Apex Legends enthusiasts, get ready for the exhilarating 20th season, Breakout, set to launch on Tuesday, February 13th, brimming with exciting updates. Brace yourselves for significant changes, including the introduction of a new Legend Upgrade system, the removal of Shields from ground loot, and a ranked reset.
In honor of the game’s fifth anniversary, expect maps adorned with celebratory confetti and balloons, offering players the chance to unlock six Legends previously exclusive to premium currency.
For those on next-gen consoles, Breakout will deliver an enhanced experience with the introduction of 120Hz support, alongside haptic feedback and adaptive triggers for controllers, available from launch for PS5 and Xbox Series S/X users.
So, what exactly is the new Legend Upgrade system? Throughout your matches, you’ll earn Evo to progress through a tracker. At specific milestones, you’ll face decisions on how to enhance your Legend, ultimately aiming for the coveted red shield upgrade.
Shields will no longer be found in ground loot; instead, they will upgrade alongside your Legend Upgrades. However, you can still acquire Shields from Deathboxes using a special Shield Cell.
Crafting Materials have been removed from the map entirely, and Replicators are now free for all players, although the crafting time has been increased significantly. Items available for crafting have been streamlined to primarily include healing items.
The map rotation for Breakout will feature Stormpoint, Olympus, and World’s Edge, with Mixtape introducing a new map reminiscent of the original King’s Canyon, named ‘Thunderdome.’ Keep an eye out for a new exhibit in the Apex Museum on World’s Edge, commemorating the game’s history, or visit the lobby location to catch up on lore.
A new limited-time mode, Straight Shot, aims to expedite your entry into the action-packed Apex matches. Additionally, the popular Three Strikes mode will make a return to Mixtape later in the season.
Breakout kicks off with a complete ranked reset and the reintroduction of RP (Ranked Points). Matchmaking will now solely rely on your RP value, with no strict rank matching. Trio queues will match based on the highest RP value within the team.
The scoring system for RP has been revised to be more transparent and rewarding, particularly for kills. A ‘Challenger Bonus’ will be granted for eliminating higher-ranked players, without penalizing lower-ranked eliminations.
Maintaining a top-five placement streak will earn you more RP over time. However, provisional matches and promotional trials have been removed for Breakout.
In other updates, Wattson can now stack Pylons again, with an added Pylon upgrade spawning Arc Stars when broken. Crypto’s drone deployment and recall transitions have been accelerated, and Ash may receive significant upgrades.
Additionally, the Digital Threat 1x attachment is now exclusive to Shotguns and Pistols, excluding SMGs. The 30-30 Repeater and Hemlok have been nerfed, alongside adjustments to Care Package and other weapon balances.
The team is actively addressing issues with Steam Configs, although specifics regarding fixes remain undisclosed.
Get ready for the excitement as Apex Legends: Breakout launches on Tuesday, February 13th, 2024, across PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC, and Nintendo Switch platforms.
