Apex Legends Season 22 Patch Notes: New LMG Gun Shield, Refreshing Loot, And Controller & Recon Buffs

Apex Legends Season 22: Shockwave Patch NotesShockwave boasts some of the most unexpected features to ever hit Apex Legends.Apex Legends Season 22: Shockwave may not be introducing a new Legend to the lineup (which, honestly, is probably for the best), but the new season certainly doesn't suffer from a lack of fresh new content. From a new mid-match loot refreshing mechanic to gun shields for all LMGs, Shockwave's new additions are sure to shake up the meta.Additionally, Controller- and Recon-class Legends are getting some serious buffs, there's a new map (plus a new map rotation), and once the season goes live, players will have access to some wild new Battle Sense abilities that allow them to see enemy health bars and track enemies at close range.But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Keep scrolling for a look at the full patch notes, along with a play-by-play of all the major game-changers set to hit Apex Legends when Season 22: Shockwave goes live on Tuesday, August 6 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Battle Sense changesPlayers can now see enemy health bars, and can highlight enemies at close range.The Battle Sense system is getting upgraded in a serious way this season, starting with a feature Respawn calls Ammo Awareness. As soon as a player runs out of ammo, they'll automatically relay this information (including the ammo type) to their teammates, and it'll show up in the game's kill feed, meaning less desperate "Please stop running into battle, I have no ammo!" pings from players who have nothing to hit the enemy with besides their fists.But there are two other new additions to Battle Sense that are legitimate game changers. The first is an ability to see enemy health bars when shooting."Enemy health bars will take the guesswork out of how much damage you're doing to each opponent, and [see] if they really are 'one shot' [away from being downed]," associate design director Josh Mohan said during Season 22 previews. Finally!The second big addition to Battle Sense is the addition of enemy highlights. Enemy squad members will now be highlighted in red when players have a direct line of sight on them at close range. The "direct line of sight" bit is important--if an enemy steps behind cover (or disappears into one of Bangalore's smoke grenades, they will no longer be highlighted, and the highlight fades the further away they get.Both visible enemy health bars and enemy highlights are turned on by default, but can be turned off via the settings menu, so players who aren't looking for a helping hand and prefer a challenge won't be forced into using these features."With these changes, players should be able to more easily get a kill, snag some stuff, and get back in the fight," Mohan said of the Battle Sense changes. Controller Legend changesController Legends like Caustic and Wattson are getting some serious buffs this season.Controller Legends will be gaining two new abilities in Season 22. The first is a Class Perk called Zone Overcharge. Whenever Controller Legends are inside the next ring (the grey circle inside the ring), they'll gain Zone Overcharge, which adds an additional 25 HP shield pip to their body shield. This extra shield charge will last as long as they're within the zone, effectively bumping them up one shield level. Naturally, however, Controllers can only use Zone Overcharge to boost their shield to Mythic-tier (red). Controllers who have earned enough EVO Points for a Mythic shield core will not gain an additional sixth shield pip. This new ability will make the info gained from scanning Ring Consoles even more useful.The second Controller-exclusive ability is Remote Pickup, which allows Controller Legends to remotely pick up undamaged tactical charges from a distance by looking back at them and pressing a button when prompted. When a Controller abandons an area entirely, they'll be prompted to pick up all the unused tactical charges at once with a single button press."This should allow controllers to experiment with their kit more freely, and give players more agency in moving their setups quickly," game designer John Larson explained during previews. Recon Legend changesSurvey Beacons are getting a major overhaul this season.Like Controllers, Recon Legends will also be gaining two new buffs. The first is a Class Perk called Threat Vision. Similar to the way Battle Sense works, Threat Vision means Recon Legends will now automatically see enemies highlighted in red when ADSing. Just like with Battle Sense, a direct line of sight is required, and certain Legend abilities, like Bangalore's smoke grenades, will still block Threat Vision.The second buff is an increase in the spawn rate of the Recon-exclusive Survey Beacons, and a decrease in the amount of time it takes to use one. In addition to being more plentiful and quicker to use, Survey Beacons will also refresh multiple times over the course of 15 seconds, allowing Recon Legends to get a better idea of where enemy teams are and where they're headed. But there are a few trade-offs: Survey Beacon scan range had been reduced to 500 meters, and now that there are more of them around and they take less time to use, the amount of EVO gained for using one has been reduced to 75. Mid-match Supply Bin refreshingHalfway through the match, open Supply Bins will close--and some interesting new ones will appear.Starting this season, all open Supply Bins will close up and be refilled with loot once a match reaches its midpoint. Refilled Supply Bins will have a slightly different appearance compared to those that have not yet been opened at all. But a few of these Supply Bins will be replaced with unique versions:Legendary Supply Bins: Several Legendary-tier Supply Bins will appear halfway through the match, and will contain Smart Loot, ensuring that their contents are something that players can actually use with whichever weapons they have equipped at the time.Mythic Supply Bins: One Mythic-tier Supply Bin will replace a previously looted Standard Supply bin when the match is halfway over. The Mythic Supply Bin will contain: One random Care Package weaponGold versions of weapons the squad has equipped at the time of opening the binMedical supplies and grenadesA large XP bonus for the entire squadBut there are a few drawbacks: There's only one Mythic Supply Bin per match, it takes significantly longer to open than other Supply Bins, and it's marked clearly on the map, meaning players will likely have to fight off other squads if they want to claim the high-tier loot within. Akimbo pistolsPlayers can now dual-wield P2020s or Mozambiques.Starting in Season 22, players can now dual-wield a pair of P2020s or a pair of Mozambiques, referred to in-game as "akimbo pistols." To activate the dual-wielding mechanic, simply pick up two P2020s or two Mozambiques. Despite the fact that you'll be holding two weapons, they'll only take up a single weapon slot, so you'll still have room in your inventory for your favorite mid- or long-range weapon.Akimbo pistols trade the ability to ADS for two fully-automatic weapons with an increased rate-of-fire and a tighter hipfire bullet spread making it easier to land shots. Additionally, you'll only need to loot one attachment of each type. For instance, if you're rocking a pair of P2020s and pick up a purple light mag, that magazine will apply itself to both weapons automatically. The same goes for hop-ups and other weapon attachments.For more information on akimbo pistols, the story behind their implementation, and other behind-the-scenes secrets regarding the creation of Season 22, check out GameSpot's recent interview with Apex's development team. Gun shields for All LMGsMove over, Gibraltar--there's a new gun shield in town.LMGs Gun Shield GeneratorLMG fans will be happy to hear that every last LMG in the game is getting a major buff in Season 22. The "reverse hipfire" mechanic applied to the Care Package version of the Devotion in Season 21 will be automatically applied to all LMGs as of Season 22. Additionally, a new LMG-exclusive hop-up has been introduced: the Gun Shield Generator. The Gun Shield Generator must first be looted, but once attached, it creates a front-facing shied that protects players' faces and upper bodies from taking damage from projectiles.The shield can take 40 damage before it breaks, after which it will enter a brief cooldown period before reactivating. Combining a Gun Shield Generator-equipped LMG with Gibraltar's Gun Shield ability will provide even more protection. Weapon changesSeason 22 features a number of tweaks to Apex's arsenal of firearms.The R-99 has replaced the EVA-8 as this season's Care Package Weapon, and has received a number of buffs as a result. The R-99's ADS strafe speed has increased, the weapon now has improved recoil, and players will not experience any movement penalty whatsoever when the R-99 is equipped. Additionally, it's getting a new damage fall-off feature, which sees its damage increased to 14 at close range, and decreased to 10 when enemies are over 10 meters away.This season's gold weapon rotation includes the following guns:Mozambique akimboP2020 akimboR-301RampageSentinelAs for standard weapons, shotguns are also getting a major overhaul. Both the Mastiff and the Peacekeeper are each losing a few pellets per shot, but their damage-per-pellet is being increased. The Peacekeeper's blast pattern has also been altered."A change like this is designed to create consistency while reducing the number of pellets required to get those meaty hits," lead game designer Eric Canavese said of the shotgun changes. "If you're a shotgun enjoyer, we think you're going to really appreciate these updates."Additionally, the Hemlock's damage has been reduced from 20 to 19, the time between bursts has been increased, and the capacity of blue magazines has been lowered slightly. There's good news for fans of light weapons, however, as all light weapons (including the R-301) have received increased extended magazine capacities as of Season 22.The amount of ammo that can be stacked per inventory slot has changed for the following ammo types:Light ammo stack size increased to 72 (was 60) Individual brick size increased to 24 (was 20)Energy ammo stack size decreased to 54 (was 60) Individual brick size decreased to 18 (was 20)Shotgun ammo stack size increased to 20 (was 16) Individual brick size increased to 10 (was 8)Lastly, the Disruptor Rounds hop-up has been removed from the loot pool. Legend changesTwo specific legends are getting some major changes this season.Both Alter and Crypto's abilities are receiving some major changes this season, which we've listed below:AlterVoid Nexus Channel time when knocked decreased to 2 seconds (was 3 seconds)Chase portal duration decreased to 8 seconds (was 10 seconds)Chase portal opening delay increased to 8 seconds (was 6 seconds)Increased travel speed to Void Nexus by about 40% Cooldown reduced to 3 min (was 3.5 minutes)When knocked, you can travel to a friendly Void Nexus without looking at it by pressing the character action button (H key/D-pad down)CryptoSurveillance Drone: cooldown decreased to 30 seconds (was 40 seconds)Upgrades Quick Ping upgrade replaced by Off the Grid: Crypto becomes cloaked when piloting his drone While hidden from sight, Crypto’s cloaking will still emit a close-range cloaking sound to allow enemies the change to locate him, and ability scans will still reveal his location.Threat Vision related skills will not reveal Crypto.Crypto's drone now scans anyone hit by his Drone EMP ability for 4 seconds, and can track them through walls.Quick Ping hasn't been removed--its improved handling is now integrated into his base kit. LTMs: Bot Royale, Straight Shot, RevivalsLimited time, unlimited fun.Three limited-time modes (LTMs) have been confirmed for Season 22:Bot Royale: A PvE mode where all enemy players are bots. This mode is a great way to introduce inexperienced friends to the game without boring them in the Firing Range or overwhelming them in a PvP mode.Revival: Revival allows players to quickly respawn when they die--no Respawn Beacon necessary--as long as at least one member of their squad is still alive. The mode will replace the standard Battle Royale mode for the first few weeks of Season 22.Straight Shot Revival: The Straight Shot LTM will be making its return later in the season, when the first seasonal event goes live. But this time around, it'll be a mash-up of Straight Shot and Revival, allowing players to Respawn unaided as long as at least one member of their squad is still in the fight. New map, new map rotationThe new E-District map is an Asian-inspired cyberpunk haven and is the game's first permanent "night map."Shockwave will see the introduction of the game's sixth map: E-District, a neon, cyberpunk-themed city with POIs based on real-life locations, including Tokyo's Shibuya Center. The northern part of the map includes swanky POIs like Lotus Luxury Apartments, The Galleria, Neon Oval Raceway, and even a resort. The Southern part of the map--once home to the working-class people of Suotamo--features POIs like Old Town and the Shipyard. Suotamo is known for its resemblance to Titanfall 2's iconic Angel City.Season 22's map rotation is as follows:E-DistrictStorm PointBroken moonIt's likely that the map rotation will change after the mid-season split. Full patch notesDetail-oriented players can check out the full patch notes below.All the changes listed above will go into effect when Apex Legends Season 22: Shockwave goes live on Tuesday, August 6 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET.The patch notes for Season 22 are listed in full below:PATCH NOTESBALANCE UPDATESCare PackageEVA-8 returns to the floor Blast pattern size slightly increasedDamage increased to 7 (was 6)Fire rate decreasedNow takes Boosted Loader Hop-Up 4 shots remaining activationQuick reload overflows Magazine by 2Slight increase to recoilR-99 enters the Care Package ADS strafe speed increasedImproved recoilNew Feature: Damage fall-off Damage increased to 14 at close rangeDamage falls off to 10 at 11+ metersNo movement penalty when equippedEVO Cache Spawn Rate in the first wave increased to 100% (was 50%)Gold Weapon RotationMozambique Akimbo, P2020 Akimbo, R-301, Rampage, SentinelGAMEPLAY UPDATESAim AssistConsole crossplay into PC lobbies: Aim Assist strength reduced 18%Console performance mode crossplay into PC lobbies: Aim Assist strength reduced 22%Controller on PC: Aim Assist strength reduced 25%Dev Note: We value our accessibility as a cross-platform game, but it's equally important for us to monitor that ecosystem. Experiential stories from all types of players tracks with the data we're seeing when it comes to encounter win rate between different peripherals. Apex Legends is a competitive shooter, and simply put, aim assist is too strong. Aim assist will never be removed as it's a critical accessibility feature. Console lobbies remain unaffected; this only impacts players on controllers in PC lobbies (our most competitive ecosystem). This change doesn't solve the intricacies of all aim assist hot topics, but it should help level the playing ground.Aim FlinchAim Flinch has been removed from all weapons & most abilitiesDamage from the ring still incurs Aim FlinchDev Note: Let's be honest, no one really had love for Aim Flinch. We’ve made the call to eliminate it from all weapons and most Legend abilities. However there are some Legend abilities that do benefit from the added feedback like dunking on someone with a Newcastle ult. We’ll keep an eye on abilities that may need additional feedback as we see how this change affects the game.Loot Bin ResetStarting with Shockwave, all loot bins will close and reroll their loot with a significantly increased chance at high tier and rare loot at the mid-way point of the match.Bins that have been rerolled will appear slightly differently than ones that have never been openedAfter the reset, multiple bins will convert into Legendary loot bins that provide smart loot, guaranteeing that the contents to be relevant upgrades for a squadMythic BinOne Mythic bin will spawn into the match with: One random Care Package weaponGold version weapons of those that the squad is running at the time of opening the binMedical supplies and grenadesLarge XP bonus to the squadMythic bins are locked and require players to hold interact on them for a significant amount of time to crack them open for their teamDisplayed on the map and minimapLoot PoolReduce the spawn rate of Purple and Gold attachments by about 50%Dev Note: Access to high tier attachments in the early game have started to feel too common which results in squashing the power progression over the course of a match. By reducing the amount of high tier loot in the early game players will be fighting on more even terms. To compensate for this reduction, “Loot Bin Reset” improves the overall quality of loot in the world which should provide a much smoother transition to end game power. Reorganization: Death Boxes and Loba’s Black MarketHealing items now have a dedicated row and have been removed from the consumables categoryShield Cores have been moved to the top of the Gear categoryDev Note: These items are critical to a player’s success in the outlands, bringing them up to the top with consistent positions should expedite the looting process and eliminate some tedious scrolling for players.TraversalMantling at the same time in the same spot as a teammate no longer forces both players to dropBATTLE SENSEBetter Ammo Awareness & FeedbackCritical Ammo state will now kick on when a player has 0 relevant ammo in their inventoryOn screen Low Ammo indicators kick on earlier allowing players more opportunity to find ammo Indicator also now displays the icon of the ammo typePinging for ammo will now display the ammo icon in the kill feedWhen emptying a weapon of all reserve ammo it will now automatically ping that the player is in need of ammoWhen looking at ammo on the ground the tooltip now displays compatibility with any of your currently equipped weaponsDev Note: Running out of ammo is never fun and our low ammo states were set up in a way that didn’t provide much time or information for players to action on. These changes intend to set players up for more success when it comes to maintaining their ammo economy.Enemy Health BarsWhen damaging an enemy, players are now shown the enemy’s Armor and Health state. This Health Bar is only active for a brief time after dealing damage and then fades away. Health Bars, like Enemy Highlights require direct line of sight.Enemy HighlightEnemy players will now be highlighted with a red outline similar to how allies are highlighted with a blue one. The highlight is most prominent at close ranges and the intensity fades as targets get farther away. Enemy Highlights require direct line of sight (you can breathe now, Bangalore mains).Both Enemy Health Bars and Enemy Highlights can be toggled on/off in Settings.Dev Note: Visual clarity and accurate information are imperative to a player’s success. These new features, Highlighting and Health Bars, are intended to level the playing field and combat the intensity of battle. No one likes mag dumping into their squadmates back because they totally thought that was the enemy Lifeline. Experienced players can easily develop the skill to call out health values of enemies based on the amount of damage they are dealing and the various shield levels but for newer players this can be a difficult task. Providing a visual aid for such critical information we hope evens the playing field a bit and can provide accurate and actionable information that can be relayed to the whole squad. You can really call out that “they’re one!”.AMMO & ATTACHMENTSAmmo Spawn ratesEnergy ammo: reduced individual spawn rateLight & Heavy ammo: slight increase to individual spawn rateShotgun & Sniper ammo: increased individual spawn rateAmmo Stack ChangesLight ammo stack size increased to 72 (was 60) Individual brick size increased to 24 (was 20)Energy ammo stack size decreased to 54 (was 60) Individual brick size decreased to 18 (was 20)Shotgun ammo stack size increased to 20 (was 16) Individual brick size increased to 10 (was 8)Dev Note: Light ammo weapons have been overshadowed by our Heavy and Energy arsenal the last few seasons. With this set of changes we’re hoping the ammo economy for Light will improve their viability and earn back a place in player’s loadouts. Hop-upsDisruptor Rounds removed from floor lootNew Hop-Up: Gun Shield Generator Usable by all LMGs (Spitfire, Rampage, L-STAR, Devotion)When aiming down sights automatically deploy a frontal Gun ShieldGun Shield absorbs 40 damageGun Shield is recharged 12 seconds after taking damage or breakingImproves Gibraltar’s Gun Shield Gun Shield health increased to 75Gun Shield recharge time remains the same as his passiveWEAPONSAkimboDual wield two P2020s or two Mozambiques this season by finding and interacting with a second P2020 or Mozambique to automatically enter Akimbo mode.Aiming tightens hipfire spread instead of looking down sightsAttachments are mirrored to the second weaponBoth P2020 and Mozambique are automatic in AkimboIncreased rate of fireLonger reload timesMagazine size is doubledOptics are disabled while in AkimboToggle select fire to holster your second weapon and re-enable your optic.LMGsAll LMGs now benefit from the Reverse Hipfire mechanic found on the Care Package DevotionNew Hop-Up: Gun Shield Generator (see Hop-Ups section above)Dev Note: LMGs are great at suppressing enemies and unloading huge mags of consistent damage, but they can’t compete with our more aggressive weapon types in raw damage output so we’re trying new vectors of strength—defense and consistency. The Gun Shield Generator is intended to allow players to challenge higher DPS weapons in a new way that plays into their fantasy more than just increasing damage. While the Reverse Hipfire mechanic provides a more consistent close range option.AlternatorMagazine size changesBase: 19 (unchanged)White: 23 (was 22)Blue: 26 (was 25)Purple/Gold: 28 (was 27)CARMagazine size changes Base: 19 (unchanged)White: 22 (was 21)Blue: 24 (was 23)Purple/Gold: 27 (was 26)Devotion (Care Package)Empty reload speed decreasedGun Shield Generator addedReverse hip fire improved; shots needed for max hipfire reduced to 14 (was 21)FlatlineMagazine size changes Base: 19 (was 20)White: 23 (was 25)Blue: 27 (was 28)Purple/Gold: 29 (was 30)HavocHipfire accuracy significantly reducedHemlokBurst Delay slightly increasedDamage reduced to 19 (was 20)Magazine Size Reduction Base: 18 (unchanged)White: 21 (was 24)Blue: 24 (was 27)Purple/Gold: 30 (unchanged)Dev Note: Hemlock & Havoc have both been overperforming, these changes are intended to bring them more in line with the rest of the weapon roster. P2020 (Single)Damage increased to 21 (was 18)Hammer Point damage decreased to 23 (was 27)Magazine size changes Base: 10 (was 14)White: 11 (was 16)Blue: 12 (was 18)Purple/Gold: 14 (was 21)Mozambique (Single)Hammer Point Damage for a full blast reduced to 54 (was 60)Rate of fire significantly increasedShotgun Bolt rate of fire multiplier decreased at all levelsMastiffDamage increased to 15 (was 11)Pellet count reduced to 6 (was 8)Dev Note: Shotguns have been feeling inconsistent lately so we’re taking a swing at improving that consistency without just cranking the total damage up. Reducing pellet count and increasing the per pellet damage should increase the average damage dealt.PeacekeeperDamage increased per pellet to 11 (was 9)Pellet count reduced to 9 (was 11)Blast pattern shape changedR-301Magazine size changes Base: 21(was 18)White: 23 (was 20)Blue 28: (was 25)Purple/Gold: 31 (was 28)RE-45Magazine size changes Base: 18 (was 16)White: 20 (was 19)Blue: 23 (was 22)Purple/Gold: 26 (was 25)RampageIncrease projectile size while Revved UpLEGENDSNew Class Perks + AdjustmentsController Legends Class Perk - Zone Overcharge: extra shield capacity when playing in zone (see above)QoL - Remote Pick-Up: remotely pick-up their undamaged Tacticals by looking back at them and pressing a button (see above)Recon Legends Class Perk - Threat Vision: gain threat vision when aiming down sights (see above)Survey Beacons: multiple updates (see above)AlterVoid Nexus Channel time when knocked decreased to 2s (was 3s)Chase portal duration decreased 8s (was 10s)Chase portal opening delay increased to 8s (was 6s)Increased travel speed to void nexus by about 40% (was 1800)Ult cooldown reduced to 3 min (was 3.5m)When knocked, you can travel to a friendly Void Nexus without looking at it by pressing character action (H key/D-pad down)Dev Note: When you're knocked, you're at your most vulnerable and taking time to locate an object in the world and look at it for a period of time with no way to defend yourself is both challenging and risky. These changes should make it easier for a knocked teammate to safely use the Void Nexus, and allow you to reset your squad quicker and more safely.Removed option to press character action to destroy your own Void Nexus (H key/D-pad down)Dev note: It was a common misconception that destroying your own void nexus prevented people from following you. In actuality, it only prevented your teammates from using it. This feature was intended to be used only when Alter felt its placement was unsafe. In practice though, it was rarely used this way and mostly resulted in Alter destroying her own Void Nexus when trying to thank her teammates.Upgrades: Level 2 Ult Cooldown: removed ( Level 2 )NEW Ringmaster: gain access to Ring ConsolesBallisticWhistler: lock-on time decreased to 0.1s (was 0.3s)CryptoSurveillance Drone: cooldown decreased to 30s (was 40s)Upgrades NEW: It’s called Off the Grid: Crypto becomes cloaked when in drone While hidden from sight, Crypto’s cloaking will still emit a close-range cloaking sound to sus his location and ability scans will still reveal his locationThreat Vision related skills will not reveal CryptoImproved Satellite Imagery: Ult now scans anyone it hits for 4s and will track through wallsQuick Ping: removed, improved handling now integrated into base kitDev note: Crypto’s upgrades were looking pretty one-sided, so we’ve made changes at both tiers to rival the dominant choices with new options that should introduce some interesting gameplay potential. Crypto’s finally going Off the Grid; which should make players feel more safe playing in the drone and the improvement to satellite imagery gives lasting potential to follow up on your successful EMP blasts. We’ve also pushed the fun of a more responsive drone into every player’s hands.LifelineUpgrade - Gold-Plated: replaced Gold EVO Cache with BatteryDev note: Lifeline has been showing some dominance in her recent resurgence, but the free level from the Gold EVO caches and the gold knockdown shield from her upgraded Ultimate were compounding her strength in a cheeky way; bypassing the effort to earn that final armor tier. We feel there’s enough power in guaranteeing the Gold Knockdown Shield to retain the golden girl without the free pass to max level.RampartSheila Ammo drains from pip charge with useMaximum number of place turrets allowed is now 1Need 1 PIP of Ultimate change to draw or place SheilaNo longer requires a full charge to equipNow uses an Ammo-Style Ultimate modelDev note: Sheila isn’t as slept-on as she once was, but we were seeing some players struggle to micro-manage the cooldown of the Ultimate - given that you had to drain the ammo or plant it to not wind up accidentally drawing a Shiela with only a few bullets remaining. Now Sheila will work off an ammo model, similar to Vantage, and constantly refill ammo when not in use. This should let players worry less about tracking the remaining ammo in Sheila, keep the weapon in the action more reliably and allow Rampart to more freely place an extra turret for a teammate behind her walls without sacrificing her Ult.SeerFocus of Attention: healthbars persist for duration of SilenceHeartbeat Sensor Passive move speed has been increased to weapon sprint speedPassive is now quieter when activeUpgrades Focus Scan: removedNEW Split Focus: gain an additional Tac chargeDev note: In this Recon-focused season, we’re making some changes to Seer to pull back on some of the sluggish sticking points around using his passive and are adjusting his Tactical to still have a unique benefit with the addition of Player Healthbars this season. We’re also experimenting with giving Seer access to more utility with his Tactical with Split Focus. Now players will get to choose to opt into the longer range with the single all-or-nothing outcome, or gain the second charge with more chances to hit at the cost of overall silence time.VantageEcho Relocation: no longer requires LOS to Echo to launch Can launch when LOS is blockedCan now cancel the tac mid chargeTac reticle will turn red when echo is behind you and you are launchingWill slide-around boxes and geometry as best it can to reach EchoSniper’s Mark 2nd Shot Multiplier is now 2.5x (was 2x)Can hit "Reload" when in ult to use an Ult AccelSpotter's Lens NEW Ranged Tracking Waypoint on PING within Passive range will track enemy for 10sWill not show within 100m (for each ally individually)Recon Info added to all opticsexpanded passive scanning screen area to be more consistentUpgrade - Ult Reload: now also doubles Ult Accel use speed in addition to providing 2 extra bulletsDev Note: Vantage has a number of improvements to her kit this season to make her more effective at what she’s meant to do. Her Ult now secures more damage against weakened prey on its follow-up shots. Her Tac is now more reliable to allow for easier to reach Echo in complex areas. And her passive has expanded to all optics, making it a useful part of her kit regardless of scope and without having to go unarmed. Additionally, her passive has a new tracking feature when pinging a target in your sights at long range—allowing Vantage and her allies to track the target at a distance more easily.WattsonUpgrades Power Pylon: now regenerates shield chargeSplit Current: removedEmergency Power - Added Increases Shield Regen Rate of Interception PylonDev Note: While the Split Circuit upgrade harkened back to the old times and had interesting promise, most players found success bunkering around one stronger pylon, rather than trying to hold space with two and the upgrade was heavily outmatched. These changes aim to look into the shield generator aspect of Wattson’s Ult and the potential for either a faster reset or more resilient ultimate.MAPSPubs & Ranked Rotation Broken MoonE-DistrictStormpointNEW E-District Urban island district of the city of Suotamo on GaeaFeatures 17 POIsDesigned for verticality with areas perfect for CQCExclusive map at launch Pubs: for the first week after launch, August 6-12Ranked: for the first 72 hours after launch, August 6-9MODESBot RoyaleNew mode for Apex’s new and learning playersBattle as a squad against a smaller lobby of enemy bot squads in a quicker version of a standard battle royale matchGame rules are the same as in standard battle royale modesPlay with Bots in your squad or bring your own Human friendsBot Legends: overhauled as part of Bot RoyaleImprovements made to pathfinding, shooting, ability deployment, and interactions with game objectsSeveral Legends were added as Bots in Bot Royale including: Bangalore, Bloodhound, Conduit, Fuse, Gibraltar, Lifeline, Octane, Seer, Vantage, and WraithRevival: LTM ft. New Respawn MechanicRespawn into a skydive near your teammates as long as one teammate is still aliveIf all players die, the team is eliminatedRespawn Timers: Respawn timers increase with each passing roundRespawn timers for your squad increase each time a squadmate diesRespawn timers decrease when squad members: Deal damageEarn knockdownsEarn killsExecute enemiesKilling an enemy will reveal their squadmates for a brief timePlayers start with blue knockdown shields (knockdown shields removed from the loot pool)Respawning ends and all deaths are final upon reaching a specific round Trios Revival: Respawning ends at Round 5Straight Shot Revival: Respawning ends at Round 4Straight Shot Revival (Starts August 20, 2024)Straight Shot returns as Straight Shot RevivalFeatures new respawn mechanic found in Trios RevivalAkimbo P2020 and Mozambique replace the single versions in lootEnemy Highlight and Enemy Health Bars are enabledPurple and gold tier LMGs will include the new Gun Shield Generator hop-upMIXTAPEAkimbo weapons added into all Mixtape Loadouts and Gun Run R99 moves out of all loadouts, replaced with akimbo weapon variantsMixtape Map Rotations August 6-12, 2024 TDM: Skull Town, HabitatControl: Thunderdome, Production YardGun Run: The Core, MonumentAugust 13-19, 2024 Control: Barometer, Lava SiphonGun Run: Fragment, Skull TownLockdown: Zeus Station, ThunderdomeAugust 20-26, 2024 TDM: Habitat, The CoreControl: Barometer, Lava SiphonGun Run: Fragment, Skull TownAugust 27-September 2, 2024 TDM: Habitat, Skull TownControl: Production Yard, ThunderdomeGun Run: The Core, WattsonSeptember 3-9, 2024 TDM: Habitat, The CoreControl: Barometer, Lava SiphonGun Run: Fragment, Skull TownSeptember 10-16, 2024 TDM: Skull Town, Zeus StationControl: Production Yard, ThunderdomeGun Run: The Core, WattsonLTM: Akimbo & LMG Only Loadouts August 13-19, 2024 TDM: Habitat, Skull Town, The Core, Zeus StationAugust 30-September 3, 2024 Weekend of LockdownGameplay Rules: decreased Ult charge while capturing pointsZeus Station, Monument, Skull Town, The Core, ThunderdomeSeptember 3-9, 2024 Big TDMGameplay Rules 15 Minute Time LimitScore limit increased to 75Shield Regen activates on killsThunderdome, Habitat, Zeus Station, Skull Town, Fragment, The CoreNEW PLAYER EXPERIENCEWelcome Pass and ChallengesFor new accounts created after the launch of ShockwaveComplete Welcome Challenges to progress through the Welcome Pass Challenges can be completed in any BR mode and Bot RoyaleUnique set of challenges designed around foundational skillsWelcome Challenges do not refreshReceive rewards for reaching each level of the Welcome Pass If the player already has the reward in their inventory, they will receive the Crafting Metals value insteadStart with three Legends: Wraith, Bloodhound and Lifeline Unlock Bloodhound, Pathfinder, Gibraltar, and a Legend of their choice through progressionRANKEDWe will implement a brand new reset rule at the start of the new season.New Season Reset Rules No RP reset for Rookie IV to Rookie I, players will keep the RP they have from the last splitBronze IV to Platinum IV will reset to Bronze IV 1000 RPPlatinum III reset to Bronze III 1500 RPPlatinum II reset to Bronze II 2000 RPPlatinum I reset to Bronze I 2500 RPDiamond IV reset to Silver IV 3250 RP (with +250 demotion protection)Diamond III reset to Silver III 3600 RPDiamond II reset to Silver II 4200 RPDiamond I reset to Silver I 4800 RPMaster and above reset to Gold IV 5650 RP (with +250 demotion protection)Special Cases New Players (complete onboarding and above Level 20): Starting Rookie IV 1 RPReturning Players who didn't play last season (excluding Rookie tier which won’t reset): Starting RP threshold for Bronze IV 1000 RPDev Notes:The goal is to reset players to a tier that suits them based on their performance in the Ranked League of the previous season when the new season begins. This allows them to start battling from a rank that better suits their skill level while protecting newcomers and low-ranked players. Additionally, a portion of the achievements of high-ranked players who performed well in the previous season is retained, allowing them to compete against opponents of similar skill levels right from the start of the new season.RANKED RUMBLERanked Rumble returns September 13-17, 2024, with a new best of 10 matches format and free rewards.Players can participate in matches without 10 matches limitationsThere is no Re-Entry mechanic; play as much as you wantOnly your top 10 match results count towards your final standings If you get a better match score, it will replace your current lowest scoreWORLD SYSTEMSImproved end ring generation systemBUG FIXESCan no longer use Death Boxes through wallsCleaning up disconnected players in MixtapeFiring Range: Mythic weapons are no longer taken away after respawningFixed a storm point zipline that could kick players off too earlyFixed bad actor ping crashesFixed prowler spawn den bullet collision hullAdaptive SupersamplingFixed an issue that caused screen tearingFixed an issue that caused Legend banner poses to appear distortedDeath BoxesImprovements to help stop deathboxes from getting stuck in doorways and blocking exitsShould now be lootable in broken doorwaysWill now contain a shield core if the enemy disconnected before dyingLEGENDSAlter's ult can no longer be used for free if you place it onto a moving object and use it immediatelyBangalore smoke highlights should no longer get blocked by other playersFixed an issue that let players affected by Catalyst ultimate to see through Bangalore smokeMovement hitch when using Seer’s passive while unarmed should no longer occurNo more thefts from an explosive hold without warning, destroying Loba's Black MarketQUALITY OF LIFEMantling on the same location as your teammate won’t knock you downMixtape Gameplay Additional starting grenade added for Control & LockdownEVA 8 back into Close-Quarters loadoutFaster health regen for all mixtape modesLockdown Score Limit reduced to 400 (was 500)Reconnect match timer reduced to 2 minutes (was 5 min)Team Deathmatch Score Limit reduced to 40 (was 50)Mixtape’s Skull Town got a spawn audit (adjusting positions & angles)Nessies can once again bounce to their hearts content in the firing range (just not anywhere else)Speaking of, a new Nessie (with an appreciation for cinema) has appeared around the firing rangeGRAPHICSLargely optimized Performance Mode on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5, for more consistent frame rates and fewer resolution drops. Xbox Series X and PS5 can expect 10 FPS or higher improvements in GPU-intensive scenarios.DX12 (PC)Fixed several causes of graphical corruption issuesLarge optimizations to both CPU and GPU performance. With these changes, we expect that the DirectX 12 beta should now perform better than DirectX 11 for the majority of players.PC: removed Adaptive Supersampling video settings option. A small percentage of players used this option and those that did received no benefit from it unless they had a powerful GPU and low res monitor.Mitigated performance impact of looking at Death Boxes and intermittent performance spikes from champions banners.