar, who still have the buff to compensate for their bigger hitboxes. Fortified reduces incoming damage by 15%, and removes the slow effect from bullets. The one stopping block was nerfing Lifeline: “My goal is to remove it from every character in the game eventually, but we gotta figure out how to nerf lIfeline before we can do that,” developer Daniel Klein said back in March. With the medic getting a pretty big revamp in Season 9, including removing her revive shield, Respawn found the perfect window to cull the much-loathed trait. Wraith and Wattson remain otherwise unchanged in the Season 9 launch, at least judging from our tests. We’ll have to wait on the full patch notes to confirm. Apex Legends Season 9 is set to hit live servers on May 4. The update will introduce new Legend Valkyrie, the Bocek Bow weapon, a new-look Olympus, and more.

Respawn releases Apex Legends patch addressing Twitch Prime loot exploit Following the discovery of an exploit that allowed players to receive Twitch Prime Apex Legends loot for free, Respawn have released a patch for PC players to address the issue. When the exclusive Twitch Prime Apex Legends loot was announced on February 19, many were ecstatic to secure their new skin and “free” Apex packs as part of the popular program. It wasn’t long, though, before some players discovered a way to get that loot for free using a fairly simple exploit that was first discovered on February 21. While Respawn were initially silent on the matter, they have now announced a new patch exclusive to the PC version of the game that will fix the exploit once and for all. We’ve pushed a small patch today for PC with a fix for the Twitch Prime Loot exploit on PC. With this update, the Omega Point Pathfinder skin will be removed from any accounts that obtained it using the exploit. — Apex Legends (@PlayApex) February 26, 2019 In addition to closing the loophole, Respawn also confirmed that the Omega Point Pathfinder skin that was granted through the Twitch Prime promotion would be removed from any account that obtained it through the alternative method. The five Apex Packs that were also included with the promotion were not mentioned in the update, meaning that any items players received from those packs should remain in players’ accounts. Given the massive success of Apex Legends over the last few weeks, along with the enticing nature of exclusive skins, it was no surprise to see many try and game the system in order to obtain items without actually paying for them. The fairly swift manner in which Respawn dealt with the problem should be a welcomed sight for players who feared they might take a more passive approach to dealing with the various issues that will inevitably crop up over in the coming weeks and months. With the recent reports of varying hitboxes that could lead to some Legends being disadvantageous to play as, though, all eyes will continue to be on Respawn as the launch of Season 1 and first major balancing pass is fast approaching.

Respawn release patch notes for June 11 Apex Legends update EAFresh off all the details of Apex Legends Season 2, the developers are pushing a patch through today that addresses some of the nagging issues players have been complaining about. Apex Legends unveiled what to expect with its second season during EA Play 2019, including a new weapon, a new Legend named Wattson, and even some lore about the game itself. The developers at Respawn didn’t go into great detail about much else but we can now confirm the game isn’t being left out in the rain until Season 2 launches. If you’re looking for a bunch of brand new content before Season 2, this is not the patch you’re looking for. Wattson is coming to Apex Legends. This isn’t the most exciting patch to ever come to Apex by any means, but it’s certainly something fans will appreciate as it brings some much-needed fixes such as a bug that allowed for Caustic’s Gas Traps to damage players through walls. There are a few other issues that were rolled out with this patch, including a PS4-specific one, that you can view more in-depth below in the patch notes. On top of this patch, Respawn says they will be providing an update on the list of known issues before the week is over so players are able to keep an eye on other fixes that are still being looked at. If there are some other major issues that need to be looked at, you can probably expect another minor patch like this to hit before the official start of Season 2. As revealed at EA Play, Season 2 of Apex Legends kicks off on July 2, where we can surely expect a major patch to coincide with the launch. New patch dropping into King’s Canyon. Full July 11 Apex Legends Patch Notes You can read the complete patch notes for June 11 below. The following config commands are now enabled: fps_max – mat_letterbox_aspect_goal – mat_letterbox_aspect_threshold – – Fixed issue with players not being rewarded with Loss Forgiveness after their teammate left during an Apex Elite match. Also made improvements so that Loss Forgiveness works more consistently in other cases where it wasn’t working correctly. – – Fixed bug where Caustic’s Nox Gas Traps would damage players through walls. – Fixed exploit where you could repeatedly place Caustic’s Nox Gas Traps with no cooldown. – [PS4 Only] Fixed bug with in-game reward message not displaying the right image for Playstation Plus subscribers [previously this was showing an orange and purple checker image instead of the right asset]. – Fixed issue with “nerfed” skydiving from a Jump Tower. – Resolved a number of localization issues for Xbox and PS4. – Fixed issues with items sorting incorrectly when looting a deathbox. – Fixed issues related to heavily decreased accuracy when ADS and sliding. – Fixed audio bug related to Octane’s Jump Pad. – Fixed a number of game logic script errors. –

Apex Legends balance update patch notes – Wingman and Peacekeeper nerfs, Hitbox updates, Season 1 news Respawn Entertainment released the patch notes for a slew of changes to Apex Legends on March 6 for the game’s first Live Balance Update on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The developers also revealed a bit more about what to expect for Season 1 – here’s everything you need to know. Although Apex Legends burst onto the scene with almost immediate success, it wasn’t without its faults. After a month of numerous reported bugs, rampaging hackers, overpowered guns (similarly some being near useless), annoying hitboxes and more, Respawn have finally announced what they hope to update in the near future. What’s new? Respawn explained what this patch will bring to the game while cluing in players on various changes to individual Legends, numerous buffs and nerfs to multiple weapons, as well what to look forward to when the first competitive season hits. Wingman nerfs Players should expect a major nerfs for the Wingman and Peacekeeper. While the fan-favorite pistol might keep most of its power, Respawn will try to make a few tweaks to make the difficulty to use it consistent with the versatility it gives. “We’ve found that the Skullpiercer Wingman has been on the stronger end,” Respawn stated. “But it’s designed to be a weapon with a higher skill ceiling. Our adjustments are attempting to move it more into the hand cannon space and away from full auto Deagle.” Peacemaker nerfs and energy weapon improvements The Peacekeeper’s rate of fire with the Shotgun Bolt attachment has also been adjusted, meaning that players will be punished for a longer period of time when they miss a shot. On top of this, the developers have finally acknowledged that players need more energy ammo if energy weapons are ever going to be widely used. With this in mind, the availability of energy ammo and weapons has been increased. Respawn stated: “We’ve also adjusted the rate of fire of the Peacekeeper with Shotgun Bolt attachment, so players will have a larger window of vulnerability if they miss their shot. Additionally, the scarcity of energy ammo and lower number of energy weapons overall has made those weapons difficult to main, so we’ve increased energy weapon and ammo availability.” Hitboxes Respawn also gave some insight on the problematic hitboxes that seem to give some of the more slender Legends an advantage over others. “Our goal is to be able to have characters with different rig sizes, hitboxes and ability kits, and still have each character be roughly equal in power level, win rate and viability of pick. Overall, we want to try to increase the power level of the large rig characters, before we consider large nerfs to everyone else. While we’ve made small adjustments, we’re hopeful that increasing the power of large rigs is healthier than nerfing everyone else.” Season 1 news and Legend adjustments It looks like Respawn is going to wait until the start of Season 1 to update any of the Legends and address their balance issues. If problems persist, the company will also look to dish out fixes throughout the season. “If these adjustments prove to be insufficient, we’ll consider additional adjustments during Season 1,” they stated. Minor balances to characters will include changes such as Wraith having her Into the Void cooldown increased, Bangalore’s Double Time being reduced from 40% move speed to 30%, and much more. Read More: When does Apex Legends Season 1 begin? Battle Pass release date, new characters and weapons – As for when the highly anticipated first season will begin, it sounds like players will still have to wait a while longer before the Battle Pass is available. On the plus side, there’s nothing to suggest that Season 1 won’t still go live at some point in March. “We know you folks are fired up for info on Season 1 and Battle Pass,” said Jayfresh from Respawn. “We still have work to do to get everything ready for prime time and won’t be talking about it yet. There are a lot of moving parts and coordination that go into big announcements and launches like this so please be patient. I know the wait sucks but it’s coming and ask that you all please be patient with us.” Apex Legends Patch Notes for March 6 and beyond WEAPON ADJUSTMENTS LIVE ON ALL PLATFORMS Wingman Rate of fire reduced from 3.1 -> 2.6 – Skullpiercer Headshot damage multiplier reduced from 2.5 -> 2.25 – Increased base hip fire spread and decreased the rate at which hip fire spread decays (shrinks back down). – – Peacekeeper Shotgun Bolt rechamber rate has been reduced for the Peacekeeper only. Level 1 mitigation 10% -> 7.5% – Level 2 mitigation 20% -> 13% – Level 3 mitigation 25% -> 16% – – – Shotgun Bolt rechamber rate has been reduced for the Peacekeeper only. – Wingman and Peacekeeper availability has been reduced in all zone tiers. – Increased availability of energy weapons & ammo in all zone tiers. – Why no P2020 or Mozambique buffs? We love y’all’s ‘Bique memes, so we’re hesitant to lose that 😛 – In all seriousness, our goal is to have a power curve of weapons. “Power curve” just means that some weapons will be weaker and more common, while others will be stronger and rarer. Some weapons are intentionally less powerful until fully purp’d with hopups and attachments, while other weapons on the bottom of the power curve are your early game, better-than-melee, but-gotta-upgrade-out-of-ASAP weapons. We’ve seen some good feedback from players about how to make these pistols more exciting without losing out on the goal above that we’re listening to. We’ll be continuing to watch player data and feedback and trying things out internally but for now, they’ll remain the same. – ADDITIONAL PATCH NOTES Fixed some script errors that we identified were occasionally causing disconnects during matches. Caustic occasionally causing disconnects while throwing is Ultimate. – Pathfinder occasionally causing disconnects when activating a Survey Beacon. – Players occasionally causing disconnects when removing an attachment. – Gibraltar occasionally causing disconnects when pulling up his Gun Shield. – Players occasionally causing disconnects when entering Spectate Mode. – – LEGEND ADJUSTMENTS WE’LL MAKE AT THE START OF SEASON 1 Major balance changes: Hit box size reductions and optimizations for Caustic, Pathfinder and Gibraltar We’re better sizing hitboxes to character gear & model – Since these adjustments have a MAJOR impact on the game, we want to make sure there aren’t any major bugs, so we didn’t want to rush them out – If these adjustments prove to be insufficient, we’ll consider additional adjustments during Season 1 – – Minor balance changes: Caustic Traps – Reduced cooldown to 25 seconds from 30 seconds – Traps – Increased radius and proximity radius by about 10% – Traps – Removed a 1 second delay on the smoke dealing damage to players – – Pathfinder Insider Knowledge – Increased the number of beacons in the world to 12 from 10 – – Lifeline Care Package – Removed slight chance that level 4 armor and helmets will drop – – Wraith Into The Void – Cooldown increased from 20 -> 25 seconds – – Bangalore Double Time – Reduced move speed bonus to 30% from 40% – –

Respawn reiterates they’re not adding Solo mode in Apex Legends Respawn EntertainmentDevelopers Respawn Entertainment have reiterated that a Solo mode is still not a part of their Apex Legends plans, despite ongoing player demand. The popularity of Apex Legends has perhaps transcended what was initially expected of Respawn’s Titanfall-inspired battle royale. Millions of players have dropped into Kings Canyon, World’s Edge and Olympus but, like the number of maps we have so far, generally in threes. Respawn have, since the game’s launch back in February of 2019, regularly stated that it was designed with trios in mind. Legend abilities, for example, are designed to be used in conjunction with two others, and as part of a team. Some players have called for a ‘no fill’ option, which Respawn have said they’re considering. Having no teammates but going up against trios is something top players enjoy – like Shiv eliminating nearly half the lobby, with over 7,500 damage. However, many players (understandably) find constant one versus threes too difficult, and hope to see a proper Solos mode permanently added. Unfortunately, Respawn have reiterated their stance against adding the mode full time. On January 8, the official Apex Legends account was asked where they stand on Solos or a no-fill option in Duos. Read More: Who is Fuse in Apex Legends? – However, the response was bleak for players hoping to see it added, with Respawn simply stating: “Same place we were when this blog came out.” Attached was a link to the Old Ways Event patch notes, which came out way back in April of 2020. In the blog, they said: “When we introduced Solos as a limited-time mode last year we saw it actually negatively impacted the game, especially when it came to new player retention. We’ve also purposely designed Legends and their abilities to compliment team-play and squad composition, but when played Solo some Legend abilities become useless.” Same place we were when this blog came out: https://t.co/53mQDFYDGM — Apex Legends (@PlayApex) January 8, 2021 It finished: “These are just some of the reasons we decided not to include Solos in today’s update. We’re still exploring ways to allow a Solo experience, but for now grab a friend (or two) and jump into the arena.” Read More: Apex Legends Fight Night ring glitch fixed – As well as a simple no fill option, other alternatives could include unique LTMs that are solo. For example, this was the case in 2019’s Fight or Fright Halloween event. The last sentence will offer hope to some fans, but it’s clear that a Solos mode is nowhere near close to being added to the game. As they say, “grab a friend (or two) and jump into the arena”.

Respawn pushes Apex Legends hotfix targeting dropship melee bug Fixes for Apex Legends bugs based around being able to kill other players inside the dropship before the match has even started, and abandon penalty problems, have been pushed out in a live hotfix patch, Respawn Entertainment has confirmed. A bug based around being able to melee, and even knock down, enemy players in the dropship before the game even started flared up this week, forcing Respawn to move quickly to remove the game-breaking glitch from the game on October 7. As well as that dropship problem, the developers also disabled a bug that was allowing players to quit out of competitive matchmaking rounds during the legend-select and drop screens, allowing them to avoid abandon penalties and gain max ranked points. “Heads up Legends! We’ve pushed a server patch to PC to hotfix the following: bug that allowed players to melee during the pre-match; bug allowing players to quit out of ranked matches before they start, and avoid abandon penalties and still get max RP,” Respawn confirmed. Heads up, Legends! We’ve pushed a server patch to PC to hotfix the following: ● Bug that allowed players to melee during the pre-match ● Bug allowing players to quit out of Ranked Matches before start and avoid abandon penalties + get max RPConsole changes soon to follow :yes: — Apex Legends (@PlayApex) November 7, 2019 While the patch only dropped for the PC version of the game initially, the devs also confirmed that console versions of the hotfixes would be “soon to follow,” and were just pending confirmation from Microsoft and Sony for their console systems. This isn’t the first time Respawn has had to quickly push a hotfix for issues in the game relating to ranked exploits either, with the developers slamming down the banhammer on players taking advantage of AFK protocols to avoid RP losses. Considering this October 7 bug-fix was targeted at another way to gain ranked points, or avoid losing them, it stands to reason the developers may roll out another wave of bans in the near future for players who took advantage of the glitch, though there’s been no confirmation that this is on their radar just yet. Now that these problems have been solved, maybe it will be a little easier to grind out Apex’s competitive modes, as well as the game’s current limited-time event Duos. If you’re dropping into Duos with a friend, make sure you know which legends work perfectly together so that your chances of being crowned Champions of the Arena are high.

Respawn punish Apex Legends cheaters for using multiple exploits Respawn/EA[jwplayer ePrNLj8A]Apex Legends developers, Respawn Entertainment, have rolled out some punishments for players who exploited two major bugs with the battle royale – including one that handed out free wins. While the majority of Apex Legends players drop into Kings Canyon and World’s Edge looking to get wins legitimately, there are plenty of others who will use underhanded tricks to give themselves a leg up. This might include being able to abuse an Ultimate ability over and over again, or finding a spot in the last circle where they can’t die and ultimately end up with free wins. Respawn have been trying to root out these issues through a handful of updates, but, they’ve also upped their games and start to hand pretty severe punishments to a large number of players. Week-long bans for under the map & Apex Legends RP exploits On September 18, plenty of players were greeted with a message that informed them that they had been suspended from playing the battle royale for at least 10,000 minutes – which is a week. Many took to social media to claim that it was a bug and that they’d done nothing wrong but Conor Ford, a member of Respawn’s security team who deals with cheaters, confirmed that it was a punishment for using a handful of exploits. “To those who exploited going under the map for easy wins and PS4 players who exploited an issue to rejoin ranked matches after dying to get higher placement and free RP, justice was served today. GGs,” he tweeted from the RSPN_Hideouts account. To those who exploited going under the map for easy wins and PS4 players who exploited an issue to rejoin ranked matches after dying to get higher placement and free RP, justice was served today. GGs. 🔨 — Conor Ford / Hideouts (@RSPN_Hideouts) September 18, 2020 Some players might argue that they only used the exploit once, or even by mistake, and that Respawn’s punishment is a tad harsh, but even using it once ruins the experience for others. Given that the devs seemingly didn’t roll out a mass ban wave, just a suspension wave, they do still have that ace to play should anyone else start finding similar exploits through the remainder of Season 6.

Respawn promise fix for Apex Legends bug that causes Gibraltar and Caustic to die instantly Caustic and Gibraltar players in Apex Legends might have experienced a bug that instantly kill them, and Respawn have now announced that a fix is on the way very soon. Fans of the ‘Thicc Bois’ in Apex Legends were in for a treat when both Gibraltar and Caustic received buffs in the v1.1.1 patch. Each Legend gained a passive ability that granted 10% damage reduction, but it looks like that has created some unforeseen bugs that cause them to bypass the downed state and go straight to death. What does the bug look like? The bug circulating of late makes it so that both Caustic and Gibraltar skip the downed state, regardless of whether members of the squad are remaining or not. Twitch streamer Kephrii encountered the bug in a recent stream when he was playing as Gibraltar and died despite having teammates left and little left of his shield. He posted a clip to Reddit where it was first dismissed by an Apex Legends developer before he went back and watched the video, realizing that the strange happening was indeed a new bug. “Of course I did the dumb internet thing where I didn’t watch the video and made a comment,” he wrote. “[Okay] now that I’ve watched the video, it does look like the bleed through can instantly kill you. I’ve seen this bug before in testing and we’ve fixed it but it looks like the fractional bleed through is triggering it again.” When can we expect a fix? Apex Legends receives updates at a much slower clip than a game like Fortnite but with a bug like this, we can probably expect a hotfix to roll out as soon as possible. The developers didn’t give a solid timeline for when we can expect the bug to be squashed, but they did assure that it would happen soon. As for fixes to things like hit registration and slow-motion servers, the developer confirmed these are being worked on but also don’t have timelines for a fix.

Respawn promise changes to Apex Legends ‘wall-hack meta’ with more Seer nerfs Respawn EntertainmentSeer has opened Respawn’s eyes to how powerful scans can be in Apex Legends and it’s going to lead to future changes that will counter the ‘wall-hacks’ meta. This could also mean even more nerfs to Seer. Respawn’s live balance designer, John ‘JayBiebs’ Larson, explained more about the studio’s reasoning as it pertained to the August 23 patch that brought down Seer’s abilities. Every part of the Season 10’s kit was touched, and there’s plenty of reasons why. “The goal here (and for hotfixes in general) is to hit pain points and degenerate play patterns without preemptively gutting the unique parts of Seer’s kit,” JayBiebs said of the patch. There’s plenty of scouting power in Seer’s passive but, in general, it showed the devs how scans killed ‘rat’ plays, and make “game sense” obsolete. While we can’t solve the pain points of the reveal meta in a hotfix, I’m looking forward to jamming out longer-term solutions with the rest of the design team. As always, keep the feedback coming… even though I may not reply, I try to listen as well as Seer sees (21/21) — JayBiebs (@RSPN_JayBiebs) August 23, 2021 In a complicated battlefield like Apex Legends, neither of those things sit right with Respawn. That’s why JayBiebs and the team are going to revamp their approach to info-heavy characters like Bloodhound and Seer. “Seer has opened our eyes to what sort of information can be communicated through scans,” JayBiebs explained. “A real-time silhouette for X seconds is different than tracking footsteps or the health bar or the heartbeat passive. The balance dev continued: “There are many axes we can explore, and I know Seer’s emergence has expedited the process of revisiting the oppressive parts of the reveal meta to introduce more options and counterplay.” There are many axes we can explore, and I know Seer’s emergence has expedited the process of revisiting the oppressive parts of the reveal meta to introduce more options and counterplay. (19/21) — JayBiebs (@RSPN_JayBiebs) August 23, 2021 These problems won’t be fixed with a simple nerf to a Legend or buff to others. But there’s still plenty of avenues that Respawn wants to explore to lessen the impact of the “wallhack meta,” as he puts it. While the devs are monitoring Seer – and may nerf him again – we can expect bigger adaptations from Respawn to help the state of Apex Legends.

Respawn praised as Apex Legends ban wave takes out nearly 1,000 Predator accounts Respawn EntertainmentApex Legends players are delighted after Respawn confirmed that a recent ban wave hit over 1,300 high-level accounts accused of cheating, specifically those in the Arenas who abused a Nintendo Switch exploit. Despite Apex Legends’ popularity and the backing of gaming juggernaut EA, it has experienced its fair share of cheating issues. Like any multi-platform multiplayer title, there are players who seek to hack and manipulate exploits for their own gain. One particularly egregious exploit surfaced recently and allowed players in Ranked Arenas to ‘six-man’. As it sounds, players tricked the game’s team-building mechanics to allow them to join Arena matches alongside players they were teaming and communicating with, thus being able to dictate match outcomes and boost ranks unfairly. Respawn confirm 1,300 bans for Apex Legends accounts using ‘6-manning’ glitch It has been a tale of short-lived benefits for the players involved, though, with Respawn Hideouts confirming the bans of over 1,300 accounts for such violations. He tweeted: “Ban wave of 1307 users has been dealt out for exploiting Arenas Ranked and “6-manning”. Bans range from permanent to 2 weeks depending on abuse amount. Breakdown is as follows: PC – 392, PS – 520, Switch – 20, XB – 375.” In a follow up, Hideouts confirmed that of the 1,307 accounts banned, 925 related specifically to players holding the prestigious Apex Predator rank. The breakdown was as follows: PC – 293, PS – 372, XB – 243 and Switch – 17. As a result, Hideouts said: “leaderboards have been purged.” Responses from the community were, understandably, overwhelmingly positive. One player said: “Good job Hideout! Ban all the boosting.” Naturally, there’s still a long way to go before Apex Legends is as cheat-free as possible. 1,300 cheaters punished is a major step in the right direction.

Apex Legends dev confirms no fill option coming soon instead of solos Respawn EntertainmentRespawn Entertainment have confirmed a “no fill” option is coming to Apex Legends very soon, though not right at the start of Season 8, for players who want to queue up by themselves. [jwplayer iH0jrCdt] Ever since launch, Apex Legends players have been calling on the developers to introduce a permanent solos playlist. There was a temporary solos mode as an LTM, as well as a temporary duos mode. But, while duos was eventually made permanent, solos never was. Respawn has previously stated that Apex Legends, and each of the characters released, were originally designed to be played in teams of three, and that a Solo mode was “unhealthy” for the game. Despite this, a “no fill” option may be the perfect middle-ground for Apex players looking for a solo experience. No fill option coming to Apex Legends Having already introduced a permanent Duos playlist in Season 4, Respawn has now revealed they are working on solutions for those who want to play Apex Legends without having to play around others. In a Respawn Reddit AMA back in November of 2020, one user asked about their plan to “allow a solo experience” and Apex Design Director Jason McCord responded with his thoughts on the topic. Read More: New Apex Legends skins coming in Season 8 – McCord explained that they have been considering solutions for fans who want a Solo playlist and revealed that a no fill option is what they’re planning. Heading into Season 8, McCord has confirmed on Twitter that a no fill option is on the way, but it won’t be arriving in Season 8: “Won’t be S8 launch… we’re testing it internally and it’s working, so should be sooner rather than later.” Won’t be S8 launch, but as I said in the reddit AMA it’s on the way. In fact, we’re testing it internally and it’s working, so should be sooner rather than later 🙂 — Jason McCord (@Monsterclip_JM) January 28, 2021 This is great news for Apex players who are craving the solo player experience and don’t enjoy playing with a squad. Although queueing no fill puts you at a huge disadvantage, it also offers you the freedom to go and do what you want during a match. Read More: Apex Legends Fuse voice actor interview – Not only that, for incredibly talented players, it offers the chance to rack up an unseen amount of kills in a single game. Let’s hope Respawn adds the feature sooner rather than later, preferably at the beginning of Season 9.

Respawn planning Crypto changes to make him more popular in Apex Legends Respawn EntertainmentCrypto is one of the least popular picks in Apex Legends, but the devs at Respawn have confirmed that they’re looking into changes to make the Surveillance Expert more of a hit with players. Everyone has their own favorite Legend in Apex, but there’s no denying that some simply aren’t that popular. Crypto is one of those, as he’s currently 15th in the Season 9 pick rates, coming ahead of only Wattson and Rampart. So when John ‘JayBiebs’ Larson, Associate Live Balance Designer at Respawn Entertainment, appeared on the latest episode of the Apex Uncut podcast, the hosts took the opportunity to quiz him over any potential changes coming up. When asked what he thinks about Crypto’s place in Apex right now, John acknowledged the low pick rate but also argued that being a less popular Legend isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as he fulfills a niche purpose. “I think Crypto, more than many characters, we’re pretty okay with him being a niche, off-meta pick,” he said, “because, in a fast-paced FPS shooter, a lot of us are just dumb lizard-brain people that like shooting bad guys. Crypto is far too cerebral for my taste.” Players who do main Crypto, though, might have to get used to some changes soon. John confirmed that Respawn are “actively working on” ways to make him more popular with Apex Legends players, with a focus on his Surveillance Drone. Topic begins at 1:18:00 “When assessing how to make him a bit sexier, I think streamlining the flow between Crypto mode and drone mode, and maybe distributing that power in a more healthy way so it’s not quite as binary, would be a nice way of approaching that,” he explained. “It’s something to keep in mind, and it’s something we are definitely, actively working on.” While we wait to see exactly what changes Respawn will make, why not check out our guide to mastering Crypto in Apex Legends to improve your skills with the Surveillance Expert and his drone?

Respawn opens new Apex Legends development studio Electronic ArtsApex Legends creator Respawn Entertainment has established a new development studio in Madison, Wisconsin to further support the battle royale game. Respawn started as the Titanfall studio some years ago but has since grown exponentially. On top of expanding the Titanfall brand with Apex Legends, the California-based outfit managed to reinvigorate Electronic Arts’ single-player endeavors by launching Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order to massive success. Notably, Respawn also dabbled in VR with the award-winning Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. And fans are eager to see what the crew does with its eagerly-anticipated Star Wars-branded FPS title. But, of course, Apex Legends has proven integral to keeping the lights on over the last several years. It makes sense, then, that Respawn and EA have chosen to invest even more resources into the IP’s future. Respawn establishes new studio for Apex Legends support Respawn has cut the ribbon on its third development house. Based out of Madison, Wisconsin, the new satellite team will be helmed by “veteran AAA battle royale and FPS developers.” Its primary focus will revolve around building content for Apex Legends, which now counts as Electronic Arts’ marquee shooter series. Respawn brought in Epic Games and Raven Software veteran Ryan Burnett to serve as the new firm’s Studio Director. Game Director Steven Ferreira said of the news (via GamesIndustry.biz): “Building the live service of Apex is a constant cycle of trying new things and experimenting, and that’s what Wisconsin is going to give us – that capacity to do more of that, pushing into new area[s] like Legend classes and trying to do things we haven’t done before.” Respawn’s announcement of a new Apex Legends studio comes not even a month after EA laid off 200 Apex QA testers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. And the companies confirmed even earlier in the year that support for Apex Legends Mobile will cease on May 1, 2023.

Respawn wants more Apex Legends crossovers after popular Market collab Respawn EntertainmentApex Legends has started dipping its toe into cultural crossovers with the Market collection finally launching in November 2021. Respawn are keen to push more collabs after the first success — but have one condition. Crossovers between game titles have become commonplace in 2022 thanks to the booming growth of Fortnite. It’s not uncommon to see developers share their IP around, bringing old favorites to life in new universes. Apex Legends has mostly strayed from the course. Respawn has put on one crossover in the past with streetwear brand Market (formerly Chinatown Market), bringing some hype cosmetics into the game. It was pretty well received by players, and that’s got the developers thinking about what the future of Apex Legends crossovers holds. “When we have our midseason events and things like that, we treat it as a costume party where we can kind of break away from the core fantasies that we’ve been developing for a Legend,” game director Steven Ferreira told The Washington Post. “We like that freedom because it’s both a way to freshen things up for the players, but also for the team. “I think there are opportunities for how we can do that in terms of crossovers with other universes in some way. So I think you’ll see some of that coming down the pipe, and you’ll see some things continue to expand in terms of our partnerships on that side.” However, despite interest in bringing more crossovers into the Apex Games, Respawn doesn’t want to do it at the cost of the game’s core story. The developers don’t necessarily want to go ‘full Fortnite’ with major crossovers every week, instead keeping on exploring the Apex universe with the base characters as intended. “One of the things that’s grown over the last three years has been the universe that we’ve created. And one of the things that probably surprised us that we’ve leaned into since the launch of the game has been how much players care about the universe and the stories we tell,” Ferreira explained. “Finding more ways to expand on that is always going to be the primary concern.” At least for Season 12, there’s no crossovers planned just yet. However, in content releases down the line, don’t be surprised if Respawn team up with other brands to get on the crossover train.

Respawn might be planning to add Apex Legends cross-progression after all Respawn Entertainment[jwplayer ePrNLj8A]Respawn may actually be on the verge of adding cross-progression to Apex Legends alongside the planned Steam update, despite dubbing the feature “impossible” during the title’s launch all the way back in February 2019. Apex fans have basically resigned themselves to the fact cross-progression is a pipe-dream. At launch, then-lead producer Drew McCoy dubbed the feature “impossible,” in part because of “the way systems were set up early on.” As it turns out, that pipe-dream may not be so impossible after all. Renowned Apex Legends dataminer Shrugtal appears to have uncovered code strings for a cross-progression system that Respawn is testing behind-the-scenes. The uncovered backend code — proxy/commerce_gateway/valuetransfer/transfer?personaId=%s&platform=%s&accountId=%s_%s&offferId=%s&locale=%s — appears as a run of transfer values, which Shrugtal suggested is the basis for “some kind of cross-progression system” currently undergoing dev testing. These strings suggest Apex Legends accounts could soon be able to transfer ‘value’ (skins, charms, and cosmetics) or even account ‘entitlements’ (starter pack access, for example) from profile to profile. The related segment begins at 2:28 in the video below. It’s certainly interesting to hear Respawn is at least toying with a cross-progression system in their dev labs. Outside of crossplay — which is now finally being added to the game — it’s one of Apex’s most highly-requested features. If Respawn does indeed add it to the battle royale in an upcoming update, Apex Legends fans will have to choose which console they want to use as their “main” account. That profile will then share its collection with all connected accounts. Other blockbuster titles, including Fortnite, Rocket League, Minecraft, and recently Destiny 2, have all flicked the switch on cross-progression in the past few years. The moves came after Sony backflipped on their cross-play policy. Whether or not the newly-discovered code strings lead to cross-progression being bundled in with the crossplay update or not will likely be confirmed in the next few weeks, according to reports. Apex Legends is expected to drop crossplay as part of the upcoming ‘Aftermarket’ collection event. That event has been penciled in for a Tuesday, Sep. 15 release date behind the scenes, with datamined leaks backing up that drop-date. Don’t forget, crossplay isn’t the only thing Respawn has planned for Apex this year either. The character-based battle royale will finally make its long-awaited debut on Valve’s Steam game browser. Apex’s platform move will happen this month.

Respawn’s March 8 ‘Check In’ addresses Apex Legends crashes and server issues Just a few days after Respawn released the first major balance patch for Apex Legends, they have dropped a new developer update that touches on some of the biggest issues within the community. While there’s still no mention of when Season 1 will begin, Respawn has kept true on their promise to provide regular updates on what’s in the pipeline for Apex Legends. The latest ‘Respawn Check In’ contains some important information regarding issues such as crashes, slow server performance, and more. Crashes While a recent NVIDIA update solved some of the biggest crashing issues for many players, AMD owners were left in the cold. Respawn acknowledged this with the March 8 update, assuring players that the next PC patch will include some much needed improvements to crashes. Not all the issues will be solved, however, with a reporting feature being teased for Season 1 that will help Respawn nail down even more improvements. Cheaters It’s no secret that Apex Legends has a major issue with hackers, with 16,000 having been banned in the first two weeks of release. It’s been confirmed by Respawn that as of March 8, over 355,000 players have been banned, but they made it clear that this is “an ongoing war that [they’ll] need to continue to adapt to.” Will there be a reconnect feature soon? With the number of crashes that players currently experience, a reconnect feature would seemingly be a perfect way to make sure that players don’t end up leaving teams down a teammate. Unfortunately, Respawn has shut the door on this possibility by confirming that the feature is something they are “currently not pursuing.” They named possibly abuse and the number of resources required as the main reasons why it’s not in the plans at the moment. Poor server performance Lastly, Respawn addressed reports of poor performance at the beginning of matches and stated that they are “narrowing down causes and making improvements.” You can read the full March 8 ‘Respawn Check in’ below: Respawn Check In : 3.8.2019 Before we head into the weekend we wanted to touch on some topics: CHEATERS As of today we’ve banned over 355K players on PC through Easy-Anti-Cheat. The service works but the fight against cheaters is an ongoing war that we’ll need to continue to adapt to and be very vigilant about fighting. We take cheating very seriously and care deeply about the health of Apex Legends for all players. We are working on improvements to combat cheaters and we’re going to have to be pretty secretive about our plans. Cheaters are crafty and we don’t want them to see us coming. With that said, we can share some high levels things we’re doing: We are reaching out and working directly with experts, both within and outside of EA, in this area that we can learn from. – Scaling up our anti-cheat team so we have more dedicated resources. – We are adding a report feature on PC to report cheaters in game that goes directly to Easy-Anti-Cheat. – SPAMMERS DURING CHARACTER SELECT We are very aware of the cases of players spamming during character select and the drop and then disconnecting shortly after. We’re keeping a lot of our strategy close to the chest so offenders don’t have time to build workarounds before we implement changes. Solutions won’t happen right away but we’re on it. CRASHES Next week AMD will be at the studio and just like we did with Nvidia visit, we’ll be working together to improve stability and performance on PC. In the next client patch on PC we will be addressing some of the known crashes, but there will still be work to do as we haven’t nailed down all crashes yet. In Season 1 we’ll be adding improved reporting that should help us in identifying and squashing more PC crash issues. I’ve seen it shared here but in case anyone missed it, Nvidia has released a driver update for RTX users that have been experiencing the DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_HUNG crash specifically for GeForce RTX cards and we’re continuing to work with Nvidia to improve performance and stability. RECONNECT FEATURE? We’ve heard the suggestions from you folks asking for a reconnect to match feature. We are currently not pursuing this for a couple reasons: It opens a lot of risk for players to abuse it. – We believe the resources needed to build, test, and release it are better spent focused on fixing stability issues so that the feature isn’t necessary. – SLOW SERVER PERFORMANCE AT THE START OF MATCHES We’ve seen these reports and are narrowing down causes and making improvements. If this could be fixed by spending money on faster/more servers we would do it, but unfortunately there is no silver bullet on this one. We’re just rolling up our sleeves and digging in. We’ll keep you updated on any progress we make. Have a great weekend everyone and be excellent to each other! We’ll see you next week.

Respawn looking at options for Apex Legends Cross-Progression Respawn Entertainment/Sony/Microsoft/SteamRespawn have confirmed they are considering their options for Apex Legends cross-platform progression ahead of the game’s launch on Steam on November 4. After months of waiting, Apex Legends fans are finally getting ready for their favorite battle royale to be made playable on Steam. EA’s partnership with the company sees their EA Play service moving over to Steam, meaning a host of titles will become available. The Apex Legends launch on Steam – confirmed to be coming on November 4 – will also coincide with the launch of cross-play. This means that lobbies will no longer be platform exclusive, but it has also raised some questions about cross-platform progression. BREAKING: Apex Legends launches on Steam on November 4. pic.twitter.com/tOyndBy4gb — Apex Legends News (@alphaINTEL) October 23, 2020 Players who have been playing on Origin will be able switch back and forth with ease: “If you’ve previously been playing on Origin,” the post in the Steam Community said, “you can easily switch back and forth with Steam—all your account progression and unlocks will carry over between the two platforms.” However, some players began to question the ability to switch between platforms and still maintain progression. In other words, if you play on multiple platforms, can you merge progression across them all under one account. Players who have purchased skins on one account, for example, may be forced to purchase them again if cross-progression is not enabled. Respawn’s Game Director Chad Grenier was on hand to reply, saying: “It’s something we are very passionate about, and we’re looking at our options available. Much harder post-launch since users may have multiple accounts to merge or use. Easier with Steam because it’s at launch. We’ll give an update when we have something to talk about.” In short, it seems like cross-progression between console and PC won’t be available as soon as the game’s Steam launch, but it certainly sounds fairly high on Respawn’s ‘to-do’ list. As Grenier said, it is much harder to add a feature a couple of years down the line that it is to add the feature into the launch of the game on a new platform. Apex fans will have to wait and see how this one plays out.

Respawn job listing reveals Apex Legends PS5 & Xbox Series X plans Respawn Entertainment / Microsoft / SonyApex Legends will be marching into the next generation of gaming when the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X arrive later this year, according to a new job listing for the battle royale posted by Respawn Entertainment late last week. With the new consoles from Sony and Microsoft set to hit shelves in 2020’s holiday season, the question on every gamers’ lips now is which of their favorite long-term titles are set to survive the next-gen switch-up that follows. On that front, battle royales like Fortnite and PUBG have less to worry about as PC titles. Infinity Ward also recently confirmed Apex Legends rival Warzone will be making the leap. Now Respawn has locked in their PS5 and XSX plans too. Respawn job listing confirms Apex’s PS5, XSX plans At least, it looks like it’s full steam. Respawn has said nothing official yet. Instead, a job listing for a Senior Rendering Engineer to “push next-generation platforms and the PC to their limits on Apex” seems to have confirmed it for them. While the listing, posted on EA’s internal hiring board, doesn’t specifically mention either the PlayStation 5 or the Xbox Series X by name, use of the term “next-gen” can only relate to the huge console releases coming later this year. Apex Legends could head to next-gen as soon as late 2020 The position called for skills in “shading,” “optimizing,” and “fixing tricky bugs”. That seems to confirm Apex’s next-gen port could also be bound for a late 2020 time frame. These kinds of roles are often end-development related, to add polish. The listing — which has now closed — combined with EA’s promise last year that they are treating Apex Legends as a “major long-term franchise” all but confirms we could soon be battling across King’s Canyon on PS5 and the XSX. As for smaller consoles — namely phones — there’s still been no word from EA or Respawn beyond their update last October, which suggested a late-2020 drop date. That does seem to line up with the next-gen release, however. It may not be faster processors or updated graphics, but Apex also has other major updates coming a little sooner than late 2020 too — Loba is finally making her playable debut in-game next week with Season 5’s long-awaited release. Everything for the battle royale’s big seasonal switch-up kicks off from May 5, when the new Season 5 Launch Trailer premieres on YouTube. The season itself will begin a week later. A major update will also be arriving for all consoles.