Summary
Respawn Entertainment has revealed the official patch notes for the nextApex Legendsupdate, which will mark the mid-point of Season 22: Shockwave. Alongside a plethora of new bug fixes, quality-of-life improvements, and gameplay updates, the mid-season update forApex Legendswill also mark the beginning of a new Space Hunt event.
Apex Legends' twenty-second season has been met with a myriad of controversy since its launch in early August. Even prior to the update’s release, fans were already disappointed in the controversial changes being made toApex Legends' Battle Pass system. While Respawn did go on to revert some of the planned changes before they were even implemented,Apex Legendswas review-bombed on Steamand still holds a “mostly negative” review rating many weeks later.
Although there was speculation thatCrypto would be nerfed in the nextApex Legendsupdate, Respawn has now revealed the official patch notes for the mid-season 22 update, confirming incoming changes to Fuse, Rampart, Revenant, and Valkyrie. The new content update is set to go live on September 17 and will also see the arrival of a new Space Hunt event, which will run until October 8. The event will bring a new limited-time mode known as Knockout, which is a 60-player, 20-squad battle royale experience that Respawn says is “intense” and “objective-based” as players battle it out to capture zones and collect EVO to rack up points.
Fans were also gearing up to see thereturn ofApex Legends' Ranked Rumble modewith the launch of the mid-season update, but Respawn had disappointing news for players and announced that the mode would not be returning during Season 22. The studio noted that it had “heard [the] feedback” from the community and would be working on making some major improvements and changes to the mode before it would return. In the recently revealed patch notes, the studio said it would be reworking some of the fundamental systems of the mode.
Although the mid-season patch won’t see the return of Ranked Rumble, fans can still check out the new Knockout mode on September 17, as well as new limited-time weekly challenges and plenty of new cosmetic items in the reward shop. As for gameplay changes, Respawn is once again bringing a plethora of adjustments to the popular battle royale.Apex Legends' Havoc Rifle, for example, will be receiving yet another nerf, as Respawn says the rifle is still overperforming when compared to other weapons in the loot pool. Other adjustments are also being made to the R-99 SMG, as well as plenty of map updates to E-District.
GAMEPLAY UPDATES
Loot Bin Reset
Dev Note: You should be rewarded for surviving to the late game. More consistent access to high value loot with Loot Bins has been a great reward, however the rewards were a bit too generous. We’ve reduced the rates of the best items that end the loot chase too soon to maintain the value of continuous looting after Loot Bin Reset. Additionally, no one loves the experience of opening a Loot Bin and seeing something they want, only to have the reset slam it shut in their face. Getting that loot onto the ground ensures you get the full value out of a Loot Bin regardless of the reset timing.
Loot Ticks
Dev Note: Long have Loot Ticks been a bit underwhelming. We’ve increased their power to be more on par with other, more recent sources of high tier loot acquisition.
WEAPONS & LOOT
Havoc Rifle
Dev Note: Even after our most recent round of nerfs, the Havoc is still overperforming compared to our other weapons. Removing its high-valued chase item is intended to tamp down its power level.
R-99 SMG [Care Package]
Ammo
Dev Note: Previously, there was a 70% chance to spawn two separate ammo bricks and a 30% chance to only spawn one when a weapon spawned with its corresponding ammo. We’ve changed this to clean up the number of items on the ground and slightly increase the ammo economy.
Hop-ups
Ultimate Accelerant
Dev Note: Ult Accelerants are in a tricky spot. Their power is clear to some players, being able to chain multiple ultimates in a single engagement, while other players will leave them on the ground in favor of other loot. We want all of our players to understand the power that comes with the Ult Accelerant, but we also don’t want to mess too much with the careful balancing act that comes with Legend ult timing. This change aims to decrease the cadence with which they can be used while also making their power more obvious and convenient to access.
LEGENDS
Fuse
Dev Note: We gave Fuse the ability to see enemies inside the mortar ring as a quality of life improvement. The scan area would scale as large as necessary to match the area of the ring. This had the unintended side effect of giving a very large scan area when shot on tall objects. Our intention for the ult is to primarily be an area of effect ability, not an information gathering ability.
Increased horizontal Jetpack speed and acceleration.
Full Coverage
Reduce Tac cooldown by 5 seconds. Widen Missile Swarm pattern from 4x3 to 3x5.
Modify Missile Swarm pattern from 4x3 to 3x5.
Eyes in the Sky
Enemies are revealed from further away and through walls while skydiving.
Dev Note: As Evac Towers rose, Valk’s fall from grace was no surprise. After 16 months of everyone having access to more macro-mobility, we used this midseason update to improve all facets of her kit and reevaluate her role as a Skirmisher. We felt that gating full ult potential behind upgrades was still an important playstyle decision and power check for someone with a jetpack for a passive. Do you prefer the combat strength gained from jetpack and tactical upgrades? Or will you opt for skydiving upgrades that can help you spot good landing locations in crowded endgames? Regardless, Threat Vision while jetpacking and her skydive HUD solidify her as a unique Recon pick: “They can have the ground, I own the sky.”
RANKED
Ranked has gone through many different layers through the years and of course every player has their favorite rendition. At the end of Upheaval, we stopped baking you Ranked cakes and started baking you Rumble pies. It was a limited run and some of you ate the pies, but realistically everyone that comes to the cake shop is there for cake.
To cut the metaphors, our very first Ranked Rumble was met with rumbles. It didn’t deliver or align with why you’re playing Ranked: grinding for that sweet, sweet icing RP. You let us know about this misalignment and it was also reflected in our participation data. We set out to create a competitive experience that would offer a different flavor and we missed the mark.
Ranked Rumble will not be going live today or at the end of the Shockwave season. We’re going to take it offline and rework some of the fundamental systems to allow for the following goals to be achieved:
Ranked Rumble will see a tentative return next season. We hope you’ll continue to enjoy Shockwave’s Ranked and look forward to us talking about Ranked Rumble again in the very near future.
BUG FIXES
Looking for something else? Our public Trello board is updated weekly with the status of bugs that we can talk about ahead of the patch note drops. We also update our game status here for those of you not on other social platforms.
Apex Legends
WHERE TO PLAY
Conquer with character in Apex Legends, a free-to-play* Hero shooter where legendary characters with powerful abilities team up to battle for fame & fortune on the fringes of the Frontier.Master an ever-growing roster of diverse legends, deep tactical squad play, and bold new innovations that go beyond the Battle Royale experience—all within a rugged world where anything goes. Welcome to the next evolution of Hero Shooter.This game includes optional in-game purchases of virtual currency that can be used to acquire virtual in-game items, including a random selection of virtual in-game items.
