The latest season has been particularly problematic, with problems affecting one of the game’s best features – the responsive controls – and enough bugginess that it even showed up during a professional Apex Legends tournament last month. I can’t judge the game’s stability until we start playing it, but in a call with reporters, the team confirmed that they’re listening to players of all levels about how to adjust the game. Design director Evan Nikolich called the rank “a work in progress,” saying that we should expect to see more changes in the full patch notes as the developers try to emphasize that he’s a good team player. Other long-awaited features like gifting and cross progression are still coming, but there’s no word yet on when they’ll be available. When it goes live, players can expect cross progression that lets you switch platforms so PC players can take on daily challenges on the go on a Switch, for example. Other changes that will be noticeable to long-time players include a revamped progression system that allows you to grind from 0 to 500 again and earn more packs. Players can repeat the process up to four times, earning new badges and unlocking more rewards. If you’re starting from scratch, the process will yield enough packs to warrant getting an in-game “heirloom” item at some point, but if you’re already at max level, it won’t be enough on its own. In actual gameplay, there are almost too many changes to note. The controversial golden knockdown shield that allowed downed players to self-revive and occasionally win the game without even reviving, this feature has been removed. Many pros and high-level players had complained that it was unfair, but the team says it’s making changes based on what it sees at all levels of the game. Now, the same item has the features that were attached to the golden backpack, allowing players to revive their teammates with extra shields and health, while the golden backpack now has a “deep pockets” perk that allows it to hold additional healing items. Many of the game’s weapons that were present from launch are changed, with the Wingman pistol suddenly getting sniper ammo and the Spitfire machine gun using light ammo instead of heavy. We’re not getting a new weapon to go with this season of Apex Legends, but the radical changes to how they work might be enough to make up for it – the only question is whether everything will stay balanced, or whether a sniper / The loadout shotgun will dominate. “Relic.” Image: Respawn Entertainment This brings us to the new character, Vantage, and the old map, Kings Canyon. A recent season ranking on the OG Apex map revealed just how much players have grown since the game’s release — on a map that didn’t quite match how things are played now. For the Hunted season, the revamped Kings Canyon looks very different. It’s bigger, several chokepoints have been expanded, the iconic Skulltown section returns as a new area called “Relic,” and there are other map changes meant to help battles move more quickly instead of the sprawling engagements that usually drew third-party attention. before one team can defeat another. Loot on the map is now placed differently and a new skybox is supposed to brighten things up compared to its original texture which could get worn after a while. Vantage is another legend with recon capabilities, armed with a sniper rifle for her ultimate. She can zoom in on enemies with her lens to see squad size, shield rarity, and Legend names, as well as get additional bullet drop calculations while using sniper sights. She can mount her cute winged companion, a bat named Echo (who can’t be damaged or killed), and then launch into it with a double jump for quick repositioning. The sniper rifle’s ultimate is the first in the game to work without being fully charged. For her, the charge increases over time, adding extra ammo for Sniper’s Mark shots. The scope can reveal enemies and successfully highlight the enemy team for 10 seconds with a diamond marker, dealing 100 damage per hit and additional damage taken from Vantage’s team. Adding yet another legend with tracking abilities is a bit risky. As Overwatch ran into problems when too many characters could stun each other, Apex Legends is turning into a game where no one can hide. However, from the issues we’ve seen in Apex this year, the new legendaries have been pretty balanced, even if player stats show that the new additions aren’t being used much. Player protests like “No Apex August” don’t seem to have caught on and the game is as addictive as ever. But for the new season, I just hope everything works as it should.
